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!
Monday, April 4, 2011
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