How a Father-and-Son Hobby Led to an ARCA Opportunity

Landon Brown Racing LLC is a professional motorsports program based in Louisville, Kentucky, centered around 20-year-old driver Landon Brown.

Today, Landon competes in the ARCA Menards Series with Kimmel Racing while continuing his development through pavement short-track competition in the United States Speed Association Kenyon Midget Series.

But Landon’s racing journey did not begin with a national series, a major team, or a long family history in motorsports.

It began much more simply.

It started with a father and son spending time together around a sport they both came to love.

What began as casual indoor go-karting grew into a journey built on learning, long drives, late nights, setbacks, recovery, teamwork, and steady progress. There was no blueprint. There was no shortcut. There was only a shared passion and a willingness to keep taking the next step.

How It Started

Landon’s first exposure to racing came when a new indoor go-kart facility opened near Bachman Chevrolet in Louisville, Kentucky, where his father, Phil, worked.

Phil began going to the facility regularly, simply enjoying the competition and the feel of racing. At the time, Landon was only about six years old. He would occasionally come along to watch, and before long, curiosity took over. Landon wanted to try it for himself.

It did not take long for the racing bug to bite.

At first, Landon was a casual young driver, enjoying the experience and learning at his own pace. But as he improved, his desire to become more competitive began to grow. What started as fun became something he wanted to get better at.

Landon and Phil eventually joined a karting league together, with Landon racing in his class and Phil racing in his own. For the next couple of years, they learned side by side. Landon’s competitiveness increased, his driving improved, and racing became a major part of their relationship.

There was no family racing background. There was no established path to follow. They were simply learning the sport together.

Learning the Racing World

As Landon continued to improve indoors, the next step was oval dirt kart racing.

With help from another father-and-son team who understood the racing world much better, Landon and Phil joined them in dirt oval kart competition. It was a major learning curve.

They did not come into racing with mechanical knowledge, setup experience, or a deep understanding of how to prepare a kart. They had to learn by listening, watching, asking questions, and doing the work.

The Mack family and Sam Price helped tremendously during those early years, giving the Browns the foundation they needed to understand the sport beyond simply driving. They also raced alongside the Pfeffer family and their son Evan, becoming part of a racing community that helped shape Landon’s early development.

Over the next couple of years, Landon gained experience, earned a few wins, and built more confidence. Each step brought more knowledge, more commitment, and a clearer sense that racing was becoming something bigger.

Five Years at New Castle

After dirt oval karts, Landon and Phil moved into asphalt sprint-style karting at New Castle Motorsports Park.

This was another major step in Landon’s development, but it also required a much bigger commitment. New Castle was about two and a half hours from home in Louisville, which meant racing was rarely simple or convenient. Practices and race weekends often meant long drives, early mornings, late nights, and a lot of time on the road.

But looking back, those long car rides and weekends spent together became one of the most valuable parts of the entire journey.

The drive was not always easy. The schedule was not always convenient. But the time together was priceless.

On track, sprint karting introduced a completely different style of racing. The road course required smoother inputs, better braking, more technical driving, and a deeper understanding of racecraft.

For five years, New Castle became an important part of Landon’s growth as a driver. Both Landon and Phil learned a tremendous amount during that time. Landon became more driven, more competitive, and more focused on the details required to run at the front.

He earned multiple pole positions, scored podium finishes, and consistently became a contender against strong competition.

During those karting years, Landon and Phil also attended the Skip Barber Racing School at Virginia International Raceway. The experience helped both of them tremendously, improving their understanding of car control, technique, and the fundamentals of performance driving.

By the end of his sprint kart years, Landon had developed from a young driver who simply enjoyed racing into a serious competitor with the work ethic and confidence to take on the next challenge.

Moving Into Kenyon Midgets

After five years of sprint kart racing, Landon and Phil learned about the Kenyon Midget Series through another driver.

They did not know much about the cars or the series at the time, but as they had done throughout the journey, they decided to dive in and learn.

The Browns purchased two Kenyon Midgets, with the plan for both Landon and Phil to race. It was a huge step forward. The cars were faster, more powerful, and required a much higher level of preparation.

After Landon’s first laps in the car, he was not completely sure if it was for him. The speed and feel of the car were a major adjustment. But after a few changes were made to help him feel more comfortable, he went back out.

From there, the Kenyon story began.

Landon quickly adapted. With limited experience in midget setup, Landon and Phil did the best they could to prepare the cars themselves and keep learning as they went.

For Phil, one of the most meaningful moments of the entire journey came during their first race together in Kenyon Midgets. He ran directly behind Landon for the entire race — father and son on track together, competing in real race cars after years of building toward that moment.

It is a memory that will always stand out.

The next race changed the direction of the program. Phil’s engine blew, and the car caught fire. That incident ended his midget racing career and helped clarify the path forward.

From that point on, the focus shifted fully to Landon — making his car better, helping him improve, and giving him the best opportunity possible.

A Team That Changed Everything

The first Kenyon season was challenging. The Browns ran a part-time schedule, worked through the learning curve, and made the best of what they had.

After that season, Jeff Hill, who had raced against Phil during the New Castle karting years, contacted the Browns about racing with the Jeff Hill Trailer Sales team.

That opportunity changed everything.

The weight of handling transportation and mechanical preparation was lifted from Phil, and Landon gained the benefit of stronger team support. With Jeff Hill, Dave Simmermon, and a small group working together, the program became more organized and more competitive.

The team worked well together, with each person helping the others improve. With better setup help, more structure, and experienced mechanical support, Landon became much more competitive.

That season, Landon earned Rookie of the Year honors in both the Kenyon Midget Series and from HARF, the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans organization.

Confidence was high. Landon was no longer just learning the series. He was becoming a competitive threat.

The Miles, the Weekends, and the Commitment

As the program moved deeper into midget racing, the travel commitment continued.

Many of the races were in Indiana and farther north, adding more long drives, long weekends, and time away from home. Just like the years driving from Louisville to New Castle, the schedule was not always easy or convenient.

But those miles became part of the foundation of Landon Brown Racing.

The trips, conversations, lessons, frustrations, late nights, and race weekends all helped shape both the driver and the program. The travel was part of the sacrifice, but it was also part of the reward.

For Phil and Landon, the time together became just as important as the racing itself.

Overcoming Adversity

During the offseason, Landon decided to compete in the indoor Rumble at Fort Wayne.

He adapted quickly and continued improving, but the weekend ended with a serious crash. Landon was involved in an unfortunate incident that sent him headfirst into a concrete retaining wall. The crash resulted in multiple fractures in his neck and back, forcing a long spring recovery and delaying the start of his next Kenyon Midget season.

It was a difficult setback, but it also showed Landon’s resilience.

After months of rehab and recovery, Landon returned to racing through the Lucas Oil School of Racing Formula Car Series. It was a new type of car and a different discipline, but he was competitive from the start.

The three-race weekend format, combined with professional instruction from the school’s staff, provided a strong path back into competition. Landon came away with two top-five finishes and three top-ten finishes, proving that he was ready to move forward.

The Breakthrough at Kalamazoo

Once Landon was ready to return to Kenyon Midget competition, his car had also been completely rebuilt. Dave Simmermon rebuilt the car with a new frame following the Fort Wayne crash, giving Landon a fresh start.

The first race back began with immediate speed, as Landon qualified fast time. Unfortunately, a minor mechanical failure ended the race early, but the pace was there.

Then came Kalamazoo.

The year before, Kalamazoo had been a struggle. Landon had fought near the back of the field while the team worked through setup challenges.

This time was different.

New car. New focus. New setup.

Landon qualified fast time, set a new track record, and went on to earn his first Kenyon Midget victory.

That breakthrough changed everything. It confirmed the progress, the work, and the belief that had carried the program through the difficult moments.

The Kalamazoo win was followed by two more victories, more fast times, and consistent front-running performances throughout the rest of the season. Landon had become one of the drivers everyone had to account for.

He was no longer chasing the front.

He was part of it.

The Kimmel Connection

One of Landon’s most meaningful races came at his home-area event at the Sportsdrome in Clarksville, Indiana.

Many members of the Lentini family were able to attend and support him. The family also had a long friendship with the Kimmel family through the restaurant they had owned in Louisville, creating a natural connection between two families with deep local roots.

At the Sportsdrome, the Kimmels were able to see Landon compete in person.

That connection eventually led to visits to the Kimmel Racing shop and a trip to Daytona to watch the team work at the track. Over time, the relationship developed into an opportunity for Landon to take the next major step in his career.

Together, Landon Brown Racing and Kimmel Racing began working toward a part-time ARCA Menards Series program.

It was not something Landon and Phil had planned when they first walked into an indoor go-kart facility years earlier. But through each step — indoor karts, dirt karts, sprint karts, Kenyon Midgets, recovery, wins, and continued development — the opportunity became real.

The Next Step: ARCA Menards Series

Landon has now entered the ARCA Menards Series, part of the NASCAR development ladder, with Kimmel Racing.

For Landon Brown Racing, ARCA represents more than just a bigger stage. It represents the next chapter in a journey built from the ground up.

The program remains part-time for now, but the goal is clear: continue learning, continue improving, and continue earning opportunities.

Every step of Landon’s career has come through work, patience, and a willingness to keep growing. ARCA is the next challenge — and the next opportunity to prove he belongs.

Education and Engineering Mindset

Away from the racetrack, Landon is currently pursuing an engineering degree at the University of Kentucky.

A proud graduate of Trinity High School, Landon earned Dean’s List honors and continues to bring that same discipline and focus into both school and racing.

His engineering background gives him a natural appreciation for the technical side of motorsports. Whether it is understanding setup changes, reviewing data, communicating feedback, or preparing for the next race, Landon approaches racing with a thoughtful and analytical mindset.

That combination of driver feel, technical curiosity, and work ethic continues to shape his growth behind the wheel.

The Mission

Landon Brown Racing started as a way for a father and son to spend time together around a sport they loved.

It grew into something much bigger.

There was no family history in racing. No shortcut. No clear roadmap. Just a shared passion, thousands of miles on the road, long weekends at racetracks, and the determination to keep learning.

Those trips were not always convenient or easy, but they became priceless. The time spent traveling, working, racing, struggling, and improving together became the foundation of the program.

Today, Landon Brown Racing is focused on growth, performance, professionalism, and long-term success in motorsports. The mission is to continue developing as a driver, compete at higher levels, and represent partners, supporters, family, and community with integrity.

From indoor go-karts to the ARCA Menards Series, Landon’s story is still being written.

Every race is another step forward.