(2/23/19)
Even after a Top 10 finish in points in the annual Arizona Mod Tour, Pittsburg Sport Mod driver Keith Brown Jr will look back on this year’s tour as a week of “what ifs”. The veteran racer had 4 mechanical DNF’s in a 7 race span, heavily affecting what should have been a highly successful week for Brown.
The 2019 edition of the Arizona Mod Tour kicked off with a 2 day stop at Queen Creek’s Arizona Speedway. After a solid 2nd place finish in his heat race, Brown was running comfortably in the Top 5 before getting put into the backstretch wall to end his strong Night 1 run. Night 2 didn’t start nearly as well, with a 6th place finish in the heat race forcing Brown to run a B main. This proved to not be a problem for Brown, however, as he easily won to advance to the feature. Unfortunately for Brown, his bad luck continued, as an early flat tire ended his night.
For the next two nights, the tour would head to Casa Grande’s Central Arizona Speedway. Night 3 of the tour would see Brown finish the feature for the first time in 3 nights, taking home a nice 8th place finish in a race that went green to checkered. That change in fortune didn’t last long. After a good heat race that saw Brown transfer directly to the feature, Brown inadvertently hit his rev box while working on the car before the main, dropping it to 4200. Brown would attempt to fix the problem under an early caution, but a track rule prohibiting cars from exiting and re-entering the race ended his night in disappointing fashion.
After a rest night, the tour moved to Canyon Speedway Park for a 1 night event. Once again, Brown couldn’t shake the mechanical gremlins. Brown looked to be well on his way to a Top 5 finish when he suffered a flat left rear tire that would end his race.
From there the Arizona Mod Tour would run 2 final nights at the newly re-opened USA Raceway. These 2 nights would easily be the 2 best of the tour for Brown. The first night at USA Raceway was a great one for Brown. After transferring directly to the main, Brown moved to the front early, and though he wasn’t able to chase down the leader, Brown was very happy to take 2nd. For the final night of the tour Brown once again had a great showing. Though he started mid-pack, Brown was able to race his way forward throughout the race to take home another Top 5.
After all was said and done, Brown took 9th place in the overall points standings for the tour. When asked about his thoughts on the tour, Brown said: “Over all I think the tour was a success, I have no disappointments in going, we had a fast car all week, we qualified for every main, we end the tour with some good finishes 2nd & 5th ,a 9th in points. We will take everything we learned on the tour and carry this momentum throughout the rest of the racing season.”
Results:
February 8th (Arizona Speedway): 18th DNF
February 9th (Arizona Speedway): 24th DNF
February 10th (Central Arizona Speedway): 8th
February 11th (Central Arizona Speedway): 22nd DNF
February 13th (Canyon Speedway Park):18th DNF
February 15th (USA Raceway): 2nd
February 16th (USA Raceway): 5th
Keith would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:
My wife
Ricky Childress jr
My dad
Tim Barlow
Joe Glade
Darrell Hughes
Steel City Motorsports
JGE Motorsports
HRT Shock Service
Little J’s Burgers
Engine Quest
CTA Prints
Performance Bodies
Tire Demon
Competition Carburetors
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 