Lonnie Wheatley, NIXA, Mo. (September 6, 2019) – With nearly 50 cars on hand each night, Kyle Bellm battled to a pair of top ten Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour feature finishes in last weekend’s Lake Ozark Speedway 360 Nationals in Eldon, MO.
And the Nixa, MO, racer was faced with vastly different surfaces on each night. One thing that stayed consistent however, was the draw.
“We drew dead last both nights, which makes about seven or eight nights in a row so at least we’re consistent,” Bellm says.
The Saturday surface was not typical Lake Ozark Speedway.
“It was super heavy,” Bellm says.
After climbing from eighth to sixth in heat race action, Bellm posted a fourth-place finish in his qualifier to land the 13th starting position for the feature.
“We made a few too many changes trying to free it up for the qualifier,” Bellm explains.
Bellm finished out the night by advancing to ninth in the feature event.
“We made it up to seventh at one point, then the car got way too tight towards the end of the race,” Bellm recalls.
Sunday delivered an entirely different track surface.
“It was totally different, it was slicker and really a lot more to our liking,” Bellm explains.
Bellm responded with a run from eighth to second in his heat race and then a fourth-place qualifying race finish to secure the third starting position for the feature.
“The car was perfect in the heat race, that put us in good position for the night,” Bellm says.
Bellm finished out the night with an eighth-place run in the night’s feature event.
“We tightened up a little too much and that cost us some early in the race,” Bellm explains. “Overall, two top tens with nearly 50 cars there was a good weekend. We’re pleased with it, but I felt like we left a little bit on the table.”
With a pair of top-tens in the books, Bellm and the No. 14k team will be back in Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour competition at Lucas Oil Speedway’s Hockett/McMillin Memorial in Wheatland, MO, on September 19-21.
The Kyle Bellm Racing efforts are made possible with support from marketing partners including Greenworks Nursery, Landscapes Awarded, Christian County Collision Repair, Bybee Lawn Care, PPG Automotive Finishes, Colorvision, Schure Built Suspensions, Schaeffers Racing Oil and Valley Park West Retirement Living.
Quick Stats: 27 Races, 1 win, 5 top-fives, 14 top-tens.
Up Next: TBD.
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