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

Brian Brown – Year in Review!

(Bill W) November 21, 2007 – Brian Brown was surrounded by his owners, crew, family and friends last Saturday night as he celebrated a Knoxville Raceway championship at the track's banquet. The celebrations of a fine season went late into the night. The season was a good one for the Grain Valley, Missouri, driver as he accomplished a dream he had striven for his entire life. On top of his 2007 Knoxville successes came nine wins in 360 action among five different divisions.

After finishing second in the closest points race in Knoxville history in 2006, Brian achieved what he had set out for. "Our goal coming into this year, after finishing five points out of the Knoxville Championship last year, was to win it," he says. "Anything less would have been a failure in our eyes. It's very exciting to put your name beside the Welds, the Lasoskis, the McCarls and the Alleys of the world. If you look back in 30 years, it's something that will never be taken away from you."

The season started the right way, but it took perseverance from the whole Doogs #21 racing team to get it done. "We started strong the first night, starting 17^th and winning," says Brian. "That kind of gave us the speed we were hoping for. From then on out, we were very consistent. We won three in a row at one point of the season, and that kind of leapfrogged us into contention. To win three in a row with the kind of competition we have at Knoxville was great. I can't remember the last time someone did win three in a row (Kerry Madsen in 2005). To do that, was obviously a good deal."

The fact that it takes consistency and a good team to win a title is not lost on Brian, who won five times in the 410 class at Knoxville. "I think we could have won eight or nine races there, but if you fall out of the rest of the races, you can't win it," he says. "I think we only had one DNF, and that was an engine failure. In that respect, I think the big part of this championship goes to our crew. I get all the glory when we win, but if we break down, obviously there's not much glory. If it wasn't for the great job our crew did, obviously we wouldn't win the championship."

Brian is also thankful for being able to race each and every week at the Sprint Car Capital of the World, and be a part of great organizations like the Knoxville Raceway Charitable Organization. "I'd like to thank the KRCO for all their support of the drivers," he says. "We received a HANS Device and a torque tube cover this year as well as the insurance. Stuff like that makes a difference. To be honest, I'd never bought a HANS Device because it was $900, and I haven't had that extra money to spend. It's a great deal and something that benefits the safety of everyone!"

Brian also won nine features with five different 360 organizations in 2007. They included the ASCS-Midwest, ASCS-Northern Plains, ASCS-Sooner, Winged Outlaw Warriors (WOW) and National Championship Racing Association (NCRA). "That's what makes 360 racing cool," says Brian. "When you go to race with ASCS National tour, you get to race with Jason Johnson and Gary Wright. When you race with NCRA, you have guys like Garry Lee Maier. With the Northern Plains, you have guys like Chuck Swenson, and with the Midwest series you have Jack Dover and Don Droud Jr. With the WOW you have great drivers like Randy Martin and Josh Fisher. It's good to be able to go and see how you stack up against other competition. At Knoxville, you get in a groove and roll with it. The thing about traveling around to other races where there are a lot of great drivers is if you win, you know you've accomplished something and been a spoiler of sorts."

One thing that was in danger of being spoiled was a favorite car that the team had utilized for several seasons. "We had an '03 Maxim with a ton of shows on it that we got upside down at Rising City (Nebraska) leading the race," says Brian. "It was my fault. We hit a hole the wrong way, and over she went. There was nobody as heartbroken about that as I was. We sent it to Maxim and they did a great job. They kind of revamped it with a '07 front with a '03 back. I guess you can call it a Maxim prototype now. We were able to bring it out for the first time at Denison and were able to win that night and a few shows after that. I'd like to thank all the guys over at Maxim for what they did. What they did with that car is a testament to what they do over there. Not only do they build great cars, they can put them back together too. Hopefully, we'll run that car again next year."

A dream season seemed tainted to some when an unfortunate incident occurred during the 360 Nationals at Knoxville. A collision with Randy Martin ended a good run for both in the prelim. Many drivers could have hidden from the controversy, but not Brian, who took the incident to heart. "Nobody's perfect," he says. "I always tell my guys. 'You may make a mistake that costs us a couple spots, but I will make way more of them out on that racetrack than you ever will.' I'm the first one to take the blame if we run a couple spots short of where we should have. In the case of Randy Martin, I put 130% of the blame on my own shoulders. It was just a misjudgment that ended up ruining a friendship between me and Randy Martin, and it also ruined a couple of good cars. It was a bad deal and no one felt worse than me. Getting booed by those fans is something I don't wish upon anybody."

Brian will use the experience to move on and improve his already outstanding skills as a driver. "All I can do now is race clean and hard, put on a good show for the fans, and hopefully some of those that were booing me can come back around in time," he says. "Hopefully, they see I'm not a dirty driver and I'm out there to win. I give 130% every lap, and when you're going 130 mph, things happen in a hurry. That was just a bad misjudgment on my part, and believe me, if I could take one lap back in my whole career, it would be that one. I think the thing that hurt the most was, for six or seven years I had worked hard to treat everyone right, sign every autograph, stay late for the fans, and one mistake tainted my career in a lot of people's eyes. Hopefully, I can change some of those people's minds; I'm not that bad a guy!" Those who know Brian, know that is the truth. Those who know him also know he puts far more pressure on himself for such things than those around him.

Brian's 2007 season is not quite done! He plans on running at the 1^st Annual Turkey Open Wheel Classic at the ¼ mile Springfield Raceway this Saturday!

"Win It Or Wear It"

"Win It Or Wear It", hosted by Brian, airs LIVE every Monday night in the Racinboys studios from 7-8 p.m. CST.

To hear the latest stories and news from the drivers who make them, log on to www.Racinboys.com! All of our shows are archived, so check back by clicking on the "Videos" link at the top of the homepage. Last Monday's show featured Doug Bland, All Stars Circuit of Champions titlist Greg Wilson and non-wing veteran Cory Kruseman!

Website

For up to date information on Brian Brown, visit www.BrianBrownRacing.com!

T-shirts

T-shirts can now be ordered at www.Racingthreads.com, or catch us at the races!

Brian's Q&A

Mark from Des Moines, IA asks: You often credit your grandfather, George Lasoski, for helping you as you were growing up. What are the most important lessons he taught you?

Brian answers: The biggest lesson that sticks out in my mind is you've got to learn the ins and outs of working on these racecars. There are a lot of good drivers, but you've got to be able to work on the car and that's what separates the good drivers from the great drivers. He's always taught me that you win races and championships in the winter, not in the summer. That goes hand in hand with the first lesson. You can't build a championship team in July, that happens in the Winter. Probably the biggest thing he ever taught me in life, is to treat people right. Treat everyone with respect as they deserve and you'll go a long ways in this world. He told me everything will come around in the Randy Martin deal, and that's helped too. He's my hero, and not many people get to work side by side with their hero, so that's pretty special.

Got a question for Brian? Send it to us at [email protected], and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for Brian" in your subject line.

Brown's Bits

Brian has competed in 55 feature events thus far in 2007. He has registered 14 (25%) wins, 29 (53%) top fives and 35 (64%) top tens.

Brian's Weekly Updates

Brian's Weekly Releases are an up close look at the past, present and future of 2007 Knoxville Raceway track champion, Brian Brown. To receive Brian's weekly updates, send an e-mail to [email protected] with "Brian" in the subject line.

Brian would like to thank Big Ox, Ditzfeld Transfer, Boss Hogg Food Products, Maxim Racing, American Compressed Steel, Michael Ross Memorial Foundation, Champion Brands, Chad Franklin's Suzuki, Housby Trucks, K & N Filters, Hostiowa.net, Yeager's Harley Davidson, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Shock Doctor, Weld Wheels, VK Graphics, Bell Helmets, CP Pistons, Paul's Auto Body Supply, Butler Built Seats, Rod End Supply, Winters Performance Products, ISC Racers Tape, Simpson, Racing Optics, Pro Shocks, Dake Law Office, Wes. Mo. Auto, Don's Truck Wash, Sunshack Tan, McCroskey Chevrolet, Gardner Farms and Hoosier Tires for all their help!

If this post isn't results, stories or something c
constructive, it isn't me! 
@BillWMedia
www.OpenWheel101.com