While visiting from North Carolina, Keith Brightbill picked up a ride in his brother Brad’s car. Surprisingly, he won the Firecracker 40 sportsman feature last Saturday at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania.
Brightbill was in town for friend and fellow racer Nathan Mohr’s wedding. He decided on a whim to make a run at the 40-lap event.
“My brother offered me a chance to drive his sportsman once last season,” Brightbill, 51, now of Mooresville, North Carolina, said. “I had so much fun. This year, he offered me the ride for the season in the crate 602 sportsman division because he had a modified ride.”
Prior to this race, Brightbill had raced only three times at the track since having a child in 2006 and taking a break from racing.
The car itself was a homebuilt chassis from 2017. A GM 602 crate engine powered the ride in the open sportsman class. The right-rear tire had three races on it, the left-rear has been on the car for every race this season. Further making it more unbelievable, Brightbill stormed through the field from a 22nd starting position.
“I felt … I may have a better shot, even though we were underpowered, competing with the open cars because of the distance,” said Brightbill. “It takes a better setup to do well in an extra-distance race. You have to be good at the beginning, and better at the end of the race.”
Brightbill understands setups. He’s the eldest son of famed driver Kenny Brightbill. Keith Brightbill has more than 200 modified wins as his father’s crew chief and 35 more as a driver.
“Honestly, I came back for a wedding, a vacation, and to have some fun racing,” Brightbill said. “I never expected to go to Grandview [Speedway] and win. I’m not a Saturday-night racer anymore.”
Brightbill works as an insurance broker and as a consultant for up-and-coming drivers. He’ll return to Pennsylvania the weekend of Saturday, July 23. Brightbill will haul the NASCAR Camping Truck Series ride driven by Todd Bodine to Pocono Raceway.
“Winning the Firecracker 40 has enhanced my desire to drive again,” Brightbill said. “We’ll see what the future brings. I’ll be heading to Grandview [Speedway] after Pocono [Raceway] that Saturday night.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
