Tim Brown has dedicated his entire adult life to the NASCAR Cup Series, and now that devotion is paying off for one of grassroots motorsports’ most celebrated drivers.
The 53 year old is best known to racing fans as the all-time winningest driver at Bowman Gray Stadium, boasting 12 Tour Type Modified championships and 101 victories.
However, fewer people know that he has spent 35 years working in Cup Series shops for teams like Roush Fenway, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Rick Ware Racing.
His weekdays have been spent building Cup cars, while his Saturdays were dedicated to dominating the Winston-Salem quarter-mile.
Brown’s journey began as a high schooler working on Cup cars for Cale Yarborough.
Brown acknowledges the sacrifices he has made in pursuit of his passion, including forgoing a traditional family life.
Now, his dedication will be honored on NASCAR’s biggest stage as the sport returns to Bowman Gray Stadium, where Brown has ruled for nearly three decades.
“This deal was put together over the summer, but I’ve been around long enough to know how quickly things can fall apart,” Brown told Sportsnaut on Tuesday.
“I teared up when I saw the release. I’ve sacrificed my whole life for racing. I gave up on being a Cup Series driver 15 or 20 years ago.
But Rick and Lisa [Ware] and Tommy [Baldwin, competition director] thought enough of me to make this happen, and I’m really grateful. I just want to enjoy the opportunity.”
Brown added, “I get to share this with my wife and kids. It makes all the work I’ve put in mean a little more.
I couldn’t have done this without their support, tolerating my effort and dedication.
We’re all going to get to make a Cup start together. I just want to be respectable.”
Brown revealed that Rick Ware first mentioned the idea when rumors began circulating about NASCAR moving the Clash to Bowman Gray Stadium.
“He said, ‘We’re going to put you in a car,’ and I told him, ‘Thank you, that’s exciting,’ but I also asked what the chances were,” Brown said.
Initially, Brown kept the possibility a secret from his wife and brother, not wanting to jinx it.
But once NASCAR officially announced the event, Rick Ware Racing worked to make it a reality.
Brown has a long history with the Wares, dating back almost 30 years.
He previously raced for Rick Ware Racing in the Truck Series at Martinsville and has also fielded short-track cars for them.
Their families have developed a close bond over the years.
“I think that’s why Rick and Lisa wanted to do this for me,” Brown said.
“This is a small family team, just like our Modified team. Rick and Lisa don’t have any other businesses—they have a race team that I’ve been part of over the years.
It’s extra rewarding to get to do this together, and I’m very thankful they asked me.”
The timing and location make this debut especially meaningful for Brown.
Not only is it at a track where he has decades of experience, but the flat, quarter-mile bullring also minimizes the need for high-tech engineering.
“If I were doing this at Kansas or Dover, you’d need sim time and all the aerodynamics to go fast,” Brown said.
“Here, aero doesn’t matter. We just need to get the car to turn and drive off the corner. I couldn’t think of a better place to make my first Cup Series start.”
Known as one of the cleanest racers at Bowman Gray, Brown has a reputation for winning races even when starting mid-pack on twin-feature nights.
However, he acknowledges that the Cup Series is a different beast, especially at an event like the Clash, where aggressive moves like bump-and-runs are common.
“I’m not that kind of racer,” Brown said. “If it’s the last lap of a heat race and I need a spot to advance, I’ll move someone off the bottom.
I don’t think there’s anyone in the field who wouldn’t. But if it’s the last lap, racing for the win, I’m not going to bump someone to win. I want to represent our community with pride.
I know there will be a lot of extra media attention because I race here every week, and I don’t want people to think that’s who we are—because we’re not.”
Brown laments that Bowman Gray Stadium’s reputation is often reduced to viral clips of tempers flaring, overshadowing the high-quality racing that happens there.
“There’s so much great racing at Bowman Gray that no one talks about, and that’s a shame,” Brown said. “At the same time, the passion we show is real.
We’re racing for hundreds of dollars, but we pour everything into our cars. When you get wronged, we show that passion too.”
On February 1-2, Brown will step into the spotlight as both an ambassador for grassroots racing and a veteran being rewarded for decades of service to NASCAR.
“I just hope to have a good showing and make the show,” Brown said. “I hope we can win—I don’t race anything without believing I can.
I know what kind of car we’re going to have because I’m the only guy in the field who can say he built his own car.”
Brown concluded, “When we announced this, I got together with our guys to make sure we put our best into this car, and we are.
I’m just excited to race with the guys I work with every week in a car we built ourselves. That’s going to be special too.”
