Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

After 3 straight runner up finishes from 2012-2014, Brownie was everyone's favorite to upset Schatz in 2015.  And, after a less than stellar 2015, he was still a heavy favorite to be the one who finally upset Schatz in 2016.  Now, after 2 years of looking average at best, he has found something.  He ran out of laps with the car to beat Saturday night and stormed through the field last night.  If he can get out of his qualifying night clean this year, look for him to be a threat to run to the front again.  Hoping for another reason to be standing the last 10 laps on Saturday night!!

Unlikely, he will probably jump the cushion in turn two and lose ground like he has the past several years.

Has to be a good cushion that lasts the entire race. If it goes to the bottom, which it normally does at the end of the 50 lapper, I don't think he can run the bottom well enough to pull it off. It would be cool but I almost doubt it again.

He should be good.  The energy being exerted by all of TSR finding excuses to keep the same old thing under the hood while taking Ford's money is incredible.  Has to be taking a toll.

Luna's Ford engine style that won 2 WoO titles and 3 
Kings Royals before a weight rule against the best EVER
in their prime and now DOMINATES super dirt late model
racing is no longer allowed/wanted in a WoO sprint
car.... Was Luna a miracle worker?

Acrually if you look back at the tapes the cushion has held up the entire 50 laps nearly every year. The key is a car that can run low-middle-cushion giving the driver the opportunity to find the sweet spot that fits his set up. Brian had it in 2014. Donny was running low to middle.....Brian was running the cushion. Brian stalked Donny for several laps at the end and went around Donny on the cushion in turn two on the 43rd lap. Sitting in the stands that night the first thing that went through my mind was that Brian passed him with too many laps remaining. Sure enough......Donny got him back a lap later low in turn four and went middle-cushion and drove away. Drove away in the line Brown showed him when he passed him. Schatz even spoke about that in the first interview. That he as working fine and felt comfortable until Brown passed him....then he knew he had to switch up lines. Also, Brian abandoned the cushion for one stinkin corner.....right after Donny passed him in four, Brian dropped and went in to one low to middle.....not the cushion where he had been running. Brian scrubbed off too much speed and that's pretty much how Donny got the space between them that Brian couldn't make up.

Brian does resemble the same form and has similar momentum this year that he had in 2014, so he surely can be a threat. Qualifying night, and the last 25 lap set up on Saturday night of course are the two keys. We all know that. Everybody also knows that the TSR/Schatz team will be ready provided they haven't had or don't have unforseen problems. IF.... Brownie should win, well, it's just a damn good thing there isn't a roof on the place!

Brownie was bad fast last night but I think he tends to get in his own head when racing the 15 in August. If he wants to win, he's going to have to get over that.

Maybe a top 10 if that. Not physically fit enough to hang with Schatz. He always has good car but second guesses himself too much. Sorry not this yr. I think Sweet, Schatz or Gravel.. There at the top of there game. Would love to see Hodnett do it as my longshot.

that car is definately dialed in on the bottom...

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

He should be a factor but the big dogs who don't run Knoxville weekly will have their cars dialed in a little better come Saturday.

A

Not physically fit enough?  It there going to be a running component to this year's race?  Didn't Kinser win this thing 12 times?  

I'm very confused.  

For the longest time, Kinser was an animal when it came to strength and endurance. Won a couple Indiana H S wrestling championships, and in Wolfgang's book he states Kinser could pick him up and hold him over his head. Mustn't confuse the two Kinsers that existed over four decades.

I'm aware of that.  I was being a smartass.  

Brown pulled up next to Schatz and lost by a 3/4 of a car a few years back.  I refuse to believe physical fitness got Schatz that extra 5 feet.  And, who's to say Brownie isn't just as fit?

On another note, all this talk has got me wishing I was in Southern Iowa right now!!

Also--agree with everything you say here.  Can't recall the cushion going away in the 50 lapper.  If it did, sometimes its blurry out for some reason late on Saturday night and I may be mistaken!!

 I also thought the same thing when Brown passed Schatz----too early!!

Didn't mean to imply anything negative about yor post......some of the young'ens have no idea that Kinser was anything except an out of shape race car driver out of the past. Hardly even close, as you know! I think Brian is pretty damn fit, also.

On your "another note".....damn, I wish I could be there too! The 40 or so years I was, still weren't enough. The excitement and atmosphere of that joint in August is unforgettable once you've been a part of it. The urge to be there is pretty damn strong! So many familiar faces without names that were there every year.....and over the years I would notice some of those faces missing, now I'm one of those. Sure am glad for PPV and memories!

I've only been to one sprint car race this year.  But I've watched a lot of highlights (unfortunately I DIDN'T stay at a holiday inn express last night lol).  Not claiming to be an expert but reading the post about the Hoosier tire differences this year, I've gotta think this is one is wide open as in, who knows what's gonna happen?  A 50 lap A-main and all the racing that takes place before hand, I can't imagine it won't be a rubber down track.  If I had to guess I would say one of the outlaws would have the advantage since they have more time on this tire than anyone else.  

I think Brian Brown has a great chance of winning this year!

The cushion never fully goes away but when one has to run the bottom to get through lap traffic or if the bottom has the slight edge, which with Donny he can often make it work when others can't, then I think Brown struggles. I really hope Im wrong and we see the Brian Brown using his smooth sliders through traffic. He is one of the best at sliding the car up the track and keeping momentum while doing it. It should be fun.

 None of this is correct. He is usually closing at the end- how is that out of shape?  Little g.

I highly doubt his physical fitness is a problem. My son and Brown go to the same gym. Son said Brown is there every evening unless he's on the road. 

I don't think there's any doubt that the 15 is the very best at Knoxville, and will be very hard to beat . . . that being said, Tim Shaffer and Jason Johnson have shown us IT IS POSSIBLE.  Anything can happen, and all these guys can do is put themselves in a position to contend on lap 50 saturday night.  You'd better bet that Schatz will be back with a vengeance!  Can't wait to see how it all pans out!