Brian Brown – Spring Nationals Champ Makes 100 Wins!
(Bill W) June 4, 2012 – Brian Brown struck with his 100th win last Friday night at the Jackson (MN) Speedway in the postponed “Spring Challenge”. The win was worth a cool $5,000 and came ahead of some stout competition. He also finished fourth in companion IRA action, and drove to a podium finish at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday. This weekend, he’ll take on the World of Outlaws in Spencer, Iowa and at Knoxville.
Brian drove from fourth to second Friday in his 360 heat. “We drew a pretty good number there, and the way the track was, we just had to get going,” he says. “Those heat races are a crucial part of the night with passing points, and we were able to get up to second. Casey Heser was doing a good job and ran a good race.”
The Grain Valley, Missouri driver got some luck in the draw for the Dash and he won it. “My buddy Chad Ely was able to go up and draw a one,” says Brian. “If it were me, it would probably have been a ten. The car was phenomenal all night long. It was the best we’ve been in a while.”
The win put him on the pole of the feature beside Jason Johnson. “We knew we had our hands full, with Jason starting beside us,” says Brian. “We knew Brooke (Tatnell) and Danny (Lasoski) behind us were going to be coming too. Running the 410 side helped us with what the track was going to do too.”
Brian rode through some yellow flags and led every lap. “The pace of the race early was not good,” he says. “We had a number of cautions. Then we had about a twelve lap stretch that we went non-stop. Chad (Morgan) was signaling that we had a big lead the whole time. We had a red with about five to go, and we were able to add fuel and check tire pressure. We didn’t change a thing.”
The win came by about half a straightaway over Johnson. “It was good to get a win up there,” says Brian. “We have a lot of great fans. We’ve won the Jackson Nationals before, but it was on a point system. We hadn’t won there. I’d like to thank Van Wyhe Livestock and Folken Brothers Trucking for putting this race on. It’s about the best as far as purse and contingencies that you’ll find anywhere.”
The Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team did a great job running two classes at Jackson. “The guys on the crew are the unsung heroes,” says Brian. “I’m the one who gets the praise, but it is a huge task running two cars in one night. I just get in the cars and drive them. They are the ones busting their Fannies to get things ready.”
The IRA show ran well. Brian drove from the tail to third in his heat after driving over the burm. Then he drove from ninth to fourth in the feature. “Our Charlie Garrett motors are running really really strong,” he says. “We got a really good start in the feature. The outside row kind of got bottled up and I was able to sneak by and get up to fifth on the first lap.”
At Knoxville, Brian qualified third. That is where he would run in the feature after starting ninth. “We’re not as good as we really need to be right now,” he says of the track he has won two championships and sits one point out of the points lead despite missing a week. “We were what we finished. We had a third place car. We’re fighting a balance issue. We’re either too tight, or too free. We’re looking for a balance where we can dominate. We don’t have that combination there right now. It was a solid weekend. A win, a third and a fourth are nothing to shrug your shoulders about. I feel like our team is as strong as ever.”
The WoO visits the Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer on Friday. “We’ve had some luck there in the past,” says Brian. “I think one year we ran third or fourth with the Outlaws there. We’re really looking forward to getting up there. We’ll have some FVP people there, and we want to put a good show on for them.”
Brian led much of the April WoO show at Knoxville before settling for fourth. They will return Saturday. “We’re going to bring our Nationals car back out this week and see how it does. We’ll have a fresh motor in there. We’re not going to run third, we’re going to win that thing. That’s why we’re coming guns a blazin’.”
Category: Brian Brown, Driver Updates, News
