Gores Landing Driver Brandon Murrell Scores Second Win And Driver of the Week At Brighton Speedway
By Clayton Johns
BRIGHTON, Ont. - July 28, 2016 – Brandon Murrell didn’t waste any time getting to the front last Saturday night. The Gores Landing, Ont. driver drove from the fourth starting spot and took the lead from five-time Pro Stock champion Doug Anderson on lap five before leading the final 15 laps to score his second victory of the season and Campbellford Chrysler Driver of the Week honours.
The Brighton Automotive Pro Stocks were the final race of the night, providing them the slickest track of the evening. Following a Late Model race where the top lane was quickest, Murrell used the outside to take the lead before throwing out the boat anchor and gluing himself to the bottom.
“We kind of knew it was going to slick off. When the track turns slick like that, everybody goes to the bottom and you’ve got to be where they’re not,” Murrell explained. “I was lucky there was still a little bit on the top to get around Anderson and then I played it safe and went right to the bottom.”
The win was particularly impressive for Murrell as he held off the aforementioned multi-time champion Anderson and current point leader Justin Ramsay for the parking spot in victory lane.
“I think we were a lot more pumped for that win then the first one,” laughed Murrell. “I know my dad was. He was a lot more happy about the outside pass on Anderson than the win itself.”
The victory gave Murrell his second-straight two-win season. This season, he has been noticeably more comfortable on the track, which has led to significantly more consistent results at the front of the field. It’s been a long time getting to this point, though.
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“Being at the track is only a small percentage of racing. The majority of it is done in the shop. It’s doing your homework, watching videos and trying new things,” Murrell explained. “We spend a lot of time in the garage trying new things and it obviously has paid off.”
The 24-year-old is in just his third season of racing and took his fair share of bumps and bruises the first two years. It can be grueling at times for a new driver to get a handle on the car, both in terms of driving and preparation.
“You have a bad week and, my dad always says, you have to clear your head. You’re always so discouraged and you don’t want to work on the car because you don’t know if it’s going to change much,” Murrell said, explaining how he worked through his inaugural season in 2014. “You have to put your head down and work through it.”
Murrell’s car number 19 is inspired by his favourite driver, long-time Super DIRTcar Series pilot Billy Decker. Not wanting to copy Decker’s No.91 directly, Murrell flipped the number. As much as he likes Decker, Murrell has always kept his eye on another popular Modified ace.
“I’ve always wanted to drive like Danny Johnson. He’s one of the guys that can jump in anything and get to the front really quick and it doesn’t matter how he gets there. I like to play it safe as opposed to making it four-wide on the high side for a pass,” Murrell said with a laugh.
Murrell grew up watching primarily Modified racing at Merrittville and Humberstone Speedways before moving east to Gores Landing. However, he’s always had a desire to run a Sprint Car.
“My ultimate end goal is to run a 360 Sprint and follow the Southern Ontario Sprints, run Ohsweken when I can and go to the odd Empire Super Sprint and Patriot Sprint Tour show,” Murrell said.
“(Sprint Cars) are just a whole other animal. They’re unlike any other car. They’re wicked fast, they’re loud. Ever since I started racing, that was my main goal and I’m really starting to push to get to that goal.”
For now, Murrell remains focused on the championship battle at Brighton. He currently sits fourth in the standings and hopes to be among the top three by season’s end.
“A points championship would be awesome, but our goal right now is a top-three. We’ve suffered a little bit in points over the last two years at Brighton,” affirmed Murrell. “We’ve done well with our results, but we had a lot of off nights, so this year I think consistency and a top-three in points would be great.”
And, like any driver, Murrell is not alone in his racing venture.
“I want to thank the people that put a lot of effort in to the track, like Brighton Automotive, to keep us going,” he said. “Of course my dad and my brother for helping in the shop. We’re a small team, but we keep it going.”
Murrell is doing more than just staying afloat. He’s a threat to win every time the engine fires.
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About Campbellford Chrysler/JJ Stewart Motors: Campbellford Chrysler and JJ Stewart Motors have a strong and committed sales staff with many years of experience satisfying their customer’s needs. JJ Stewart Motors, located in Norwood, and Campbellford Chrysler, located on Hwy.30 just south of Campbellford, are among the top dealers for Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep in the area. The Brighton Speedway Dodge Ram pace truck is provided by Campbellford Chrysler. Receive a FREE family pass to regular Saturday night racing at Brighton Speedway when you test drive at Campbellford Chrysler. Visit them online at
www.campbellfordchrysler.ca and
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Brighton Speedway’s 2016 season is proudly supported by the following corporate sponsors: ABC Taxi, Adecco, AeCON, Bainer’s OilGARD Anti-Rust, Battlefield Equipment Rentals, Bay Marine, Behan Construction, Belleville Boyer Nissan, Belleville Transmission & Auto, Bellevue Fabricating Ltd., Bicknell Racing Products, Bill’s Johns, BJ McColl Fams, Bonn Law, Boyer Chevrolet Napanee, Brighton Automotive, Brighton Recycling, Budweiser, Campbellford Chrysler, Canadian Energy, Canadian National Autism Foundation, CANEX, Classic Hits 95.5, Classic Rock 107.9 The Breeze, Coca-Cola, Comfort Zone Heating & Air Conditioning, The Community Press, Cool 100, CSC Products, Davis Auto Repair, Deerhaven Farm and Garden, Dibbits Excavating, Eastern Overhead Doors, Electro Cables, Excel Tower Service, First Place Trailers, Gerow Propane, Gilmour’s Meat Shop, Gord’s Water, Greig Truck & Trailer, Hellraiser Race Bodies, Hewbrook Incorporated, Hits FM 95.5, Hotch’s Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire, Humber Nurseries, ImageFactor.ca Motorsport Designs, JJ Stewart Motors, John’s Equipment, Jones Automotive, KD Transmission, Kiwanis Club of Trenton, KOA Campground of Brighton, Krown Rust Control Trenton, Lange & Fetter Ford, Larry’s Towing, Leaf Racewear, Leclair Electric, Lester’s Hot Dogs, Lucas Oil, Maestro’s Painting, Mark Heating & Cooling, McDougall Insurance and Financial, Mix 97, Monacoe’s Hair Salon & Day Spa, Monster Energy, Motosports of Trenton, Muskoka Aircraft Refinishing My FM 100.9/93.3, Mystical Distributing, NecksGen Head and Neck Restraint, NOCO Fuels, Owasco RV, Part Source, Peter’s South End Garage, Qunte Mall, Quinte Septic, Rapid Rad, Read’s Accounting, REMAX (Saoirse Graham & Nicole Parks), ROCK 107, Rona Trenton, Sanderson Tire and Automotive, Stewart Electric, Stix & Stones Billiards, Stoneridge Specialty Insurance, Target Fabrication, TAS Communications, The Trentonian, Therapeutic Massage Centre, Towne and Country Liquidation, Turris Communications, UCB Radio Canada, Ultramar CST, Vanderlaan Building Products, Vandermeer Toyota, VanZuylen Tire and Alignment, The Vinyl Solution, Vito’s Restaurant, VP Racing Fuels and Workman’s OK Tire.
About Brighton Speedway: Brighton Speedway is a 1/3-mile clay stock car racing oval located on the shores of Lake Ontario in Brighton, Ont. The speedway hosts five weekly stock car divisions on Saturday nights from May to September.
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