A quiet 12th place finish in Friday night’s Food City 300 propelled Brandon Brown and his family-owned team into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
Now, part of the fight to be apart of the Championship 4 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in November, Brown, a native of Woodbridge, Va. knows its put-up or shut-up time heading to next Saturday’s Alsco 300 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
“Feeling of just relief, it’s a breather really quick, right now before I guess the hard work starts where we really gotta work to capitalize on this opportunity inside the Playoffs,” said Brown.
“I’m just ecstatic to be here. I’m so happy with the team’s performance this year. I think making the Playoffs speaks volume as to where our team has come in just two short years of full-season (competition).”
You could say that Brown, 27, often touted as one of the series’ most improved drivers this season, heads to Sin City playing with house money.
While many expect him to maintain his current presence inside the back half of the top-10, Brown and his Brandonbilt Motorsports team are eager to step up to the challenge and do more. A lot more.
“I mean, realistically, I think we’re really going to try and fight to get through this first round,” Brown said. “I want to see us get into the second round. I have full faith in all of our guys to be able to make that happen.”
To aid his efforts beginning at Las Vegas, Brown’s team has leased an engine from Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR) hoping that the added boost of horsepower will lead to more stage points and hopefully a better finish.
“The plan is now that we’ve secured a spot in the playoffs, we’re going try and pick select races for some lease motor programs to really get ourselves competitive, starting with Las Vegas,” added Brown.
“I think this just gave a little emphasis to a couple of the partners that are going to come out to help us get a little better equipment. But we’re definitely going to try and give it our all for this playoff run.”
Sitting 12th entering the Playoff opener next weekend, Brown has three weeks to make his move and be 10th or better to move into the Round of 8.
He knows it won’t be easy, but he’s ready.
“If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season if we are a playoff team, I would have said we’re going to be one that’s competitive for it; I wouldn’t have guaranteed you we’d be in,” Brown said.
“In our five-year plan, we’ll call it, we’re definitely ahead of schedule being a playoff-contending team and one I feel can really fight to get to the second round of those playoffs. This was the mark we needed to hit so everything ahead of us is going to be above and beyond, which is really where we like to strive to be.”
Brown has goals now that he is a Playoff driver and if he can achieve those goals, it will only give his race team momentum and experience to build for 2021.
“Realistically, we are going to try and fight to get through this first round,” Brown explained. “I want to see us get into the second round. I have full faith in all of our guys to be able to make it happen.
“As long as we go to Las Vegas and play our cards right and really do everything we need to do and I can execute behind the wheel, I think we have a shot at least getting through the first round into the second, especially with Talladega being one of the races – you know superspeedways is where anything can happen.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic putting the whole NASCAR season into a spin-cycle, Brown offered he had to make adjustments to the new measures put in place to the Xfinity Series, especially without the luxury of practicing or qualifying.
But even with the new changes, he’s a much better driver in 2020 than he was a year ago.
“I definitely feel that this year I’ve taken the curve down on the learning for me, especially getting down to the Mooresville area full time and being closer to Chevrolet and make friends with some of the other drivers and become a better student of the sport,” explained Brown.
“I really focused in this year on making sure I’m studying the right film, so I know exactly what I’m doing when I get to the track. We really had to do that because of the new racing protocols with no practice, no qualifying and first lap out is green.
“You really have to know what you are doing. I’d say being a better student of the sport has helped tremendously.”
It’s been no secret that Brown is lacking sponsorship for his No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro and with the Playoff door swung open, it may present opportunities for existing partners to increase their role or new partners to enter the picture.
“We always need more sponsors,” Brown said. “With making the Playoffs, we’re definitely going to move forward with getting leased motors. The sponsorship stepping up is going to be what determines on new chassis for us and all-around better equipment heading into the Playoffs is what we need.
“I wouldn’t say that we (family funds) are maxed out, but we’re pretty close to it,” he explained.
“Everything that we’ve did throughout the season has gone right back into this team and into this program to make it better. Everything we did is to consistently build and make it better and grow it so we can be a real force here in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.”
No matter what happens over the next seven weeks, Brown and his family-owned operation have made great strides this season.
And whether their race to make the Championship 4 ends in less than a month at the Charlotte ROVAL or carries them to the Nov. 7 running of the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 at Phoenix, Brown can’t wait to see what happens.
“We’re heading to some tracks that I love,” he said. I’m excited to get through the rest of this 2020 season and I’m extremely happy with the performance up till now and I can’t wait to see what we can to really cap the year off.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
