Former Penn State RB Journey Brown to serve as front tire changer for Kaulig Racing's No. 31 car

Former Penn State running back Journey Brown will serve as the front tire changer on the Kaulig Racing No. 31 NASCAR Cup Series car for this Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Brown, who was forced into retirement three years ago due to a heart condition, is expected to continue in that role for the final six races of the season, according to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. Trackhouse Racing originally reached out to Brown in 2022 about training to become a pit crew member.

After a year’s worth of training with Shaun Peet, pit coach at Trackhouse Racing, Brown got the call-up for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 26. Trackhouse Racing, which provides pit crews for Kaulig Racing, assigned Brown to be the front tire changer for the No. 13 car piloted by Chandler Smith.

“This kid is going to be the best [tire] changer in NASCAR,” Peet said, via NBC Sports. “And I believe it when he says it. … This kid, he does the things that make him successful.”

Journey Brown finds new career in NASCAR

While transitioning from football to NASCAR sounds like quite the audible, Brown feels right at home.

“It’s actually surprising how many football players are in NASCAR. And a lot of them played at the levels I did and even higher,” Brown recently said, via The Sun. So when I first came in and explained my story, they understood because they had to call it quits at some point too. So for them it was like playing a broken record because they know how it feels. 

“When you play football and it’s cut short, it’s all the same story. There’s a lot of similarities in ‘How do you give it up?’ They understand me better than anybody.”

As a player, Brown burst onto the scene in 2019, helping lead Penn State to a Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis. Brown rushed for a career-high 890 yards on 6.9 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns. He added 15 receptions for 134 yards and a score through the air.