By Bill W
August 29, 2013 – Brady Bacon at the Hoffman Racing #69 team invaded Kokomo Speedway’s Smackdown, and came away with three top five finishes. The strong showing precedes two events for the USAC National Sprint Car Series this weekend. On Friday, the series heads to the 34 Raceway, a 3/8-mile oval located in West Burlington, Iowa. On Saturday, they will tow back to the Hoosier state and the Terre Haute Action Track.
The Smackdown encompassed three nights, starting last Thursday night. Brady would qualify 11th. “I wish we could have qualified a little better,” he says. “We were able to get to second in the heat. Really, all weekend, we had a good car. We showed a lot of improvement from where we were the last time we were there.”
He would start tenth in the main event, and checker fourth. “We were able to work our way up pretty decent,” says Brady. :I tried to run the bottom a little too long. (Bryan) Clauson was a little tighter than us and worked his way to the front. He was good that night. (Jon) Stanbrough got by me early in the race, and we got back to him and almost got by him for third, but we couldn’t quite get him.”
The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma driver timed in second quick on Friday night. “We had quick time up there until the last car, which was (Dave) Darland,” says Brady. “We ran second in the heat again after starting sixth. It was a good heat.”
Starting fifth in the main event, Brady worked his way forward. “Darland got out to the lead and we got to third behind Kevin Thomas,” he says. “We got to racing back and forth with Chase Stockon. He got by me. I was just on the bottom too long, trying to get by Thomas. The top was better at that point. Those two got together a little bit, and I was able to get by KT and finish third.”
The third place finish set up Saturday’s finale. “It was another solid night,” says Brady. “It locked us in the feature, and qualified us for Saturday’s ‘King of the Hill’.”
“King of the Hill” results would put Brady inside row two for the finale. “We were able to win the first round over Stanbrough and then Stockon beat us in the next round,” he says. “I did a wheelie down the frontstretch that just threw everything off.”
Brady was in the hunt Saturday night. “I was actually coming on well on the bottom, but I had fallen back to fifth early,” he says. “I actually got back to third…Darland was in the lead and (Shane) Cottle was second. We were really coming well on the bottom. The yellow came out, and it kind of went away for me there. Stockon was able to get by me and we rode fourth behind him up on the cushion.”
It looked like Brady would finish fourth, but there was controversy afterwards. “(Chris) Windom apparently nipped me at the line,” he says. “The transponders said I finished fourth, but they said the manual scoring takes precedence, so they scored me fifth. So the computer said I was fourth, but officially, I was fifth. I’ve lost a USAC race when the opposite was ruled, so that was really frustrating.”
The finish didn’t put a damper on a solid Smackdown. “It was a good weekend, obviously,” says Brady. “We didn’t gain (in points) on Darland, because he was really, really good. It was a solid weekend, and to finish in the top five every night at Kokomo was good.”
Brady is third in the national USAC standings, just fourteen points behind Clauson in second, and forty-five behind the leader Darland. These are busy times, as he is currently moving into a newly purchased house in Winchester, Indiana and he has four big USAC events the next two weekends. “We’re really looking forward to some races the next couple of weekends that may get some of these guys out of their comfort zone,” he says. “Obviously, we’re really familiar with Little Rock and West Memphis and we’ll be there in a couple weeks. Burlington is a different track for everyone coming up on Friday, and we were good at Terre Haute last time. We’re looking forward to that.”
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-
Partner of the Week – Tel-Star Communications
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Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – Hoosier Tire Southwest
Hoosier Tire Southwest is located in beautiful Balch Springs, Texas. They can be reached at 1-972-289-RACE (7223). Call them if you have questions about purchasing Hoosier tires. All Hoosier tires are sold through Hoosier’s extensive distributor network. Retail tire prices are set by individual distributors and dealers. The goal is to have the tires you need when you need them. The extensive Hoosier distributor network was developed to bring American made tires closer to the end user as well as provide product support on a local level using many tire experts. If you want to become a member of the Hoosier “family,” contact them about arranging a purchase. Find them online at www.hoosiertire.com/DIST/
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.