DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 18, 2011) – – Chuck Norris once said, “Dreams do come true, if you want them bad enough. For Owensboro, Kentucky native Brett Hudson that statement could not have been more farther than the truth.
Last week, Brett Hudson and his Brett Hudson Motorsports (BHM) team participated in a three-day open test at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After two and a half-days of testing, the team loaded up their hauler to make the trek back to Bluegrass State satisfied after Hudson impressed in his first superspeedway test session.
Under the leadership of former ARCA driver turned crew chief John Hayden, BHM unloaded Tuesday morning looking to get a good feeling on their No. 36b Dodge Charger. Utilizing some assistance from the 2008 ARCA Racing Series champion team of Allgaier Motorsports, it wasn’t hard to figure out that Hudson will be a sleeper heading into the season opener next month at Daytona.
Tuesday morning, the avid racecar driver posted the 12th fastest time. In the afternoon session, the team landed 21st out of 40 competitors who took to the daring restrictor plate track. Solid results in day one had the family-owned operation looking forward to day two.
Wednesday morning continued of single-car runs with Hudson in his Chrysler nameplate 19th on the sheets after 42 cars took their tango with the legendary race track. In the afternoon, ARCA Racing Series official opted to open the track to drafting with BHM taking a soft approach and keeping their focus on single-car runs but not ruling out dabbling a little in the drafting department.
Racing inches apart is nothing new to Hudson, but racing inches apart, three, four and sometimes five-wide at nearly 200 miles per hour is a whole new ballgame for the 23-year old. Wrestling very little in the draft, Hudson was able to thrust his Dodge Charger into the 13th position after nailing a time of 48.834 seconds amounting to a speed of 184.298 miles per hour.
“Drafting was pretty cool,” explained Hudson, who plans to make his ARCA Racing Series debut from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next month. “We have to concentrate on qualifying runs, because more than likely we’ll have to qualify on time. However, we knew we could not leave the track without doing some type of drafting. We wanted to make sure the car would “suck up” to the other cars. It’s a good piece, that’s for sure.”
Before loading up and heading home, the team elected to spend Thursday morning doing a couple more single-car runs. During the three-hour session, Hudson maneuvered his No. 36 Brett Hudson Motorsports Dodge Charger around the track in 49.804 seconds at 180.708 miles per hour, landing just outside the top-10 in 11th, his highest position on the sheets.
Pleased with their results, the team opted out of the Thursday afternoon session and began their 13 hour ride home to Kentucky planning to piece together a game plan that would ensure Hudson the opportunity to cross off an item on his bucket list, racing at the “World Center of Racing.”
“Overall, we’re very satisfied with the way the test went,” said Hudson, who has 21 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credits. “We came to Daytona with really no big expectations in mind except to get a good feeling for the car and keep making improvements. We did that and more.” He added, “I have to thank John (Hayden, crew chief), Jared (Bartlett, car chief) and the entire BHM team for helping out at the test. John (Hayden) loves this restrictor plate racing and always has a great setup. I’m looking forward to coming back in less than a month and giving everyone else something to talk about.”
The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona is the first of 19 races on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first of two restrictor plate races this season is set for Saturday, February 12, 2011 slated for 4:00 p.m. live on SPEED.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2011 racing season. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Lisa Hudson of Brett Hudson Motorsports at 270.929.2160 or hudson00@adelphia.net.
