7/6/2010
Sprint Source
Brian Brown – Winning one for Judy!
(Bill W) July 6, 2010 – Brian Brown found Victory Lane for the sixth time in his career at Nebraska Raceway Park’s I-80 Speedway near Greenwood. The win with the ASCS-Midwest series was the Grain Valley Missouri driver’s fifth of the 2010 season, and gave him a chance to honor one of his biggest fan’s Judy Wignall, who passed last week. Judy was the wife of longtime and current crew member, Glenn Wignall. This weekend, Brian will run at Knoxville on Saturday, and visit Albion, Nebraska for the first time with the ASCS-Midwest series.
The Friday win in Greenwood was the third of four races that Brian competed at last weekend. The FVP team talked about strategy heading in to race at the banked 3/8 mile oval. “Chad (Morgan), Kelby (Hopkins) and I talked about not being beat by the car being to free (loose),” says Brian. “We were going to do what we could to tighten it up. We started fifth (in the feature), and had some good cars in front of us (including Bronson Maeschen, Chad Humston and Don Droud Jr.).”
It didn’t take long for Brian to get to the front. “We were able to get the lead before a caution on lap nine,” he says. “The last sixteen went non-stop and we were able to lap up to sixth place. It was a big heavy cushion in one and two, and the groove was on the bottom in three and four. It was like I had my own lane in one and two, because everyone was on the bottom there too.”
Brian knows that this is a tough sport, and you need to enjoy nights like Friday. “We lapped some really good cars at the end, and you really have to learn to appreciate those nights,” he says. “They don’t come very often with the kind of competition we have. It was good to get FVP and all of our marketing partners to Victory Lane.”
The win also gave Brian a chance to honor Judy. “We lost Glen Wignall’s wife, Judy, last week, and it was sudden,” he says. “The family is definitely in our thoughts and prayers, and we did try to get that win for her on Friday.”
A week ago on Tuesday, June 29, Brian competed at the State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Missouri with the World of Outlaws. “We had a good car at Sedalia that we worked hard on to get as good as we could for the feature,” he says. “We were able to make it up to tenth (after starting 19th). We lost two or three spots on a restart behind Paul McMahan. We were caught on the outside on the double-file restart, when we needed to be on the inside.”
Brian’s progress was slowed by a one-lane track the final half of the race and he settled for 11th at the checkers. “Halfway through, we were back up to tenth,” he says. “The track laid rubber, and Steve (Kinser) was able to get by us there at the end. Going from nineteenth to eleventh on a one-lane track like that was pretty good, but obviously, we went in with higher expectations.”
Thursday, the team headed to the Junction Motor Speedway near McCool Junction, Nebraska with the ASCS-Midwest series. Brian would drive the FVP #21 from 11th to a fourth place finish. “The track didn’t do what we thought it would to be honest,” he says. “We thought it would stay heavy, but after we packed it for four or five laps, it blew right off. It was unfortunate, because even with the wrong setup, we passed the guy who ran second and the guy who ran third at one point in the feature.”
Following his win on Friday, Brian headed to Knoxville Raceway where he leads the 410 Knoxville Championship Cup points’ race. He started third in the main event. “I kind of felt like between Mark (Dobmeier, who started beside him) and I, whoever got to the front first would be the car to beat,” says Brian. “He was able to get there first and I was second. I ran solid there until we got to traffic, and I got up on the wheel. Then the yellow came out.”
Brian took the lead, but only briefly after the caution. “I put a big slider on, but I thought that might bring tears for the both of us, so I pulled out,” he says. “We got back to four or five car lengths from him, and then got close in traffic. From there, the caution came out three or four more times. We got to the white flag, and the yellow came out again.”
Mayhem ensued on the green, white, checker finish, with Brian running low on fuel, and several slidejobs taking place. He would end up fifth, but maintain his point lead. “I told myself I wanted to win,” he says. “On the restart, instead of blocking off the guy behind me and protecting second, I followed Mark around the top in one and two. That’s when the car started sputtering and running out of fuel. Wayne Johnson was able to get by us, and so was (Terry) McCarl, who put a slider on both of us. Looking back, I would have settled for second, but I was too competitive not to go for the win.”
This weekend at Knoxville will be key to a championship, as it is Twin Features night, meaning double the points. Brian enters with a 28 point lead. “It’s the point in the season where you really look at the points to see where you stand,” he says. “It’s ‘make or break’ for both Don (Droud Jr.) and me this week. I’ve had things happen on Twin Features night both good and bad, so we’re going to make sure things are ready in the shop this week.”
Sunday, Brian will make his first trip ever to the Boone County Raceway in Albion, Nebraska.
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: http://bit.ly/2rakgn
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=fvpracing
Web site
For up to date information on Brian Brown, visit www.BrianBrownRacing.com!
T-shirts
Catch Brian at the track for the new t-shirt, and it will also be up on the website soon!
Brian's Q&A
Richard Marvin asks: What types of things do you include in your race notebooks that people might not think of?
Brian answers: Ours is pretty baseline with everyone else’s. We have stagger, gear, torsion bars and shocks in there. We are more detailed than we were four or five years ago on shocks. At that time, if they weren’t leaking oil, they went back on the car. We look at the compression and we have a shock dyno now that we can use to check them out now. Sometimes that may cause us to think too much. At my age, I definitely need notes to remind me of things more and more.
Got a question for Brian? Send it to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for Brian" in your subject line.
Brown's Bits
Brian’s first ever 410 win came at the Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kansas on September 11, 1999. Driving his grandfather George Lasoski’s car, he topped Scott “Breezy” Whitworth, Bob Weuve and Jaymie Moyle.
FVP
FVP specializes in the battery that you need. They know it has to be tough and priced right. They have a line of high-performance batteries for SUVs, trucks, cars and other specialty vehicles that give you quality without breaking the bank. To find a dealer near you, visit them on the web at www.FVPparts.com!
SuperClean
SuperClean is the “super product” for your home, auto, outdoor and marine cleaning jobs. Whether it is grease, oil, wax, tar or dirt that you need to clean from concrete, wheels or just about anything else, SuperClean is the product for you! To learn more about SuperClean, visit www.SuperClean.com!
Splash
Whether it’s keeping your windshield clean or free of ice, protecting your RV, boat or pool from freezing in the winter, or your sidewalk safe to walk on, Splash Products from SuperClean are what you need! Click on the “Splash Products” link at www.SuperClean.com!
Marketing Partner of the Week – Champion Racing Lubricants (Champion Racing 20W50 Motor Oil)
Visit Champion’s new web page at www.ChampionsUseChampion.com! Champion Racing 20W50 Motor Oil is the one that started it all by beating the competition in providing more horsepower, torque, and anti-wear additives than many of the more well known brands of racing oil. Champion Racing 20W50's premium ZDDP anti-wear protection is among the highest in the industry. Champion's exclusive shear stabilizer delivers better film strength and piston ring seal at peak temperatures. Champion Racing 20W50 also delivers more foot-pounds of torque with higher compression than any competitor's brands.
Benefits include:
• Provides exceptional low coefficient of friction
• Offers film strength and viscosity stability of thicker mono-grades at higher temperatures
• Provides upper cylinder anti-wear protection
• Increases high-temp oil pressure and compression
• Formulated for flat tappet, roll over cams and bearings in turbo and super-charged racing engines
• Lowers engine temperature
• Compatible with petroleum and other synthetics
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – Winters Performance Products
Brian says – “We’ve used Winters Rear-ends since we started, along with their drivelines and stops. In fact, the majority of our parts are Winters components. They do a great job, and we are happy to be a part of their operation.”
Winters builds products for the entire racing industry. Their products can be found in NASCAR, Dirt and Pavement Modifieds and Late Models, Bonneville Land Speed Trial Cars, Pulling Tractors, Pike’s Peak Hill Climbers, Off Shore Boats, Dragsters, Midget and Dwarf Cars and 305, 360 and 410 sprint cars. Their products are distributed worldwide through a large dealer network. Winters, located in York, Pennsylvania, has a quality workforce of around 70 helping in the growth and success of the company. Visit them online at www.WintersPerformance.com!
Brian would like to thank FVP, SuperClean, Splash, Ditzfeld Transfer, Searsboro Telephone Company, www.FaxMeService.com, Housby Trucks, Maxim Racing, Champion Brands, My State Insurance Rates, Smiley’s Race Products, Impact Sign and Lighting, Arctic Cat, K&N Filters, Hostiowa.net, FSR Race Products, Fuel-Safe Tanks, Awesome Racewear, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Weld Wheels, Bell Helmets, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, A1 Mortgage, Rockwell Security, Paul's Auto Body Supply, Engler Machine, Vortex Wings, Ostrich Racing Engines, Penray, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Butler Built Seats, Rod End Supply, KSE Racing Products, Winters Performance Products, Santomauro Racing Products, Cometic Gaskets, Kaeding Performance, Donovan, Magtech, ISC Racers Tape, Racing Optics, Pro Shocks, Don's Truck Wash, Gardner Farms, Hoosier Tires, XYZ Machining, Funk for Congress, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Peterson Fluid System, Red Devil Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, www.Impact4800.com and WSIB Insurance for all their help!
Submitted By: Bill Wright
