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(Bill W) May 2, 2011 – Defending Knoxville Raceway track champion, Brian Brown, returned to the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” last Saturday night, and came out with a solid second place finish. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver is pondering a trip to Oklahoma to race with the World of Outlaws on Tuesday, and will return to Knoxville on Saturday.
Brian put the FVP #21 out on the half-mile for qualifying and registered the second quick time of the night in the 29-car field. “We bought a motor over the winter from Rob Cappetta and the R19 team,” he says. “It seems to run really well. I think it will really help you later in the season. Anytime you qualify well at Knoxville, the motor is a key. We’re fortunate to have a great Maxim chassis, with Pro gas shocks and Hoosier tires on the front.”
The format was tweaked a bit, seeing an invert of eight in the heats, while transferring the top six. “The different format is changing it up for the fans,” he says. “It will make us work a little bit more in the heat races. It may be tough to transfer when you have a track where it’s difficult to pass. If you get quick time, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
Brian started eighth, and moved as high as fifth before settling for the sixth and final transfer to the main event. “We probably had the toughest heat of the night, and quite honestly, we weren’t that good,” he admits. “We didn’t change much after qualifying and it hurt us. That’s one thing we have to work on. Thank goodness we ran sixth and not seventh.”
A draw of four put the team in good position, while Danny Lasoski drew the pole. Brian knew he would have to make up ground fast. “It was crucial to get behind him as quickly as we could,” he says. “We were able to do that on the first lap. We kind of fell in there, and I was hoping I could make something happen later on in traffic.”
With the track yielding little passing and increasing rubber, it was tough to make a move. “I think our car could maneuver pretty well in different spots on the track early on,” says Brian. “Then the race got around the bottom, and we had to look for a mistake to be made. The cautions gave (Lasoski) a clear track every time.”
Brian decided to try a desperation move on the last lap, but settled for the runner-up spot. “Coming for the checkers, in turn three, we were caught up,” he explains. We were trying to make a bonsai move to win it. That’s the thing about not racing for points. We’re going to go for the win every time and make something happen. It’s a different mindset for us this year. It’s going to be fun.”
The team will make a decision on whether to compete with Tuesday’s World of Outlaws show on the Salina Highbanks, before returning to Knoxville on Saturday.
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