After New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen dazzled spectators with a debut win last year, a lot of eyes were on the two Australian drivers competing in California – Will Brown and Cam Waters. Brown, Triple Eight star and current Supercars championship leader hoped to leave a mark in America under Richard Childress’ banner.

But technical glitches arose that relegated him to the rear of the field. The Aussie fumbled with electrical issues both during qualifying and the main race. After a tough day, Brown reflected on the Sonoma run with a remorseful glance.

Richard Childress’ Aussie driver sighs in NASCAR Cup debut

The Toowoomba native ranks as one of the best circuit racers in Supercars, and his talent shone on practice day. Will Brown lapped the California road course within two-tenths of the day’s best pace by Ryan Blaney. Recording the third-fastest speed, Brown was the quickest Chevrolet driver of the day and drummed up Richard Childress’ expectations. However, the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet, brought out after many years, suffered electrical glitches both at qualifying and the final race.

Talking to Stephen Stumpf of Frontstretch, Brown highlighted his concern about the electrical snags after qualifying. “We were a little bit concerned heading into it ’cause we couldn’t find much after qualifying to say why we had that electrical gremlin. And they never generally go away, electrical issues. So yeah, it came back in towards the end of stage one.”

The technical fallout drew a lot of flak from fans, who criticized Richard Childress’ team for messing up the Aussie’s ambition. Both Will Brown and Cam Waters already had tough tasks to adapt to the new cars. They had to quickly adapt to sitting on the other side of the car, which includes changing gears with their right hands. Thus RCR’s technical problems added to Brown’s challenges.

But the Supercars driver thanked Richard Childress, albeit letting slip his admission about a bad race day overall. “I can’t thank RCR enough for the experience. But yeah, I loved racing with everyone, it was a wild race out there. But like you said, the cautions just didn’t fall when I needed them. Yeah, it was a bit of a messy day anyway. I think it would have been hard to get back on the lead lap and become competitive again.

“Despite the electrical issues, Will Brown displayed speed as he ran as high as 11th after starting 24th. He brought the fifth caution of the race on lap 32. Brown stalled near the restructured concrete walls on Turn 11, citing an “Electrical fire behind the kill switch.” Eventually, his luck turned from bad to worse as Josh Berry’s caution gave his car “suspension damage” and Brown finished 31st.

But to guide his troubles, Will Brown had a homely voice directing his car from the spotter’s stand.

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It can be difficult to get accustomed to a new place thousands of miles away from your home. Will Brown’s trip from Australia to Richard Childress’ headquarters was not smooth. The 25-year-old racer initially ended up in New York after two canceled flights and a missed connecting flight. Then the Queenslander finally arrived in time for the race, with Childress waiting to welcome him. But another NASCAR icon’s voice made him feel at home even more.

Shane van Gisbergen, former Supercars champion and current NASCAR star, spotted Will Brown’s No. 33 car during the tumultuous Sonoma race. Hence Brown acknowledged his help while also appreciating the other spotter and team members. “Yeah, he was good. You know, he was telling me when I was making mistakes and lockups and all of that. It was great to have a familiar voice on the spotter. Brett was great, Keith, the whole team…They worked their asses off to try and get us back up there.”

Thus, Will Brown felt comfortable with his unique pit team’s support, albeit while weathering some difficult storms at his Cup debut.