Brady Bacon – From Sprintweek to Sprintweek!
(Bill W) July 30, 2013 – It would be hard to find someone who has run as many races as Brady Bacon in the last month and a half. After tackling the majority of both Ohio and Pennsylvania Speedweeks, he finished second in the final Indiana Sprintweek standings in the Hoffman Racing #69. Starting Thursday, Southern Iowa Sprintweek kicks off with the 360 Nationals and the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma driver will have the Brady Bacon Racing #99 ready.
Indiana Sprintweek started off a little bit rough at Gas City Speedway with a twelfth place finish. “We struggled the first two nights,” says Brady. “At Gas City, we just didn’t have a very good night. We qualified well (fifth), then we got tangled up in the heat and we had to run the B. They kept reworking the track, and we didn’t anticipate it being as heavy as it was. We were o.k. for a while, but I dialed myself out on the shocks a little bit. We just got a little tight at the end of the race and finished twelfth.”
A thirteenth place finish at Kokomo Speedway the following night was a bit of a disappointment as well. “At Kokomo, we just didn’t keep up with the racetrack enough in the feature,” says Brady. “We were good all night, qualifying second and running second in the heat. After about ten laps of the feature, we just couldn’t stay with them anymore. We just weren’t tight enough.”
Things started going better at Lawrenceburg Speedway. “We got things turned around at Lawrenceburg, which is always a good track for us,” says Brady. “The track was going to be really good, and it rained a little bit making it heavy for the feature. We started fifth, and I had to fight forever to get past one car to get to third. Once I got there, KT (Kevin Thomas Jr.) and (Dave) Darland were gone. There were no yellows, so we took what we could get, which was third.”
Another podium finish awaited at the Terre Haute Action Track. “I thought we should have won at Terre Haute,” admits Brady. “I just wasn’t aggressive enough on the start. We did some things with the car. I took it a little easy. Kevin Thomas was able to sneak by us, and we were able to race right there with him the whole race. I got up beside him a couple times and slid him. He got back around us, and we just weren’t able to get all the way around him. We weren’t the greatest on restarts, but we were good when we got our momentum up. We wound up third, but it was a good night.”
The #69 team finished sixth at Lincoln Park Speedway. “We have really struggled at Putnamville in the past,” says Brady. “We lost a driveline in the heat, so we had to go through the B. We finished sixth in the feature, and that was good for us. We weren’t great, but we were better than we have been. We’re gaining on the short, slick tracks and getting better.”
Indiana Sprintweek concluded with a third place finish at Bloomington Speedway. “Like Lawrenceburg, Bloomington is usually a good track for us,” says Brady. “We drew a really late number for qualifying. Fortunately, they reworked the track after hot laps, and it was still a little greasy for the guys going out early. Late was where you wanted to be, and we ended up second quick. It was really heavy for the feature. We had the car really free, and we were able to pass some cars and get to third. We almost got (Chase) Stockon on the last restart, but we didn’t have quite enough laps to get by him. We’ll take third, especially as treacherous and hard to pass as the track was.”
The second place standing in Sprintweek standings had the team heading in the right direction for a USAC Sprint Car Championship. “I wish we could have raced at Haubstadt, but it rained on us, and we ended up second in Sprintweek points,” says Brady. “We were pretty happy with that. We would have liked to have won, but we did better than most. We gained some points on the USAC championship and if we can keep that steady momentum the rest of the year, we definitely have a shot at it.”
Another busy two weeks is in store. After this weekend’s 360 Nationals, Brady plans on running Sunday’s “Capitani Classic” with the 410’s at Knoxville before returning to the wheel of the Hoffman Racing #69 next Tuesday for the Ultimate Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. Everything concludes with the big one…the 53rd Annual Knoxville Nationals, August 7-10. “There’s nothing like Knoxville, so I always look forward to going there,” says the 2011 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year. “Even though we haven’t run really well with the 410 stuff this year, I’ve learned a lot that should help me there at the 410 Nationals. We’re going to have a new car going in, so I’m excited about it. We’d like to do as well if not better with the 360 than we did last year, which was third.”
Doing well at the 360 Nationals should set up a solid couple of weeks. “It would help to get some momentum there and carry it through the week,” says Brady. “I’m really excited about 410 Nationals. My motors have been running good and competitive and that’s something we didn’t have the last couple years there…and we still did decent. If nothing bad happens, we hope to make the show at both.”
Follow Brady on his Website, Twitter and Facebook!
Follow Brady at his website located at www.BradyBaconRacing.com! Also keep up with him on Facebook and Twitter (which also can be accessed at the website) at the following links…
Twitter Link – http://twitter.com/BradyBacon
Facebook Link - www.facebook.com/pages/Brady-Bacon-Racing/278125555137
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Brady Bacon Racing would like the following sponsors for all their help: Fatheadz Eyewear, Oilfield Equipment and Manufacturing, Tel-Star Communications, PPM Titanium Products, Triple X Race Co., Competition Suspension, Smiley's Racing Products, Heath Clips Lawn Care, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Tru-Square, Eaton Industrial Coatings, Pattison Precision Products, Wesmar Racing Engines, Butlerbuilt Seats, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Diversified Machine Inc., Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Lightning Wings, Simpson, Pro Pan, CP Pistons, Schoenfeld Headers, Carrillo Rods, KSE Steering, All Star Performance, King Racing, Schroth Racing, FSR Radiators, Three-wide Clothing and Fuel Safe.
The Hoffman #69 sprinter is sponsored by Mean Green, Mopar, XXX, Hoosier, DMI, Lykins, Engler Machine & Tool, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems, KSE, MPD Racing, XYZ Machining, Saldana Racing Products, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Fastener Specialty Motorsports, Wilwood Brakes, Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, Zemco Headers, Chalk Racing Products and Weld.
The Brady Bacon Racing #99 is ready for Knoxville (Mike Campbell Photo – www.campbellphoto.com)
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
Twitter: @BillWMedia
e-mail: sprntcar@iowatelecom.net
- Brady Bacon on Oct 16, 2013
- Article Date: 7/30/2013 by Bill W