It was Silver Cup 2000 at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Richard was competing in the extremely competitive open show for only the second time in his career and the first official race in his brand new Brace Car. Needless to say the stakes were high. But when it came time to take the track, it was just another race to him. Starting on the pole only meant that they had to catch him. For the first 23 laps, Brace Jr. flew away from the pack, increasing his lead every lap only to have to start over again after many a restart early on. But as the race continued on, the car became increasingly tight and harder to handle, which eventually allowed veteran driver Richard Papenhausen of the 4P Modified to take over the lead. Brace was left to chase him down and fight for second with good friend Matt Micheli of the 911 Coppin Modified. For the next fourteen laps, the 2R and the 911 swapped positions a numerous amount of times. Going into the last turn before the checkered, Micheli was ahead, but unfortunately pushed up coming out of turn four, allowing Brace Jr. room to pass on the bottom. In doing so, he claimed second and his highest ever finish at a large open show. Though a little disappointed about losing the lead, he was more than satisfied with his accomplishment.

After the race, Brace Jr.’s good friend, Bob Clausen brought one of his good friends to the 2R pit to meet him. And so, the first official introduction between Richard and Ron Brooke took shape. During the introduction, Ron realized who this young man was that seemed familiar to him. As it turned out, on a trip to Stockton to race go-carts at the Inside Track, Ron was one of the many competitors who Richard raced against and won. And by win, I mean, every heat he started and a top five in the main. And seeing as how not many people knew him, they thought he was someone’s crew member and not the successful modified driver he actually was. Liking the young driver, Brooke’s invited him to come hang out with his crew whenever he was at Placerville. Luckily, the Dirt Track Mini-Series was traveling there in a mere two weeks, giving Brace Jr. a chance to meet the crew and family of the 1B Sprint Car.

And so the relationship grew. Richard began to go to Placerville and hang out with Ron and the 1B Crew whenever he got a chance. As well as helping on the car every once and awhile during the week, when he could spare a night from his own car and team. Months had past and the end of May was upon them. Before the big Memorial Day racing weekend, Brace Jr. celebrated his twenty-fifth birthday and then headed for Chico to race his Modified. Coincidentally, the 1B Sprint Car and its crew were also racing there that weekend. The first night resulted in good luck for the 1B and not so good luck for the 2R, who encountered handling problems all night. But on the second night, the tables were flipped and the 2R team got all the luck, finishing third after a hard fought battle from the middle of the pack. On the ride home, Richard told his girlfriend, Julie, that he had a funny feeling he would drive for Ron someday. And so a bet was placed as to when this would take place. One week was the deadline for the life altering phone call that he had dreamed about for years.

All week, nothing, no phone call, no visits, no contact with Ron or his crew. Richard raced Friday night at Chico but with disappointing results. He spent Saturday morning at his father's shop working on the modified. At eleven that morning he got a call from Ron Brooke that would alter the course of his racing career. Having decided to part ways with his then current driver, Ron asked Richard if he wanted to drive the car that night. It would be a one night deal because he was in talks with Ray Rust, who used to drive for him. It was a chance of a lifetime, the phone call Richard had dreamed of, so of course he leapt at the chance.

The minute he hung up, his girlfriend drove up, stopping by on impulse before she and her mother took off for Tahoe that weekend. With the phone still clutched in his hand, he ran out of the office and across the parking lot to her. Stopping on a dime in front of her, he picked her up and swung her around in circles, laughing excitedly. When he finally put her down, still holding on to her, she asked him simply, 'What?' To which he just smiled, giving the Cheshire cat a run for his money. 'Ron called, didn’t he?' she asked, already knowing the answer. He told her about the conversation he had just had with Ron as they walked back to the shop. It had actually happened. After a few minutes of celebration, she left for her mother’s to cancel their trip, she was not going to miss this for anything.

That night at the races, everything went smoothly. Right out of the box, he qualified with an 11.9, which was less than a second slower than fast time. He took it easy, placing almost last in every race. He wasn’t necessarily fast, but he wasn’t what you would call slow either, especially considering it was his first night under green in a sprint car. By the end of the night, Ray was still unsure as to what he was going to do, so he told Ron to leave Richard in the car for another night. And so Richard was asked back for the next weekend at Placerville.

Over the next week, Ron was flooded with calls from other interested drivers and even a few that he was interested in having drive for him. But upon arriving at the track on Saturday, he was still undecided as to what he was going to do. Ray had decided to stick with his current car owner and there were a number of prospective drivers, including the rookie, that were in contention for the ride.

That night, Richard improved during qualifying. But it was the heat race that was phenomenal. Not expecting much, he started on the front row, with Ray Rust behind him in the pack. Brace Jr. ran smooth and fast and was able to hold off the more experienced Ray Rust until lap five, when he encountered a rut coming out of turn two and Ray past him on the bottom. And that is how they finished three laps later. Finishing tenth, the main was just more of the same. Richard handled the car like he had been driving it all season with unbelievable throttle control and smooth, smart driving. It was more than impressive for only his second night in a sprint car.

After the races, while Richard was changing out of his firesuit, Ron wandered to the back of the trailer where Richard was. 'You're gonna make me make the toughest decision of my life,' Ron said to his temporary driver. Richard apologized with a smile, not really knowing why. They chatted about the night for a few minutes and then Ron left, leaving Richard to ponder over his earlier comment. Nervous, but confidant, Richard continued to change. He knew he had done everything he could to keep his hat in the ring, and now it was out of his hands.

Twenty minutes later, Ron rematerialized and informed Richard that they were out of Bud Light and needed go steal some from the Forsbergs. On the way over to the Forsberg's pit, he told Richard he had made up his mind about who was going to be driving for him the rest of the year. He then put his arm around Richard’s shoulder and asked him, 'Would you like to drive for me?' To which Richard replied as he put his arm around Ron's shoulders, 'Would you like me to drive for you, Ron?' Each answered in the affirmative and the deal was sealed. On June 9th of the year 2000, the 1B Sprint Car and Ron Brooke had a new driver and a rookie at that.