TALLADEGA, Alabama (April 12, 2011) – – For Owensboro, Kentucky native Brett Hudson, the opportunity to compete at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway was a dream come true. Unfortunately, his dream turned into a nightmare as on lap four of the 80-lap season opener saw a tire disintegrate on the No. 94 Hudson Performance Drivelines Dodge Charger and slam into the outside turn three wall.
Disheartened with a 43rd place finish – the future was unknown for the Brett Hudson Motorsports team. Damage control upon their return from the “World Center of Racing” seemed like a trip to Talladega (Ala.) Speedway for Friday’s 3 Amigos 250 was next to impossible but it was a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina that re-ignited the team’s hope.
While the Brett Hudson Motorsports (BHM) was examining their motor with officials from Race Engines Plus (REP), it was determined that their most valuable piece of equipment was salvageable – thus giving Hudson’s dream another shot.
With hard work and dedication from crew chief John Hayden and the expertise of race car body specialist Gene Patient of Gene Patient Fabrication, the No. 94 Dodge Charger was back into one piece in no time.
With the help of several friends and local sponsors, Hudson heads to the 2.66-mile superspeedway looking for some redemption and prove that he can get it done on more than just short tracks.
“I’m just grateful to be going to Talladega,” said Hudson, who will make his 23rd career start Friday afternoon. “Daytona had the intentions of being a great day. But, it was over within a blink of an eye. I guess that’s racing. Thankfully, we were able to piece our car back together and our Dodge motor is still raceable, so here we are; heading to Talladega with a mission.”
That mission is simple. Qualify well, much like he did in Daytona and hopefully complete all 94 laps.
“Daytona a little longer race, but also has the tendency to put on more exciting racing. It’s a little wide track which allows the competition to get a little braver. Our goal though is to bring our No. 94 Hudson Performance Drivelines Dodge Charger in one piece with a good finish.”
He added, “I want to thank John (Hayden), Jared (Bartlett), Gene (Patient) and his staff and all of the volunteers at Brett Hudson Motorsports for their help in getting our car back together. I’ll never be able to repay them like I want to; hopefully a strong run will be satisfying enough. I also want to thank DNJ Auto Parts and Body Shop and DMC Graphics for all that they’ve done too.”
The Hudson Motorsports team will also bring awareness to a big fan of theirs, Harlie Bryant. Her parents were supposed to attend the ARCA race this weekend with the BHM team, but their daughter Harlie was recently diagnosed with brain cancer and is scheduled for surgery on May 12th. Now, the team will race with the family in their thoughts and prayers and carry “Hope for Harlie” on their No. 94 Dodge Charger.
“Our minds will be in Talladega, but our hearts are definitely with Harlie and her family back in Owensboro,” said Hudson. “She is such a vibrant, strong and adorable little girl. There are no words to describe what she is going through; let alone her family. All we can do is pray and let her family know that our entire team will be there anytime they need us.”
In addition to Hudson Performance Drivelines, Double H Hydraulics, Race Engines Plus (REP), G&A Trucking, Gene Patient Fabrication (GPF) and Warricktubing.com http://www.warricktubing.com/ join the team as associate marketing partners in the second of 19 ARCA races this season.
In his prior 22 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards starts, Hudson has produced two top-fives including a career best of fourth at Salem (Ind.) Speedway in 2007 and 10 top-10 finishes overall. Hudson has one career ARCA pole also coming at Salem (Ind.) Speedway in 2005 driving the No. 62 Hudson Machine Shop Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available for this weekend’s activities. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Lisa Hudson of Brett Hudson Motorsports at 270.929.2160 or hudson00@adelphia.net.
For more on “Hope for Harlie”, please click here http://www.facebook.com/hopeforharlie?sk=info to visit their official Facebook page.
The 3 Amigos 250 (94 laps / 250 miles) is the second of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 49th ever ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Thursday, April 14 with a three hour practice session planned from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. Coverage of time trials is available online through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at http://www.arcaracing.com/ arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. A 45-minute final practice has been etched in on Friday, April 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. The event will take the green flag that afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional live broadcasting available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at http://www.arcaracing.com/ arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. All times are local (Central).
