(Stafford Springs, CT)—For Monson, MA native Justin Bren, the 2012 NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series season at Stafford Motor Speedway cannot arrive
fast enough. Bren and his team purchased the Limited Late Model car
formerly campaigned by Rob Dow and Rick Lanagan at Stafford, and they
brought the car to the 2011 CARQUEST Fall Final to shake the car down in
preparation for making a run at Rookie of the Year honors in 2012.
“I can’t wait for next year,” said Bren. “I thought the Fall Final went
pretty well for us. The first practice I went out, I just tried to make
sure that nothing broke on the car, and then I started getting on it and we
picked up time in every session that we went out. We started the day out
about 3 seconds behind the fastest car and we ended the day 1 second behind.
Someone had given me some hand me down tires that had about 200 laps on them
for the practice, so we’re looking forward to next year. The rear end broke
in the car so we weren’t able to race in the feature, which was
disappointing because Jim Peterson had given me some good tires to use and I
was planning on passing a couple of cars. But the big thing for us was
getting our feet wet for next season and we definitely weren’t the slowest
car. All in all, it was a good weekend for us other than the feature, the
car was fast, it felt comfortable, and everyone was telling me I did a good
job.”
While Bren will challenge for Rookie of the Year honors when Stafford Motor
Speedway drops the green flag on the 2012 season, Bren will be a rookie in
every sense of the word. Prior to his Fall Final foray this past October,
Bren had never before sat behind the wheel of a racecar. But his father
Warren has raced all up and down the east coast for over 30 years and Bren
can lean on his father for experience and guidance as he gets ready to take
on his first full season behind the wheel.
“The Fall Final was my first time driving a racecar,” said Bren. “But I
grew up around racing, my dad has raced from New Smyrna all the way to
Oxford, and he ran on the Modified Tour in the ‘80s, so I’ve always had the
bug to race. My dad actually got started racing at Stafford in the
Sportsman division, so starting out at Stafford is a family tradition I
guess, the apple definitely didn’t fall far from the tree. It’s definitely
a big help having my dad around with all the experience he has.”
Bren and his #66 team are currently going through and updating their car for
their 2012 debut, which will come at the 41st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net
Spring Sizzler, scheduled for April 27-29.
“Right now, we’re pretty busy going through the car and we’re updating a few
things,” said Bren. “We have a new engine coming from R.A.D. Automachine,
we have a new transmission, and we have a new rear end, so I’m really
looking forward to the new season. My friends won’t let me hear the end of
the broken rear end at the Fall Final, so I can’t wait to get back on the
track and show people what we can do and have some fun while we’re doing it.
We’d like to win Rookie of the Year, run in the top-10 all year long, and
hopefully pick up a win before the season is over.”
Bren is also thankful for the sponsors that he had on his car while making
his Stafford debut at the Fall Final this year.
“We had some great sponsors on the car, and we couldn’t have done this
without their support,” said Bren. “I have to thank Tibbetts Optical of
Monson, BerteraChevy.com, Hood Medic, and Kenny Gran and Granite Wholesales.
My level of gratitude was at an all-time high and I can’t thank each of them
enough for helping us out. We’re working on getting those guys to come back
on board with us for next year and hopefully we can attract a couple of new
sponsors who would like to get on our car. Everything we can get
sponsorship wise is a big help to us, especially since we’re a small budget
team.”
Should Bren run into any troubles on the track during the 2012 season, he
can always fall back on his classroom experience as he is currently
attending Springfield Technical College with plans to transfer to UMASS
Amherst after his second year and he is majoring in mechanical engineering.
“I’m majoring in mechanical engineering and right now we’re learning about
how to calculate forces and springs with cars going around an embanked
track,” said Bren. “It makes me chuckle that what I’m learning about in
school is something that I’ll actually be doing on the track in a couple
more months.”
Bren’s quest for Rookie of the Year honors and the 2012 Limited Late Model
season will kick-off with the 41st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
on April 27-April 29, 2012 at Stafford.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at
860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com