MOORESVILLE, N.C. — For young athletes looking to gain seat time and expand their skill sets as they strive to ascend racing’s ladder, there are a number of things they can do to expedite that journey.
For 13-year-old Carson Brown, the chance to learn a different type of racing and gain valuable car control skills is one that has him excited. The rising star in asphalt Legends racing will add 600cc Micro Sprints to his schedule, with races at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Brown of Moseley, Virginia, will team up with Mike Carber Racing for this micro sprint venture. Carber is a former racer himself, with years of experience, good equipment and plenty of knowledge. He says competition at Millbridge will be tough, but it’s an ideal place for Brown to learn from the best.
“You’ll see a few stock car guys there like Christopher Bell, Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt,” Carber said. “It will be interesting to see how Carson’s transition over to a micro sprint on dirt will go. From what I’ve seen in his Legends races, he’s doing pretty good. I think he’ll do well once he gets used to it. We’ll see how things go at Millbridge this year, but I’m hoping to get up to Pennsylvania in July for their big Speedweek deal with six straight nights of action. Those guys are all good, so it’ll be a great learning experience.”
Brown may only have two years of racing under his belt (one in a Legend), but he’s already turning heads. He won a big national event at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio, and has a pair of wins on the road course in Las Vegas on his resume, along with top-five finishes at tracks in North Carolina and Virginia.
He kicked off his Legends campaign with the Winter Nationals in Florida. He ran 13 races in nine days, with four wins and only one finish outside the top five. This past week, Brown was busy competing in INEX Legends action for North Carolina Speedweek at the famed Fayetteville Motor Speedway.
“I’m really excited about this new opportunity to expand my development on dirt in a micro,” Brown said. “I appreciate Mike Carber Racing for helping me pursue my passion for this sport. The objective is to continue growing as a driver on dirt, and to gain experience that will help me in the long run.”
As he works to expand his skills on dirt, Brown knows there will be challenges ahead.
“It will definitely be tough to switch back and forth from the Legend to the micro,” he added. The two cars drive completely different. Micro’s are known to be very flat out. You need to drive them really hard if you want to be fast, but in the Legend, it’s all about finesse.
“You have to be easy on the throttle. So they are two completely different cars, but that’s why I’m getting into one. It’s to help me learn new skills I can apply in the future. I’m anxious to go testing and start this new chapter in my development,” Brown said.
Austin Theriault, Brown’s mentor and manager, says Brown is absorbing new information every time he races and will do well in a micro.
“I’ve been working with him at tracks already this year, and he’s really progressing well. He has a natural feel for the Legends car. They require a smooth style, and he’s making good strides. We’ve seen a number of former dirt drivers do well when they transition to asphalt. Carson will be served well by tackling this adventure into the micro world,” Theriault said.
Brown’s chance to hit the dirt track is drawing closer. Brown and Carber will be testing in the coming days in preparation for the season opener at Millbridge Speedway, which is scheduled for March 9.