SONOMA, Calif. — Rising Supercars star Will Brown is joining the new wave in the United States.
On Sunday, Brown, 26, will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut, driving a third entry for Richard Childress Racing at Sonoma Raceway. An eight-time victor in Supercars, Brown never thought an opportunity like this in NASCAR would be possible.
Shane van Gisbergen, of course, paved the way.
Van Gisbergen’s thrilling victory at the Chicago Street Course last year helped kickstart a wave of Kiwis and Aussies into North American stock car racing. Brodie Kostecki made his Cup Series debut last August with RCR, nine years removed from his last start in the K&N Pro Series East. Cam Waters came over this spring for two Craftsman Truck Series starts with ThorSport Racing and will also make his Cup debut on Sunday, driving a third RFK Racing Ford.
“Since Shane came over, it’s really put it on the map,” Brown said in a press conference on Friday. “I think for a lot of Australians, it wasn’t that we didn’t love watching NASCAR, but we probably didn’t think it was possible to get a team to look at us and give us the opportunity to drive in NASCAR. After Shane did that, it’s opened up some doors.
“A lot of Aussies have paid a lot of attention to NASCAR now and I’m pretty excited to come over and have a go. I was lucky enough to put a deal together with Richard (Childress). We were able to have him out to Australia at the end of last year, and yeah, made that connection.
“I didn’t think I’d be in this position a year ago, so it’s pretty exciting.”
However, Brown hasn’t had a ton of time to prepare for his highly anticipated debut. He visited the RCR shop three weeks ago and got an hour in the simulator as RCR prepared his car for Sonoma. Brown raced over the weekend in Australia and returned to North Carolina on Monday where he slotted extra simulator time as teammate Kyle Busch participated in a Goodyear tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
For Brown, everything is new. He’ll sit on the opposite side of the car. He’ll be at a brand-new track, albeit fresh off a repave. The simulator work is foreign, too.
“I feel good after the simulator. I think it’s a very good tool to use to get a driver ready for the track. But yeah, nothing is the same as the real thing at the end of the day,” Brown said. “You can prep that way, but until I get out there, I don’t really know what to expect. I know the layout; know where I’ve got to go and the bumps.
“It’s about running laps around here; getting used to the car. In Australia, Supercars run at a high level … But for me, it’s going to be learning a new track and a car. So yeah, just build up into it; hopefully, no mistakes.”
And as another advantage — Brown will have van Gisbergen as one of his spotters. Fresh off his Xfinity Series victory at Portland International Raceway last weekend, van Gisbergen will serve as the secondary voice to veteran spotter Brett Griffin.
All the tools are in his arsenal. But Brown still doesn’t know how it will all play out.
“The expectations are a really hard thing for this weekend and to know what to expect,” Brown said. “Shane — obviously coming over last year and doing what he did, makes it hard for the Aussies to come out now. It’s like a letdown if we don’t win.
“I think Shane’s been running inside the top 10 for his last couple of road course runs, so that would be great if we could do that. There are a lot of cars out there that have good drivers in them, so I really don’t know what to expect until after practice and qualifying.”
During Friday’s 50-minute practice session, Brown adapted seamlessly. He was third fastest overall and the best among Chevrolet’s entries.
Qualifying is on Saturday.
(NOTE: All Supercars races air live on SPEED SPORT 1)