Brian Brown –Strong Showing at World Finals!
(Bill W) November 5, 2012 – The World Finals at the Dirt Track in Charlotte, North Carolina wound up the season for the World of Outlaws. Brian Brown and Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team did well for themselves in front of a sellout crowd and a national TV audience. On Friday night after leading several laps, the Grain Valley, Missouri driver ended up second, before charging to a sixth place finish in the finale. He’ll head to the Southwest this weekend to catch up with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series.
Things actually started on Thursday night with two sets of time trials that would determine starting spots for the heats on both Friday and Saturday night. “A big part of the World Finals is the qualifying piece,” says Brian. “Last year, we didn’t have really good luck with it like we did this year. We had a fresh Charlie Garrett motor provided to us by Searsboro Telephone Company, and it ran really really well. I didn’t think I ran a very good lap for Friday’s program and we ended up twelfth. We went out late for Saturday, and we ran well and were fourth quick.”
After timing in twelfth for Friday night’s prelim, Brian would start outside row one and run second in his heat. He would then advance from eighth to fifth in the Dash. “We were able to settle into second there behind Lance (Dewease),” he says. “We had a shot at him on the restart and the yellow came out. At that point, we just had to hold on and make sure we were in the Dash. We were able to get a good start and get up to fifth. Anytime you move forward rows in the Dash, it’s big.”
Starting inside of row three, Brian wasted little time contending for the lead. “We were able to work on our car all night long, and figure out where the car was working,” he says. “We were able to move up into third fairly early behind Dale (Blaney) and Sammy (Swindell). We were able to run them down and get the lead. It was probably one of the most fun nights I’ve been a part of.”
Brian swapped the lead with Blaney several times. “I think there were seven or eight lead changes in about eight laps,” he says. “It’s nice to know you can race that close with Dale and know you’re not going to crash. To be able to do it in front of a sellout crowd of 20,000, and put our partners in that big of a limelight was great as well.”
Swindell was on Brian’s tail late in the going, relegating him to second. “Dale had a problem there with six laps to go,” says Brian. “That put us double-file up front with Sammy there, and I felt like I made some pretty good corners. I kept seeing Sammy out of the corner of my eye, and the car was loosening up a bit. I think it was due to some air pressure on the right rear. I had to slow on the entry to three, and Sammy got a good run on us.”
The second place run was something to build on. “I felt like we did everything we could to win the race,” says Brian. “We just came up a little short again. I know we’ll get an Outlaw win. Hopefully, a number of them will come after that. To start the World Finals weekend that way and showing people how strong our team is…I never dreamed we’d be in this position.”
Saturday’s finale saw live TV and a tough start for Brian, who finished sixth in his heat after starting fourth. “Being fourth quick isn’t the most ideal place to be, but it was going to play into our hands when Dale Blaney and David Gravel made it through,” he says. “All we had to do was finish fourth. We just didn’t do what we needed to with the car. We didn’t get it tight enough for the conditions.”
The team regrouped at that point. “The cool part about this team is we never give up,” says Brian. “We got the car good for the B, and ran second. We started 13th in the A. Other than Paul McMahan, most had a tough time getting going. We charged up through there and we were able to get sixth.”
Brian again had one of the faster cars on the track. “We were up to fourth at one point, I just couldn’t drive it in there like I needed to finish up front,” he says. “To go to Charlotte and run that well is a huge accomplishment for our team. We look forward to getting back there and maybe getting a win.”
Brian is excited about a big charity event he is involved with Thursday for the MDA. More information is located at www.BrianBrownRacing.com. “We have a big event on Thursday night with the Muscular Dystrophy Association at Prairie Meadows (Altoona, Iowa),” he says. “They choose seven athletes to be a part of it. It’s an honor to represent the sprint car world and Casey’s there.”
Friday and Saturday’s ASCS events will be at El Paso Speedway Park and at the Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, respectively. “We’re looking forward to El Paso,” says Brian. “We’re not sure what to expect there, but we’ve had some good racing in Las Cruces in the past. We’ll try to get up front.”
Category: Brian Brown, Driver Updates, News
