Accomplished sprint car driver ‘Blackjack’ Brian Brown will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 51 Tundra as the series heads to Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway for the inaugural event at the half-mile dirt track. Brown’s Toyota will carry primary sponsorship from Casey’s General Stores, the fourth largest convenience store retailer in the United States, and Rowdy Energy, the better-for-you energy drink created by KBM owner Kyle Busch for Friday night’s 150-lap event.
Brown boasts an impressive resume racing sprint cars, currently totaling 185 career victories at the numerous tracks he has competed at across the country. The 42-year-old Missouri native has recorded 53 career wins and four track championships at Knoxville in the 410 Sprint Car division, (2010, 2017, 2019, 2020) and another championship (2002) and 17 victories in the 360 division. ‘Blackjack’ finished second three consecutive years (2012-2014) in the prestigious Knoxville Nationals, a yearly event held at the half-mile dirt oval.
Brown bested the 15-year-old track record (14.407 seconds) at Knoxville earlier this year with a qualifying time of 14.351 seconds for the Knoxville Raceway Championship Cup Series event May 22 and went on to win both feature events that night. He also picked up a pair of top-10 finishes in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series when they visited Knoxville June 11 and June 12. Most recently, he finished second at Knoxville on July 3 in the Budweiser Salutes American Night 410 feature. Across the 37 races he has competed in at various tracks around the country this season, ‘Blackjack’ has totaled three feature wins, eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.
The dirt-track standout was selected to drive the “Local Champion’s Car” at Knoxville when the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) raced there June 19. Brown finished seventh in Heat Race No. 1, eighth in Heat Race No. 2 and eighth in the 50-lap feature.
KBM has earned four of its Camping World Truck series-leading 88 career wins on dirt tracks. Most recently, 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. drove the same No. 51 Toyota that Brown will drive this weekend to a victory March 29 in the Truck Series inaugural dirt race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Darrell Wallace Jr. won at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, a half-mile dirt oval, in 2014 and Christopher Bell made it back-to-back victories for the organization at the famed track in 2015.
Mardy Lindley is in his first season as a crew chief at KBM. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. Lindley was atop the pit box for Truex Jr’s victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race earlier this season. The South Carolina native has also crew chiefed two ARCA Menards Series races on dirt tracks, earning a best result of fifth with Zane Smith at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in 2018.
Casey’s General Stores is a Fortune 500 company (NASDAQ: CASY) operating over 2,200 convenience stores in 16 states. Founded more than 50 years ago, the company has grown to become the fourth-largest convenience store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States. Casey’s provides freshly prepared foods, quality fuel and friendly service at every location. Guests can enjoy pizza, donuts, other assorted bakery items, and a wide selection of beverages and snacks. Learn more and order online at www.caseys.com, or in the mobile app. Rowdy Energy is currently available at Casey’s locations throughout Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Brian Brown, Driver Q&A:
You’ve had a lot of success in sprint cars at Knoxville in your career. What does it mean to you to be getting this a chance to race in the Camping World Truck Series there?
“I’m excited for it, obviously we’ve had some success with the winged sprint car there, but until recently I’ve never run there with fenders. What a great opportunity with Casey’s and Rowdy on what I feel like is the best truck in the pits, the 51. It’s going to be a learning experience, but I’m looking forward to running all the laps and putting ourselves in a position to have a good finish at the end.”
How do you feel what you experienced running the SRX series at Knoxville will relate to running in the Truck Series there?
“I feel like running anything at Knoxville besides a sprint car is definitely going to help me. Something that heavy, that doesn’t really want to turn, and when it does want to turn it wants to spin out, all that is just different. Being able to run around 100 laps there with an SRX car, learning where to lift, where to pick up the throttle, they are similar, but they aren’t similar. The best way I can explain it is just doing something a little bit different. Everybody at KBM has welcomed me with open arms. Mardy (Lindley), the crew chief, has been phenomenal. From point A to point B where we’ve been so far has been just an awesome experience. Hopefully, we can get Casey’s and Rowdy and the Toyota Tundra 51 up in the front where it belongs.”
Have you set any goals going into the race?
“I talked to Mardy about it and mainly you have to finish all the laps, that’s the number one goal. If you’re three laps down, you’re not going to win the race. Try to finish all the laps and keep our nose clean. Obviously, Martin (Truex Jr.) had the fastest truck and won at Bristol in the same truck that I’m going to be driving, so I know the truck is going to be good enough. Hopefully, I can get in there during practice and adapt as best as I can, run all the laps and don’t damage the truck and then as the race progresses and I get more confident in the truck with what’s going on and adapting to the whole thing I feel like the sky is the limit to what we can do. I feel like we can very easily go in there and have a solid top-10 finish and if things go well compete for a top five and if things go really well compete for a win. There’s no, hey if we don’t do this, I’m going to be disappointed, I just want to run all the laps. That’s the key, don’t go in there and tear the truck up on lap 2 trying to be a hero. Run all the laps and have a good night. Just an awesome event for Knoxville and it’s going to be cool being a part of the inaugural event and having what will probably be a sellout crowd. It’s going to be awesome for not only the Camping World Truck Series, but also for Knoxville Raceway to maybe introduce some new fans to the dirt track community.”
Brian Brown’s No. 51 Casey’s/Rowdy Energy Tundra:
KBM-012: The No. 51 Casey’s/Rowdy Energy team will race KBM-012 for Friday’s Corn Belt 150. Martin Truex Jr. led a race-high 150 laps en route to his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory with this Tundra in March at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Before being converted to a dirt truck, KBM-12 scored a victory with Erik Jones in 2014 at Iowa Speedway in Newton.
KBM drivers have earned three wins, one pole, 407 laps led, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 13.5 across 24 starts on dirt tracks. Martin Truex Jr. won the inaugural dirt race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in March while Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014) and Christopher Bell (2015) both claimed victories at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (88) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Truex Jr. became the 16th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
With 37 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.
