Photo credit – Rich Forman
Dupo, IL (April 16, 2018) It’s been a long, busy offseason for the Schuett Racing team, but that all came to an end Friday night as the best drivers in midget racing joined up at one of the best dirt tracks in the Midwest – Kokomo Speedway. While Mother Nature hasn’t been kind to the racing world in recent weeks, she did let up enough to get one of the two scheduled nights in for the 2018 USAC Kokomo Grand Prix. Thirty-four drivers signed in for the USAC outdoor season opener.
In true USAC form, the night began with a very brief hot-lap session and then moved right into two-lap, single car qualifiying. After just three hot-laps and piloting a new car, Kyle laid down a lap of 13.722, good enough for 19th quick overall. Based on the USAC format, Kyle made the crucial top-24 invert and lined up outside the front row of heat race number three. As heat race laps clicked away, Kyle could see his temperature gauge rising and was concerned about his motor. Only needing a fourth-place finish to move directly into the A-main, Kyle nursed his Stanton SR-11 powered Bullet by Spike Chassis to a fourth-place finish, giving his team time to work on the temperature issue. With the help of the guys from Stanton Racing Engines, the team made a few changes before the start of the 30-lap A-feature event. Based on his 19th place qualifying effort, Kyle lined up 19th in the A-main. As the feature went green, Kyle would jump to the top of the track and begin to try to move forward through tough traffic. Unfortunately cautions and red flags would slow the race on multiple occasions. Once again as they returned to racing action, Kyle found himself racing hard, but also watching his gauges to protect his race car. As the race moved on, Kyle found the motor was getting too hot and out of its safe operating range and elected to pull off the track to save it from any further damage. Further diagnosis by the team led to the culprit being a plumbing issue. At the end of the night, Kyle was credited with a 23rd place finish in his first race of the season.
Over the winter the team made the change to a new Bullet by Spike Chassis and so far, Kyle is liking the difference. There are a lot of positives that came out of the first night’s event at the Kokomo Speedway. The team was able to make some adjustments throughout the course of the evening and gain information from those changes. Also, Kyle’s quick thinking and experience helped save the team from costly motor damage. While Kyle isn’t overly happy with the end results, it’s the positives throughout the night that give Schuett Racing the expectation that 2018 is going to be a good year. Be sure you stay tuned all season long for updated information on Kyle and all his racing endeavors.
Up next for Schuett Racing will be a two-day weekend with the POWRi National Midget League. Friday night, the POWRi midgets will head to their home track, Belle-Clair Speedway for the Knepper Memorial. On Saturday, the midgets will head south to the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri for a double header with the World of Outlaw sprint cars. Guaranteed to be a stellar night of racing, Kyle and the other POWRi midget drivers will get the chance to race in front of a packed house as always when the Outlaws come to town. Let’s also not forget, Kyle picked a big win last year at the I-55 Raceway, so hopes are high for a repeat performance.
Kyle and the entire Schuett Racing team would like to thank all their friends, fans, and sponsors that make going racing each weekend possible. With the successful shakedown of the new car Friday night, Kyle would like to send a big thank you out to the guys at Stanton Racing Engines for being onsite and willing to help out and also thanks to AMSOIL Racing for protecting the team’s SR-11 motor. Thank you - Health Alliance, Progressive Propane Inc, AMSOIL, Hoosier Tire Midwest, Advanced Racing Suspension, R & B Powdercoating, Safety Kleen (The Official Environmental Service Company of Schuett Racing, Inc), Diversified Machine Incorporated (DMI), Smith Titanium, Max Papis Inc (MPI), Hooker Harness, Rod End Supply, Steve Thomas Racing, Keizer Wheels, Bergfield Farms, Stanton Racing Engines, and J & K Property Rentals, LLC.
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