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(Bill W) May 3, 2010 – Another season opened at the historic Knoxville Raceway on Saturday for Brian Brown and the FVP #21 team. Things were going great until feature time, when a mechanical issue sidelined the Grain Valley, Missouri driver. This week, Brian will compete at Sedalia and again at Knoxville, where the IRA comes to town. Brian took advantage of coming out early in the order to set quick time during qualifications on Saturday. “With the points counting in qualifying again (45 for QT), you want to be quick time,” he says. “A lot of times, it’s not about me, but about the good Ostrich Racing Engine, and the Maxim chassis we have. We were lucky enough to get a good lap in.” Starting sixth in his heat, it didn’t take long for Brian to get to the front and run away with the 8-lapper. “You definitely have to get up on the wheel in the heats, because every position is worth points,” he says. “We had a good start, and we were able to get to third by turn two. We were able to get by (Bob) Weuve for second on the back chute, and then eventually put a slider on Rager (Phillips) in one and two for the lead.” A little luck came into play, when Brian drew a six for the feature inversion (out of 6, 8, 10 or 12). “It was pretty clear sailing from there on out (in the heat),” he says. “We were able to see where the car was good, and where it was bad on the track. We felt we had a good grasp of what was going on, and we were lucky enough to draw a six pill for the inversion in the feature.” Was there a need for adjustments before feature-time, on a well prepared track? “The Maxim chassis has been really good, and we haven’t been changing much on setup to be honest,” says the 2007 Knoxville champion. “We may change a bar here or there, or adjust the stagger, but that’s about it.” Things started well in the feature, as Brian surged forward. On lap three, it all ended abruptly. “We were able to get to third by turns three and four on the first lap,” he says. “Unfortunately, we dropped a cylinder there. I think something happened with the cam or lifters. Six rocker arms were loose on the right side and allowed a push rod to come out.” Though he fell out of the feature, a good early start to the night only had Brian falling to eighth in the point standings after night one. “It was really unfortunate to have that good of a night going, and have something bad like that happen,” he says. “Fortunately, we were able to maximize our points in qualifying and the heat. That helps the point situation a little bit, but at the end of the day, we want to win the race and take the trophy home.” The Interstate Racing Association will join the Knoxville regulars this Saturday, and a healthy field of 410 sprinters will be on hand. “We’ve dug ourselves a small hole, but we’ll be back to take on the IRA again this week,” says Brian. “We can’t afford another DNF, so we’ll be ready.” Brian also talks about his choice to run the 360 at the State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Missouri this Friday night. Politics is running rampant with two tracks. “Sedalia will be paying $2,000 to win this week,” he says. “That’s the good side. The bad side is the WOW is in LaMonte that night about five miles away. At the end of the day, if Sedalia’s paying $2,000 we’re going after that. I feel for the fans in having to make a choice though.”
Follow Brian and FVP Racing on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube!
The FVP marketing team has launched a Twitter page, a Facebook page, and a Youtube page (make sure to subscribe to all!) to keep up to date with Brian and FVP racing! You can become a fan and follow along by clicking on the links below:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fvpracing Facebook:
Web site
For up to date information on Brian Brown, visit www.BrianBrownRacing.com!
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