November 7, 2007

FSCR

Drew Brannon Learns How Tough It Will Get the Closer you Travel Toward NASCAR

by Bill Green, FromBehindTheMIC!

Drew Brannon has always felt he was ready for the next step in his drive to reach the top levels of racing. From go-karts to Fast Trucks, and on to Limited Late Models, Drew has worked hard to prepare for the hard road ahead.

Someone once described the local racers progression toward NASCAR as the trip up “Incline Village.” Referring to a Tennessee land mark used to access the top of Lookout Mountain, outside Chattanooga, where the further you go up the mountain, the steeper the grade you face.

The comparison is accurate, as far as Team Brannon could tell this past weekend.

I traveled to Nashville for the ASA Late Model, Adam Petty Memorial weekend. The Brannon Racing Team arrived early Thursday morning, 3AM'ish. Their first long haul for the Nationally recognized series.

Friday's first practice had over 50 cars getting laps and logging times. Drew was in the mid-30's on the sheet and about three-quarters of a second off the pace.

The second session showed some improvement, but everyone else improved also. Still in the mid-30's on the sheet and about three-quarters of a second off the pace.

Saturday's pit gate opening brought new considerations to the team. Friday's practice had seen fellow Central Florida driver Sean Bass have a tire or wheel problem, destroying his front clip with no backup car available.

Sean had been told that at least two NASCAR teams were sending scouts to Nashville to look at him and several other drivers at the event. The loss of his ride meant Bass' opportunity would be lost.

But, as the Saturday practice continued, it was obvious to Team Brannon and their young driver, that they were not improving fast enough to get into the elite top 20 on time and would even struggle to make the final top-2 transfers out of the last chance races.

Drew Brannon himself made the decision to give up the ride to Sean Bass, giving Bass just an hour and fifteen minutes to prepare for qualifying. If Sean did not make the qualifying attempt, then he could not take over the ride for the last chance race.

Sean, was granted 4 practice laps prior to qualifying.

Drew's fastest time in the ASA car on the weekend, was an 18.597. With the help of two teams, Brannon Racing and Bass Motorsports, Sean rolled into the qualifying line on time.

His lap of 18.277 was only fast enough for 22nd quick, two spots out of a lock-in, but showed the car had more speed in it. So the combined teams set to working on getting all they could out of it for the last chance qualifier races.

News arrived that Sean could not fall back on a high points non-qualifiers provisional, because he did not attempt to qualify in a #28 numerable car. An oversight on the teams part in hurriedly getting prepared for the qualifying effort.

So Sean would start third, inside row two, in last chance qualifier #1. The car was very tight from the start as the sun had set enough to leave the entire Nashville Motorplex in the shade. Struggling to hold on to third place in the 25-lap, shortened to 15-lap, event. Sean was unwilling to chance wrecking the only chassis Brannon Racing had left and fell to 4th at the end.

Unknown to the racers, officials did not have any past champions not make the field, so those two provisional spots were added to the last chance race finishes and the top-3 were allowed into the field. Bass finished 4th, unfortunately.

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