February 27, 2017 โ Brady Bacon and the Dooling/Hayward Racing #63 team had a successful debut at last weekendโs USAC sprint car Winter Games VIII at Bubba Raceway Park near Ocala, Florida. The team recorded two top five finishes. They didnโt come easy, however, as charges came from row eight and row seven. That earned the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma driver BC Badass Hard-charger honors for both features and the weekend. This Friday and Saturday will be the debut of the wing Bacon/Marshall Motorsports #99 team with the World of Outlaws in Texas.
The planned three-night event in Ocala was cut to two by Mother Nature. Also yielding to rain was Wednesdayโs practice session. That weighed on the teamโs first outing. โWe had new cars,โ says Brady. โI hadnโt driven Spikeโs (chassis) before. Losing a night of racing and practice left us behind a little bit. We had to do a lot of different things than what I was accustomed to, so we didnโt qualify well.โ
Brady would time in 16th quick on Friday, and 14th on Saturday. โWe ran two different cars,โ he says. โThey ended up running pretty similarly. It took us until the feature to get it right both nights. Considering we struggled early, we ran really well in the features, coming up to finish fourth (from 16th) and fifth (from 13th).โ
The weekend gave the team confidence heading forward. โWe have a grasp on what we need to do,โ says Brady. โWe passed a lot of cars and came forward each night. We were as fast as anyone in the feature, we just were starting too far back. Weโll work on putting a whole night together and putting ourselves in position for that first win.โ
The hard-charger awards were a shot in the arm as well. โThe Hughes Family had a hard-charger award for each night,โ says Brady. โThe Indiana Mafia was also involved in doing a hard-charger award for both nights as well. We were able to take home some nice bonus money for that, and thatโs always nice. Every little bit that is added helps.โ
Brady will tackle the WoO at Lonestar Speedway near Kilgore, Texas Friday and Gator Motorplex near Willis on Saturday. โWeโre debuting the new Bacon-Marshall Motorsports team,โ he says. โWeโve been working hard on the cars to have everything ready. I feel optimistic about everything. We ran really well last year for as much as we raced.โ
He is hoping an increased wing schedule and improved motor program will go a long way. โWith a little bigger schedule this year, I think itโs going to work to our advantage,โ says Brady. โWe have a way better motor program than weโve ever had in a 410. With the World of Outlaws format, thatโs very important in qualifying. Hopefully, all the work pays off for us.โ
Brady says the team will also use their first weekend to get things dialed in. โWeโre going to compete, but we also want to get any bugs worked out. When the Outlaws come back from the West Coast, we can be ready for them at Devilโs Bowl. Weโre looking at a month and a half running with them with the #99.โ
Heโs had limited experience at the two tracks. โItโs been a while since Iโve run at Lonestar,โ says Brady. โI havenโt ever been to Gator. They say itโs a high-banked ยผ-mile, which should be right up our alley. Weโll have to see what the tracks do. The last time I was at Lonestar, it was slick, but rough. Iโve heard itโs been smooth lately.โ