(Bill W) October 15, 2014 – Brad Loyet and the Vacuworx Global/Miller Truck Lines #o5 tested the MOWA series in Illinois last weekend. On Friday night, the Sunset Hills, Missouri driver checkered second at the Lincoln Speedway. Saturday, the series moved on to Jacksonville Speedway, where Brad tangled with leader Jerrod Hull, ending his night. This weekend finds the Lucas Oil ASCS Nationals Series point leader at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway near Mesquite, Texas for this weekend’s Winternationals.
Brad made the most of MOWA’s passing point system. “I did my usual pill draw and started dead-last in the heat race,” he says. “Fortunately, we got a good start and got by six cars on the first lap. We were up to fourth by then, and we were able to get to second.”
That qualified him for a Dash starting spot outside of row one. “We had an issue in the heat,” says Brad. “We thought it was a brake problem. They got hot and we changed the caliper for the Dash. We had the same problem though. It turned out the return spring had come loose and the throttle was hanging up a little bit. We ended up third in the Dash.”
A starting spot inside row two for the feature became the pole. “Christopher Bell spun out, and we were given the pole for the second restart,” says Brad. “Rico (Abreu) was able to get around us on the outside. We had a really strong car. We were able to run him down. I got outside of him once in lapped traffic. When he got underneath, I think it scared the lapped car, and he got on the brakes. He got in my way enough, and we lost the nose on the front wing.”
Still, he finished strong. “We ended up second, but I felt we had the car to win,” says Brad. “We needed a couple more laps. We were trying to work a line a little higher than him, it just didn’t pan out.”
The draw went much better on Saturday at Jacksonville. Brad won his heat from outside row one. Again, he found himself in the Dash…this time starting in row three. “I knew I wanted to start on the outside for the feature,” he says. “I was content kind of rolling around in the back there. A guy spun out and the yellow came out. I was fifth, and then I figured I needed to pass a guy. A guy threw the block on us there and (Zach) Daum got back by us.”
In the end, he would finish fifth and start inside row three for the main event. “I knew all night I had a strong car,” says Brad. “We’ve been really good at Jacksonville. They reworked the track, and it was a little too good at the beginning. Once it blew off, I think we had the best car in the race. We could run the cushion and the car wouldn’t get upset.”
Brad would put on a charge and challenge for the lead. “We slowly worked our way up to second,” he says. “Once we were in lapped traffic, I was on (Jerrod) Hull’s bumper. It was one of those deals where I got in there a little hot, and he jumped the cushion enough that I had nowhere to go. I got into him and got upside down. I was pretty upset, because I felt we should have won had I not made that mistake.”
All eyes are on Texas this weekend. The heat draw is usually imperative at Devil’s Bowl. “We want to draw well, but if everything works out like it has been with ASCS, I should draw the last row,” jokes Brad. “We’ve done well there, and we’re hoping for the best.”
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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: Brad at Lincoln Speedway (Mark Funderburk Racing Photo)
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