Brian at Sedalia (Mike Musslin - Checkered Flag Photography)
(Bill W) April 20, 2016 – Since returning to the Midwest in late March, Brian Brown and the Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team have been on a roll. In seven events, they have not failed to finish out of the top five. Two third place finishes last weekend at Knoxville Raceway in the 410 class, and with the ASCS Warrior region at the Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia marks five podium finishes in the last six races. The team will return to Knoxville this Saturday night.
You came out 21st in the qualifying order Saturday at Knoxville and still laid down second quick.
Qualifying is a huge part of racing, and you have to qualify well. Charlie Garrett has worked hard this winter on our engines. We’ve seen those results this year. Saturday was no different. We were able to get second quick.
That lined you up sixth in the heat, and you were able to charge to a win there.
I thought we had one of the tougher heats. With the caliber of cars that were in there, I was just hoping to sneak into third or fourth. When the green dropped, we could really go anywhere we wanted.
Have you made any significant changes this year to the car?
We switched over to Factory Kahne shocks and they’ve allowed our car to go into spots that we haven’t before. When guys went to the top, we’d go to the bottom and vice versa. We got the win in the heat, and it worked out well for us.
You started fifth in the feature. There was a lot of good racing in there, and you ended up third.
We were just a little too tight to start the race. We gave up too much track position early. I think at one time we were back to sixth or seventh. Once the fuel load burned off, we really came forward well. The car was really good the last six to ten laps and we were able to finish third. It was a good learning experience for us, and something we’ll add to the notebook for the Nationals. I think Saturday was a good step in the right direction.
It was a quick turnaround to a day show in Sedalia.
I want to thank Gerry Olson and Impact Signs, Awnings and Wraps for bringing racing back to Sedalia for seven events this year. There was a time that we didn’t think racing would ever return there, so we’re excited. It was an afternoon show, so we knew it would probably be dry and slick. It turned out to be the best prepared track I’ve seen for a day show. In the heat, we were able to go from fifth to second. I got to pushing the issue too hard, got over the cushion, and let Cody Baker get back by me. We were in a bad spot, because that one spot would have put us in the redraw. As it was, we started ninth. It wasn’t one of my brightest decisions on the track.
What were your thoughts heading into the feature?
We knew it was already laying rubber. We needed to get what we could on the start and get in line. We were able to get up to third and take what we could. I was kicking myself a little bit for the mistake in the heat race. We would have liked to make the redraw, but it is what it is. My hat is off to my guys. We were home from Knoxville about five in the morning, and we were leaving for Sedalia again at eight. They did a phenomenal job.
That’s seven top fives and five podium finishes since you’ve been back in the Midwest.
If you can put yourself in that position every night, you’re going to win your fair share of races. We’re looking forward to getting back to Knoxville Saturday and try a few things we wanted to try last week. Hopefully, we can get the win.
Follow Brian on the Web, Twitter and Facebook!
Follow Brian at his website located at www.BrianBrownRacing.com!
Also keep up with FVP, Casey’s and Brian on Facebook and Twitter at the following links…
Twitter Links – @BrianBrown21, @FVPRacing, @CaseysGenStores
Facebook Links
Brian Brown Racing – www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Brown-Racing/200630163294222
Casey’s General Stores – www.facebook.com/pages/Caseys-General-Stores/112073528804354
FVP Racing - http://www.facebook.com/FVPRacing?ref=ts&fref=ts
Other Web site info
Casey's: www.caseys.com
FVP: www.fvpparts.com
Brown’s Bits
Brian won Knoxville’s season opener in 2007 and went on to win the championship that year. Brian would struggle to 20th quick, but surged from 7th to 4th in his heat race. Starting 17th in the feature, he was second by the halfway point, and cruised by Skip Jackson for the lead on lap 14. He was followed to the stripe by Ricky Logan, Scott Winters, Kaley Gharst and Dennis Moore Jr.
About Casey’s General Stores
Casey’s General Stores is a Fortune-500 company (NASDAQ CASY) operating over 1,850 convenience stores in 14 states through the Midwest. Known for its “Homemade To-Go” pizza, sandwiches, donuts and bakery items, Casey’s strives to consistently deliver quality gas, fresh kitchen-prepared food, clean environments and friendly service at every retail location. Casey’s is currently the 5th largest c-store chain and fifth largest pizza chain in the United States.
About FVP
Built on a commitment to quality and delivered with unmatched service, FVP is the confident solution for all of your OEM needs. FVP products are engineered to provide customers with OE quality products that are equal or superior in performance to the major national brands at a competitive price. FVP is proud to carry a full line of high quality oil, air, cabin air and fuel filters, powerful batteries for multiple applications including cars, trucks, SUV’s, commercial, boats and other specialty vehicles as well as automotive chemicals and oil, antifreeze, DEF, hub assemblies, radiators and condensers. To learn more about FVP or to find out where you can have FVP products installed in your vehicle, visit FVPparts.com! FVP…The Confident Solution.
Marketing Partner of the Week – Weld Wheels
Weld ®. The word is virtually synonymous with racing wheels. Their heritage is unmatched; their product is the choice of champions in most forms of motorsports. Founded in 1968 by Greg Weld out of the pure love of racing, the company has undergone many changes over the last forty years, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that the product is still designed and manufactured in Kansas City, USA. In November 2008, the heritage and future became one, as Weld Racing, LLC was formed by current Weld management and Granite Creek Partners, LLC, to place ownership and leadership of the company back in the hands of racers. Visit them at www.WeldRacing.com!
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – Wolfe Eye Clinic
If you're one of the 140 million Americans who are afflicted with a refractive disorder such as being nearsighted, farsighted or having astigmatism, LASIK surgery may offer the vision you want without the constraints of glasses or contacts. There are a variety of important factors to consider when deciding on a refractive surgeon. Experience and training should be two of the most important considerations. For years, the physicians at Wolfe Eye Clinic have been leaders in LASIK laser vision correction. In fact, our physicians have been leaders in the development of laser vision correction and were the first to bring this technology to Iowa. They have been performing refractive surgery since 1984. With more than 29 years of experience and over 37,000 refractive surgeries performed, no one in Iowa is more qualified to provide LASIK surgery than the physicians at Wolfe Eye Clinic.
Brian Brown Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, FVP, Searsboro Telephone Company, MC Power, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps / impact4800.com, Champion Brands, Ditzfeld Transfer, Maxim Racing, Smiley’s Racing Products, Weld Wheels, Housby Trucks, Next LED Sports, Schure Built Suspension, Arctic Cat, Lincoln Electric, K&N, www.hostiowa.net, FSR Race Products, TI64, Fuel-Safe Tanks, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Bell Helmets, Hinchman Uniforms, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, Vortex Wings, Penray, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Butler Built Seats, AkzoNobel, Kenny's Components, Tru Square, Snap-On Tools, Rod End Supply, KSE Racing Products, Winters Performance, Cometic Gaskets, Shell Shock, Donovan, ISC Racers Tape, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Racing Optics, Hoosier Tires, Klein RV, Duke’s Meats, BIGS Sunflower Seeds, NGK Spark Plugs, XYZ Machining, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Red Devil Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, 6B Apparel, Garrett Racing Engines, MSD and Fortress Wealth Management for all their support!
Photo: Brian competes in Sedalia (Mike Musslin – Checkered Flag Photography)
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
Twitter: @BillWMedia
e-mail: sprntcar@hotmail.com