Lonnie Wheatley, NIXA, Mo. (June 11, 2015) – The opening portion of the season has been challenging for Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour rookie contender Kyle Bellm. But, it hasn’t been anything unexpected either for the driver of the PPG Automotive Finishes/Colorvision No. 14k Sprint Car.
The 24-year-old from Nixa, Missouri has answered the challenge well through the first eight events of the season, standing ninth in series points aboard the Schure Built Suspensions/Christian County Collision Repair machine entering Speedweek.
Still, like any competitive racer, he’s looking for more. Looking for podium finishes, some wins around the corner.
“We’re starting to go to some tracks that we’ve seen before, so that’ll help,” Bellm commented. “Hopefully we can get up on the podium a few times and get the confidence up.”
The 23rd edition of Lucas Oil ASCS Speedweek kicks off Saturday night at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX. The last time Bellm raced at the famed Bowl, he parked it in victory lane in the 2013 Spring Nationals.
Bellm comes off a 12th-place run at Oklahoma’s Salina Highbanks this past Saturday night after running among the top five most of the way aboard the Bybee Lawn Care/Dynotech Racing Engines/Racinboys.com entry. The event was a microcosm of Bellm’s season thus far.
“We were fast in our heat and won it, then tightened it up a little too much for the feature,” Bellm explains. “Still, we were in third or fourth most of the way.”
A late caution proved costly for Bellm.
“The tire sealed up under the caution, it cost us a good finish,” Bellm said after finishing out the race in 12th.
“That has kind of been the story of the year,” Bellm says. “We haven’t been able to put it all together for a whole night.”
Bellm and crew can see the light at the end of the tunnel though.
“We’re getting close,” Bellm explains. “We’re getting better racing with these guys every time out, and there’s a time during each night that we’re one of the fastest cars.”
“We have the speed, it’s encouraging to know we have that speed. We just have to put together a whole night,” Bellm concludes.
With Saturday’s Speedweek opener at Devil’s Bowl and then the following four rounds at Lawton, Creek County, Salina (KS) and Lucas Oil Speedway beginning next Wednesday, the time just could be now.
Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Speedweek opener at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, on Saturday night.
Keep Track: Keep track of Kyle Bellm’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.kylebellm.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KyleBellmRacing?fref=ts or on Twitter at @kylebellmracing.
If you would like Kyle Bellm Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events. For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley