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2011 NEWS
DECEMBER 18 - CHILI BOWL 2012
Brad Cox Motorsport today announced that 17 year old Brad Cox will contest the 2012 CHILI BOWL MIDGET NATIONALS. Scheduled for 9th to 14th January 2012 at TULSA Oklahoma, this will be COX’s third time at the greatest midget race in the world. In 2010 COX qualified to the A MAIN as a 15 year old. 2011 seen the talented Australian set a new ALL TIME track record. And in 2012 the BCM team will be looking to continue the good performances at this prestigious event.
Cox was unsure if he would be able to compete at the upcoming Nationals, after suffering broken ligaments in his left foot in late October. Doctors placed Cox’s left leg in a cast, and told him that the recovery period would be 4 to 6 months. However, doctors removed the cast last week, and although not 100%, Cox will contest the Chili Bowl. “I am working every day on the strength in the foot”, Cox stated today from the Teams race shop, “I will be ready for 9th January”.
Cox will drive for Championship winning car owner Rick Wean, from New Jersey, after a joint effort between Wean 7 Champion midget driver Steve Buckwalter made sure that the talented Australian would have a quality ride for the Chili Bowl. “Rick and Steve have put this deal together, which will see Brad in a great car, a car capable of winning” an excited Michael Cox stated today, “ Brad has not been in a midget since the Chili Bowl in January, but we a very confident he will be able to get on the pace quickly. Brad’s NASCAR commitments this year has left little time to race elsewhere, so we are really looking forward to getting back to some dirt racing”.
As a bonus to all our great fans, everyone that purchases a BCM t shirt from us at the Chili Bowl will receive a BCM decal free.
DECEMBER 5 - OUTSTANDING 2011 FOR COX
Despite illness and injury, 17 year old Australian NASCAR driver Brad Cox has had what can only be described as a fantastic year. In only his first full season in NASCAR, which seen the talented teenager compete in Late Model and Super Truck events in three separate states, COX was impressive at every event.
“Although we did not have any wins this year, I feel we had a great year” Cox stated from his Mooresville race shop today, “we were competitive at every event, and competed for wins on several occasions. None of this would have been possible without the amazing support of our Sponsors. 5K LOGISTICS has become an integral partner in our race team, and we look forward to this partnership continuing. Long time sponsors LECKIE INSURANCE BROKERS & CASTROL, as well as FOURWAYS INVESTMENTS have all made this amazing year possible”.
YEAR END STATISTICS
RACES 18
TOP 10 15
TOP 5 5
PODIUMS 3
DNF 2
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HAD A PART IN THIS AMAZING ROOKIE NASCAR YEAR.
NOVEMBER 8 - EVENTFUL WEEKEND
Handicapped with his left leg in a cast due to severe ligament damage, teenage Aussie Brad Cox still managed to qualify on the outside of the second row (4th) at the Super truck Showdown held at Dillon Motor Speedway in South Carolina at the 8th Annual Fall Spectacular Event. “I think we would have got the pole, if my driver could use both feet” truck owner Ken Tarlington stated following qualifying, “I really like the way this kid drives. He is a talent”.
With Qualifying done, the BCM team was now faced with the challenge of getting their driver through the 100 lap event, using only his right leg. “We were confident that if Brad could get to the front early, he would be O.K. with only one leg” stated team Manager Michael Cox, “but unfortunately Brad Struggled in traffic”.
Cox was involved in an incident with another driver in turn four on lap 22, resulting in the other driver retaliating which seen the two cars come together for a second time on the back straight whilst the yellow lights were flashing. “The driver of the #1 truck was ticked with me getting into him in turn 4. That is fair enough. It was not deliberate, but I did get into him. Then he tries to run me into the back straight wall. I can handle that, but when I accelerated to get away from him we made contact again. Officials deemed I had tried to deliberately wreck him, so they parked us. I have never been black flagged in my life” a disappointed Cox stated following the race.
In a twist to the story, officials apologized to the owner of the #0 truck for parking his driver, stating they had made a mistake.
Cox is scheduled to see his orthopedic specialist later this week. “We are more than likely done for the year” Coxed stated today “ I struggled in traffic on Sunday, so at this stage our goal is to be 100% recovered for the 2012 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals”.
OCTOBER 29 - COX WILL RACE THIS WEEKEND
It’s hard to keep Brad Cox and the BCM team down. Following the news two weeks ago that he would be out of the race car for 4 to 6 months with ligament damage to his left foot, Brad and the team have been busy. With a lot of help from Fourways Investments Engineering, Geoff Spraker of Spraker Racing Enterprises, and a lot of late nights, the team has just finished fitting out the #0 KT REEL GRINDING Chevy Silverado with equipment that will see the young Australian be able to compete this weekend.
A hand clutch has been fitted, along with a special high density foam lined “box” that Brad will place his left leg in, which is in a fiber glass cast. The team has also fitted a special gearbox that was generously supplied by Spraker Racing.
The whole team is very excited to have the talented driver back behind the wheel for this weekend’s Fall Spectacular at Dillon Motor Speedway. “The team has done an awesome job with the hand clutch, and the gearbox that Spraker Racing has supplied us is truly amazing” Cox stated following some testing today. “Crew chief “B” (Brian Murphy) is ecstatic that we have been able to make this happen, and we believe we will be able to contend for the win on Sunday in the 100 lap event”
Brad and the team are very thankful of the support truck owner KT (Ken Tarlington) has given. “KT told us to just park the truck until his driver was 100%. But he is super excited that we have been able to put this deal together so we can run at Dillon Speedway this week end, “team manager Michael Cox stated, “Dillon is the closest track to KT’s home town of Wallace, so for us to be able to race this weekend is a big deal”
Racing at Dillon starts on Saturday, with Practice and the qualifying at 3pm. The 100 lap FALL SPECTACUAR will be held on Sunday, with support classes starting the program at 2pm.
Come and meet us in the pits, and don’t forget to ask for your FREE Brad Cox Motorsport decal for your car.
OCTOBER 19 - COX INJURED
Brad Cox suffered a painful injury to his left foot almost three weeks ago. Not racing, but playing DODGE BALL at High School as part of his Health class. Although racing to a third place finish in the #0 KT Reel Grinding backed Chevy. Silverado at Anderson Speedway only three days after the injury, which was first thought to be a slight fracture, Cox continued to suffer pain.
This past Friday Cox emerged from his orthopedic surgeons with his left leg in a cast. “Hard to believe, but I wish it was a broken foot” Cox stated to media, “but the news is a lot worse. I have sustained severe ligament damage, and the recovery period is expected to be between 4 to 6 months” a dejected Cox stated.
With several important races in the months ahead, including the Dillon Motor Speedway Fall Spectacular, The Myrtle Beach 400, and the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, the BCM team is devastated. “The past several weeks have been very exciting. Running up the front in every event, with several top 5 finishes including a 3rd at Anderson Speedway” stated Team Manager Mike Cox, “we had several tests in place with ARCA and NASCAR teams for the 2012 season, and now everything is up in the air”.
Cox will seek a second opinion this week from another specialist, but is not optimistic. “Maybe the second doc. Might have some ideas on reducing the recovery period. Three months would be better than six” a disappointed Cox stated from his North Carolina home today.
OCTOBER 5 - COX RALLIES TO SOLID FINISH IN BOBBY ISAAC MEMORIAL
Brad Cox has rallied back to finish a solid 6th place in the annual BOBBY ISAAC Memorial 150 lap NASCAR event held at Hickory Motor Speedway last Sunday.
Following some impressive runs in practice on Saturday prior to qualifying for this prestigious event, the entire BCM team were excited about their prospects. Cox laid down a solid first lap in his two lap qualifying run, and then blistered off a super lap that should have seen the young Australian on the front row for Sunday’s event. Unfortunately that was not the case. For want ever reason, the official timing system failed to record Cox’s second lap. “It’s hard to believe, but this place does not use transponders for timing” an annoyed Michael Cox, father of Brad stated, “ with millions of dollars’ worth of race cars here, and we have to rely on some outdated, unreliable timing system. Everyone here knows that the second lap will always be your best, and yet the officials refuse to give us that second lap run”.
Sunday would see the talented young Aussie start the main event from last position. “We know we have a great car. B (Brian Murphy) has done an amazing job getting this car to come alive on the long runs” Brad stated prior to the event, “I am confident that we can get to the front to contend. We will need a few cautions, but if we can get into the top 10 with fifty laps to go, I think we have a shot”.
Cox drove a great race, and with 50 laps to run was indeed in the 10th spot. Unfortunately a 98 lap green flag run from lap 32 to lap 130 would not present the opportunities needed. “The car was great. We just needed a few more caution periods. That long green flag run spread the field out, and it was just taking us too long to get to the next car each time we past someone” Cox was quoted after the race, “We had a car good enough to win. The only two cars on the track that could run the bottom were McDaniel’s (eventual winner) and us. I’m sure it would have been close if we could have got to him. How great would of it been if we had of started on the front row”. Cox would finish in 6th place, less than 2 seconds behind the race winner.
OCTOBER 5 - COX FINISHES 3RD IN NASCAR SUPER TRUCK
17 year old Australian made his presence felt Friday night, at the NASCAR SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN at Anderson Motor Speedway in South Carolina. Driving the #0 Chevy Silverado owned by Ken Tarlington from Wallace SC, Cox was impressive from the get go.
“We came down here on Tuesday night to run some laps and get use to the tight ½ mile track.” Brad stated in the pits prior to qualifying, “we ran some really goods laps, but unfortunately we had a motor let go in a big way, so we had to put our small crate motor in for tonight”. Although down on horsepower, Cox was quick in final practice.
Crew Chief “B” (Brian Murphy) was very optimistic “We have good truck. I think we have a shot at the pole in qualifying, and Brad will race well”. Cox looked great in qualifying, but just clipped the inside gutter in turn 1 on his second lap, which probably cost the pole. “Did not think it was possible, but I actually got a bit low in turn one and rubbed the gutter which washed a bit of speed off. The car was awesome though”. An excited Cox stated as he emerged from the #0 KT Reel Grinding backed machine.
With the top 3 rows being inverted for the main event, Cox would start from the inside of the 3rd row for the 50 lap SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN.
With many past and present track champions in the field, Cox was just happy to “ride” for the first 25 laps. With 20 to go crew chief Murphy gave the call, “time to go” Cox quickly moved into 4th on lap 28, and by lap 37 was up to 2nd. Unfortunately Cox would get tangled up with a lapped car that spun in turn 4 on lap 42, and would lose two positions. With only 8 laps to go Cox had to go. Unfortunately the truck starting directly in front of the Australian would miss a gear shift, backing the outside lane up, letting the inside lane get a jump. “I got to the bottom as fast as I could” Cox stated after the race, “I could see the leader getting away, so I had to go. I got a great run off turn 4 with 3 laps to go, and made it three wide at the flaggers stand”. Cox would manage to finish on the podium in third position, in only his second NASCAR SUPER TRUCK event. “This is really cool, to come here for the first time, and finish in the top 3 against all these guys” jubilant Cox stated in victory lane.
SEPTEMBER 20 - COX MAKES NASCAR SUPER TRUCK DEPUT
17 year old Australian Brad Cox made his NASCAR Super Truck Debut this past week end, competing in the Gaston Rentals Championship Night at Hickory Motor Speedway. Thanks to Truck owner Ken Tarlton of Wallace South Carolina the BCM team was given this opportunity, and although neither team nor driver having any experience in the upper Truck division, they accepted the challenge.
Friday night practice for the KT’s Reel Grinding Chevy Silverado went great, with the# 0 turning some impressive lap times. “We were very excited about what we done in practice here tonight, and are now taking the truck back to the race shop to make a few changes” stated Cox following practice, “ nothing major, just things to make the car more comfortable, like being able to reach the switches!!!”
Race day started out with final practice, and unfortunately this is when the problems started for Cox.
“The truck is really loose coming up off the corner. As soon as I get back to the throttle the truck wants to snap out from under me” a concerned driver stated. With very little time to identify, and fix the problem prior to qualifying the #0pit area was a hive of activity. Eventually it was discovered that the locker mechanism in the drive axel was not functioning 100%. “The problem we have found in the rear causes the car to loose drive on the left rear when Brad gets back to the gas, making the truck almost impossible to drive up off the corner” crew chief Brian Murphy stated. “Not much we can do to fix the issue here at the track with the little time we have, so we will make a few adjustments and Brad will just have to do his best”
Cox would qualify the #0 Silverado on the inside of the 3rd row.
At the drop of the green flag in the 35 lap sprint distance race, Cox would struggle and lost 1 position. Fighting a truck that was super, super loose, and no opportunity to come to pit road for any adjustments, Cox rallied to regain 5th on lap 25, and that was where he would finish. “Disappointing result for the #0 KT Reel Grinding Chevy. We know we had the pass to run at the front, we showed that Friday night, “ Cox stated after the race, “ but we are confident we know what the problem is, and if we can get everything corrected in time this week, we plan to run both the #0 Chevy Silverado
And the #94 5K Logistics/Naylor Racing Engines NASCAR Late Model next week”
Next week’s event sees the running of the 150 LAP Bobby Isaac Memorial Late Model Race, and another 35 lap event for the Super Trucks.
SEPTEMBER 14 - AUSSIE’S RETURN IMPRESSIVE
Following a forced layoff for the past few weeks due to a team restructure, Seventeen year old Australian Brad Cox returned to the driver’s seat this past weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway. Now driving for the newly formed Brian Murphy Racing team, based in Mooresville, Cox and the BCM team tested Friday at HMS PRIORTO Saturday’s event. “This car is awesome” a very satisfied Cox stated after logging close to 50 laps in his new ride, “ It rolls through the corner like it is on rails”.
Saturday would start out with the same enthusiasm. The #94 5K LOGISTICS- NAYLOR RACING ENGINES Camaro was fast. Still working out exactly what gearing the new power plant required, Cox was third quick on the charts following practice. With a gear change that the team believed would help for qualifying, things were looking good. Unfortunately the gear change would prove to be the wrong decision, which would see the young Australian qualify a disappointing 12th.
With the original gear selection back in place, Cox was on the move from the drop of the green flag in the 50 lap event. By lap 10 Cox had already raced his way to 8th position when the first caution flag flew. Unfortunately that was as good as it got, as when the green was thrown for the restart the power plant in the #94 would lose power on one cylinder. Cox brought his machine to the pit area, and after a frantic effort to identify the problem, the team decided to park for the night. “Not the result we were after” stated car owner Brian Murphy following the event, “We had a good car tonight, maybe not good enough to get all the way to the front, but good enough to run with them”. Today the team dismantled the engine in the #94, and found a broken rocker stud and bent push rod. “$30 worth of parts that failed and a DNF result is not the result this team deserved, especially after all the work the Brian Murphy Racing had put into this deal at such short notice” a disappointed Brad Cox stated today” We will fix the motor in about 20 minutes, and we will be back at Hickory Motor Speedway with the #94 machine on the 24th Sept. to contest the Bobby Isaac Memorial race.
This week end will see the talented young Australian behind the wheel of a NASCAR super truck for the first time. “We are very excited to be given the opportunity to drive the #0 Chevy Silverado for car owner Ken Tarlton at HMS this weekend” exclaimed Cox today, “KT has allowed us to do whatever we want to the truck to make it competitive, so we will give it 100% this weekend and see what happens”.
JULY 21 - TUFF NIGHT @HMS
After struggling early in the day Brad Cox and the BCM team salvaged a good result last night at Hickory Motor Speedway.
“In practice we were not fast enough, so the crew put a setup under the car for qualifying that we had never ran,” the young Australian stated after the race. “Unfortunately that setup was way too loose. I could not get back to the gas early enough coming of the corners, which really killed us.” Cox qualified a disappointing 12th on the grid”. “Full credit to my team, they totally changed the whole setup in the car after qualifying. Those guys worked their butts off to try and give me a good car for the race, and I guess it showed they gave me a great car”.
Cox was the mover of the race, blasting from his 12 starting position to be up to 5th by lap 30 of the 50 lap event. “It was unfortunate that I tore the front of the car up with around 20 laps to run. It made it pretty hard to hit my marks in the corners. I honestly thought we had a good shot at a 3rd or 4th, but on the last restart the #7 (Ashley Hoffman) dropped a cylinder in his car, and that backed us up, but all in all happy with a 6th place finish”.
BCM would like to thank all the fans and followers, and especially their sponsors, including CASTROL OILS, LECKIE INSURANCE BROKERS, 5K LOGISTICS, and FOURWAYS INVESTMENTS. “Without the support of all these people this team would not exist, and nor would my opportunity to succeed at the highest level in this sport” an Appreciative Brad Cox stated today.
JUNE 28 - SOLID UARA DEBUT
17year old Australian made his UARA STARS Late model debut this past Saturday night at Hickory Motor Speedway. With official practice Friday afternoon, BCM team unloaded a fast 5K Logistics Chev. Camaro. From the outset the #94 machine was fast. Never out of the top 5 on the speed chart, Cox would end up 4th on the charts at the close of practice. “ Really excited about todays efforts by my team” Cox stated after practice, “ we ran old tires in every season, so to be 4th on the chart is great”
Saturday would see Cox pick up exactly where he left off. With two seasons of practice Cox again spent the entire first season in the top five. Final practice would find Cox finish 3rd on the speed charts, 2/100’ths of a second from the top.
Qualifying was a two lap chance to secure pole position, with the second lap more often than not being the money lap. Cox turned the second fastest first lap time, but got loose off turn 4 on his second lap. His first lap time secured a fantastic 7th position on the grid.
At the drop of the green Cox fell back to 9th. The talented young Australian then started to pick it up, and by the first caution, on lap 31, hard methodically climbed back to 6th. Under caution Cox would realize that he had a serious problem with his #94 Chev. Firstly thinking he had a flat right front tire, it soon became obvious it was even worse, a broken right front shock absorber. Cox managed to fight his way into 5th, but with a really ill handling car he was forced to pit road for repairs, losing 3 laps.
The BCM crew replaced the shock, and Cox returned to the track and again was one of the fastest cars on the track.
“We had an awesome car all weekend. I was just rolling around saving our equipment for the final 50 laps, and yet we were still passing cars at ease. We could run up on the leaders at will. Honestly, were just rolling around waiting for the 125 lap mark. We had car that was fast enough to win tonight, Very disappointing to get beat by mechanical failure. We will work out why the part failed, and make changes to hopefully insure it does not happen again. We ran great all weekend, and we proved to ourselves that we can be very competitive agaist these guys”.
JUNE 20 - FRUSTRATING NIGHT FOR COX
Brad Cox and his BCM team again traveled to Hickory Motor Speedway this past Saturday Night to contest the NASCAR LMS event. And following a great test on Friday night at the famous venue, rain again moved over the track prior to Qualifying. With track officials doing a fantastic job to dry the track, promotion made the decision to abandon Qualifying. Cars where lined up as per the current point standings. This put the 17-year-old Aussie on the outside of row three.
At the drop of the green Cox struggled and quickly fell back through the field to 9th position. Cox eventually found his way to the bottom groove on the track and started to make some progress. By lap 25 of the 50-lap event he had made his way into 7th.
That was good as it would get, with the remaining 25 laps spent fighting the #57 of Wimbosh for the 6th spot. Lap after lap the #94 of Cox would pull along side of the veteran driver, only to get squeezed coming off the corner every lap. “Very frustrating to get pinched off lap after lap” a disappointed Cox stated following the event, “We raced him clean and fair the entire race, shame we did not get the same in return.”
The BCM team will now focus all their efforts on this weekends UARA Stars Tour race. The 150-lap event will also be held at Hickory Motor Speedway. “We are very excited about this weekends tour race. To compete against these guys, many of them whom run ARCA or NASCAR Busch series events, will give us a great opportunity to show the ability this team has got’” an excited Cox exclaimed when asked about the upcoming event.
Any BCM fans that mention our great sponsor that is on the hood of the #94 Camaro, will receive 20% off any merchandise purchase for this weekend only.
JUNE 13 - ANOTHER TOP 10
Following an enormous storm at 7pm last night, Staff & track crew did an amazing job at Hickory Motor Speedway last night to get the track dry and safe to race on. With a two-hour delay, it was a late night. Brad qualified a disappointing 11th, after his 5K LOGISTICS Chevy Camaro pushed high into turn 2.
Presented with a track for the main event that had now been “washed” by the torrential rain, the BCM team made the decision to tighten the car up a tad, believing the track would be now loose. At the drop of the green the changes made would have seemed to be the right decision, with the #94 turning laps quicker than his qualifying effort. However, after passing 4 cars in the opening laps, it soon became evident that the track was taking rubber, and by lap 10 Cox was fighting an extremely tight racecar. With the 50 lap event going green to checkered, Cox had no opportunity to adjust on his car from within the cockpit, and was left to “do his best” with what he had. “Man that was the tightest racecar I have ever driven” Cox exclaimed after the event, “It was just plowing into the corners. It was a real handful”. The young Australian would eventually finish 8th. “A disappointing night. We had hoped to make some ground in the Championship Points, and we actually lost some ground tonight”, stated a dejected Cox in his transporter after the event.
With an increase in race distance to 100 lap events at Hickory for the remainder of the season, Cox believes this will only benefit his team. “We do run well in the longer events. We have got an awesome package that seems to work on the longer events, so yes I am excited about the race distance increase at Hickory, as well as the other major event that are yet to come this year”
Brad and the BCM team will be back in action this Saturday night at Hickory Motor Speedway, for the 100 lap “BOJANGLES” race. “We actually eat BOJANGLES every week at the races. I think it is the team food of BCM” Cox joked.
JUNE 6 - PODIUM FINISH
Brad Cox has finished on the podium for the first time in his NASCAR career this past Saturday night at the famous Hickory Motor Speedway. With twin 50 lap events scheduled Cox qualified 8th for each event.
The first event saw Cox race his way into 5th position, before a deflating tire dropped the 5K LOGISTICS backed Chevy back through the field to finish in 8th.
The second event seen the young Australian forced to start at the rear of the field due to the tire change. Within 8 laps Cox was racing hard for the 5th spot, when he and the 57 of Josh Wimbosh got together in turn 3 causing both cars to spin. Starting from the rear again Cox again found himself in 6th position within 12 laps, when the #7 of Taylor Sticklin got sideways in front of Cox on the back straight. Cox dove to the bottom of the track, but make contact with the # 7. Officials deemed Cox at fault, and again he was forced to restart at the rear. “I did everything I could to miss him. Our in car camera even shows me turning left to avoid him” Cox was quoted as saying of the official call. Cox again went about his business, and was easily the fastest car on the track. With only 18 laps to get to the front, Cox put in a fantastic drive to the front, coming up just 2 positions from the win. “I have to thank my great crew. They gave me the best car here tonight. I let them down a bit by not winning this event, but we ran real strong, and we will get the job done (a win) real soon” an excited Cox stated in the pits following the race.
Cox now is in 6th position for the Championship.
JUNE 1 - SOLID WEEKEND FOR BCM
Brad Cox and his BCM team continue to improve every week, and this past Memorial Day weekend was no exception. Competing again at the Famous Hickory Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Late Model Stock division Brad put in his best qualifying run this year, with a solid outside third row starting position. “ Qualifying has been the hardest thing to get work out” the young Australian stated, “And to starting this close to the front is due to the hard work this team puts in every week to help me improve.”
With only a 50-lap distance for the Late Models, Cox knew he had to get up on the wheel at the drop of the flag, if he was to improve on his starting position. “ We got into an intense side by side race with the #88 for about 25 laps, which let the front four cars get away from us. He (the #88) has huge horse power, and we just could not seem to get him cleared for a long time” laminated Cox following the race. “Once we got by him we were making ground on the leaders, but we definitely needed a caution way earlier”.
The caution flag did fly, but with only 4 laps remaining. With two wide restarts it was a frantic race to the checkered flag. “ You know, if a few thing just had of fell our way, we could of ended up 2nd or 3rd, but it is what it is. We had a great night, and we know we are fast enough to win, so we will continue to work on our qualifying and I am confident we will be in victory lane soon,”
MAY 10 - SOLID WEEKEND FOR BCM
Another solid weekend of racing is the best way to describe Brad’s results from Hickory Motor Speedway. With twin 50 lap events on the card, Brad qualified 9th and 10th in each event respectfully. Although unable to move forward in the first 50 lap event, which ran from flag to flag without a stoppage, Brad again finished with a top ten result.
The second 50 lap event found Brad starting from outside the 5th row. With another 50 lap race caution free, Brad drove the #94 5K LOGISTICS machine hard, with side by side racing, and even three wide, throughout the event, managing to climb to a personal best ever finish (in NASCAR) of fourth.
All in all a great weekend to celebrate Brad’s 17th birthday, and to continue the climb in the year end points race. Brad and BCM will again contest Hickory Motor Speedway the coming Saturday night.
MAY 2 - TWIN TOP 10 FINISHES
Aussie NASCAR Stockcar racer Brad Cox has endured a wild night of racing at Hickory Motor Speedway, with two top ten finishes. Qualifying 12th in the first of two 50-lap events Cox drove a very calculated race, avoiding several wrecks. Driving the highline around the tight Hickory venue, Cox was able to make some impressive passes to put himself in great position for a top 5 finish. However, with only two laps to run, Cox was crashed out after Taylor Sticklin in the #7 Chev got way loose just as Cox was making the pass for the 5th spot, resulting in the entire right side of Cox’s #94 5K Logistics Camaro being destroyed. Cox was able to restart his machine and limped to a 10th place finish.
In the second 50 lap event, Cox again started in the 12th position. The #94 machine looked worse for wear following frantic repairs by his crew following the first event. No right side door, no right side front fender, and no hood !! From the drop of the green it was obvious that there was even move damage than thought, and the young Australian had his hands full trying to hold position. With a caution on lap 8, and after losing several positions, crew chief Tom Pistone called Cox to pit road for adjustments. Rejoining the rear of the field, the #94 came to life, and Cox made great progress through the field. The last 8 laps seen the best side by side racing of the night, with Austin McDaniel’s in the #12 running low, and Cox running the top of the track. Cox manage to bet the #12 to the finish by a nose, claiming 6th place. All in all a good points night for the Australian.
Next week Cox and the BCM team will be back at Hickory Motor Speedway for another night of twin 50 lap events. The BCM team will have their new T SHIRTS for sale, With ALL PROCEEDS helping to PREVENT CHILD ABUSE. And as a bonus, the first five fans to mention our new sponsors name (5K LOGISTICS) to the girls selling our T Shirts, will receive 2 free BCM decals!!!
Hope to see you at the races
APR 30 - BRAD MEETS RACING LEGEND
On the eve of Twin races at the Famous Hickory Motor Speedway, Young Australian NASCAR stock car driver Brad Cox received an unexpected visit to the Race Shop by Racing Legend DICK TRICKLE. Dick is known as the winningest Racecar driver in the world, with in excess of 1000 feature wins, and a career that spaned 5 decades. Dick & Brad talk about Brad's journey to become a full time driver, and the commitment and sacrifices that it takes to succeed. "This guy is a legend, and to have him call into our shop and talk to me about my future was very cool" stated Brad. We hope to run well this week end at Hickory, as we need to get our season back on track after getting crashed out early in our last event.
APR 18 - HICKORY RAIN OUT
Saturdays events were rained out at Hickory Motor Speedway. Severe weather swept across North Carolina, with in excess of 70 tornados reported.
There has been more than 45 deaths reported accross USA from the tornados.
"Our prayers go out to all that have been affected by the severe weather"
APR 14 - APRIL IS NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH
This month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Brad Cox & BCM has joined the race to let people know the signs of child abuse and neglect, in hopes of preventing situations that are geared toward harming youth. Brad became especially interested in raising awareness about child abuse after the disappearance and death of Zahra Baker, the young Australian girl who was brutally murdered in October, 2010, near Hickory, North Carolina. Throughout this month, Brad will post warning signs that we can all look for.
This week we will focus on physical abuse, the most visible form. Physical abuse, if not caught and stopped early, can lead to the child exhibiting the same behavior when they become a parent. Signs of physical abuse include 1) Frequent and unexplained injuries 2) Shying away from a touch or flinching at sudden movements 3) Fear of going home.
For more information you can visit:
This Saturday night 16th April at Hickory Motor Speedway BCM will be giving away information to help us all to recognize and prevent child abuse in our communities, BCM decals will also be on sale to raise funds to help various organizations continue their great work in preventing child abuse.
Hope to see you all Saturday night.
APR 12 - COX CRASHED OUT
Racing was washed out at Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday night due to a huge storm that struck the track just as the NASCAR Late Models were about to qualify. Rescheduled for Sunday afternoon the entire BCM team were quietly confident of a good result. Brad ran an O.K. qualifying lap to start in the inside 5th row. Although not starting as close to the front as they would have liked, the team was still confident of a good result.
Unfortunately this was not the case, when on only the 3rd lap, whilst passing for the 8th position on the bottom of the track, Cox was “run over” by the # 1 of Jessica Brunelli. “She cut down on me the lap early” a very annoyed Cox stated, “Then on lap 3 I was up to her door and she just turns down on me, destroying the front of our 5 K Logistics Camaro”. Cox’s car sustained serious front-end damage, and with overheating and ill-handling Cox pulled to the garage area 4 laps after the restart.
“We will get this machine repaired, and we will be back next week to get our season back on track” a disappointed car owner Tom Pistone stated.
APR 5 - BCM WELCOMES PLATINUM TEAM MEMBERS
Brad Cox Motorsport are excited to welcome new Platinum Team Members to their 2011 efforts.
Barbara Pinson - Charlotte NC
Brad & Charlotte Reynolds - Minden LA
Ralph & Dianne Grant - Sydney Aust.
Leckie Insurance Brokers - Brisbane Aust.
Damon Hill - Melbourne Aust
David Batten - Sofala Aust
John Petruzelli - Camden Aust.
BCM welcome these new members and look forward to hosting them at a race event soon, as well as sending out their membership packages for them to enjoy.
New members are always welcome, Check out the details under membership tag on BCM website.
MAR 28 - RAIN WINS AT HICKORY
Inclement weather has forced the cancellation of round two of NASCAR Whelan All American racing at Hickory Motor Speedway. With next week end a scheduled week off, Brad Cox Motorsport will return to action, again at Hickory, on April 9th.
BCM are still looking for advertising partners for the NASCAR 2011 season. “We have opportunities from team memberships, which allow individual fans to get personally involved, to Team Naming Rights” said team manager Michael Cox, “we have packages from single events to multi year commitments, at all levels of investment” For further information on marketing opportunities please check the marketing page on BCM website.
MAR 22 - START & PARK TURNS OUTGREAT
Still in significant pain following a week in hospital after having his gall bladder removed last week due to damage it received from a racing accident in October last year, Brad Cox & the BCM team decided to start and park on the first night of competition at the Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night to gain minimum points in the championship . Rather than risk their new car, the team decided to use a friends “limited” car for the start & park. With two separate 35 lap events on the card the BCM team decided to start both races from the rear, and just ride around to gain some point. In the first race Brad stayed out of trouble and manage to coast to a 15 th place finish.
Brad was feeling quite good following the first race. With a growing confidence, pain seams to subside, so following some discussion between all team members, it was decided to have a bit of a go in the second event. With substantially less horsepower NO-ONE expected Brad to make much progress from the rear. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Whilst taking no risks, Brad drove a calculated race, and was the fastest car on the track towards the closing stages, and with a restart on lap 32 of the 35 lap journey, Cox found himself in 6 th position. On the restart, with way less power than the open cars, Cox lost 2 positions. Despite this, an 8 th place finish, from what was going to be a start & park, was a great effort.
The entire BCM Team were thrilled with the night, and are now very much looking forward to the next event at Hickory Motor Speedway, scheduled for this coming Saturday night.
MAR 21 - NOT EASY FOR COX
The previous couple have weeks have certainly not been easy ones for Brad Cox. Early in the month Brad was suffering from some abdominal discomfort and had to be admitted to hospital, after many, many tests and an exploratory surgery he had his Gall bladder removed. He had obviously sustained some undiagnosed internal injuries during the big accident last October.
The team and Brad decided that although it was only just over a week since his surgery that they would still enter for the 1st NASCAR Late Model round of the year at Hickory Motor Speedway. "I was feeling pretty well so we decided that we would come and see how the day unfolded, no pressure to do anything except drive around and collect some points". "We won't be running our primary and usual car this weekend as we are just planning on running around so we have borrowed a smaller / restricted engine class car from a friend for the event".
With this plan in place they took the option of starting Brad from the rear of the field for both 35 lap races, this would give Brad the chance to run some clear laps as it was paramount that he didn't get involved in any crashes that might cause a re-injury.
"I was feeling good in the car when we took the green flag for the 1st race so I decided to pass a few cars when the opportunities presented themselves. A little later in the race a couple of cars crashed out so we were able to take a respectable 15th place finish". "I felt quite good after the race so I spoke to dad and the team and suggested we should have a bit more of a go for the second race. We started from the rear of field again and started moving forward, with 10 laps to go we were doing the quickest race laps of all and with 3 laps to go were in 6th position. Unfortunately there was a caution. The resulting restart and our car with the restricted motor just didn't have the power to get up to speed quickly for the final sprint to the flag so we finished 8th. It was a great fun night of racing, I came into it with no expectations and we did a great team effort and collected some good points."
Next weekend Brad will be racing his primary car from the Tom Pistone Racing Development Team, if this weekends results are anything to go by he should have a great chance at a great result.
FEB 10 - COX QUICKEST
Brad Cox was notified this past week by Chili Bowl officials that the #94AU Shetron Manufacturing machine had set the pace at this years 25th annual event. Cox turned the two fastest laps of all competitors for the entire week.
"Very excited and proud that we were able to be so quick, at the toughest midget event in the world", exclaimed a jubilant Cox.
Cox's midget racing will be limited this year, as he concentrates on his NASCAR racing commitments.
JAN 19 - CHILI BOWL WRAP
Brad Cox Motorsport (BCM) arrived back in Mooresville NC last night, still considering what might have been at last weeks 25th Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, held in Tulsa OK.. The young Australian showed blistering speed on occasions throughout the week, only to be slowed by a ill handling race car or mechanical failure.
Drawn up to qualify on Wednesday night, Cox finished a strong 3rd in his heat race, a race that seen the fastest lap times of the week recorded. Starting from Pole position in the A MAIN qualifier, Brad’s crew chief set the 94AU car to run the top of the track. Unfortunately this was not the fastest route, and Cox fell back to finish a disappointing 5th. Now forced to start the B MAIN from position 7, and with only the top 4 transferring to the A MAIN, Cox was unable to improve his position, thus missing the A MAIN event.
Saturday would now find the talented 16-year-old Australian buried deep in the field, starting 4th in the G MAIN. With a heavy and fast track, Cox was determined to show the huge crowd on hand that he was much better than a “G MAIN” contender. Blasting to the high side of the track at the drop of the green flag, Cox was in 2nd by turn 4. Coming out of turn 2 on the second lap Cox swept to the lead and preceded to pull away from the field. By lap 3 Cox had the lead by the length of the straight. A lap 4 caution would bunch the field up, however Cox again gapped the field at the green, and had a lead of over 3 car lengths coming out of turn 2. Unfortunately that was as good as it got, as Cox’s machine slowed on the back stretch, suffering electrical failure, resulting in the 94AU car rolling to a stop in turn 3.
A disappointing end at the best Midget race in the world. BCM will analyse the week, and will return next year to the 26th running of the CHILI BOWL NATIONALS.
JAN 14 - TOUGH NIGHT
16 year old Australian Brad Cox had a tough night of racing at the 25th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals last night.
Cox drove a solid heat race to finish 3rd on a super fast tacky track, gaining the pole position for his A Main qualifier.
With the track widening up Cox’s crew chief set the car to run the top of the track in the qualifier. Cox drove the high line good, but it was not the fastest way around the tight Chili Bowl track, finishing a disappointing fifth, forcing him into the B Main.
Starting 7th, and needing to finish 4th, Cox was unable to transfer into the A Main.
The young Aussie will now have to try and qualify for Saturdays main event via more qualifying races later in the week.
Pictures and more updates soon.
JAN 11 - CHILI BOWL- DAY ONE
Young Australian Brad Cox made his long awaited return to the midget seat today at Tulsa Ok.
In a brand new machine, Brad turned his first laps in the mighty open wheel machine since he was seriously injured in a horrific accident back in October, with two practice sessions at the 25th annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
Cox was impressive in both seasons, and the team is know looking forward to Wednesday when Brad is drawn up to race against some of the best drivers in the world.
