Toyota PR: Antron Brown's Stock Car Test

TOYOTA Racing -- Antron Brown -- Notes & Quotes - Motor Mile Speedway - May 29, 2013

In a partnership between Rev Racing and Toyota, Antron Brown, the 2012 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel champion, tested a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Camry stock car at Virginia's Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., yesterday completing approximately 100 laps on the .416-mile asphalt oval.  Below are quotes from Brown following the test.

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster - How did today's test session go at Motor Mile Speedway? - "It started off just me trying to get my feet wet and just getting comfortable just testing and going around the track.  It was just a really good time and it was a great learning experience because Ryan (Gifford) was helping me with lines and telling me different stuff.  I started off easy at the beginning just getting my feet wet -- not really worried about times.  When the track got hot I was pretty much running what some of the other drivers were running.  I was right in the ball park.  Just worked at getting more consistent with it where I could duplicate each lap and run on the marks and stuff like that.  By the end, I had about 100 laps on the car and on the last lap I was out there I was just working on getting to the throttle a little early to make my lap time better and I just pressed it too hard and had a little spin out coming off exiting the turn. Everything was fine afterward -- started back up and drove it back in.  All in all, I had a little bit of everything.  I even learned about spinning out and learned about going around the track, learned about corner speed, learned about lines and being smooth.  It was a lot to take in today, but we made some really big, big strides and it was a lot of fun.”

What were you thinking the first few laps? - "I had a lot of stuff running through my head because I was thinking about so much.  That was the biggest deal was just getting comfortable and trying to think about certain things.  When I was going down the straightaway, I was already thinking about going into the turn.  When I'm in the turn, I'm thinking about where I need to get on the gas.  There's a lot of different steps and fundamentals that you have to do and that was the thing that was going through my mind was trusting myself to drive the car deep enough in the corner to set the car right and then get on the brakes. You have to go in kind of hot so you can carry momentum through and around the turn when you're off the gas.  That was big was building your confidence up enough to trust yourself that you could drive the car in deeper and be smooth and fluent with it.  That was the big deal was getting the technique down and getting that oval experience.” -

What was the biggest obstacle in driving the stock car? - "I think the biggest thing is just getting into the shape to drive the car -- not physical shape, but just driving shape is what you would call it.  The only way you get in driving shape is by driving the car.  With your neck -- that was the biggest deal there was that it was actually taxing on your neck because you have to keep up with the G's and stuff when you're turning and holding your neck right.” -

Were you able to contribute anything to the younger drivers with Rev Racing? - "Absolutely, with Mackena Bell and also with Bryan Ortiz and then Daniel Suarez is the other and Ryan (Gifford) -- me and Ryan we hit it off really, really good.  We're just kicking back talking about a whole bunch of different stuff and comparing the two and also just talking about being at a professional level.  Like when you're going to the next level like with the kind of mindset that you need to keep and understand who you are and be who you are because all these kids in Rev Racing -- there's some really, really good kids and they're very competitive and they help each other out and work as a team, as a unit and it's not just a learning experience where these kids are just growing and learning -- they are racing.  These are like real deal race teams.  When you're able to take somebody that's never run circle track racing before and to do what I did today, that's a big statement for Rev Racing because they really took a person that was completely greener than green grass at oval track racing and to get me to run some competitive numbers and to get better and to get better as I did throughout the day and they bring you up to speed quick.”

Were the Rev Racing drivers helping you along the way? - "Absolutely, they were there leaps and bounds with every step of the way when I got the car and on the radio – Ryan (Gifford) was on the radio with me talking to me non-stop, so he goes, 'That's a great line.  That's the way you take that turn. You've got to be a little bit more aggressive getting on the gas.'  We all helped.  It was like a family and that was the coolest part about it where you lay back and it was at ease and everybody wants to see everybody else do better.” -

What is the next step? - "The next step is just that we're going to be back in contact and try to come out and maybe do some testing in a Late Model car.  Go do some testing in a Late Model car and then actually maybe that same week we can be a make race with it.  And that's the next step.  That's our next step that we're going to talk about and that we have to plan and we have to do when the schedule's got an opening, but I definitely want to get back and try to do it some more.” -

John Davison

Long-time RIS staffer, beginning in the mid-80s. Charlotte, NC area local contact.

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Volume 2013, Issue 5, Posted 1:13 PM, 05.29.2013