Brian Ickler

[Ryan_P]

Doing a little searching online and I found some interesting stuff. It says on Brian's website that he'll be doing 10 races in the #51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota in the Camping World Truck Series! Looks like being buddy buddy with Kyle Busch pays off.

Glad to see someone sees the potential in Brian. Can't wait to see him run in the truck series. Also shows NOS Energy Drink as a sponsor on his #15 in the Camping World East Series. Picking up sponsors is huge now-a-days, glad to see all the hard work has paid off.

Brian’s schedule for the 2009 season include:

(10) races in the #51 Miccosukee Resorts Camping World Truck Series
(6) Races in the #15 Camping World East Series
(7) races in the ARCA Series.

 

[NIKAL]

NOS Energy Drink is also a Kyle Busch sponsor, so I would guess Kyle might have helped out with that too. I think NOS to Kyle is like Monster is to Robby as Kyle has the NOS patch on all his driving suits, even his Gibbs stuff and NOS has been the primary sponsor on the Truck a few times.

Good deal for Brian!

 

[Ryan_P]

The NOS deal is def. a Kyle Busch gig, as I believe Brian ran their scheme on a late model he ran for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Regardless, that's a big plus for Brian.

The truck series jump is a huuuuge break, especially with the performance that the whole team has had. I hope for the best, Brian has a ton of talent.

 

[randy1123]

http://eastseries.com/

 

[VentureCrew35]

Brian came into my track (I work at Stafford Speedway in Connecticut) with an unsponsored car for the last race of the season. Nobody had heard of him and nobody expected much from him. He won the pole by nearly half a second, setting the track record in the process, then went on to lead over half the race. He would have won, but Ted Christopher dumped him while he was leading with about four laps to go (Ted's famous for doing that kind of thing). Fortunately, Teddy got dumped himself, so he didn't win it either.

Brian really showed his circle track skills that day. I'm glad to see him getting noticed and moving up.

 

[randy1123]

Watch the truck race that is re-staring today.
#51.

 

[randy s]

i just watched a killer interview on speed with brian. he seems very mature and focused for sure. i hope he restarts well, gets by skinner and wins in his truck debut. i never liked skinner anyway.

 

[GunnSlinger]

for those of you who dont know ... he actually has a log in name here on rdc and frequents here quite a bit ... he is also good friends with Andy Mac for thsoe who didnt know

hes fast in anything he drives that's for sure !!

cant wait to see him in his TT!!!

 

[Mot51560]

They just called the race for rain. Ickler finished 5th.

 

[randy1123]

Thet just called the race for rain. Ickler finished 5th.

Impressive!

 

[DanMcMillin]

Brian Ickler post-race interview

 

[DanDan]

Brian got a lot of good pub during the truck race. Glad to see it.

 

[Mot51560]

NASCAR trucks rookie Ickler thrilled with fifth-place finish
By COLE YOUNG
The Kansas City Star

There’s a good chance that Brian Ickler’s phone will ring again if Kyle Busch needs to miss another race in the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series.

Ickler, who was filling in for Busch in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 that concluded on Monday at Kansas Speedway, finished in fifth place. Busch had already won two of the four trucks series races this season.

Not bad for Ickler, a 23-year-old rookie who was driving in his first truck race.

Ickler couldn’t help but smile as he stood outside the team’s hauler following Monday’s race, despite the cold mist coming down while he waited to begin a television interview.

“It’s hard to remember everything that happened this weekend,” he said. “It was so drawn out and long.”

Odds are, though, he’ll remember his performance for a long time. While many truck racers have to wait a good while to get a top-five finish, that certainly wasn’t the case for Ickler.

Ickler not only benefited from driving Busch’s truck, which led the points standings entering the Kansas race, but he also had Busch’s father, Tom, working as his spotter from atop the Kansas Speedway grandstand.

While Tom Busch was one of the voices in Ickler’s ear, Ickler also was driving under the guidance of veteran crew chief Doug George.

Perhaps the most important tip they provided Ickler came during the long delay between Saturday’s racing — which was interrupted and finally postponed because of rain — and Monday’s conclusion.

“We’ve been sitting in the hotel room for three days together,” Ickler said. “We’ve talked through every possible scenario of what could happen out here. (Tom) has seen it all with his boys. He’s got a lot of knowledge to pass on, and he’s helped me out immensely.”

Ickler’s talent also had something to do with the fifth-place finish. He’s been a rising star in the NASCAR ranks, as he’s picked up seven career victories in both the Camping World East and West series.

According to Ickler, the team entered the day hoping for a top-10 finish. So to end the rain-shortened Kansas Speedway race in fifth place was something that made him “ecstatic.”

“We’ve got a great truck, and a great owner who wants nothing but to win, and won’t stop at anything to accomplish it,” Ickler said.

Owner Billy Ballew will be relying on Ickler more this season. A San Diego native, Ickler is already scheduled to drive the truck again on June 5 at Texas Motor Speedway.

There’s a good chance he’ll have more opportunities, too, depending on what Kyle Busch’s schedule looks like.

“Kyle has a lot to do with this (success),” Ickler said. “It’s just good people is what it comes down to.”

And judging by Monday’s performance, Ickler looks to be one of those people.

To reach Cole Young, sports reporter for The Star, send e-mail to ceyoung@kcstar.com

Posted on Mon, Apr. 27, 2009 10:15 PM
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http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1165996.html

 

[Ickler Motorsports PR]

A friend found and sent us the link to this article written about Brian.....
It's good to see Desert racing experience recognized.



May 23, 2009

By Nick Blake


You may have heard of him, you may not. If you haven’t, I must tell you about this impressive 23 year old from Poway, California.

A protégé of Kyle “Rowdy” Busch, Brian Ickler started racing in his early teen years, not in a kart, Bandelaro, or Legends car, but off-roading. Ickler is the youngest winner of the Baja 1000 (his respective class, not the overall winner), which is sort of like the Daytona 500 for off-road racing in California. No doubt at that age he was impressive, fellow stock car drivers to win the SCORE (Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts) rookie of the year includes Robby Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Gordon went on to become a three time winner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Johnson of course, is a three time champion.

Surely Brian had those same aspirations, but not getting too far ahead of himself, he attended Buck Baker’s driving school in an attempt to grasp stock car racing. After running a couple years in the Busch West Series, Ickler’s accolades were finishing 5th in the 2006 Toyota All-Star Showdown, and he finished second at Infineon Raceway, second to Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers. In 2007, he finished fourth in the points standings and earned three wins.

Moving quickly, it was time to takeover the east coast.

Ickler moved to the hub of NASCAR, (depending on who you ask...) Mooresville, North Carolina. He began his own race team, Ickler Motorsports, snatched the #15, and away he went. In his first full season in the Camping World East Series, he finished a dismal 10th in the final standings, but what was impressive was his two poles, three wins, five top fives, but his 10th place standing results from four DNF’s, the most of any full time driver that season.

The major highlight of the season without a doubt was his upset victory in the Iowa Speedway’s East/West challenge. Brian Ickler outraced Kasey Kahne, who less than 24 hours earlier had won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, to win the event. It was his first career win and the second year in a row that a Camping World Series regular defeated the winner of the Sprint Cup All-Star Race. (Joey Logano won over second place Kevin Harvick in 2007. However, Kyle Busch bucked the trend, winning this years event over guess who? Brian Ickler.)

Ickler caught the eye of fellow off-road racer turned NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, who fielded his #55 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge for Ickler in a Nationwide race last fall at Phoenix International Raceway. Starting 34th, that’s also where he finished, backing the car into the fence midway through the race and limping the rest of the way. It’s not a smashing debut in NASCAR by far, but Ickler got a do-over.

More on that later.

There are many promising young stars that are coming through the stock car ranks, many younger than Ickler, but he has an advantage that many youngsters in the Nationwide Series don’t have. He’s a racers racer. What I mean by that is that he is ready to jump in any car, truck, etc, and drive it wide open. His Savvy off road skills at such a young age made for an even smoother transition to stock cars than Robby Gordon or Jimmie Johnson had.

A clean racer that’s got some bite to him, He was very angry with Ron Hornaday Jr. after Ron wrecked him at the 2009 Toyota All-Star Showdown, while Ickler was leading the race. In a brief interview, Ickler said that he had lost a lot of respect for Ron Hornaday. Ouch, usually it’s the veterans losing respect for the youngsters.

Potentially knowing that Brian could be a big deal, Kyle Busch took interest, and with the help of Billy Ballew, signed Ickler to run 10 races in the Camping World Truck Series, with some races in the #15, but mostly in the #51 as a sub for Kyle Busch.

Believe the hype, this season Brian won the season opening race for the Camping World East Series at Greensville-Pickens Speedway, but it was his fourth place finish in his Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway that turned heads. The career best result keeps Billy Ballew Motorsports on top of the owner points standings heading into Dover on June 29th.

In an economy where sponsorship over talent can land you a ride, it’s unknown how far Brian can go in NASCAR in the immediate future, but this young man isn’t far off from being the perfect pet prospect with a top Sprint Cup team, though Kyle Busch would like to keep him under his wing.

Jimmie Johnson went from racing in the desert, to eating dessert at the head table of the NASCAR awards banquet. For now, Brian Ickler is on that same path.

 

[bajafox]

Good job Brian! I need a new driver in Cup once RG retires! hahahaha

 

[Ryan_P]

The 10 race deal with Billy Ballew is huge, kudos to you man! So where can I buy my Brian Ickler merchandise? ha.

 

[AllwaysRcn]

Robby should have Brian qualify and practice his Cup car while he is in Baja...........just a thought

 

[Tristar Racing]

Robby should have Brian qualify and practice his Cup car while he is in Baja...........just a thought

Travis Kvapil will provide much better feedback for the team than Brian could at this point in his career. Brian is a future talent to watch though for sure.