YEAR-END EDITION

2017

A Review of the 2017 Sprint Car Season featuring Mitch and Jake Brown

Jake Brown

Mitch Brown

Doug Brown Chris Ostrom Nick Christensen Jeff Hilborn Dave Feely Neil Christensen Nathan Christensen aka "Shrek"

RECAPPING THE 2017 SEASON The first few weeks of the 2017 season were tough on Mitch and Jake Brown in their quest to challenge for the track championship at Ohsweken Speedway- a feat they couldn't quite achieve due mainly to some unusual problems that hampered their early season results. And there were other issues that developed over the course of the season that were totally out of character for teammates who are meticulous about the care and preparation of their equipment. But as the season progressed they put together some impressive runs that produced more satisfying results in their overall performances at the local oval.

The Brantford siblings also competed in Patriot Sprint Tour and Empire Super Sprints events on both sides of the border as well as selected appearances with the Southern Ontario Sprints and and in co-sanctioned events with the Great Lakes Super Sprints/National Racing Alliance - a series competing at tracks in Northwestern Ohio, Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. Mitch and Jake's local schedule wound up on September 15th-16th with the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals -an event that saw Mitch finish 10th and Jake come home 22nd in Canada's biggest Sprint Car race. Jake raced at Eldora Speedway in Ohio to close out his 2017 season. Watch for additional updates coming in the New Year!

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Welcome to Edition 2 of

CHASIN' the 10's Racing recapping the 2017 season of Mitch and Jake Brown. With the 2017 racing season now in the books and a New Year just a few days away what better time to recapture much of the action and excitement the Brown brothers generated since the last edition of our 2017 newsletter was published back in April. 2017 was an unusual and challenging season for the third generation family team and one that certainly wasn't representative of the team's overall potential. It was the first season Mitch was not behind the wheel of a family owned Sprinter having been offered a ride in the Burger Barn Racing team's 360 Sprint car- a choice that was expected to present some potential benefits for the racing veteran in defense of his 2016 track championship at Ohsweken Speedway. It also reflected a colour change from the familiar blue and white cars that he had piloted since he began his racing career back in 2007 -a colour tradition that started with his late grandfather Harold Brown back in the 1960s and continued with his dad from the mid 1990s through 2008. The Haldex blue became a team standard beginning with Doug Brown back in 2006. It was also anticipated that Mitch's furlough from the family team would benefit his younger brother Jake by providing him with better equipment to have at his disposal -equipment that Mitch had been using before Jake joined the 360 ranks in 2016. Unfortunately the season didn't produce the expected results and changes are already underway -including Mitch's return to the family team in 2018 - to begin the process of formulating their combined programs for next season. Included In this season-end edition of CHASIN' the 10's Racing

are results of other series events the Brown brothers competed in and recognition to other selected individuals who had impressive performances in 2017. Once again a BIG THANKS to the to the promoters and officials at Ohsweken Speedway for once again providing me with access to their great facility. And a salute to Dale Calnan, Gary Eves, Peter Anderson, Derek Smith and Curtis Berleue for their track-side camaraderie and some of the photos appearing in this publication.

Ken Spencer

MITCH BROWN GOT "DOWN TO BUSINESS" AT OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY AFTER DNF IN SEASON OPENER

Recap of Ohsweken Speedway Events through July 25th Mitch Brown got off to a rough start with a DNF in the May 19th season opener at Ohsweken Speedway and had some other early season issues reaching the tempo that earmarked his impressive performances of four, top-three points finishes in the seasonal standing - including his 2016 Championship run at the local oval. Despite that opening night setback caused by a broken torque tube bolt that snapped the rear end in his Burger Barn race car, he recovered with three top-five feature finishes through June 16th (5th on June 2nd; 4th on June 9th; 3rd on June 16th). On June 30th handling issues resulted in a tenth-place finish but he bounced back with a fifth-place run on July 7th followed by a second place finish on July 14th. With Mitch's podium finish on July 14th, he leapfrogged past Ryan Turner up to fifth place in the Kool Kids-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car standings trailing leader Dylan Westbrook, Jim Huppunen, Cory Turner and Mikey Kruchka in the championship chase. On July 21st - billed as Christmas In July + Autograph Night - the third-generation driver fought his way to a fourth-place finish in the A-Main to close within two points of third spot in the standings held jointly by Kruchka and Turner. On Monday, July 24th, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson and four-time Knoxville Nationals champion Danny Lasoski took on Ohsweken’s best Sprint Car drivers in the Burger Barn Northern Summer Nationals for the Kool Kids-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars. Kyle Larson started on the front row with Mitch Brown for the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car main event. Many had Larson, an Elk Grove, CA native pegged to lead flag-to-flag, but Brown quickly changed the conversation when he led the opening lap. Mitch would eventually slip to fourth at the finish. In the Tuesday night special the powerful 410 World of Outlaws Sprints were in the house before a jammed packed crowd. Mitch was 10th fastest in his Flight A qualifying finished 4th in his heat resulting in a 15th-place starting position for the 30-lap A-Main but knew he was outmatched running his less powerful 700 HP Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 engine against the 900 HP 410 World of Outlaws engines. He ended with a 18th-place finish. Mitch also knew he had a big challenge in reeling in Westbrook who led the standings by a comfortable cushion of 95 points as of July 25th but the seven year veteran of 360 Sprint Car competition set about the task of catching the third and fourth-place runners as he sought to gain a podium finish in the points standings before the season ended .

JAKE BROWN IMPRESSIVE IN SECOND SEASON Jake Brown, who was runner-up in the track's "Rookie of the Year" chase in 2016, got off to a great start in the Ohsweken season opener with a fourth-place run in his heat then slipped past Glenn Styres on lap 14 of the A-Main to take third place in the 20-lap chase. The driver of the Hill's Tire& Gas, Strodes BBQ & Deli, ARC (Auto Refinishers Canada Inc.) Brown Auto Service #1-10 had only two top-ten finishes at Ohsweken during the month of June including a DNF on June 16th when he tangled with veteran Tom Huppunen during the running of the A-Main. He started the month of July with his second podium finish of the season (3rd-place) and had two more top-10s leading up to the July 24h 25th specials - a record that saw him seventh in the track's points standings. Jake was on hand for the July 24th Northern Summer Nationals at Ohsweken finishing 5th in his qualify heat but ended with a disappointing 20th place run in the A-Main. He fell one spot short of a starting spot for the World of Outlaws show finishing 5th in the Last Chance Qualifier

EARLY SEASON START ON TRAVELLING SERIES...

JAKE BROWN HAD STRONG PATRIOT SPRINT TOUR RUN TO OPEN SEASON AT MERRITTVILLE - April 22, 2017

Mitch Brown Recovered from DNF In Qualifier to Finish Eleventh In Feature

Brantford's Brown brothers started their 2017 touring schedule with mixed results on April 22nd on the Patriot Sprint Tour visit to Merrittville Speedway near Thorold, ON.

Jake Brown ran to a solid fourth-place finish in the feature race while Mitch Brown recovered from a DNF in his qualifier to finish eleventh in the 25-lap main event.

Jake started on the pole for the feature event but dropped to second place following a second restart when passed by Matt Tanner of Stephentown, NY. He would drop three more spots in the early going but when Tanner, who had been passed for the lead by Cory Turner, clipped the rear tire of a lapped car on lap eleven and went for a wild tumble off turn one, Jake moved up to fourth on the ensuing restart and held his position in a steady run to the finish.

Mitch's issue started midway through his qualifier when the throttle body on his Sprinter malfunctioned causing his car to stall and forcing him to the pits to diagnose the problem. The cause of the problem was quickly identified but he was unable to return to the track in time to complete his heat. He started last in the 24-car A-Main field and made a determined run to finish one spot short of a top-ten finish. The night marked the first start of the season for Jake Brown while for Mitch it was his first Canadian start of the season after some pre-season action in Florida and the Carolinas. It was also his first start behind the wheel of his untested Burger Barn Racing team car. His new ride had been completed just a few days earlier and had not been on a race track until the Saturday show.

PHOTOS: RIGHT-Jake Brown (#1-10) in action at Merrittville Speedway on April 22nd. BELOW-Right -Mitch getting ready for his qualifier before mechanical problems ended his run early. BELOW-Left - Jason Barney of Brewertown, NY won the Spring Sizzler Sprint Car feature for a 3rd year in a row after starting 12th in the field. He was chased to the finish line by Chris Steele of Vineland, ON and Cory Turner of Caistor Centre, ON.

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

BUSY TOURING SERIES SCHEDULE FOR BROWN BROTHERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER

Since their season opener with the Patriot Sprint Tour at Merrittville Speedway back on April 22nd, Jake Brown had competed in 16 touring series events and Mitch 15 through July 25th. Jake's extra tour event came on May 12th at Woodhull Raceway in the southern tier of New York State - the third event of the Patriot Sprint Tour's schedule -but he missed qualifying for the A-Main by one position. It was his first trip as a driver to the very high banked one-third mile oval in Steuben County but the effort was viewed as a another noteworthy learning experience in his Sprint Car development. On May 20th, the racing brothers participated in the Southern Ontario Sprints' season opener at Brighton Speedway where Mitch easily won his heat and then chased Dylan Westbrook to the checkered flag in the 25-lap A-Main. After qualify 4th in his heat Jake sprinted to a fifth-place finish in the A-Main. With a rainout at Ohsweken on May 26th, the teammates headed south again for two Empire Super Sprints races in New York state where Mitch ran into some mechanical issues at Canandaigua Speedway (May 27th) that forced him out of his qualifier early. He returned for a fourth-place finish in the B-Main but had a disappointing 19th-place run in the feature. Jake won his heat and managed a 13th-place finish in the A-Main. The following night at Utica-Rome Speedway, Mitch made the main event with a 2nd-place finish in the B-Main but couldn't gain much ground in the A-Main finishing 19th. Jake made the feature by virtue of his 5th-place finish in his qualifier but slipped to a 23rd place run in the night's main event. Following the June 2nd show at Ohsweken, the Brantford duo headed to Fulton, NY for the June 3rd Patriot Sprint Tour show where Mitch won his heat then ran to a seventh-place finish in the A-Main. Jake finished fifth in his qualifier and 15th in the A-Main.

To round out the weekend they headed to Cornwall Speedway in Eastern Ontario for an Empire Super Sprints event where Mitch sped to victory in his qualifying heat then scampered to a solid fourth-place run in the A-Main. Not to be outdone by his brother, Jake won his qualifier but had issues in the A-Main and finished 19th. Since competing in touring series events over the past five seasons Mitch Brown had not enjoyed a great deal of success at Brockville Speedway. And the June 10th visit to participate in Patriot Sprint Tour's Canada series event didn't provide any relief. After qualifying fourth in his heat he and Quebec driver Yan Bilodeau made contact down the backstretch on the opening lap of the A-Main causing both cars to flip and ending their night early. Neither driver was hurt but the DNF was costly to Brown in the points standings of the PST's Canadian Series. Jake averted the accident and finished sixth in the 25-lap race Following Mitch's first podium finish of the season on June 16th at Ohsweken, the teammates returned to Brighton Speedway for race #4 on the Southern Ontario Sprints schedule where Mitch pursued Dylan Westbrook to a second place finish in his heat then recorded a fourth-place A-Main finish with Jake one place back in fifth. With rain forcing cancellation of the Friday June 23rd events at Ohsweken, many of the track's Kool Kidz/Corr-Pak 360 regulars headed to Merrittville Speedway the following night where the travelling Empire Super Sprints were in the house. Mitch again experienced problems in his qualifying heat when the throttle body in his car's fuel injection system malfunctioned forcing him to the pits but he had the problem resolved quickly and returned to finish a solid second in the B-Main. He finished the night with a 12th-place run in the A-Main after starting 20th. Jake qualified for the A-Main with a fourth-place finish in his heat then ran to a fourteenth place

finish in the feature.

Jake Brown joined Mitch and the Patriot Sprint Tour for the June 3 event at Fulton Speedway.

Mitch Brown (2016 Ohsweken Speedway Champion) and Jim Huppunen (2011 and 2013 Ohsweken Speedway Champion) were on hand for the June 23rd ESS show at Merrittville Speedway.

MBR Team Photo

BUSY JULY HOLIDAY WEEK OF RACING FOR BROTHERS

The Canada Day (July 1st) and US Independence Day (July 4th) holidays provided plenty of racing opportunities for Mitch and Jake Brown with six events scheduled into their mid-season plans. The six track/six race marathon began June 29th on the Patriot Sprint Tour at McKean County Raceway in north central Pennsylvania where Mitch ran to a sixth-place run in his qualifier, finished 5th in the "Four Laps of Fame" Dash then settled for an eighth-place finish in the A-Main. Jake finished fourth in his qualifier, ran to a fourth-place finish in the Dash but brought out the caution flag on lap 8 of the feature ending his night with a DNF. Following the June 30th show at Ohsweken Speedway, they were on the road again headed to the Patriot Sprint Tour event at Mercer Pennsylvania. But while enroute, they were informed the show had been cancelled because of rain in the forecast and diverted to Fremont, Ohio for a July 1st National Racing Alliance/Great Lakes Super Sprints special - a detour that proved successful for Mitch and a top-ten finish for Jake. In pre-race qualifying Mitch was the fastest of 35 drivers clocking in at a time of 13.172 seconds around the 1/3-mile clay oval. After finishing second in his heat and winning the dash, he drew a front row starting position then ran to a comfortable second-place finish in the A-Main won by Nate Dussel of Bradner, OH. Jake finished fourth in his qualifier, then put forth a solid performance that saw him finish ninth in the 25-lap feature after starting fifteenth. The series then shifted to Atomic Speedway at Waverly, OH for the July 2nd show where Mitch ran to another second-place finish in his qualifying heat and sixth in the A-Main. Jake missed the set-up and could only manage a seventh-place finish in his heat -not enough to qualify for the feature. The July 3rd event at Waynesfield fell victim to rain but not before Mitch had set a new track record of 10.708 (111.5 mph) in pre-race qualifying times. That race was rescheduled for Sunday, September 3rd but was later scrubbed because of conflicts with the plans of many drivers. Mitch was atop the points after the three completed races and was subsequently awarded the mini series championship Both drivers skipped the Southern Ontario Sprints race at Brighton Speedway (to help celebrate their mother's birthday) but were back on the road a week later for the final two events on the Patriot Sprint Tour's Canadian schedule at Brockville and Cornwall. Jake led Mitch to the finish line in their July 15th qualifier at Brockville Ontario Speedway but Mitch had the upper hand in the A-Main with a fifth-place finish while Jake ended 19th. The next day at Cornwall, Mitch won his 8-lap qualifier and ran to a fourth-place finish in the A-Main while Jake, who finished sixth in his heat, had problems in the A-Main when he stalled on lap 18 and couldn't re-fire his car.

Jake Brown battled his brother Mitch in Patriot Sprint Tour action at Brockville Ontario Speedway on July 15th.

- a Curtis Berleue Photography Image

Mitch Brown -captured above in this image by "Sprint Fun Photos" -blistered the track in pre-race qualifying at Waynesfield Speedway on July 3 2017 setting a new track record of 10.708 or 111.5 mph. Unfortunately rain forced cancellation of the Great Lakes Super Sprints/NRA Sprint Invaders at the 1/3rd-mile Ohio oval. Sprint Fun Photo

Mitch Brown tucks it in tight to the inner rail around Cornwall Motor Speedway during the Patriots Sprint Tour's July 16th event.

-a Curtis Berleue Photography Image

STRONG STATESIDE RUNS FOR BROWN BROTHERS TO END THE MONTH OF JULY Mitch Brown had competed successfully in a handful of NRA Sprint Invader races at Limaland Motorsports Park in Ohio over the past three seasons and captured his first ever A-Main at Montpelier Motor Speedway in Indiana back in 2015. But for brother Jake, now in his second season of 360 Sprint Car racing, the July 28th, 29th weekend visit to the two venues was a new experience but one that didn't seem to intimidate the youngster one bit. In the Friday night show at Lima, Ohio, Jake burst onto the track for pre-race qualifying without any warm-up laps and posted sixth-fastest time (11.642) - .174 seconds off the fast-time set by Shawn Dancer of Delphos, OH.

Mitch clocked in at 11.574 just .102 off Dancer's time, good for 4th-place in the qualifying. Both brothers drew positions in the opening heat of the Great Lakes Super Sprints/National Racing Alliance Sprint Invaders show with Jake jumping into the lead from his outside front row starting spot and Mitch quickly grabbing second spot from his second row position as they held off Dancer for a one-two finish. In the A-Main redraw Mitch started third in the 23-car field but slipped to a fourth-place finish when Dustin Daggett of Portland, MI charged from eighth spot to take the win over Randy Hannagan of San Jose, CA on lap 20 to followed by JR Stewart of Bellefontaine, OH who grabbed third.

With his heat win, Jake drew sixth place in the 25-lap feature and ran a steady pace to move up one spot finishing fifth right behind Mitch for a top-five finish.

The trip over to Montpelier, IN on Saturday didn't start off well for Mitch when a bolt broke in a brake caliber on the last lap of qualifying leading to some feverish moments for the driver and his crew in trying to replace the component only to find out that additional damages had affected the Burger Barn car's rear end. Mitch was forced to sit out his qualifying heat and started the 25-lap A-Main in 20th spot. But when the green flag waived, he put on a determined drive that saw him move through the field, passing Jake for eighth place with three laps remaining, with Jake coming home 10th after starting 11th.

Jake had the upper hand over Mitch in the brothers' first one-two heat finish at Ohio's Limaland Speedway on July 28th.

Mitch and Jake in pre-race qualifying for the July 29th Great Lakes Super Sprints/NRA Sprint Invader show at Montpelier Motor Speedway in Indiana.

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo MBR Team Photo

Mitch Brown -2016 Ohsweken Speedway Champion- piloted the #10 Burger Barn/Ace 1/Aitken Motors Sprinter in 2017. On August 18th he captured his first A-Main win in his primary sponsor's back yard. Despite an opening race DNF and some other unusual issues throughout the season the determined competitor battled back to finish third in Ohsweken Speedway's Final Championship standings The sixth year driver also captured the "NRA Week of Speed Championship" -a scheduled four race series in Ohio, that was reduced to three races when rain forced cancellation of the final mini-series event at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Ohio on July 3rd.

MBR Team Photo

BROWN BROTHERS ENJOY STRONG RUNS AT STATELINE SPEEDWAY Mitch Second In Qualifier, Jake Wins Dash, Duo Run 5-6 in A-Main. August 5 2017 Friday's rainout at Ohsweken Speedway on August 4th didn't dampen the racing spirit of Brantford's Brown brothers as they headed out on Saturday to Stateline Speedway for the Patriot Sprint Tour's second visit of the season at the 1/3rd-mile oval south of Jamestown, NY.

In his opening heat, Mitch Brown chased 2016 PST Champion Jared Zimbardi of Bradford, PA to the wire while Jake finished fourth in his qualifier then charged home to victory in the Series' four-lap dash. Mitch drew seventh starting spot for the 25-lap A-Main with Jake drawing eighth behind five of the series' top points leaders consisting of leader Jared Zimbardi, 2nd in points Steve Collins, 3rd in points Kyle Drum, 4th in points Jordan Thomas and fifth in points Derek Jonathan. At the drop of the green Thomas grabbed the early lead from Zimbardi as the leaders paced the field through the first three laps but the caution flew on lap four for a spin by Josh Azzi. On lap eight Zimbardi jumped past Thomas for the lead with Collins moving into second spot two laps later. When Zimbardi made contact with a lapped car, Collins took the lead and out ran Zimbardi for his second PST win of the season. While the battle for third began to heat up between Thomas, Kyle Drum and Steven Hutchinson Jr., Mitch and Jake were staying on pace with the third through fifth running trio but were unable to close the gap in an attempt to gain a top-five finish.

(Above left) Mitch preferred to run the inside line around Stateline Speedway while Jake (seen in photo at left) tried different lines to gain some ground and added experience on the unfamiliar oval. Here Jake is seen battling eventual A-Main winner Steve Collins (#67) in their qualifying heat. (Bottom photos -left to right) Crew member Chris "Shrek" Ostrom makes some adjustments to the Burger Barn/Ace 1/Aitken Motors #10. Mitch and Jake talk race setup with Doug Brown during a pre-race pit meeting. Jake, Chris and Dave Feely spot something worth smiling about prior to the start of competition.

MBR Team Photos

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

Curtis Berleue Photography

This second year 360 Sprint Car competitor continued to come up with some impressive performances in his Hill's Tire & Gas / Auto Refinishers Canada / Brantford Hyundai / Strodes BBQ & Deli / WIX / Brown Auto Service & Sales #1-10 not only at Ohsweken Speedway but also in touring series events at tracks on both sides of the border.

MBR Team Photo

SLIDE JOB ON LAST LAP IN CORNER FOUR SEALS THE DEAL FOR BURGER BARN DRIVER -August 18, 2017 Despite stringing together eight top-ten finishes (six in the top-five) through July 25th and adding a solid third-place run on August 11th Mitch Brown still found himself without a feature win at Ohsweken Speedway with the clock ticking down towards the end of the season. But he never lost sight of the fact that in racing circles you simply have to take it one race at a time -and certainly one lap at a time! On August 18th at his home track, the Brantford racing veteran finally had something to smile about when the action was over in a night that featured two A-Main events - the Renway Energy August 11th make-up feature and the night's regularly scheduled 20-lapper. The regularly scheduled Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car Feature presented by Jibs Action Sports saw four outside invaders drop in to Ohsweken for a pre-Canadian Sprint Car Nationals tune-up. Bryan Howland, Joe Trenca, Chuck Hebing and Kelly Hebing were all in attendance to take-on Ohsweken’s best. Trenca held the pole for the 20-lap main event, but it was outside polesitter Mitch Brown who staked claim to the early lead. Behind Brown, third-starting Howland challenged Trenca for second on lap five and used a slide job off turn four to take the spot. Trenca had front end problems immediately after and retired to the pit area, which promoted Westbrook to third.

At the halfway mark, Westbrook experienced motor problems for the second time on the night and slowed off turn four. He was unable to continue. Howland took advantage of the track position on the restart and used another slide job off turn four to take the lead from Brown. Howland then checked out from Brown by a full straightaway before hitting slower traffic on lap 17. It didn’t slow Howland’s No.51 at all and he took the white flag with a convincing advantage over Brown.

However, the victory was not in the cards for Howland when his car slowed in turns one and two with drive train

issues, ending his night. It setup a one-lap dash with Brown and Chuck Hebing nose -to-tail on the restart. Brown led off turn two but Hebing, through a massive slide job in turn four, tried to steal the win. Brown, however, was able to turn back underneath Hebing and win a drag race to the line by 0.133 seconds. Cory Turner, Jim Huppunen and Jake Brown (who returned to the night's racing card after changing engines following the night's earlier A-Main DNF) completed the top-five.

In the rescheduled A-Main from the week earlier, run before the start of the night's regular card of events, Cory Turner and Dylan Westbrook lead the field to the green flag with Westbrook grabbing the early advantage over Turner. But the points' leader lead was slowed by a lap two caution when Jamie Turner spun in turn four. Westbrook regained his advantage on the restart and pulled away to a two-second advantage on lap seven. Westbrook was in top form and looked as though he was on his way to extending his points lead until his car's engine went up in smoke on lap 13 right in front of Cory Turner, who had to swerve to miss the No.47x on the front straightaway. On the ensuing restart, Turner fended off Jim Huppunen’s attack and led the final seven laps to score his first career feature win at Ohsweken with Mitch Brown coming home a solid third after starting sixth. Jake Brown took a hit in the standings when he parked his car in the infield with engine problems midway through the 20-lap chase.

JAKE BROWN STRONG IN 360 SPRINT CAR PORTION OF TRIPLE CROWN SHOWDOWN Mitch Brown Records Two Fourth-Place Finishes At Ohsweken Speedway -August 25 2017 After winning his heat, Jake Brown finished a strong night's performance by running second to Dylan Westbrook in the 360 Sprint Car A-Main at Ohsweken on August 25th. Mitch Brown finished 4th in the feature event after a fourth-place run in his qualifier,

STRONG LATE SEASON FINISHES LIFT MITCH BROWN TO THIRD PLACE IN FINAL OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY STANDINGS September 1, 2017

After digging out of the hole he found himself in following the opening night DNF at Ohsweken Speedway then stringing together eight straight top-ten finishes (seven in the top 5) through July 21st, Mitch Brown still faced some major challenges in chasing down the four competitors ahead of him as the season points standings headed into its final weeks.

But with a third place finish in the rain delayed August 11th A-Main (completed on August 18th), his win on August 18th and a solid fourth place run on August 25th he had closed to within two points of third place as the final points night of September 1st approached. His efforts to improve his position in the Kool Kidz/Corr Pak Merchandizing 360 Sprint Car standings got off to a disappointing start on September 1st when the fibreglass hood on his Sprinter came loose during his qualifying heat forcing the 2016 track champion to the pits at the mid-point of the eight-lap chase. Going into the night he was alone in fourth place in the standings trailing leader Jim Huppunen of Welland, ON by 44 points and was 40 back of Dylan Westbrook of Scotland, ON and just 2 behind Cory Turner of Caistor Centre, ON. But after starting seventeenth in the 18-car A-Main field, the third generation competitor began a determined drive that saw him use the lower line around the 3/8th-mile oval to move into the top-ten by the half-way lap of the 25-lap feature. After dispensing with some of those who had started higher in the lineup, Mitch began a steady assault to catch the leaders by passing Huppunen and Turner to move into third spot but couldn't run down race leader Westbrook and Cowlesville, NY's Scott Kruetter piloting the Todd Hoddick #49. The win propelled Westbrook past Huppunen to capture the Championship title in the Ohsweken 360 Sprint Car standings. The third-place finish by Brown secured third-place in the final points standings and was a remarkable run considering his starting spot and some of the problems he experienced at his home track this season. Jake Brown slipped to a seventh-place finish in the closing laps after a strong run that saw him among the top-five in the early laps. He finished seventh in the track's final standings.

JAKE BROWN FINISHES SEVENTH IN FINAL STANDINGS

Despite seven top-ten finishes from early July through the end of the season at Ohsweken Speedway, Jake Brown finished seventh overall in the Kool Kidz/Corr Pak final standings- a drop from fourth place following his "Rookie" season in 2016.

Although he was no doubt disappointed with the final results, he can still hold his head high with ten top-10 finishes in

fourteen regular event appearances at the 3/8th-mile oval.

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

BROWN BROTHERS ENJOYED SUCCESSFUL LABOUR DAY WEEKEND IN SPRINT CAR RACING ACTION Duo Swept Labour Day Classic At Brighton Speedway- September 2-3 2017 With strong finishes to their racing programs at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night, September 1st, Mitch and Jake Brown headed to Brighton Speedway for the Annual Labour Day Classic Weekend which featured two nights of competition for the Southern Ontario Sprints - a trip that proved to be the highlight of a successful three-day weekend for the Brantford siblings.

Jake Brown Scores First Southern Ontario Sprints Win In the Saturday opener of the two night Brighton Speedway show it was younger brother Jake outdueling Caistor Centre's Cory Turner for the win in a race that provided race fans with plenty of nose to tail, side-by-side open-wheel racing excitement. The two front runners led the 20-car field to the green flag with Turner powering to the lead on the opening lap but Brown got the upper hand on lap two through 11. Turner recaptured the lead spot on lap 12 but on lap 18 Brown powered his Auto Refinishers Canada/Hill's Tires &Gas/ Strodes BBQ #1-10 back to the front.

Brown led the final seven laps enroute to his first career SOS win and second of his young 360 Sprint Car career. While the two leaders were staging their two car battle for the lead Mitch Brown, Dylan Westbrook and Ryan Turner battled for positions third through fifth Defending series champion Westbrook charged towards the front and looked poised to take his eighth SOS win of the season until contact with the turn four wall ended his night.

Mitch Brown finished third with Ryan Turner and Chris Jones completing the top five. Holly Porter, Jake Brown and Dylan Westbrook were heat race winners.

Mitch Brown Back in Winning Form After picking up the win on Saturday night, Jake Brown started on the pole with older brother Mitch joining him on the front row for Sunday night's 25 lap main event. Mitch used the outside line in corner two to grab the lead on the opening lap while Jake settled into the second spot. Steve Lyons, Holly Porter and Lee Ladouceur ran behind the top two for much of the first half of the race and had a

good battle for positions third to fifth. By the mid-point of the race Cory Turner and SOS points leader Dylan Westbrook were making their presence felt as they moved

into the top five. The pair had worked through the field from their 16th and 13th starting places respectively. A restart on lap 20 gave both drivers the chance to catch the Brown brothers and challenge for the top two spots. But after overtaking Jake Brown for second and third respectively on the final lap the duo set their sights on Mitch Brown but had little left for the Burger Barn/ Ace 1/Aitken Motors/ Brown Auto Service racing veteran who cruised to his first SOS win of the season. Jake Brown held on to finish fourth over Holly Porter.

BROWN BROTHERS TUNE-UP FOR CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS On Friday, September 8th, 360 Sprint Car competitors headed to Ohsweken Speedway for the final tune-up before the 13th Annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals weekend. When the dust settled Mitch Brown started eighth and finished the 20-lap A-Main fifth behind Dylan Westbrook Cory Turner, Tyler Hendricks and Ryan Turner. Jake Brown came home eighth after starting tenth. Mitch won his qualifier with Jake finishing fifth. The following night many of the teams were in action at Merrittville Speedway for the final event of the Southern Ontario Sprints final were Mitch finished fourth in the A-Main and Jake came home sixth,

NIGHT BEFORE THE NATIONALS -September 15, 2017 Sam Hafertepe Jr. of Rockwall, TX -the American Sprint Car Series National Tour points leader captured the first Twin 15 feature with Ryan Susice of Ransomville, NY led early in the race before Alex Hill of Ohsweken, ON took over, but Hill slipped high and hit the outside barrier in turn two following a lap four restart. Hafertepe took over shortly thereafter and stayed ahead of Susice to take the win. Mitch Brown worked his way from an eighth-place starting spot to finish third ahead of Bryan Howland of Union Springs, NY and Jared Horstman of Cloverdale, OH. Steve Poirier flipped in turn two early in the race and took several minutes to exit his damaged machine. The three-time Canadian Sprint Car Nationals winner was subsequently taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with a back injury. Jordan Thomas of Harding, PA looked to be on his way to the win for much of the second Twin 15 feature, but Carson Macedo had other plans; The Lemoore, CA driver quickly drove from 12th to third early in the race before settling into fourth. While Thomas was working to stay up front, Macedo drove past both Dylan Westbrook and Dustin Daggett in two consecutive laps, and made a spectacular move to steal the win from Thomas on the last lap. Thomas settled for the runner-up position, followed by Daggett, Westbrook, and Paul Kinney. Jordan Thomas won the Dave Macleod Memorial Shootout for the Patriot Sprint Tour in dominating fashion. National Racing Alliance Sprint Invaders driver Devon Dobie finished in the runner-up spot ahead of Ohsweken Speedway 360 Sprint Car driver Mitch Brown. Two drivers from each of the six Canadian Sprint Car Nationals affiliate sanctions took part in the annual event which honours the former driver and car owner Dave Macleod Front row starters Dylan Westbrook and Jordan Thomas duelled for position through the entire 13 lap distance of the Kevin Ward Jr. Young Stars Challenge. Their race was for the lead until third row starter Parker Price-Miller drove past them on his way to the win and a new 13 lap track record. Westbrook prevailed over Thomas to take the runner-up spot, while Thomas settled for third. The average age of the 13 drivers in the field was just 19 years old.

CARSON MACEDO WINS AT CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS BROWN BROTHERS MAKE THE BIG SHOW -ALBEIT BY DIFFERENT ROUTES -September 16, 2017 Mitch and Jake Brown were among the 56 competitors from Ontario, Quebec and eight American states hoping to qualify for a starting sport in Saturday's 35-lap A-Main and a slice of the $70,000 purse Mitch was tenth overall when the results of the three Group Time Trial Flights were completed then raced to a second place finish in heat #4 of six, 10-lap heats assuring him a spot in the 30-car A-Main feature. His drew eleventh-place starting position for Canada's biggest Sprint Car spectacular. Jake had a tougher route to qualifying when he finished fourth in his qualifying heat -one spot short of a quick ticket to the Big Show -and requiring him to compete in one of three B-Mains where only the top two finishers would move to the feature. Although he started on the pole in the 12-lap chase he fell to a disappointing fourth place finish. Fortunately, he was among six other non-qualifiers (recognized for their performances in their regular track and sanctioned series -including 2017 Empire Super Sprints Champion Jason Barney and two-time Ohsweken Speedway Champ Jim Huppunen) selected to fill the remaining spots in the 30-car field. At the finish of the 35-lap chase, Mitch finished tenth and Jake crossed the finish line 22nd after starting 30th -respectable results considering the highly competitive field. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. and Carson Macedo appeared set to decide who would win the 13th edition of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals between themselves, but Jordan Thomas took the runner-up spot away from Hafertepe with three laps to go in the 35 lap feature then tried to run Macedo down for the win. Macedo was not to be denied though, and became the first Californian to win the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, while Thomas settled for the runner-up spot, and Hafertepe held on to finish third. Ryan Susice moved up steadily to finish fourth, while a late charge moved Dylan Westbrook from eighth to fifth during the last two laps.

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

MBR Team Photo

LAST SEASON RUN FOR JAKE BROWN Jake Brown ventured down to Eldora Speedway on October 14th for the track's billed "Last Call For Methanol" season wrap-up event. He finished third in his heat but faded to 21st in the A-Main. Randy Hannagan of San Jose, CA held off a mid race challenge by Dylan Westbrook of Scotland, ON to win the 25 lap NRA feature. Behind Hannagan and Westbrook were Jason Schultz of Chambersburg, PA, Kyle Sauder of Archbold, OH and Ed Numeister of Upper Sandusky, OH

A SPRINT FUN Photo

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MAJOR EVENTS POSTPONED FOR 2018; WEEKLY RACING WILL CONTINUE Posted by Tommy Goudge December 12, 2017

(December 12, 2017) – Ohsweken, Ontario – Ohsweken Speedway has postponed its biggest 2018 events until further notice. Speedway management cites unforeseen challenges with the lease of adjacent land as the reason. The land directly north of the driveway isn’t Speedway property; It has recently changed hands, and the new owners have other plans for usage of the land moving forward. “We just learned that the dozens of acres we have always used for excess parking and camping will be unavailable,” said track owner Glenn Styres. “Without parking, we just don’t have room for our fans.” The postponed events include the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series races, the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, and the Triple Crown Showdown. Regular Friday Night racing will continue as scheduled. Speedway management chose to make the announcement now in order to provide fans, teams, sanctioning bodies, and other stakeholders as much time as possible to adjust their plans and schedules. “We have a plan of action in mind to deal with the situation, but we need about six months of good weather to prepare,” said Styres. “The reason we are using the word postponed instead of canceled is we want to keep our options open. Our special events cost nearly half a million dollars a year to run, and it’s too big a risk to commit to that without all of the necessary parking.” Speedway General Manager Clinton Geoffrey announced that all fans who have purchased tickets for affected events will get a full refund, along with four tickets to any Friday night show in 2018 to show the Speedway’s appreciation. Tickets will be mailed out in the new year. “This is an unexpected challenge, but we are excited about focusing on our regular divisions,” said Geoffrey. “Ohsweken Speedway is still the place to be on Friday nights in 2018.” Schedules and other plans for the 2018 Ohsweken Speedway season are well underway, with the 2018 schedule slated to be officially released early in the new year. “Drivers meetings are scheduled for this Sunday December 17, and we look forward to working with our teams and fans to make Ohsweken stronger than ever!” stated Geoffrey. Weekly Friday night racing action is again on tap for Ohsweken’s 23rd season, featuring the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks, and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Stay tuned to www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.

“CHASIN’ the 10s Racing” is the official newsletter of Mitch Brown Racing. The contents appearing in this publication have been selected for the purpose of keeping our sponsors and race fans informed of team activities throughout the year. Comments/suggestion should be directed to the editor. Editor/Publisher Ken Spencer (905) 301-5289 Email kenneth.spencer@sympatico.ca Team website: www.mitchbrownracing.com

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Brantford, Ontario N3T 5L9 (519) 752-9531