(Bill W) May 27, 2014 – A charge from 19th to tenth anywhere is an accomplishment for a sprint car driver. For a driver doing it in the stout weekly 410 field at Knoxville Raceway, it’s something to hang your hat on. Brad Loyet and the Vacuworx Global/Miller Truck Lines #o5 team did just that last Saturday night and they’ve built their confidence running at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” the last three weeks. This weekend, they’ll be back in action with the Lucas Oil ASCS National series as they tackle Salina Speedway in Kansas on Friday, and Eagle Raceway in Nebraska on Saturday.
The Sunset Hills, Missouri driver timed in an impressive 12th quick amongst the 31-car field at Knoxville on Saturday. “That was our best qualifying effort since we’ve been going up there,” says Brad. “We had a new motor in that we hadn’t ran there. The motor we had been running had thirteen nights on it and she was getting tired. We thought we’d see how this one would run there, and she throttled a lot better than the other one. It showed in qualifying.”
Things went awry in the heat when Brad checkered seventh after starting in row two. “Unfortunately, the driver/crew chief combination missed the setup,” he admits. “We didn’t have the car tight enough. We missed a transfer by one spot, which really hurt our night. We had a really good car in the feature.”
The team bounced back with an impressive win in the B main, however, locking Brad into the back of the A main. “We started 19th, but we kind of got the shaft on the start,” he says. “I don’t know what happened in front of us, but we went backwards. So officially, we started 19th, but I’m not sure where we actually started.”
From there, however, the #o5 was a rocket. “I had a really, really good car,” says Brad. “I’ve learned a lot about what the car needs with the wing at that place, compared to anywhere else. The dirty air is just impossible there. Once you find where your wing needs to be, moving around…you find out where your car needs to be.”
Brad charged through to a top ten finish. “We drove up to tenth place and I was pretty happy about it,” he says. “I think I had even a better car than that. It just took us a while to get going after that start.”
The level of competition at Knoxville is not lost on the young driver. “Overall, we improved each week and we’ve been happy with that,” says Brad. “When you see the guys that race Knoxville every week…these are guys that are threats to make the show at the Nationals every year. I feel like we’re closer to getting to that level, so we’re excited. I think we have Knoxville on our schedule two more times before Nationals, so that will be a good deal.”
Brad is also excited about getting back to action with ASCS where he is currently second in the point standings, just eleven markers behind Jason Johnson. “I’m looking forward to getting back to the ASCS tour,” he says. “We were decent at Salina last year (sixth) and we were rained out at Eagle.”
Oklahoma Appearances on Wednesday and Thursday
Vacuworx Global will be celebrating their 15th Anniversary of business operations on Wednesday, May 26 starting at 11:00 a.m. and Brad and the team will be there.
On Thursday, the #o5 will be on display at Miller Truck Lines in Tulsa. The truck drivers will get an up close look at the car and the rig.
Brad’s Weekly Releases
If you’d like to be added to Brad’s e-mail list for weekly releases, e-mail sprntcar@hotmail.com with “Loyet” in the Subject Line.
Brad and the Loyet Motorsports team would like to thank primary sponsors: Vacuworx Global, Miller Truck Lines, and Loyet Landscape Maintenance. Associate sponsors: Maxim Race Cars, J and D Performance Racing Engines, Butlerbuilt Professional Seat Systems, Meramec Heights Collision Center, KSE Racing, Weld Wheels, Penske Shocks, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Hepfner Racing Products, DMI, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Bell Helmets, TI 64, Conroy Control, The Engine Heater, Ealey Transportation, and Speedway Motors.
Attached: Brad at Knoxville (Danny Howk Photo)
- Admin Account on May 28, 2014
- Article Date: 5/28/2014 by Bill Wright