Mike Brazier grabs 3^rd Place At Talladega!

Way to Go Mike securing 3^rd place at Tally today! You were involved in a wreck early on in the race. Having a damaged car, did you think you would be there in the end?

No I didn’t think I would be there at the end, I thought for sure my night was over. Thankfully my crew, and my teammates encouraged me to stay with it until the end.

How was the car handling with damage in the draft? Looser? Tighter?

It was much harder to stay in the draft. Restarts were the worst, if a restart went single file I couldn’t hang on long enough to get up to speed. The car really wanted to push going into the turns when I was in the draft. I know I must have scared a few people on that outside line, but I was able to keep the car down low after the initial push going into the turn.

I know it must have been frustrating getting wrecked early on. What did Mike Brazier do to keep his focus for the reminder of the race to put the #04 in the top 3?

Twice we almost went a lap down due to bad restarts. I was really, really frustrated. I knew if I went a lap down my night would certainly be over. The first time we almost got lapped the yellow came out just in the nick of time to save us. The second time Dann Danley slowed enough to allow me to pass and stay on the lead lap (Thanks Dann, I won’t forget). After that I was determined to get a good restart because once I had the car up to speed it could stay in the draft. Luckily on the restart we had two good solid lines and I was able to get up to speed. I thought I would probably end up 11^th but people were having a hard time passing, and staying in front of me. At that point I was just hanging on to the low line and trying to keep my car under control. I was really fighting it in the corners but to be in such a good position at the end of the race, and after all we had gone through, I knew I had to give it everything I had.

You got off to a late start in SORS East missing the 1^st 6-7 races. Since you came back in your last 4 races, you’ve had 4 top 8 finishes! Is Mike Brazier happy with his driving performance?

Yes, and no. On the one hand since getting our late start we have climbed from 26^th to 11^th position overall. We certainly can’t complain about that. On the other hand we are still chasing our first win. There have only been a couple of weeks that we really had a car that could win, and on those weeks I made bad decisions that prevented us being in a position to win the race. Other weeks when I have made the right decisions, we just haven’t had the car to do it. Hopefully we will put it all together before the end of the season and will get the #04 Universal Funding car into the Winner’s Circle.

What is your goals or expectations for the reminder of the season?

We would really like to get at least one win, and finish in the top ten overall.

You recently teamed up with Troy Surrett, and Mike Steger. What’s your feelings on using the team approach?

First of all, I was very honored when they asked me to join Team DTBR. It has been a very positive experience. Every week we share setup ideas that really facilitates setting up the cars to each of our individual preferences. We also communicate over the radio during the race, discussing pit strategies etc.. It has really helped me in each and every race. It’s nice to have a couple of teammates out on the track watching out for, and helping each other out.

Would you recommend it to any rookie driver in his/her first season?

Absolutely, It adds a whole new dimension to racing online. The support you get is invaluable. If you aren’t part of a team, you should definitely be looking for one to join.

I have to ask this Mike, But forgive me, LOL. Do you think your numerous years of military training aids in on how you approach each race?

Yes, I think it has. The military teaches you to approach things in a very methodical manner and this is how I approach setting up my cars and practicing for each of the races. I have a laptop computer that is hooked up to my home network. On the laptop I have various programs for computing tire temps, lap times, and my favorite tool N2002 analyser. I will run laps and then export everything right over to the laptop for analysis. I generally will continue to refine the car all the way till race time. Right now I’m still in a very steep learning curve when it comes to setting up cars. Each week I learn a little more and get a little better.

Congratulations on your 3^rd place finish here today at Tally Mike. You’ve proved you’re definitely a contender each and every race since your return! Do you have anything you’d like to say or add before we conclude?

Well I think I have taken up quite a bit of space here, but in conclusion, I would just like to thank all the drivers in SORS EAST. We have a really good group of clean and courteous drivers. I thoroughly enjoy competing against them week in and week out.

Thank you for taking the time speak with us Mike

Mike Steger, SORS East reporter reporting from Talladega Super Speedway!