(Bill W) June 16, 2014 – It had been a long wait for the Loyet Motorsports Vacuworx Global/Miller Truck Lines #o5 team and driver Brad Loyet, but they were back in action at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas Saturday night. After winning the Eagle Nationals in Nebraska on May 31, they endured a pair of rainouts the following weekend with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series.
The Sunset Hills, Missouri driver charged from 18th to 8th at Devil’s Bowl Saturday in the series’ Bob Westphal Memorial Speedweek opener. Four nights remain in Speedweek starting Wednesday night, and Brad leads Jason Johnson in the series’ point standings by fifteen.
Brad’s night got off to a tough start on Saturday. He drew a starting spot outside of row four for the heat, but could only advance to sixth. “At Devil’s Bowl, your pill draw can determine your night, and that was the case for us,” he says. “Unfortunately, we started in the back of a pretty tough heat race with not much passing.”
The car was on all cylinders in the B, where Brad drove from sixth to second to earn a starting spot for the main event outside of row nine. “We made it through the B without any issues,” he says. “We just kept telling each other that we needed to make the most out of situation we were dealt. Every car we could pass in the feature would be worth a point or two, and those add up at the end of the year.”
Brad put on a charge on the famous banked ½-mile oval. “We had a really good car in the feature,” he says. “It wasn’t easy to pass, but we were able to throw a few sliders in there. Everyone was whistling around the top. You kind of had to make your own luck. We had a really good start and got by several cars on the first lap. That helped a lot.”
He would advance ten spots, checkering eighth. “At that point, we were stuck behind a couple of guys that were racing,” says Brad. “I really couldn’t get the clean air I needed to make a move on them. That’s where we ended up.”
Brad and the team now head into the final four nights of Speedweek. On Wednesday, the series visits the Lawton Speedway in Oklahoma before moving to Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Oklahoma Thursday, Outlaw Motor Speedway near Muskogee, Oklahoma on Friday and Lucas Oil Speedway near Wheatland, Missouri on Saturday.
He feels good about his chances going into Wednesday. “We’ve run well at all of these tracks,” says Brad. “They fit my style for the most part. We just need to come out of Speedweek with no DNF’s. That can set the tone for the last half of the season. We need to keep digging and hopefully, everything plays out.”
Brad’s Weekly Releases
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Brad and the Loyet Motorsports team would like to thank primary sponsors: Vacuworx Global, Miller Truck Lines, and Loyet Landscape Maintenance. Associate sponsors: Maxim Race Cars, J and D Performance Racing Engines, Butlerbuilt Professional Seat Systems, Meramec Heights Collision Center, KSE Racing, Weld Wheels, Penske Shocks, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Hepfner Racing Products, DMI, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Bell Helmets, TI 64, Conroy Control, The Engine Heater, Ealey Transportation, and Speedway Motors.
Attached: (Greg Calnan Photo)
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