8/31/2017
Brady Bacon
Brady Bacon – Two Seconds at Smackdown!
Brady Bacon – Two Seconds at Smackdown!
(Bill W) August 30, 2017 – Brady Bacon and the Dooling/Hayward #63 team battled through the Kokomo Smackdown in Indiana last week, and emerged with two runner-up finishes. Although the finale ended in a frustrating DNF, the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma driver is looking to bounce back in the Bacon/Marshall #99 wing car this Friday and Saturday night at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio.
The four-night event at Kokomo Speedway started on Wednesday. The first night does not count as far as points for the week, but everyone is in attendance. “The format was different and tough for that many cars,” says Brady. “The track was wet. We had the toughest heat of the night…it just seemed like things were working against us. We didn’t make the feature in the heat, but made it through the B. There was a big pileup towards the end of the feature. It was kind of a domino effect, and we ended up with a DNF.”
Things started well for Brady on Thursday. “We qualified pretty well (fourth quick),” he says. “We had a decent heat race, where we went from sixth to third. We did have to change a motor after that heat. We chopped a cylinder or something, but we didn’t have time to diagnose it. We were prepared to do that if we had to, and we were able to get it done.”
He started outside row two of the feature. “We were able to get to second,” says Brady. “We were reeling CJ (Leary) in. We were getting to lapped traffic and we were a little more maneuverable than he was. I thought we were going to get him and the yellow came out. He gathered himself up, and we were a little tight after that. We just couldn’t quite catch him.”
A penalty started things off for Brady on Friday. “USAC penalized forty percent of the field for being late to staging to wheel pack,” he says. “That’s something they haven’t enforced, and forty percent of the field was given just one lap to qualify. I didn’t get a good lap in at all and we ended up 20th quick.”
After finishing second in his heat, he lined up outside row nine for the main event and put on a charge! “We had a really good car,” says Brady. “We were able to pick our way through all the way to second towards the end. We were underneath Tyler Courtney for the lead in three and four on the last lap, so that was fun to come through the field. It was disappointing at the same time, because we definitely had a car good enough to win if we would have started closer to the front.”
Brady had enough points to lock himself into Saturday’s “King of the Hill” match races to determine starting spots in the finale. “I felt we were jumped on the start,” he says. “I really wasn’t that concerned about it though. Our car is more set up for the long run. It would be tough for us to get very far in the ‘King of the Hill’. That put us starting fifth.”
The team lined up with confidence, but the track conditions fooled them a bit. “The track had been heavy all night, and then it sat around for a while during the driver intros,” says Brady. “It dried out pretty quickly and we were a little off at the beginning of the race. It was heavy on exit, and free on entry. We fell back to ninth or tenth, and we were coming back. We were able to get back to fifth. We lost a cylinder at that point, but we were maintaining o.k. Then we were racing hard with Josh Hodges and ended up with a flat. That sent us to the tail, and I hit a tire and spun out.”
Brady was disappointed in the result. “The finale just didn’t go the way we wanted to. The rest of the race was exciting, I just wish we could have been a part of it. Even though we missed the setup a little bit, I think we could have been in contention to win at the end.”
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
Partner of the Week – Tel-Star Technologies
Native American Owned and Operated, TST has been established since 2000. We have assembled an industry leading team of professional engineers, project managers, programmers, technicians, and back office staff. Our mission is to provide the highest level of technology while ensuring simplicity, reliability, and aesthetics
Our TEAM of trained professionals can support any project from start to finish. We have over 25 years of experience providing Turn-Key Solutions for both Commercial and Residential Projects
• Design & Engineering
• Project Documentation
• Project Management
• Professional Installation
• Maintenance & Service
Visit us online at www.Tel-StarTech.com!
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – Simpson Performance Products
Simpson Performance Products is headquartered in New Braunfels, TX with more than 80,000 sq. feet of manufacturing and warehouse space. Many of our restraints, helmets and flagship parachutes are manufactured and tested right here. Simpson fire suits and crew uniforms are manufactured outside of Los Angeles, CA in our 52,000 sq. foot facility. Simpson also employs the largest customer service and sales team devoted solely to servicing NASCAR customers of any racing safety supplier, based in the heart of NASCAR country, Mooresville, NC. Visit us online at www.TeamSimpson.com!
Bacon/Marshall Motorsports would like to thank the following sponsors for all their help: Priority Aviation, Fatheadz Eyewear, Triple X Race Co., Tel-Star Technologies, KTA Kiser’s Truck and Auto (formerly Sham’s Garage), Heath Clips Lawn Care, Factory Kahne, FK Indy, Lightning Wings, CP Carrillo, FK Rod Ends, Valvoline, Keizer Wheels, Smiley’s Racing Products, Sweet Mfg., Butlerbuilt Seats, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Proglide Coatings, Diversified Machine Inc., Wilwood, Allstar Performance, Simpson, Octane Ink, PAC Springs, Schroeder, Schroth Racing, Smith Titanium, King Racing Products and Schoenfeld Headers.
Dooling/Hayward Racing would like to thank the following sponsors for all their help: Dooling Machine, B&H Contractors, Diversified Machine, Inc., Stanton Engines, Spike Chassis, Sander, Sweet Mfg., FK Indy, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Simpson, Butlerbuilt, Schroeder, Schoenfeld and Schroth Racing.
Photo: Brady at Kokomo (Collin Markle Photo)
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
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