Track Schedules

Brian Brown – Two Podium Finishes in Wheatland!

(Bill W) September 26, 2011 – Brian Brown and the FVP #21 team went into the Daniel McMillin/Jesse Hockett Memorial with hopes of a win.  Instead, they recorded two impressive podium finishes amongst a stout 66-car field.  The prelim on Friday included a charge from 18^th to 2^nd.

Brian drew a number on Friday that allowed for zero error in his heat.  He finished second after starting on the pole.  “We started on the pole, and with the ASCS, especially with this many cars…you don’t want to start there in the third heat,” he says.  “We had Tim Crawley beside us…a really good racer.  He jumped the start or I was sleeping and he got out front and we finished second.  When you draw the pole, you have to win the heat, and second sent us to the B.”

The FVP #21 performed flawlessly in a B main win.  “It may have helped us to run the B,” says Brian.  “The track changed quite a bit from the heat to the B to the A.  I felt like some of the cars in the A missed it, where we were in the B and we could see what was happening with the track.”

Starting 18^th, Brian started his charge forward.  “I really wanted to run the bottom the whole way, but there were some guys running down there,” he says.  “We had to go to the middle and the top.  Chaddy (Cypert) and Bryan (Sundby) did a great job on the car all night long, and they kept working at it.”

The Grain Valley, Missouri driver caught a caution at the right time.  “I think we were about eighth on the tenth lap when the yellow came out,” says Brian.  “We had a good restart, and the next thing you know, I was up to fifth.  Once I got there, everyone was moving off the bottom, and we really made up some ground at that point.”

From there, it was time to run the leader down.  “We got to second behind Crawley with two to go,” says Brian.  “We were really good, and I think if he weren’t on the bottom, we could have won it.  Going 18^th to 2^nd with that competition was a huge compliment to our team and sent us into Saturday with some momentum.”

The racing surface at the 3/8-mile oval was great on Friday.  “It’s always fun when the track is that wide, and you can race,” says Brian.  “There were drivers on the top, middle and bottom.  It was just great racing all night long.  It’s a beautiful facility, and they’ve had some great races there lately.”

Having locked himself into Saturday’s finale, Brian drew a starting spot outside row one for the main event.  “The track started laying rubber in the B, so I knew starting on the outside, that Jason (Johnson) had the upper hand starting on the pole,” he says.  “We were able to get in behind him and cruise there for the first little while.”

Chasing Johnson, Brian had Crawley also enter the fray.  “We stayed within two or three car lengths behind him,” he says of Johnson.  “I was just a little bit tighter than I was on Friday, and I think that hurt me a little bit.  Tim Crawley came about halfway in and passed me on the outside.  I figured there may be some rubber up there, so I went up there for a lap or two.  I lost five or six car lengths on Jason and Tim doing that.  I think that cost me.”

Brian would settle for third.  “We didn’t get it done,” he says.  “At the end of the day, we got beat by two better cars.  I thought we had the best car on Friday and didn’t win, but I think we were third best Saturday.  It was disappointing not to win, because of what Jesse and Daniel meant, but it just wasn’t meant to be this year.”

Still, two solid finishes were encouraging.  “Two podium finishes were good for our partners,” says Brian.  “FVP is a huge part of what we’re doing.  Don Long was there from Searsboro Telephone Company, and we also had folks from Champion Brands and Impact Signing, Awnings and Wraps.  It was good to have two strong runs.”