By Bill W
March 28, 2011 – Brady Bacon has made a habit of charging through the feature packs this season, but it is a habit he would like to avoid. Starting up front once in awhile makes things easier. After charging from 18th to 3rd in Friday’s prelim, Saturday’s finale at Devil’s Bowl Speedway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series saw him start in row three and challenge for a win. Unfortunately, a fuel line nozzle came loose, resulting in a DNF. This week, the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma goes sans wing, and takes the Brady Bacon Racing #99 to North Vernon, Indiana for the two-day “No Way Out” 40.
Brady’s surge from the back of the pack on Friday night started with a less than stellar heat that saw him run third after starting fourth. “The car in front of me didn’t take off the way I had hoped,” he says. “That got us off to a bad start, and we went into turn one in third. The way the track was, things were decided in turns one and two on the first lap on Friday night in the heats.”
After winning the B in strong fashion, Brady posted outside row nine for the preliminary main event. “The car got better as the night went on,” he says. “I really think we were fastest car out there in the feature. We would have been better without the cautions. We were really good under green with our momentum. The cautions bunched things up in the middle of the race.”
He picked off cars one at a time, and would come home with a third place finish. That locked him into the first three rows for Saturday’s finale. “Putting things in single-file (restarts) hurt a bit,” he says of his progress through the field. “I think without the yellows, we could have been battling for the lead. We were able to move around more and more as the race went on. The track was almost perfect at that point, other than the top of one and two. We were able to catch guys bunched at the bottom of three and four by railing them around the top.”
A dry track surface awaited for Saturday’s feature, and Brady drew outside row three. “Drawing six is usually not good, but I’m not sure Saturday’s track was one you wanted to start on the pole anyway,” he says. “You are kind of a sitting duck out front. I think I found the racetrack before anyone else did.”
He battled in the top five most of the way before garnering second and trying to chase down leader Brian Brown. “The rubber was developing off of turn two and down the back straightaway,” says Brady. “I was going into the top on a bit of a cushion in one and then coming off the corner in two, it was pushing me down and I had enough momentum to not spin the tires. We kept getting faster and faster and the tires were heating up.”
On lap 17, the fuel line nozzle was knocked loose, taking Brady out of contention. “I was picking them off, and reeling in Brian (Brown) at the midway point,” he says. “If the nozzle line hadn’t come loose, I think we had a real shot at the win.”
Brady welcomes the change of pace he will see this weekend at Twin Cities Raceway Park in Indiana. Saturday’s win will pay $6,000 to the winner. “It will be fun to get back to Indiana,” he says. “I’ve been to North Vernon once. Turn four is really a sharp one. I think I was able to set the track record there the one time I was there.”
Driving the Kasey Kahne Racing #99 back in 2007, Brady circled the banked 3/8-mile oval in 13.719 seconds, setting the track record. The late Jesse Hockett won the “No Way Out” 40 a year ago. “I’m excited to get back to Indiana with my own package, and with the stuff that I know is going to work on the non-wing car,” says Brady. “I want to see how we stack up with those guys.”
Watch the Highlights From Devil’s Bowl at HighVista.com!
Brady had it rolling well in Saturday’s feature until the problem with the nozzle. Check out the highlights at this link…
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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 would like to thank owners Mike and Megan Eubanks and the following sponsors for all their help: Tel-Star Communications, PPM Titanium Products, Triple X Race Co., Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Smiley’s Racing Products, Wesmar Racing Engines, Butlerbuilt Seats, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Diversified Machine Inc., Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Lightning Wings, Simpson, Pro Pan, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, KSE Steering, King Racing, Schroth Racing, TI22 Performance Oakley, FSR Radiators, Three-wide Clothing, Fuel Safe and Colonial Fiberglass.