Former Penn State running back Journey Brown will be the front tire changer for the Kaulig No. 31 Cup car this weekend at the YellaWood 500 on Sunday in Talladega, Alabama.
NASCAR insider Bob Pockross reported this Tuesday evening.
Former Penn State running back Journey Brown, who had to retire from football because of a heart condition, will be the front tire changer on the Kaulig No. 31 Cup car this weekend and plan is for him to be in that role the rest of the year. Trackhouse provides crews for Kaulig.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 26, 2023
Brown, who played for Penn State from 2017-20, had his best season in 2019, when he rushed for 890 yards on 129 carries and scored 12 touchdowns. The highlight of Brown’s football career came when he rushed for a school bowl game record 202 yards and two scores in his 53-39 win over Memphis. His efforts earned him the game’s Offensive MVP.
Brown had a bright future at Penn State. Then, he was forced to retire in the fall of 2020 right before the season due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which according to MayoClinic, is “a disease in which the heart muscle becomes thickened (hypertrophied). As the heart muscle thickens, it makes the heart muscle harder to pump blood.”
As he’s started his new career as a pit crew member, Brown’s been working with Advent Health to promote the importance of EKG for younger athletes as a way to help save lives.
Advent Health featured Brown in a documentary From the Gridiron to the Garage, where he chronicled his upbringing in a football family in Meadville, Pennsylvania, as well as finding out about his health issue that cut short his NFL dream, and pursuing a pit career.
The Kaulig Cup car will be driven by Justin Haley. As for Journey Brown, he’ll be on the pit crew for the rest of the season for the Kaulig racing team as he progresses on his new career journey.
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