1/27/07

Like Father, Like Son
By Eric Witchin

    Brian Sones is living his childhood dream of being a racecar driver. Growing up around the sport and the racetrack itself, he is now racing on the same track as his father (Ken Sones) did. He decided to drive in the Street Stock division at Mountain Speedway (formerly Evergreen Raceway), which is considered one of the toughest series in the entire Northeast. Being only 16 years old, his rookie season was bound to be a task.
   Brian purchased a 1985 Monte Carlo Street Stock, and with the help and knowledge of his father they had the car ready for the 2006 season. The next step for him was to actually get on the track and mix it up with the other drivers. During the practice session Brian mainly wanted to get use to driving the car. However his first two races would end in disappointment as he suffered a blown engine in warm-ups of week 1, and wrecked his car in the heat race of week two. The next couple of weeks Brian would continue to improve on the track and was making friends out there with his calm, clean driving.
   During the middle of the season, Brian started to show that he could drive with the rest of them running in the top 10 every week. After the midway point came the prestigious Street Stock Shootout event. Going in with high hopes of getting a top 15 finish out of the 35 cars, Brian was unable to make the race after some minor engine trouble. However he was a good sport about it and stuck around to help fellow competitors during the race.
   In the next few races Brian continued to run around the top 10, and the race before the 77 lap Mark Corbisero Memorial race he placed 8th, his season high. The finish gave him momentum heading into the extended race. Just finishing the 77-lap race was task in itself, but he managed to get a decent finish a beat some strong runners.
   Brian decided to hand over the wheel to his father once again for one race to see what the car had. Kenny hasn't raced since 1997, but got the groove back very quickly. During the race Ken had some brake problems, but the veteran driver knew what to do and still received a top 10 finish. Brian then went back behind the wheel for the final race of the season. He was running strong, however got caught up in a wreck not of his own making during a qualifying race, once again leaving him out of another prestigious event.
   Overall Brian had a good season receiving 9 top 15's in only 12 starts. He also gained plenty of experience and knowledge behind the wheel. Expect to see the Brian and his #12 up front week in and week out for the 2007 season.