Lonnie Wheatley, NIXA, Mo. (August 7, 2015) – It will be a first for leading Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Bellm.
True, the Nixa, MO, racer has competed in Knoxville’s 360 Nationals before. But when he hits the track in Iowa’s Marion County for qualifying action on Friday night, it will be the first time aboard the family-owned PPG Automotive Finishes/Colorvision No. 14k Sprint Car in 360 Nationals action.
“This will be the first time with my car at the Knoxville 360 Nationals, so we’re pretty excited about that,” Bellm said.
Bellm knows that one of the keys to Knoxville success will be putting together a good qualifying lap aboard the Schure Built Suspensions/Christian County Collision Repair Sprint Car.
“The draw comes into play here too, when you go out can be important,” Bellm explains. “Then the main thing is putting down two good laps. That can set the tone for the entire weekend.”
Currently ranked seventh in his inaugural full tour of duty on the Lucas Oil ASCS National trail, Bellm last competed in the Knoxville 360 Nationals in 2012.
Bellm comes off his first trip to Greenwood, Nebraska’s I-80 Speedway, where he finished off the two-night “Road to Knoxville” stand by racing forward from 23rd to finish 13th aboard the Bybee Lawn Care/Dynotech Racing Engines machine on Friday night after getting caught up in a Thursday night tangle.
“I probably had the car a little too tight most of the weekend,” Bellm says. “I finally got it freed up enough in the Friday feature and we were able to go forward. We probably had a top ten car but coming from the back, it was a little too far.”
It was another learning experience for Bellm in the Scheaffer’s Oil machine.
And he made the most of it by finishing on a strong note by moving forward, something he’ll try to continue at Knoxville’s 360 Nationals this weekend.
Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action continues with Knoxville 360 Nationals qualifying action on Friday night and championship features on Saturday in Knoxville, Iowa.
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