The Scoop
BRIAN MULLEN – MOD VETERAN STILL HAS ‘FIRE IN THE BELLY’
Posted on: Tuesday May 21, 2024
Brian Mullen poses next to his GRT chassis at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour.
For Brian Mullen the fire in his belly remains alive and well.
The 58-year-old IMCA modified veteran from Seymour, Wisconsin has truly ‘been there’ and ‘done that’ when it comes to Wisconsin’s dirt track racing scene. Mullen, who started out racing bombers at Seymour Speedway’s half-mile in the 1980’s, switched over to the relatively new IMCA modifieds when the track was converted to a Tri-Oval 1988.
Brian Mullen carries the American Flag at Luxemburg Tri-Star Speedway in 1991 (Bob Bergeron photo)
Turns out Mullen proved to be a quick learner of the tricky Tri-Oval, winning the first of what would wind up being seven track championships at the Tri-Oval in 1990. As we head into the meat and potatoes of the 2024 season, Mullen has earned a total of 129 IMCA sanctioned feature flags in his several decade career of racing. Throw in some non-sanctioned feature wins Mullen has chalked up over the years and his career feature total is closer to 165 victories.
When you (race) this long you don’t know what else to do,” quipped Mullen. “I mean when we’re not racing or working on our cars we’re watching dirt late models on T.V. We go racing. It’s just what we’ve always done.”
It’s no secret that the technology of the IMCA modified car is ever evolving. That evolution has come a long ways since Mullen wheeled a B.O.S.S. Chassis built from local legend Chuck Grall. “Nothing really compares to those days at all,” Mullen admitted. “Years ago we used to run a multi-leaf car and now everyone runs a four bar chassis. It’s that technology that’s maybe one of the reasons I keep (racing) because we’re not really to the end of it yet. The next guys get faster than you get faster. There’s a lot to gain. These specials give us a reason to try different stuff. There is nothing wrong with weekly racing but we’d get burnt out with it. Those high dollar specials keep us on our ‘A’ games I feel.”
Track announcer Joe Verdegan interviews Brian Mullen following his 2011 Clash At The Creek win at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek. (Dave Hooker photo)
Mullen knows a thing or two about building racing chassis. For a stint in the 2010’s He built his own ‘MadMan’ chassis. In total Mullen built 50 cars – some of which are still racing to this day. But the sacrifice that came along with that in taking care of his customers with their cars came before his own racing program.
Has the weekly racing lost it’s luster locally? It’s tough to say. If you look at the car counts 141 Speedway in Francis Creek averages, for example, the answer would be a hard NO. But for teams like Mullen and many others, their focus has most certainly shifted to high dollar specials more so than the weekly stuff. “Weekly racing is still very competitive especially in this area and that’s good,” Mullen explained. “We’re always trying something new to get faster. And we’re trying this new stuff against other fast cars. So that in itself will help us when we do go racing out of town. At some point we’re not counting points anymore. We try new stuff all the time but points racing doesn’t really figure anything into that. The good competition up here helps you when you do try something different out of town.”
Drivers choose to race at different tracks for a multitude of reasons. While years ago it was often a high dollar payout that racers chased or close proximity, that’s no longer exclusively the case in 2024. “Everybody would like more pay but that’s just a driver talking,” Mullen joked. “But good track conditions cost you less in maintenance than anything else. That’s how you give yourself a pay raise. A nice, well run track where you’re not going to tear up too much equipment. That’s huge for us as to where we decide we’re going to race. Efficiency is big also so we can get our entire race in. If a 20 lap feature gets cut because of a curfew or too many yellows that’s not good either. You’re often starting in the fifth or sixth row with IMCA’s point average and you need that entire feature to get to the front. The nice thing with Seymour is it’s a typical third-mile oval. Then you’ve got 141 Speedway in Francis Creek which is a little bit different type of oval. You get better at both of these tracks and compare the two. It helps you fine tune your car.”
Mullen’s 2011 ride (Dave Hooker photo)
Mullen has always embraced the challenge of a high dollar show. Mullen and friend and fellow racer Benji LaCrosse have decided to take the plunge and convert their normally IMCA-legal cars to race in the ‘One Nation Under Modifieds’ $100,001 paying race at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wisconsin May 29 to June 1. “That’s USMTS country (United States Modified Touring Series) over that way and the promoter is putting everyone together with different sanctions for this race,” Mullen said. “ It would be really tough with a crate motor car to win because they farm the track and it’s got good dirt. You earn points for qualifying. Points for heat races. Passing points. You can’t wait for the track to get slick. Benji and myself have decided we’ll ‘somewhat’ turn our cars closer to that USMTS-type rules package. We’ll use a different motor, bigger spoiler and the different tires. So if track is tacky it’s closer to an equalizer of sorts. So it’s more like ‘apples to apples’ and we’re not necessarily bringing a knife to a gun fight.”
According to Mullen, if an IMCA car made it to the 100 lap feature they’d be ‘OK.’ “But you’ve gotta earn those points throughout the heats when the track is likely going to be tacky and farming will be occurring,” Mullen explained. “We elected to build a car to run closer to their deal. A crate IMCA motor cannot compete with a USMTS car. That’s just the way it is. But we’re committed to running that show and we’ll see how things turn out.”
As for how long Mullen will keep on racing? There’s is no firm timetable set. “We’ll keep plugging away,” Mullen said. “Maybe another five years I’ll keep doing this. We are still competitive. As much as love racing I do make some time to do some non-racing related things. We went to Alaska and this year we’re going to Maine. Different stuff.”
Mullen’s team of pit crew members includes former pavement late model star Rod Wheeler, Adam Mullen, Ted Schuh and Steve Arndt.
Mullen’s team of marketing partners includes Chad Roffers Trucking, Integra Racing Shocks, Londerville Steele Enterprises and Concrete Supply, Ricky Lemmen Trucking, Toby K’s Hideaway, Speedway Motors Crate Engines, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Scott Marcks Trucking & Excavating, Performance Bodies & Parts, Duffy Excavating, Wayne Roffers Trucking and CT Custom Wraps.