Gabe Brown Looking for PASS Win at The Magic Mile

Gabe Brown has already embarked on his most ambitious racing season to date. For 2022, the 19-year-old Center Conway, NH driver is hitting the road more this year; competing in select CARS Tour Pro Late Model events and even eyeing events such as the All American 400 PLM feature and Snowflake 100. Naturally, the main focus is home in New England with the Pro All Stars Series being his main challenge.

While also planning to run a majority of the American-Canadian Tour schedule, Brown’s main plan is to chase the PASS North title, a year after winning the Granite State Pro Stock Series championship and winning 3 of 10 races.

Following a fourth-place finish in the PASS North opener on Icebreaker Weekend at Thompson Speedway (CT), Brown heads from the second-longest track on the PASS schedule to the longest track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, this coming weekend with confidence in his machinery.

“I think we had a second-place car at the end of the race, we just didn’t have the track position after that last restart. Also didn’t fire off well for about 10 to 15 laps, and we got behind a little. But, I think we got a good baseline heading to Loudon,” Brown told Racing America.

Along with his 2021 GSPSS title, Brown is the 2018 Oxford Plains Speedway (ME) Super Late Model champion; already accomplishing much in his young career. Mixed in have been some growing pains, including in two career SLM starts at NHMS. But, it has been three years since he last raced ‘The Magic Mile’ and he has continued to grow as a racecar driver.

“Last time I went to Loudon, it didn’t go so well. I couldn’t tell you to this day why we were bad. My best guess is we were down on motor because we ended up blowing up the next race at Oxford in 2019. That’s the reason I like to think we weren’t good last time, so I got a little more confidence this time around.”

Often more associated with Modified racing at Loudon, drafting is a key skill for Late Model drivers to have there as well. It’s also applied at the track PASS was just at the start of April, Thompson.

“It’s just one of those things you figure out when you get there and start running the track with other cars. Thompson you got to use the draft a little bit in my opinion, you can’t just pull out of line whenever you want, you got to have the run. I’ve got a better idea now, I’m sure between practice and the heat race we’ll be able to figure it out.”

Determined as he is to win, NHMS is one of those tracks that, win or lose, Brown is just thankful to have the chance to race at.

“Racing there is so cool, even when things go bad. It’s still an opportunity to race there and not everybody can say that. It’s special.”

Let there be no mistake, Brown is still a man on a mission. After coming up short of his first major touring win for three years, he finally found victory lane in GSPSS in 2021. But, the first PASS win has continued to elude him. Sooner or later, Brown is ready to check that box as well before chasing any other racing goal in the Northeast.

“A PASS win in general this year is my big goal. We finally got a couple of Granite State wins last year and a couple of weekly Late Model wins. But, my car owner keeps saying ‘How about five wins as a goal? How about this? How about that?’ I figure let’s get that one win and see where we go from there, we can always aim for more after that.”