(1/28/19)
After a shorter than usual offseason, Brian Cooper and the AutoMaxx Racing team headed down to the Stockton Dirt Track to get in some early racing. The team originally didn’t plan to run, but Brian’s brother Todd, who had raced once since 2017, was presented an opportunity by fellow racer David Pierce to drive his new car at the event, so Brian got his car ready to race as well.
Brian started on the front row of his heat, proceeding to take the lead at the drop of the green flag and never looking back, claiming the easy heat race win. Todd on the other hand had to start last in his heat. Since he was still getting adjusted to his new ride, Todd was only able to move up one spot to finish 4th.
Unfortunately for Brian, the redraw did him no favors as he had to start 10th in the feature. With Todd also starting 16th, both brother’s had plenty of work to do if they wanted a solid finish. Brian quickly went to work once the race began, moving into the Top 5 within the first 5 laps, where he settled into battles with the likes of Jason Nation and Tommy Fraser over the spot. Meanwhile, Todd was steadily moving forward, moving up to 10th by the halfway point in the race.
As the laps began to wind down, cautions began flying left and right, which helped Todd move further and further up the running order. Then, as the race went under yellow with 5 to go, Brian, who was running 5th at the time, had to pull off with a right front flat that would ultimately end his night. Over the final 5 laps, Todd was able to move from 8th up to 4th to take home a Top 5 in his return to dirt racing.
Todd was happy with his performance Saturday night, saying “It started out with a bad pill draw. Finished 4th in the heat, so that put us starting 16th in the main. Car was good. Was able to make it up to a 4th place finish. This all wouldn’t be possible without David Pierce asking me to wheel his badass hot rod. We had a blast racing together and am hoping to team up some more in the future.”
Brian remained positive despite the result, saying “Night started out with a good pill draw which had us starting P2 in heat 1 and checked out for the heat race win. Then drew the 10 for the redraw. Was up to 5th at one point and started having some carburetor issues with it loading up in the corners. Eventually got a right front flat ending our night. Was really happy with the car after we made wholesale changes in the front end. I want to thank all my sponsors, crew and my wife for allowing me to do what I do”
Brian would like to thank all of his sponsors, including:
Automaxx
Victory Circle Chassis
Five 1 seven designs
Jay’s Mobile Welding & Fabrication
R&J Landscaping
Alpine Roofing
HRT Shock Service by Bobby Hogge
And Supporters:
David and Rena cooper
My wife Stacey Bartlett-Cooper
Crew guy and friend Michael Sevigny
Interested in having writeups like these done for your race team throughout the season? Contact Daren Ricks of DRC Motorsports Media here on Facebook, at darenricks999@gmail.com or at (916) 229-7474 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.
Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media
DRC Motorsports Media 