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James Essex
CORONA, Calif. (March 25) - They have combined for 187 career Late Model feature wins at Brownstown Speedway and come this Saturday Night at least six former track champions will be trying to capture the Hancock Core sponsored 11th Annual "Indiana Icebreaker" against the toughest competition in dirt late model racing as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series visits the historic racing facility.
The race fans at Brownstown have been known as the most loyal and the loudest at cheering on their favorites for years and with the touring Lucas Oil drivers hitting the quarter-mile oval on Saturday Night there is a good chance that one of the former Brownstown Speedway late model champions will end up in victory lane.
Since 1952 Brownstown Speedway has been in operation with legendary drivers such as Jim Curry, Ray Godsey, Gene and Russ Petro and driver/chassis builder C.J. Rayburn all taking their rightful place in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame located at Florence Speedway in Union, KY. Another former track champion, Mike Jewell was inducted into the NDLHOF last year after winning the annual "Sportsmanship Award."
Heading into the "Indiana Icebreaker" this weekend look for Rayburn and Jewell to be joined by John Gill, Don O'Neal, Steve Barnett and Tim Prince to represent the impressive listing of former Brownstown track champions expected to be on hand to battle it out with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
While Gill, Barnett and O'Neal are ranked second, third and fourth all-time in feature wins at Brownstown (Jim Curry is the all-time winningest driver). Those three have combined for 149 feature wins as Jewell (24) wins, Rayburn (13) and Prince(1) all will be trying to not only make the $10,000 to win race, but hold the checkered flag in victory lane afterwards.
O'Neal's success with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is well documented as he has finished runner-up to Earl Pearson Jr. twice in the series history final point's standings. O'Neal who took the first Lucas Oil Series win of the season back in February at East Bay now has ten career wins on the tour. He has accumulated 47 career wins at Brownstown. This will be his first race at Brownstown driving for his new car owners this year Jeff and Eddie Harrod of Frankfort, KY.
Gill, who just recently returned to drive for the Sanford and Sandy Goddard Warrior House Car based out of Knoxville, TN come into this weekend's action with the second most career wins at Brownstown (54), but he has never won a Lucas Oil race in his career. A win in the upcoming "Indiana Icebreaker" would please many of Gill's several family, friends and fans who will be on hand this Saturday Night at Brownstown. "We've won the Icebreaker a couple of times in the past and with this new ride we are looking forward to having some good luck, even if I don't win if we can come away with a good finish a top five against the Lucas guys we would be really happy," said the 48 year old veteran who earned "Rookie of the Year" honors at Brownstown back in 1981 and is in his second stint in the Warrior House Car.
"With Donnie, Steve, Mike and Tim that's about it for former champions who are still racing every weekend, we were all rookies once and I guess now we are the old guard or veterans or whatever you want to call us, but I know all of us are still capable of winning races," said Gill.
Barnett, who captured his third track title at Brownstown in 2007, scored three wins at the quarter-mile oval last year, but remarkably the former STARS Rookie of the Year has never won a $10,000 to win race in his career. With his experience at Brownstown you can never count out the driver who has participated in more Jackson 100's than any other driver in the track's most prestigious event. He has 48 career wins at Brownstown.
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