Tim Brown, Bowman Gray's Winningest Driver, Running NASCAR Clash for RWR
Tim Brown, the winningest driver in the history of the iconic Bowman Gray Stadium, is set to realize a dream he’s had since beginning his motorsports career more than 35 years ago; competing in the NASCAR Cup Series.
At 53 years old, Brown will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the upcoming NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium (February 2), driving the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing.
With 101 victories, Brown is the winningest driver in the history of the quarter-mile racetrack, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Throughout his career, the Yadkinville, North Carolina-native has made the racetrack his, having the most pole positions (146), championships (12), and the fastest lap every recorded at the racetrack (12.965 seconds in April 2016).
“I’ve worked my whole life to try to be a Cup driver,” said Brown. “I’m good with working on racecars for a living because it’s still a pretty cool gig, but I always wanted to drive for a living. Rick Ware and everybody involved here at RWR to give me the chance to go run a Cup race is so humbling and heartwarming. It’s really cool.”
So, how did this unique deal happen to come about? Well, as it turns out, Brown is a full-time employee at Rick Ware Racing, where he works as a suspension and drivetrain specialist.
Rick Ware, owner of Rick Ware Racing, is a former driver himself, who transitioned into an ownership role after injuries took him from the driver’s seat. Ware was recently added to the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame, as part of its Class of 2025.
“As someone who understands what it’s like to try to achieve goals and move up the racing ladder, it’s just a great opportunity for Tim and it’s something we’re proud to do,” said Ware. “We’ve had the opportunity to give a lot of drivers their first Cup start, and this one that’s very well-deserved, especially at this track.”
Brown has turned thousands of laps around Bowman Gray Stadium throughout his career, but during NASCAR Clash weekend, will have the advantage of even more – and more than his NASCAR Cup Series competitors, even, as he will race his Modified on February 1.
“That time in the Modified will be very helpful for multiple reasons,” Brown said. “NASCAR has already done some updates to the stadium with soft walls and things like that. That’s going to change the line of the racetrack because you make the track smaller. So the line that we generally run, you won’t be able to run because they run right out against the wall. If the soft walls take up 2-and-a-half or 3 feet, now that’s 3 feet that you can’t let the car drift out to the wall. Just getting some track time before we climb in the Cup car, which I’ve never driven before other than on the chassis dyno, will be very helpful.”
The journeyman driver has never driven a NASCAR Cup Series vehicle, but he knows them inside and out, having built them since he was in high school, first with Cale Yarborough Motorsports and through many iterations of technology, including the current-generation racecar.
“I’ve been Cup racing for almost 35 years now, and I don’t know that you’ll find a Cup driver who actually gets to build his own Cup car from the ground up, chassis dyno it, and then go race it,” Brown said. “These guys that work here at RWR, they’re my buddies and they’re all racers, and we get to do this as a group effort. I actually get to put the nuts and bolts on it, and mount a seat, put the motor in it, and go drive it on the chassis dyno before I run it in the Clash. That’s pretty cool.”
“The guys who race these Cup cars today are elite. They’re the best drivers in the world, and I’m not even going to put myself in that same category. I’m just going to do the best I can,” Brown said. “I want to climb out of that thing at the end of the Clash and see my son and our family with big smiles on their faces and knowing that we did the best we could because, I promise you, I’m going to give it 110 percent. I just want to enjoy the moment, relish it and soak it all in. I’m not going to leave there and say, ‘Hey, I’m a Cup driver, now.’ I’m just going to leave there knowing this was the experience of a lifetime.”
Beyond creating an amazing moment for a Rick Ware Racing employee, Ware believes this will also help to highlight grassroots racing and the skills of its personalities.
“At Bowman Gray, Tim really has the same opportunity as anybody else,” Ware said. “He was with Roush for decades before he was with us. He’s a very good mechanic. He’s built all his own racecars and he understands racing. I think he’s got an inside track just because he has touched every single part of these cars. He’s a racer, and particularly at this track, he’s got a lot of experience.”
The 2025 NASCAR Clash will take place at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 8:00 PM ET. Coverage will be on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
