Carson Brown Earns First Career Top Five in NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Series at Charlotte

A stellar weekend continued for Carson Brown on Sunday evening, as the New London, North Carolina native earned his first career top-five finish in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Brown made his second career start in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in the Blue Cross NC 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night. It was part of a doubleheader weekend for Brown that was equal parts successful and constantly shifting.

Plan A involved Brown piloting the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport Chevrolet on Saturday. Then, the current points leader in the Appalachian Sucker Punch ASA STARS National Tour, would take part in the Winchester 400 on Sunday.

Hurricane Isaias complicated that plan, with Winchester Speedway and ASA STARS National Tour officials rescheduling the Winchester 400 to Saturday before the O'Reilly Series event was subsequently postponed to Sunday.

A complete washout on Saturday at Charlotte postponed the Blue Cross NC 300 and gave Brown plenty of time to make it to Winchester to race in - and win - the Winchester 400. Leading 388 of the race's 400 laps, Brown earned his fifth ASA STARS National Tour victory of the season and his 10th win overall this year.

READ MORE: Carson Brown Flies to Winchester 400 Triumph

However, that also meant Brown had no on-track time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series car at Charlotte on Saturday, with both practice and qualifying lost to Mother Nature. With the starting lineup set by NASCAR's metric, Brown's first laps of the weekend at Charlotte came from the 20th starting spot on the grid.

“To run this good here with no practice, no qualifying, just super proud of this whole Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport group and our partner, TestEquity, and everyone on this car," said Brown. |I thought we just fired off really well, and I really didn’t lack much. I struggled a little bit with rear grip there just as the race went on, and I felt like we just kept losing spots on pit road because we were working on the car and trying to just make it better, and it kind of just stayed the same throughout the night.

"I thought the track was gonna change on us, get a lot tighter, but it really didn’t. But we all kept after it, so big thank you to all the guys and Mark Setzer (crew chief) for making a really good call at the end."

A late caution after Brent Crews hit the wall on lap 186 set up a 10-lap dash to the finish. Brown restarted 14th, charging to fifth on the final run of the night.

"We just picked our way through the field," said Brown. "There were some very good players, and never really raced against that whole group all day, but I just think we carried so much momentum into that lead pack there toward the end of the race that we just had so much momentum that they struggled to defend it. When I heard P5 after the checkered, I was pretty shocked. Very proud. It was just a really good day.”

Brown will compete full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2027, driving the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. He made his series debut in August at Iowa Speedway, finishing 15th.

Brown's pursuit of the ASA STARS National Tour championship continues on November 8 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway for the All American 400, concluding one week later with the Florida Governor's Cup at New Smyrna Speedway.

Before then, he will take part in the zMAX CARS Tour finale at South Boston Speedway this Saturday, October 17.

-Photo credit: True Speed Communication