Brian Gibson is happiest behind the wheel

CEDAR RAPIDS — If there’s anyone who deserves an enjoyable night at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, it’s race director Brian Gibson.

That’s what Friday evening was for him.

Driving his No. 20 car, Gibson was one of 17 competitors in McGrath Auto’s “Clash of the Downs VIII” Big 8 Series Late Models 48-lap feature race.

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“When the Big 8 comes here they bring their own race officials, so that gives me the opportunity to let my team of John (Huff), Evey (Siems) and Taylor (Nickle) kind of handle the weekly classes,” Gibson said.

“It’s my one time to escape the ‘jail’ and go down and play.” he said with a chuckle.

On a typical Friday night in the summer, spectators can find Gibson working in the booth or around the track, helping to coordinate various weekly races.

Gibson, who has more than 30 years of racing experience, essentially gave up competitive driving when he took over as race director in November of 2021, with the one annual exception — Big 8 Series night.

“I get one night a year,” Gibson said. “Bless the Board (of Directors), they support me in doing this. The other racers are like, ‘absolutely, you need to get in your car.’ So, they support me doing it. Things are good.”

Gibson has had plenty of success in the Big 8 Series since the race first came to Hawkeye Downs in 2015. He finished fifth in last year’s feature, third in 2021, third in 2018 and fourth in 2015.

Friday, he finished with the sixth fastest qualifying time, but came in 14th and did not finish the feature. The race wasn’t about placement for him, however.

“It’s a stress reliever,” Gibson said of getting behind the wheel. “It’s been a good year. It’s been a trying year. It’s been a lot of work. Tonight was a night to shut my brain off, get back in my comfort zone and just come out here and have some fun.”

Part of the “work” Gibson referred to was installing a new scoreboard in Turn 3, updating a now operational message board in the infield and remodeling the ticket booth in the offseason.

“Brian is very passionate about the track and is constantly working to make Hawkeye Downs Speedway better,” Hornets driver Chad Vozenilek said. “I don’t think the speedway could have asked for someone to have any more drive and heart to make it better, and it shows.”

Also, in March, Gibson announced Hawkeye Downs had partnered with NASCAR in the Advanced Auto Parts Racing Series. The aim was to increase paydays for drivers and garner a larger car turnout.

“It’s going good,” Gibson said. “It wasn’t a deal where we were going to flip the switch and now we’re NASCAR, and our troubles have gone away. It’s a slow build in the making and we’ve got a lot of interest from some out-of-town people.

“I’ve fielded many phone calls from people interested in coming. We’ve had some hit-and-miss travelers. We’ve only got one really consistent one right now; we’re hoping that grows and develops as the word gets out.”

While the growth isn’t there just yet, the consistency has been.

“Our classes are about the same as they were last year, maybe plus one or two in every class,” Gibson said. “We’re optimistic. We’re getting things turned around and we’re going to keep turning them around. Our crowds have been good, so that helps us out a lot.”

Zach Riddle of Oregon, Wisc. took the checkered flag in Friday’s Big 8 feature with Cedar Rapids’ Griffin McGrath coming in second.

Gibson was satisfied with Friday’s turnout and competition.

“These Big 8 races, when the guys come down from Minnesota and Wisconsin, you know, we’re a small fish in a small pond down here,” Gibson said. “Those guys are big fishes in a big pond. They can run two or three nights every week. They’re the best of the best.

“It’s just fun to get a chance to run with them.”