“Shawna and Dick stepped in and I got involved after they did,” Burgess said. “They did a great job, a tremendous job of stepping in and keeping things rolling. It was still fresh. I think they carried on for a season after that under their own name. When I got involved, it switched to ASCS Northwest.”
Burgess ran the ASCS Northwest Region for several years before taking over the promotional duties at Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. — where he established the two-year Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown. He then ventured to Longdale Speedway in Longdale, Okla., to work as a promoter before moving on to a career in the apparel industry.
“I think of Fred often,” Burgess said. “I have photos of Fred and of back in the day all over our print shop. Lots of memories of the time. When Fred passed, I felt like we have to step up here and try to help to keep things going in his memory. That led me to ASCS and then led me to promoting tracks and then in the end what I realized out of all of that is that I had fun and I learned a lot from Fred, but Fred would want me to go on with my life and what I had a passion for. That was Fred’s dream and not mine. Fred dedicated his life to it, and I just realized I was better off living my life, not trying to live Fred’s.
“I use a lot of what I learned from him in daily business. He was a hugely successful businessman. He was a good friend to so many people and was hugely respected. I try to take that into my daily life and my business life because he was so good at handling three or four things at a time and doing them successfully.”
The ASCS Northwest shuddered in 2014. A Washington-focused series and an Oregon-focused series were briefly created, but there hasn’t been a regional series to the level of the Northern Sprint Tour in the last decade.
Grays Harbor Raceway has changed leadership several times since Brownfield’s passing but continues to operate as one of the Northwest’s top venues.
Brownfield left an indelible mark within the racing community. He was selected as the 2006 recipient of the Thomas J. Schmeh Outstanding Contribution to the Sport — an award given by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
And his vision of pushing the sport forward has seen new legs with the creation of the High Limit Sprint Car Series, led by NASCAR star Kyle Larson and four-time World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet.
“Who knows where that would go because you always need a leader,” Sweet said in reference to the National Sprint Tour. “You never know what could have been. The one similarity is we were both trying to put pressure on a situation and create some competition. I think Fred had some good ideas and was one of the best for the sport.”
Respect is a word that is often referenced in association with Brownfield.
“I think it’s important to really remember how much of a driver’s promoter he was,” Cram said. “At the end of the day, it didn’t matter if the stands were filled or he was selling cheeseburgers, it was always about the driver. He always came up to the drivers and thanked them for coming to the race. Sometimes he’d hand them a couple hundred dollars and say to them, ‘Thanks for coming because without you I wouldn’t have a show.’
“It’s been a hard loss for our family. Carrie’s son, Seth Hespe, races in the Northwest in a car owned by Larry Kelley’s son, Ryan. By Seth continuing to race and J.J. continuing to race, we’re all able to keep his memory alive and honor him. My aunt is sponsoring Seth and J.J. He runs a sticker that reads: ‘Brownfield Gang.’ I think that is her way of honoring him and his legacy. It keeps his dream alive.”
This story appeared in the June 7, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
