Lonnie Wheatley, NIXA, Mo. (May 17, 2018) – It wasn’t the three-race set that Kyle Bellm and crew had hoped for.
Bellm entered last week’s set of events with high hopes at tracks that he had conquered before. But an opening lap mishap at Humboldt Speedway on Wednesday night and then mechanical woes on Thursday night at Lakeside Speedway cut the weekend short, forcing the Greenworks Nursery/Landscapes Awarded No. 14k Sprint Car team to sit out Saturday’s scheduled card at Lake Ozark Speedway.
“We hurt our second engine in three races,” Bellm explains. “It was two totally unrelated issues, just a random thing. For now, we’ll just have to pick and choose what we do until we get everything back in order.”
Tentative plans call for Bellm to possibly take in Saturday night’s Hooker Hood Classic at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR.
Bellm rolled into last Wednesday night’s Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour event Kansas’ Humboldt Speedway, where he had finishes of first and second in his previous two outings.
And he was fast once again aboard the Christian County Collision Repair/Bybee Lawn Care entry, pulling off a crucial last-lap pass for second in heat race action that landed him in the redraw.
The redraw didn’t go well for the driver of the PPG Automotive Finishes/Colorvision machine with Bellm drawing the eight.
Making a run towards the front once the green flag flew, another car cut down and forced Bellm into a turn three spin on the opening round of the 25-lapper.
“It was an aggressive move on my part,” Bellm commented. “But we knew the track was going to lock down with rubber pretty quick, so I knew I had to get to the front right away. And then that car cut down and I spun it rather than wad both of us up.”
Restarting at the tail, progress was minimal as the track locked down.
Fortunes didn’t improve as the VP Racing Fuels/Schure Built Suspensions/Schaeffers Racing Oil team shifted to Kansas City’s Lakeside Speedway for more Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action on Thursday night.
After posting a fourth-place heat race finish, the team was forced to call it a weekend with engine issues.
A rebound at Saturday’s Hooker Hood Classis is what the Nixa, MO, racer is looking for.
2018 Quick Stats: 8 races, 2 top-fives, 3 top-tens.
Up Next: Tentatively at Saturday night’s Hooker Hood Classic at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR.
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