Brian Kucaba #71
Name: Brian Kucaba (Brown Guy)
Age: 28
Home Track: Illiana Motor Speedway
Division: Turbo Stox (Street Stock)
Hometown: Orland Park, IL
Car Number: 71
How Did You Decide Your Number: Originally the number I wanted was 17! I was 17b at Raceway the final 2 nights they ran. When I came to Illiana I was 17K until they said no dupicate numbers. Unfortunately some guy named Bill Serviss had 17 before I did! This is the guy that is a Terry Labpnte freak and you would think that he would want the number 5, but no!!! I even offered to buy the number thinking he would give in but the guy tells me I would have to have his hauler re-lettered. I told him he was nuts!!! So Instead I decided to be dyslexic and go with 71! Thanks a lot Bill!!!
Favorite Thing About Home Track: My most favorite thing about Illiana are the people! I seem to get along with virtually everybody including the tech guys. I guess becasue of that I seem to be more comfortable than when I have traveled in the past! Drivers in other divisions seem to be interested a lot in how I am doing with the car each time out and the fans seem to be more interested in meeting and talking with us than other tracks that I have been to in the past! To me or toward me everybody seems to be more friendly. Who knows how they really feal about me though!
Least Favorite Thing About Home Track: I would have to strongly go with the payout! I understand and realize how hard it is to get sponsors considering I keep looking each year for more financial help and with the cost of fuel not only for my tow vehicle but race gas as well on the rise not to mention how much our tires cost, it is making it harder and harder each year to be able to afford to race a full season. The division in 2008 is entering it's 7th season I believe and we have yet seen an increase with our pay and in order to be competetive we have to spend more. And not only for me but for those who have a hard enough time trying to make it out to race due to expenses the higher the bills are as a driver the worse it is for those drivers as well! I hope soon we can get a company to help us out even a little bit for the whole division!
Year You Started Racing: I started behind the wheel in 2001 but before that I was pit crew for a street stock team at Raceway Park in the late 90's and in 2000 and 2001 I was pitting on a Mid-American Sportsman traveling team.
Division Started In: Like I said in 2001 I first started racing and that was at Raceway Park in Blue Island, IL.
What Was Your First Car: First car I ever bought was a 1975 Chevy Monte Carlo. It won a championship at raceway in street stock before I got the car.
How Long Before You Won A Race: I raced 2 races in 2001 and in 2002 I only raced 5 times to stay eligible for rookie of the year in 2003. July 12th, 2003 was the night I won my first heat race. It was such a great feeling that night to win finally and it wasn't easy! I was in the middle 3 wide comming to the stripe fending off charges by Brian Tomasewski and Pete Kamp! That is definitely a race I will never forget!!!
Favorite Car You Raced: I haven't raced a variety of cars so I would have to say the car I have now and have raced witht the past 5 seasons. My 85 Monte! She's been good to me!!!
Favorite Track You Raced: By far my favorite track that I Have raced at would be Rockford. I just love the high banks there!!!
Favorite Victory That Stands Out: There are 2 that really stick out! My very first feature win at Illiana. I remember having a huge lead like almost a straightaway lead and with not even half the race over I couldn't wait for the end!!! Ten laps to go still having a huge lead not believeing that it is happening I start crying. I am trying to stay focussed on driving but the emotions were getting the best of me! Finally on the last lap I knew this was real and told myself stay smooth and it will be ok! Pumping my fist out the window off of turn four I realize that I accomplish something that a lot of people in my past told me wouldn't happen and for a while I believed it but I proved them all wrong!!! The other victory that stands out was my second trip ever to Plymouth Speedway. I was there once before in 2003 and won my very first feature ever that night. After a few years absence a bunch of us went to Plymouth in 2006 and won the Heat and the Feature. I beat Bill Serviss!!!
Had Any Victories That "Got Away" From You: One victory for sure got away and it was my fault! I was getting hammered going into each turn while leading the whole feature when finally the car got upset enough to let the guy behind me by but there was a whole and the next corner did what he did to me right back and he unfortunately got freight trained. So I have the top spot with 2 laps to go and I have furious the way I was being raced and I let that get the best of me and over drove turn one and lost the lead and finish second!
Worst Crash You Have Been In: Hands down in 2006 at the Bahama Brackets in Rockford I was passing a car for the final transfer position when I was deliberately right reared. As my car is heading toward the wall I feel the right side up in the air and thinking holy crap I'm going over and I guess thankfully I hit the wall which help set the car back on the ground! That was one wild ride. And after that everybody saw my temper after what I did to that other driver on the track!
Ever Been Injured In A Race: I can't say that I have ever been injured during a race but I can say I have fallen getting out of my car! DUH!!!
Toughest Competitors: No disrespect to any of the drivers I race against now or in the past because everybody is tough to race against. But lately it has been Bill Serviss Tom Prim Tony Neering Ed Ligue just to name a few!
Hardest To Pass: Tom Prim. He is so good getting through traffic and he has a fast car it's tough to hang with him let alone pass him and Pat O'rourke! He knows how to make the car wide!
Don't Want To See In Mirror With 1 To Go: Anybody!!! I would rather see lots of race track behind me than a car!
Favorite Local Drivers Growing Up: Len Koprowski whom I got my first taste of racing action working with him on his street stock and Peter Hernandez
Favorite Local Drivers Now: Bill Serviss, great guy and friend. Dave Weltmeyer tons of respect for him! John Senerchia everybody really in the division and there are too many to name that I root for at Illiana and where ever I go and see familiar faces!
Favorite NASCAR Driver: Tony Stewart
Who Helped You The Most In Your Career: Peter Hernandez helped me out so much teaching about set ups and how to be a person to the fans! My girlfriend who has stuck with me for the past 5 years now supporting me and what I do! Ed Hast has done so much over the years being my crew cheif Al Powel Cher Bryant and Mike Carpenter have also been an enormous help.
Any Funny Stories From The Track: I guess the one I like to tell is how Bill Serviss blew the win at Plymouth when he got into the back of the leader and when they got tangled it slowed them up enough for me to pass both of them with only 5 laps remaining and held Bill off for the win on the outside! He clims he let me win but he couldn't keep up is what his problem was! :)
