The West Virginia native’s Facebook reach saw a dramatic increase after winning his first ARCA Racing Series event — in his ARCA debut, no less — at Lucas Oil Speedway in Brownsburg, Ind., in July. Imagine the likes he’ll get should he win the Crosley Brands 150 at Kentucky Speedway. The green flag drops at 8 p.m. Friday (Fox Sports 1).
Braden — already a fan favorite in the Dayton area with impressive runs at Kil-Kare Speedway and Columbus Motor Speedway — thinks his No. 1 West Virginia University-Matheson Gases-Platinum Trucking Chevy is good for at least a top-10 finish.
“To me that would be pretty awesome. We would get some TV time out of that and get some good experience racing with fast cars, better drivers and tighter racing that you need to learn,” said Braden, whose car will be equipped with an in-car camera. “I definitely have an expectation we should be able to contend for the win. I wouldn’t be disappointed if we don’t, but we should shoot for that because we have the car to do it.”
Braden’s first trip around Kentucky was on Tuesday during practice. He said his Chevy hit 192 mph on the 1.5-mile tri-oval near Sparta and logged the fifth fastest practice time among 25 drivers.
“I was amazed because it does not feel like you’re going that fast,”said Braden, a senior at WVU studying Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering. “You’re so focused on what you’re doing you don’t pay attention to how fast it is. Things happen quicker and it’s different how you have to attack corners. It was fun and I think we’ll be pretty good.”
Braden’s Kentucky car is the same one he won with at Lucas Oil Speedway. How good was it? He found himself a lap down but still managed to chase down the field.
“I knew we had a good enough car,” Braden said. “We just kept passing cars and getting closer to the leader. When I crossed the finish line and took the checkered all I could do was laugh because I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t get the words out. Sometimes I look back on it and think how did that happen?”
He might wonder the same about his social media presence. Braden said he had about 2,500 Facebook followers after his ARCA victory and his posts reached 15,000 people. He put a photo of his WVU-themed car recently and it reached 175,000.
“Even if we didn’t show up at Kentucky we’ve already accomplished 10 times more than what we accomplished at Indy. We’re really excited about that,” Braden said.
“If you don’t have money as a driver you have to make yourself a celebrity somehow. Not that I want to be any celebrity, but as far as getting my name out there that’s what makes you popular and ultimately draws sponsorship. You have to get noticed.”
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