4/1/2014
Willamette Speedway
Getting Up To Speed With…Brian Brown
Getting Up To Speed With…Brian Brown
By Ben Deatherage
Despite getting a late start to his racing career Brian Brown has sure been impressive especially in the last few years at Willamette Speedway. He would finish fourth in 2012 and fifth in 2013 in the final point standings in the Sportsman division. Also last year he managed to pick up a big win on June 18th as well as post nine top five finishes in sixteen starts. In 2014 Brown he will be back with a new car, a chassis he calls a Barnbuilt by Randy Boyd, and he will be moving up from the Sportsman division into the Crockers Cars Super Sports.
One of the amazing things about Brian is that he has self-funded his race team his entire career and has managed to race full-time despite not having any sponsors, although I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if anyone would be willing to help him out. In 2009 the Portland driver received what he calls the best trophy he has ever gotten when he was elected by Willamette Speedway track officials for the Sportsman of the Year award in 2009. We took some time to discuss with him about how his career started, why he sports the #10, and more. Now let’s get up to speed with Brian Brown.
Driver: Brian Brown
Home Track: Willamette Speedway
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Occupation: Maintenance Technician
Age: 54
Years Racing: 6
Classification: Crockers Cars Super Sport
Team: B&A Racing
Car: 10
Chassis: Barnbuilt
Special Thanks: Randy Boyd, Brian Smith
BD: Brian do have any specific plans for 2014?
BB: Well I’m going to be moving up to the Super Sports. I’ve been real competitive in the Sportsman class and I think I’ve gotten a little too serious about things such as point racing so I think the Super Sports will humble me and bring some of the fun back. I’m going to be running a chassis that Randy Boyd had and I actually supplied the steel for him in 2009 when he decided to build the car. I’m also really glad they’ve brought the old format back I think it will make for some great racing.
BD: Is there a story behind you racing the #10?
BB: The first car I got had the #10 already on it. No one else had a #10 at the track at the time so I just left it on there.
BD: How exactly did you get your start in racing?
BB: It’s kind of a funny story. My brother Leo was at a gas station one night and this guy pulled in to get some gas. He was hauling a trailer with a race car on it and there was a sign on it that said the car was for sale. By the time my brother left the gas station he was pulling the car and trailer home because he bought it off the guy. He ran it for a little bit but wrecked a few times and thought I’d be better at it. So what ended up happening is I traded my boat for his race car.
I started out in the Classics and ran five or six races my first year. The second season I only ran half of it because I had to have back surgery. After that year I moved up to the Sportsman class and have been there every year since until now. Two people I’ve really got to thank are Randy Boyd and Brian Smith without their help I wouldn’t be able to do this.
BD: Now I understand you’ve developed quite a unique nickname, what is it?
BB: Back in 2012 I was a crash magnet. It seemed like every time I was on the track I would get caught up in a wreck of some sort. If there was a wreak in turn four and I was in turn one somehow I would end up getting hit. So after a while Randy Boyd and Brian Smith started calling me “Chunk” and I’ll have that on my car this year.
BD: The Sportsman division is pretty tough at Willamette. But from your perspective what are your thoughts on that class?
BB: To me I think it’s the toughest category there is at Willamette and anything can happen. There have been a couple of times where we were in contention for the championship but had problems. Last year we led the deal for a while but we had a bunch of problems and fell back as far as eighth. I also think anybody can win the championship in the last few races in that class and if you’re out of it by only a few points you’re still in it.
BD: Do you have any goals that you have set for yourself either this season or in the future?
BB: I’d really like to finish in the top eight in points in the Super Sports this year and I’d like to win at least one main event but I know it’s going to be easier said than done. I’m content in the Super Sports and Sportsman classes but I wouldn’t mind trying a Late Model once. But the thing is with that deal the expense and the intensity at that level is pretty high for me to do full-time.
The 2014 season is quickly approaching and Willamette Speedway is the place to get your racing fix. Saturday April 5th will kick things off with the test and tune open practice while the “Cabin Fever Season Opener” will be held the following Saturday on the 12th. Be sure and log on to www.trophymotorsports.com for the latest information regarding Willamette Speedway.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage