FRASERVILLE, ON – There isn’t a racecar driver in the world who doesn’t hope to turn-in their best performance every time they climb behind the wheel. By the nature of the sport – even if there are only two competitors in the race – there can only be one winner. In his first season of action since 2008, Linc Brown is doing the best he can to keep his #99 Kawartha Metals/Rousseau Automobile Communications/The Wolf 101.5/Don Butt Auto Body/Mayhew Graphics/Clarke Motorsports Communications Dodge Charger in the fight. The 47-year-old from Colborne, ON, is getting closer to the front of the field at every event.
“I knew there would be some rough spots along the way and I’ll admit that it’s been a bit frustrating at times, but there are no plans of throwing in the towel,” admitted Brown. “The car feels better every week and our set-up book is getting some fresh notes. Sure, I’d like to win every week and be leading the points, but there are about 20 others in the field who have the same goal.”
After logging an eighth place finish in the prestigious Summer Sizzler, Brown was eleventh Kawartha Speedway’s NAPA Auto Parts ACT Late Model point standings. In many ways, that could be seen as a step in the right direction but his equipment showed its battle scars following the 150-lap event. Some extended time in the shop, replacing the front fenders and fine tuning the suspension components filled what the team had hoped would be a quiet week off between events, but it gave the group a chance to make sure their equipment was ready for the next show on the schedule.
Friday, July 20, Linc Brown and the squad were back at Kawartha for the annual Fan Appreciation Night. Starting from inside the second row in the night’s opening round of qualifying, the #99 car battled some handling problems and needed to run the consolation round to secure his starting spot in the feature event. Even though he won the 10-lap affair, Brown elected to skip the customary victory lap and took the car back to the pits to get ready for the feature.
“A win is a win and while I was pleased to pick-up the checkered flag, the car needed some attention,” said Brown. “It was really loose and it seemed like every time I turned the wheel, it was going to snap around. There was no way I could drive it like that so the crew and I checked things over and made a couple of changes before rolling out for the autograph session.”
After signing some copies of his new hero card, talking with fans and spending time with some old friends, Brown came to the line 13th for the late model main event. The loose condition was still evident, but not as pronounced as before and within a few laps he was running just outside the top 10. When the caution was displayed with 20 laps complete, Brown made a quick pit stop for a last-minute adjustment. Only a handful of laps remained and some quick thinking allowed him to steer clear of another driver’s spin coming off the 4th turn and salvage a 9th place finish.
“We’re chipping away week-by-week,” said the driver after the feature event. “Another top 10 moved us into 9th in the points. It’ll take some hard work, but I’m sure there’s a top 5 effort just around the corner.”
From Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications
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