Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (March 7, 2019) – With a potential $50,000 bonus hanging in the balance, Brady Bacon is hoping for a dash of good fortune at Saturday’s USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget “Shamrock Classic” at Du Quoin’s Southern Illinois Center.
“The Macho Man” will be pulling double-duty on the night as well, driving a Kelly Hinck-owned TKH Motorsports/Dahmer Powertrain No. 21h entry in both the Midget and Micro Sprint action.
It will mark Bacon’s first Midget action since posting a career-best fourth-place finish at January’s Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa. And while it is Bacon’s first time aboard the TKH No. 21h Midget, he has wheeled the team’s Micro Sprint on selection occasions over the past several years including a runner-up finish in the Winged Outlaw portion of January’s Tulsa Shootout.
With some previous outings at the Southern Illinois Center including back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Shamrock, Bacon knows the formula to a good finish atop the 1/6-mile indoor clay oval.
“It can be hard to pass there at times, so you just have to stay out of the crashes and it helps to start up front,” Bacon explains.
Regarding the potential $50,000 bonus up for grabs among one of the top four feature qualifiers, Bacon is taking a wait and see approach.
“It’s really going to depend upon track conditions,” Bacon explains. “If it looks like there will be some passing, then it gets tempting. And without points in play, it will be something to consider if we get to that point.”
With a slate of more than 100 events on the 2019 docket for Bacon, Saturday’s card marks the first competition since kicking off the USAC National Sprint Car season at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park on February 14-16. It was a set that netted finishes of seventh, 15th and 11th aboard the Hoffman Racing No. 69 Mean Green entry to put Bacon solidly in contention for a third series title with the team.
Bacon was in the hunt for the win on the opening night before slipping to seventh in the closing laps.
“They were all sliding each other for the lead, so I was running the bottom to try to sneak by them,” Bacon recalls. “I killed my momentum once and lost several positions.”
A potentially strong finish on the second night was cut short by a blown tire near the end of the race with the third night resulting near where he started. “Nobody ever really got going, it was a tough one to do a whole of passing on,” Bacon says.
Bacon is ready to get back it Saturday night at the “Shamrock Classic” before venturing closer to his native Broken Arrow, OK, home for more Midget and Micro Sprint double-duty during POWRi’s “Turnpike Challenge” in Oklahoma on March 21-24.
Brady Bacon Racing is bolstered by the support of partners including Fatheadz Eyewear, Tel-Star Technology/Port City Raceway, Gene Frankowiak, Cimarron Cycle Works, Priority Aviation, Triple-X Race Co., FMR Racing, FK Indy, Heath Clips Lawn Care, Elliot’s Custom Trailers and Carts, B&S Cattle, Lucas Oil Products, Kiser’s Truck and Auto, Smiley’s Racing Products, Keizer Wheels, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, FK Rod Ends, DMI, Walker Filters, ProGlide Coatings, Octane Ink, CP Carrillo, PAC Racing Allstar Performance, Simpson Racing Products, Driver Websites, Engler Machine and Tool, Wilwood Engineering, Schroth Racing, Smith Precision Products, KSE Racing Products, King Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, FSR Radiators, LRB Mfg. Indy Race Parts, Imperial Wagyu Beef, Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts, Tony Elliott Foundation, Frolic Bar & Grill.
2019 Quick Stats: 9 races, 4 top-fives, 5 top-tens.
Up Next: USAC NOS Energy Drink Nationals Midgets and Micro Sprints at the “Shamrock Classic” at Du Quoin’s Southern Illinois Center. Those unable to attend in person can catch the action live via PPV at https://www.floracing.com/.
Keep Track: Keep track of Brady Bacon’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.bradybaconracing.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Brady-Bacon-278125555137/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BradyBaconRacin.
If you would like Brady Bacon Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
- administrator on Mar 07, 2019
- Article Date: 3/7/2019 by Lonnie Wheatley