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Brian Brown – Bumpy Week Ends in Podium at Knoxville!

Brian Brown and the Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team had a pair of tough outings with the World of Outlaws last week, but turned it around Saturday with a podium finish at Knoxville Raceway. This weekend, the World of Outlaws FVP Platinum Battery Showdown commences at Cedar Lake Speedway near New Richmond, Wisconsin.

A week ago Tuesday there was a FVP WoO event at the Dirt Oval at Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois.

It was good. We had around two hundred customers and employees there. The Outlaws always provide the hospitality there, and it’s always good. It was good to catch up with them, and thank them for their support as always.

How did things go early in the night?

We didn’t qualify as well as we’d like. I think we were twelfth quick. As summer has heated up, we haven’t been qualifying as well, especially with the Outlaws. But we were able to go from fourth to second in the heat, and that turned our night around by putting us in the Dash.

You started the Dash sixth.

We felt good in the Dash. We were able to get up to third, and we felt like we were a lap away from being in second. We felt we had a really good shot at that time to win the feature.

How did you feel in the feature? I know it didn’t end the way you wanted.

The guys did a good job with the car. We may have missed a tick. We were tight early. We were up to second at one point and back in fifth at another. We clipped an infield tire with about twelve laps to go, while running third. I felt like I let the team down while we were in contention. Sometimes, the closer you get to those tires, the better you are. I just got a little too close and knocked the front axle out.

On Thursday at Deer Creek Speedway in Minnesota, you timed in tenth quick and ran fifth in your heat. The sprinkles started when you were staging for the feature, and you ended up upside down.

We were pretty decent on the first couple of laps. We had to battle the rain, and I’m not sure why we were out there. These cars are dangerous as they are, let alone when we’re running in rain. The sport mandates all of the safety equipment that we’re running, yet they put us out in the rain. That’s a headscratcher at times. I was one of the ones that got caught up in it. We tore a car up, so we definitely weren’t happy to end that night.

You were able to make it back for Knoxville Saturday.

If you would have come by the Super 8 in Knoxville on Friday, you would have seen the team working hard putting a car together. At that point, you wouldn’t think we’d be racing Saturday, let alone being in contention to win. Chad (Morgan) does a phenomenal job. Jake was with us, and so was my Dad, Robert. It was awesome to spend some time with him.

Obviously, the work paid off. You set quick time and won your heat.

To come out and set quick time was awesome. Our heat races have been good this year as well. We went from sixth to win it, and that put us as high point man again. That usually means an invert of six or eight if we’re at Knoxville. I guess we got lucky this week and got a six.

You were able to advance right away.

We were beside Kerry (Madsen) and got to third pretty quickly. I didn’t feel we had enough to challenge Ian (Madsen) or Kerry, and we ended up third. Overall, it was a solid night, setting quick time, winning the heat and finishing third. It was what the doctor ordered after crashing at Knoxville, hitting the infield tire at Joliet and crashing at Deer Creek.

You have to be looking forward to Cedar Lake this weekend.

We’ve had some success there in the past. It’s another FVP event, so we’re looking forward to visiting with those people as well. Next week, the month of money starts with the King’s Royal, so we’re ready.

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