Late Race Mishaps Lead to Heartbreak for Brown, T and C Motorsports

RURAL HALL, N.C. (April 4, 2011) – Tim Brown and the T and C Motorsports team had the Hayes Jewelers and Wall 2 Wall modified capable of contending for the win in Saturday night’s Hickory 150 until an unfortunate event in the closing laps left them with a disappointing 16th place finish.

The disheartening results dropped them seven spots to 9th in the point standings, 85 markers behind point leader George Brunnhoelzl III.

First and final practice exemplified the power of the Bob Bruneau motor and how well the No. 02 car was handling. “This is the best handling car I’ve ever driven”, Brown radioed to his crew before securing fourth fastest in final practice. Later, touring the .363 mile oval in 14.350 seconds at 91.066 mph landed Brown a ninth place starting position.

Chilly temperatures and 40 mph winds greeted the starting line up shortly after 8:00pm. As the 18-car field rolled around to the green flag, Brown wasted no time climbing through the field. The pack remained tight through the opening laps as Brown made his way up to sixth position and fought his competitors off. Up until lap 30, he was back and forth between fifth and ninth until eventually making his way up to third on lap 34 where he remained over the following fifteen laps.

Keeping in the top five was no problem for the Rocket until he began to fall back through the pack on lap 85. Brown radioed to his crew that the car had become too tight and “wouldn’t turn a lick”. They made the decision to stay out and try to see what they could finish with. However, after fighting the ill-handling car for several more laps, Brown made a pit stop on lap 113 under caution. Returning to the track in 15th position, Brown was still struggling with the car and came back in to pit on lap 134. After finding that the right front tire had a leak, the crew quickly changed the tire and tried to send Brown back to the track. Unfortunately, officials held Brown and NASCAR penalized him five laps for an “unapproved tire change” before realizing that the tire was losing air. With only five laps remaining in the race after facing the five lap penalty, Brown parked the car for the night.

“The Hayes Jewelers, Wall 2 Wall, T and C Motorsports modified was good tonight. I was pleased with the car and the preparation by the team. Unfortunate circumstances took us out of contending for the win. I’m sure we will be strong and a team to watch this season”, said Brown.

“Tim did a great job, and we had a strong car at Hickory. Unfortunately, the No. 02 suffered a parts failure at the end of the race, which was disappointing for the team. We are excited to head to South Boston in two weeks”, stated the Lythgoe's.

Despite the less-than-desired results, Brown and the T and C Motorsports crew are focused on heading to South Boston Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 16th, and once again contending for their first win of the season!

Brown Runner Up in Season Opener at Caraway Speedway

RURAL HALL, N.C. (March 15, 2011) – Tim Brown, driver of the No. 02 Hayes Jewelers and Wall 2 Wall modified, coasted to a second place finish in the Spring Classic 150 at Caraway Speedway this past Sunday, March 13th.

Brown and the 02 team were very happy with the car in practice on Saturday. Later that afternoon, he landed a seventh place starting position after touring the .455-mile banked oval in 15.961 seconds at a speed of 102.625 mph.

Great weather and a large crowd greeted the starting line up shortly after 3:30pm. As the 22-car field came around to the green flag, Brown was quickly battling for seventh position on the outside line. After clinching the seventh spot within the first few laps, he moved on to race side-by-side with the No. 40 for sixth. By the time the first caution flag waved on lap 64, The Rocket had made his way up to fifth position.

Restarting on the outside throughout several cautions over the following 50 laps caused Brown to fall back through the pack as he was hung on the outside. With close to 40 laps to go, he radioed to his crew that he had “driven it too hard and killed the right rear”. However, the decision to stay out and see what they could do in the remainder of the race was made.

The closing laps were nothing short of exciting. After several more cautions and some cars in the front of the pack being involved in wrecks, Brown was sitting in third position for the restart on lap 128. He quickly took over second position after the green flag was once again waved. With a powerful car and his determination he was able to hold onto second until crossing the checkered on lap 150.

“The team has worked really hard on this 02 Hayes Jewelers, Wall 2 Wall modified over the winter and we are beyond excited to come out here and finish second in the first race of the season. Tom and Connie are wonderful people to work with and drive for and I just want thank them for this great opportunity. We now know what changes we need to make to the car and look forward to coming back in two weeks and hopefully getting a win,” stated Brown.

One race into the 14 race scheduled season Brown sits second in the point standings, a mere 15 points behind the winner of Sunday’s race, George Brunnhoelzl III.

"Tim and the entire 02 team did a great job at Caraway, and we're thrilled to start the season with a strong finish! We're very fortunate to have Hayes Jewelers and Neal & Arcy Wall (Wall 2 Wall) on board with us this year. We look forward to going back to Caraway in two weeks," said the Lythgoe's.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modifed Tour returns to Caraway on Saturday, March 26th, for the Caraway 150. Don’t miss it as Brown and the T and C Motorsports team attempt to bring home the first win of the 2011 season!

Brown, T and C Motorsports set to kick off 2011 season at Caraway Speedway

RURAL HALL, N.C. (March 9, 2011) – Tim Brown, driver of the No. 02 T and C Motorsports modified owned by Tom and Connie Lythgoe, will kick off the 2011 season with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour at the Spring Classic 150 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C. this weekend, March 12th and 13th.

This year will mark Brown’s 20th year of racing and his fifth year with the NWSMT series. He has finished second in the point standings on the tour three out of the five seasons. The Lythgoes, Brown, and team have been diligently working on the car since the end of the 2010 season and are anxiously awaiting this weekend’s season opener.

The No. 02 T and C Motorsports modified team is fortunate enough to have many great associate sponsors, and is also happy to welcome Hayes Jewelers and Wall 2 Wall aboard for the 2011 season.

"We are so excited to get the 2011 season started this weekend. We've been working hard all winter at the NC shop and the VA shop, and we can't wait to get to Caraway. We think we'll see a full field of cars at the season opener." said the Lythgoe's.

The race at Caraway Speedway will be the first of six NWSMT events to be hosted there in the 2011 season. This will be the 32nd NWSMT event held on the .455-mile banked oval track, making it the NWSMT “home track”. Brown has won two events at the track over his five year career with the NWSMT series. Practice and qualifying are scheduled for Saturday, and the race on Sunday.

With a slightly different car scheme, a dedicated team, and a talented driver, the No. 02 team believes they will be the team to beat this year! Don’t miss the first green flag of the season as it is set to wave at 3p.m. on Sunday, March 13th.