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(Bill W) August 6, 2010 – The week couldn’t have gotten off to much of a better start for Brian Brown and the FVP Racing #21 team on Thursday night. They were able to go to Victory Lane in the opener of the Knoxville 360 Nationals. The only improvement could have been points lost in time trials, but in the end, the Grain Valley, Missouri driver was on top of the podium with 360 win #9 in his Knoxville racing career.
Coming out late in time trials, Brian posted the 12th quick time of the night. His late spot in the order played little factor, however, as many of the quick times came out late. “The track was really slick to start the night off,” he says. “I just drove it through the water on the low side a little bit. I told the guys to get the car ready for the heat and the feature. That made us determined, because we had to do well in both.”
Starting fourth in his heat race, Brian took the lead on lap three and never looked back. “The car felt really good,” he says. “It gave me some confidence heading into the feature. Chad, Kelby and all the guys had the car working well. It was a pleasure to drive.”
The 2007 Knoxville 410 track champion knew it would be tough in the feature. He started inside row two in the 20-lapper. “I knew there were some heavy hitters in front of us, with Tim Kaeding and Zach Chappell up there,” says Brian. “The (Jamie) Veal kid has been running well too. I knew we needed to get rolling quick.”
Brian was able to get a good start and was all over the leader, Chappell, at the completion of lap one. He slid under for a lead he would never relinquish heading into turn one. “I felt like I was cruising a little bit after we got in the lead,” he says. “Then we had that restart with five to go. My crew chief, Chad Morgan, told me to go to the bottom in turn four, and it turned out to be the right move. We’ve built that trust the last few years.”
Dustin Selvage had been charging through the pack and had Brian in his sights prior to the yellow. The move down low proved to be the right remedy for Brian. “It definitely worked,” he says. “I think we were a tenth or two quicker on the bottom at the end than we had been on the top. I give all the credit to my entire crew. They work very hard.”
Brian was quick to credit a second running Selvage, and third place, Chad Humston. “Those guys, Selvage and Humston, have been doing a great job,” he says. “They should be very proud of what they’ve done. It’s cool to have Knoxville locals sweep the podium when the National guys come in. I think that speaks to the competition we have every week here. Those guys beat a lot of good cars last night.”
Brian ended the night fourth in points, and expects to be in row three or four for the 360 Nationals championship tomorrow night. Meanwhile, he must maintain his 1st place standing in his 410 quest for the Knoxville Championship Cup. “We’re going to work very hard tomorrow to put the FVP #21 in Victory Lane twice,” he says.
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