The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series is poised to offer not just an extraordinary international race at Mexico City but it will also give 53-year-old Tim Brown to make his NASCAR debut during the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Brown will be seen driving the #15 Ford for Rick Ware Racing, a team where he works as a full-time suspension and drivetrain specialist.
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He shared his heartfelt reaction to the opportunity he has received and said, “I teared up when I saw the release. I have sacrificed my whole life to racing. I gave up on being a Cup Series driver some 15-20 years ago… I get to share this with my wife and kids and it makes all the work I’ve put in mean a little more when we get there.”
Rookie or Ringer? The all-time winningest driver at @BGSRacing is going Cup racing. RWR is putting Tim Brown in the #NASCARClash.
101 victories
146 poles
12 track championships pic.twitter.com/Bz8lc2N2sy— Rick Ware Racing (@RickWareRacing) December 17, 2024
Acknowledging the support from his family throughout his journey, Brown added, “I couldn’t have done this without their [his family] support, tolerating my effort and dedication, and we’re all going to get to make a Cup start together. I just want to be respectable.”
His debut during the 2025 season is set to be particularly noteworthy, given his impressive track record. Brown is the most decorated driver at the quarter-mile racetrack, boasting 101 victories and 12 Tour Type Modified championships at the venue. His dominance extends to holding the record for the most pole positions at 146 and clocking the fastest lap ever at the racetrack as well, at 12.965 seconds in April 2016.
Brown’s ability was unmistakable during the 2003 season, where he secured every pole position, complementing his extensive list of championships.
Although his experience in NASCAR’s nationwide series is next to none, he made a single start in 2009 through a collaboration with the Rick Ware operation. This outing, at Martinsville Speedway in the Craftsman Truck Series, saw him finishing in the P27 spot.
Brown’s relationship with Rick Ware Racing
Tim Brown’s association with RWR stretches back nearly three decades, during which he has managed short-track cars for the team. Reflecting on this relationship, Brown described RWR as “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 and one that I’ve gotten to be a part of over the years.”
Brown believes that the team choosing him to make his debut at Bowman Gray Stadium is particularly advantageous. He explained that competing at tracks other than Bowman like Kansas or Dover would require extensive simulator time and a deep focus on aerodynamics and engineering to achieve speed. However, at Bowman Gray, the dynamics are different.
“We have to get the car to turn and it needs to drive off the corner. I couldn’t think of a better place to make my first Cup Series start,” he remarked. It will indeed be compelling to watch the seasoned grassroots racer step into a Next Gen Cup car and compete on a track where he has celebrated tons of victories, all alongside veterans of the sport.
