(Bill W) May 14, 2014 – Brad Loyet and the Vacuworx Global/Miller Truck Lines #o5 had four races planned last week, but sometimes the best laid plans have to be scrapped. A rainout cost them their ASCS date in Kansas City, Kansas on Thursday, and a bent racecar at Jacksonville with the World of Outlaws meant they wouldn’t be running in Wilmot or Haubstadt with that series. Instead, the team pulled out their Knoxville Raceway car to get some laps in preparation for August’s Knoxville Nationals.
Things started very well at the Outlaw show last Wednesday in Jacksonville, Illinois. Brad timed in second quick amongst the 40 competitors. “It’s not easy to do, so we were happy,” he says. “We did go out early, but we were still able to perform. The guys gave me a good car, and it did help that we were there about a month before. We did what we needed as far as putting ourselves in a good spot the rest of the night.”
The Sunset Hills, Missouri driver’s night would be over before he could make a lap in his heat, however. “We got into second in turns one and two,” says Brad. “Coming down the back straightaway, going into three, we got into a tangle with the guy running third. That ended our night right there. Had that not happened, I think we’d have had a really good shot at running up front. Sometimes, that stuff happens though.”
The crash not only ended the night, but the team’s plans to race on Friday and Saturday with the WoO. “Unfortunately, the crash ended our racing for a couple of nights,” says Brad. “It bent the frame, and Dad (Joe) didn’t want to bring out a new car for the Outlaw shows. We went back to the shop and got a car that we built for the Knoxville Nationals. We decided we’d go there on Saturday, get some laps and see what we could learn.”
Brad would time in 23rd amongst the stout 36-car field in Knoxville, Iowa on Saturday. “It was a deal where I pulled in and told the guys I messed up,” he says. “I had a pretty decent first lap considering everyone was picking up their speed on the second lap. I just drove above the cushion off the corner and spun the tires. I knew right there that I was done.”
He would win his heat, however, after starting on the pole. “We did make the (heat) invert (top 24) at least, and that put us on the front of a heat,” says Brad. “We had a good car there. I watched the B main, and it was one of those deals where it seemed the track was getting higher and higher. I didn’t know if we had enough, so I switched gears.”
Starting 19th, he would checker 16th in the main event. “I had a fairly decent racecar, but I couldn’t drive off the cushion in the corners,” says Brad. “The car just didn’t want to pull off. I think the gear was the wrong choice, but that’s why we went up there was to figure out what the car is going to need come August. Hopefully, this week we can show some of the things we learned up there.”
The team will concentrate on the 410 action at Knoxville this Saturday night. “We considered running double duty, but we decided we wouldn’t be learning much on the 360 side,” says Brad. “We’ll save that stuff for ASCS.”
Also, this week, the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series canceled their planned trip starting this weekend in the Pacific Northwest. “In the long run, it’s probably best for us not to run all the way out there for four races,” says Brad. “But it sucks not going up there and seeing those guys this year. I had some success up there last year, but it is what it is. We’ll move forward.”
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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 was 2nd quick with the WoO at Jacksonville (Serena Dalhamer Photo)
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