April 21, 2006

Waterdown 15 year old takes Rookie of the Year title at Delaware Speedway
September 4, 2006

WATERDOWN, ONTARIO – Sunday at Delaware was a big day of racing for 15-year-old racer Tyler Brown. A year had been spent trying to get to this point, and now, with one more ‘good’ race night, Brown could clinch the coveted Delaware Speedway Late Model Rookie of the Year championship. Although it wasn’t the day he was looking for, the result was, and Brown was crowned Delaware Speedway Late Model Rookie of the Year.

“Right now, this has to sink in a bit,” Brown said after being crowned Rookie of the Year. “It has been a full year of work – not only by me – but by the whole team, and I thank each one of them for their help this year. We had a goal as a team, and now we have achieved that – it feels great!”

Brown has had an up and down season in his #91 Assante sponsored Chevy. He has shown speed from the first night, but racing with seasoned professionals has meant a steep learning curve for the youngster. That was something he talked about, “Yes it was, the level of competition was a lot higher than I expected!”

Jeff Wilcox, Race Director for Delaware Speedway has kept a careful eye on the teenager all year, and he is happy with what he has seen out of Brown this year. "After the APC 300 in September of 2005, I noticed a young man riding his bicycle down the top of our pit lane wall,” Wilcox recalled and added. “He explained to me that he knew what he was doing, because he was a race-car driver. I asked him what he raced and he told me, 'The Pro Challenge Cars'. I mentioned that if he was ever interested in racing a full-size car, he should look at our Late Model program and crate engine program because it's very affordable. I gave him a flyer that showed a current Late Model car, along with all its specifications and costs.”

Wilcox then noticed a familiar ‘bike’ rider lining up for the 2006 season. “I did not know until during the race season of 2006 that it was the same young man I'd seen riding his bicycle on the pit wall the previous year,” Wilcox said. “Not only did they take a look at our Late Model program, they actually bought the car that was on that flyer I'd given them.”

When asked about Brown’s season overall from his point of view, Wilcox said, “The 2006 season hasn't always gone the way they wanted or expected. This business can be very tough. But Tyler and the team have persevered and learned from their mistakes.”

“I have been very impressed with how Tyler carries himself on and off the race track, especially with our younger fans. I sometimes find it hard to believe that Tyler is the same young man that was riding a bicycle on the pit lane wall. Now he's wheeling a 2800-lb Late Model with driver that are fifty years his senior. Amazing."

Now Wilcox can point out to others that the ‘bike riding kid’ is Delaware Speedway’s 2006 Rookie of the Year.

Tyler Brown Fast
Tyler Brown is a 15 year old racer from Waterdown, Ontario. In 2005 Tyler won his 1st race in his 2nd official start in the Ontario Pro Challenge series. In seven years of karting he started more than 225 races and won one “Championship”, “Most Improved Driver Award”, and a “Team of the Year” award. At the local level he has never finished lower than 5th in series points and at the regional or national level he has never finished lower than 10th.
Brown drives for 4B Racing (www.4bracing.com) and he is supported by Assante Wealth Management, VH Web Dezine, Leaf Racewear, The Adin Group Inc (www.adin.ca), and Big Brothers Big Sisters. For more information on Tyler Brown visit www.tyler-brown.com

For more information on Tyler Brown, contact Russ Bond Agency (www.russbondagency.com) 416-312-2900. To learn more about Delaware Speedway and the Late Model division go to www.delawarespeedway.com.