Story by: Corey Latham ~ [email protected]

Concord, NC(March 5, 2011) — The days of the simple racer …. Those days have long gone in the Late Model Stock Car world. Gone are the days of getting a few friends together and going to the track with the same car and motor you have ran for three years on your open trailer just to have some fun.

Now the pits are full of toter-homes, big money crew chiefs, lot’s of testing, fleets of cars and $100,000 plus yearly budgets. Some still hover right above the glory days, still racing, but having to do it “conservatively” so they can race again the next week. Kenny Brooks knows this all too well, but as the 2011 season looks to get started, he will be doing something he has never done before ………. simply driving the car to the best of his abilities.

Brooks is a throwback racer even though he hasn’t been racing that long. Starting out in dominating fashion in the Mini Stock division at Concord Speedway in 2003 as he quickly figured out he had the itch, just as it seemed everyone named Brooks in his area had, from his father to cousins alike. Moving up to the Limited division, Brooks found himself leading the points halfway through the season when “politics” came into play as he states it and he decided to take his racing elsewhere. His racing schedule was hit or miss for a few years after that and he wondered if he could ever do it as much as he wanted.

We fast froward to 2009 and Kenny decided to try his hand at big time Late Model Stock Car racing, with his highlight being at the UARA event at his home track Concord. Pulling in on an open trailer parked beside the biggest names in the Southeast, he qualified his car inside the top five and became the darling of the night. Although he ran well for a while, a faulty oil pump ended his run early, but he did something many others had failed to do in the past as he made his presence known. 2010 saw him run a full season at Motor Mile Speedway against the most competitive weekly field in the country, but once again he was disappointed as he couldn’t race the way he wanted to, he had good runs, but had to race to make sure he could do it again the next week while others with unlimited funds went all out for the win.

2011 looks to be a new beginning for Brooks, as he has teamed up with long-time short track car owner, Shorty Baucom to run for the Motor Mile Speedway championship and this year he will get to be a “driver” and nothing more.

“This is the most prepared I’ve ever been for any season,” said Brooks. “It has been struggle racing on a small budget, for years and years I have had to wonder on Monday if the checks would clear and I would be able to race again the next week. This year I’ll be driving for Shorty Baucom, he’s been in the game for a long time, mostly with the Supers and the old “Big Ten” Series that ran at Concord. This year we have what we need to do what Shorty wants to and he wants to beat Philip Morris.”

“We have a new Marlowe chassis with power from Firehouse Race Engines, so we are finally on the same level as the other teams. We still don’t have the funds like the others have, Shorty is still needing some help, but we can race for the win finally. Shorty wants to make this his farewell tour, so this should be great. Shorty was the first or one of the first employees for Rick Hendrick, I want to make him happy and what we are bringing to the track is going to make me very happy.”

“So many people have helped me through the years to get by on a budget and they still are, Dave Roope has helped a lot, Travis Kiker, the list goes on and on. I’m so excited to just show what I can do, I never thought the chance would come but it finally has, we’re going racing all out.”

While Brooks is seeing his dreams come true, Shorty is also making another young drivers dreams a reality. Newcomer, Tyler Hash will also be driving out of the Baucom stables as a developmental driver in select Late Model and Limited races at Motor Mile, Hickory, Franklin County and possibly Dillon Motor Speedway. While Hash is down on experience, he looks to get his feet wet in a big way this season.

“I’ve only ran about ten or so races total, my dad has raced circle track and drag cars and my experience is there along with a few dirt races and select Street Stock races at Motor Mile and Franklin County,” said Hash. “I’m just looking to get experience this year and then maybe run a whole season in 2012. This is a great opportunity and I intend to make to most of it.”

The funny thing with Hash is that he got involved with Brooks the same way lots of other fans did, he struck up a conversation at a gas station after watching Brooks race at Motor Mile, the open trailer got him and he wanted to help out if he could. Small time racers can make it big with perseverance and hard work and this season Brooks and Hash look to do just that.