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When Brandon McReynolds first prevailed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series at Iowa Speedway, his father, Larry, rejoiced 1,000 miles away, sharing his glee while broadcasting the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on FOX Sports 1.
Last weekend, the 24-year-old driver was close enough to see the reaction for himself, sharing the moment with his father in Victory Lane in the Hawkeye State just 11 weeks later. The father-son duo joined the Bill McAnally Racing team in toasting the NASCAR Next alum’s rare Iowa season sweep.
The triumph was further proof that the next-generation driver hasn’t fallen far from the career path of his father, who oversaw two Daytona 500 wins from atop the pit box for both Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt. Still, he said he hasn’t had any prodding to pursue the same livelihood in motorsports.
“One thing I’ve got to give my dad credit for is there’s a lot of dads out there who put a lot of pressure on you to be a race car driver, and he’s never done that,” Brandon McReynolds said. “He’s just said whatever you’re going to do in life, put your mind to it and work hard, roll up your sleeves and make the most of it. He’s really allowed me to do that. He’s allowed me to succeed; he’s allowed me to fail. So to see him here and to see the smile and a little bit of tears on his face, it goes a long way with me.
“It’s really cool to see our relationship grow over the last few years. Obviously, we’ve always been close because he’s my dad, but it’s really cool. He’s one of my best friends and it’s cool to share this with him.”
The elder McReynolds happily watched the proceedings from the sidelines of Victory Lane, telling the team, “This is your night.” He eventually relented, posing for a handful of photos against the backdrop of a moonlit Iowa night.
Though Larry McReynolds’ obligations with FOX Sports, which came to an end in June, have kept him from seeing more of his son’s races in the K&N Pro Series West, he said he’s seen growth in the face of some mild adversity. McReynolds has qualified among the top five for all but one race this season, but he has just two top-fives — both Iowa wins — to show for the speed.
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While the results haven’t been as consistent as hoped, the pieces have come together on the highly competitive stage at Iowa, host of the two combination events for the K&N East and West Series.
“I think what he’s hung his hat on is they’ve had a competitive car every single week,” Larry McReynolds said. “The season didn’t get started good at the beginning with a couple of engine issues and then of course he got spun out a few weeks ago battling for the lead, but I think that’s what he’s hung his hat on — the fact that they’ve been competitive, they’ve been in position. Like I’ve always told him, and I speak from all my years of experience, you put yourself in position enough, the deal will get sealed.”
Though the younger McReynolds’ focus for the short term was on savoring the Iowa victory and carrying momentum to the West series’ next race Aug. 15 at Evergreen Speedway in Washington, the next deal that needs closure is his plan for next season. McReynolds said that 2016 was still in limbo but hinted that any potential moves would hopefully be made in conjunction with McAnally, a five-time championship team owner in the K&N Pro Series West.
“I hate to beat around the bush about it, but obviously we work day in and day out,” McReynolds said. “Me and Bill are on the phone constantly to make that next step or to move forward together. Right now, I really don’t know, and I’m sure you guys get that answer a lot but it’s really the truth. It’s hard. We’re lucky enough to have the sponsors that we do have with NAPA and Toyota and all of our associates that are behind us, and we hope to grow with those. Obviously, there’s going to be some changing coming up here in the future.
“There’s a lot of movement going on. It seems like our silly season, even at the K&N level, it happens earlier and earlier each year. I know this (win) definitely helps and we’ll see what it brings us, but we’re working together to try to move forward together as a group.”