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Brian Brown – Back on Track With Win at Knoxville! (Bill W) May 10, 2010 – Brian Brown made up for a forgettable season opener at the Knoxville Raceway, by posting his sixteenth career victory at the famous ˝ mile oval last Saturday night. With the IRA series in the field, the Grain Valley, Missouri driver started eighth in the feature, and took the lead from Lynton Jeffrey after a spirited duel on lap nine. This week, he’ll again mix some 360 action at Sedalia in with the 410 at Knoxville. The black gumbo at Knoxville was yielding some fast times, including a record with the 360 class. The 410 quick time was in the 14.6 range, just two-tenths off the track record. Brian registered the fifth quick time of the night. “That’s what you get when you have 40 degree weather, and the air is down around sea level,” he says of the quick times. “Obviously, Ostrich Racing Engines were going good with Bronson (Maeschen) getting quick time, and myself having fifth quick time. You try to cut the best lap you can. I felt like I missed it a bit in turn four, but it didn’t hurt us too bad. It’s good to know you’re right there when the Outlaws come to town.” With an invert of six in heats that took the top five finishers to the A main, Brian started fifth and finished fourth. “I was a little nervous about the heat,” he admits. “We had a couple good IRA cars (Scott Neitzel and Todd King) in the front row, Ricky (Logan) and Lynton (Jeffrey) in row two and Bronson beside me. As narrow as the track was, I know I had to get going. It could be the difference between starting eighth in the feature, and starting 21st. I was back in sixth at the start, and desperate times called for desperate measures. Luckily, we got through there.” An invert draw of twelve resulted in a starting spot outside row four for the main event. Soon, Brian was up into the top three, and then battling Jeffrey for the lead, which they traded on lap seven. “Lynton is a good friend of mine, and a really good racer,” says Brian. “He was making some great laps. I heard afterwards that he was having an issue with his power steering. We were able to get by him, but he got right back by us.” Finally, on lap nine, Brian made the winning pass. A restart a lap after he took the lead, came at a good time. “We were both trying to maneuver through lap traffic,” he says. “The restart didn’t hurt my feelings any. Once we got into the lead, the clean air was what we needed. They said (Mark) Dobmeier was right there, so we had to get going.” Dobmeier eventually finished in the runner-up spot, but no one could catch Brian, who secured his 16th career 410 victory at Knoxville. “It was big for us,” he says. “I felt like I let the team down on Friday night in Sedalia. That made up for it a little bit. Hopefully, I gave my mom and step-mom a great Mother’s Day present.” Sedalia started o.k. on Friday. Brian started fifth and ran second in his heat at the State Fair Speedway, and then posted third in the feature. “Jack (Dover) was setting a wicked pace,” he says of the main event. “I stayed within four or five car lengths of him. There was a yellow about ten or eleven laps in. He went to block the middle, and we drove by him. There was another yellow, so that was brought back.” Dover would not let the pass happen on the second restart. “He did what any smart driver would do, and took my line from me,” says Brian. “I ran him down again, and with about five laps to go, I pulled alongside of him on the back straightaway. He took a lower line than he had the laps before. I was going to slide him, and I put it into the concrete barrier and knocked the front axle out. In hindsight, it could have been a lot worse, to be honest.” As it was, Brian was able to use the same Maxim to cruise to Saturday’s victory lane. Some pain has stayed with him, however. “My neck has been sore ever since, but not too sore to get in there,” he says. “Obviously, there was a whiplash factor. I just have to get up on the wheel and hang in there.”
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