“Just one of those deals.” Kyle Schuett was understandably frustrated after he saw what could have been a stellar opening night in IRA competition for the Health Alliance/Progressive Propane 9K team crumble away. The evening was not without its positives though, and the Schuett Racing team will look to build on that optimism heading to the next round of the IRA season.
Schuett went out 7th to qualify, and immediately realized the car was extremely loose for the already dry slick Beaver Dam Raceway. A solid effort landed Schuett a 12th place run in the top half of the stout IRA field. “Just way too free. I couldn’t hook the bottom at all.” Schuett said after the session. The upside to being 12th in qualifying in the IRA is that with only 3 heats, Schuett would start on the pole of Heat #3.
On the start of the heat Schuett rocketed to the point, utilizing the low line to perfection, and immediately put distance between himself and 2nd place running Russel Borland. After a restart, Borland got a jump on Kyle as the 9K’s motor started to falter, and pulled into the lead. Schuett kept pace with the 23, and the two ran line astern for multiple laps before another caution flew. After the ensuing green flag, Schuett began a titanic battle with 3rd place running and fellow #TeamMAS driver Sean Rayhall for the 2nd spot. Rayhall got side by side with Kyle on the front stretch, but then the 9K simply shut itself off.
“It started to stumble and then it just died completely.” Schuett said. “When we got it back to the pits we realized it was extremely low on fuel. We always run the exact same amount of fuel for heat races, but with the cold and extended cautions, the motors were using a lot more than usual. Just one of those deals, but it set us back a lot for the feature.” A possible heat race win and dash appearance gone just like that. Unfortunate for sure, but opportunity still lay ahead in the 30 lap feature.
Unfortunately for Schuett, he was mired in traffic and an extremely strong midfield for most of the race due to his 15th starting spot. He did make some moves forward, being as high as 11th before eventually settling for a 13th place finish on the rubbered up ? mile track. “It was really tough to move forward in the feature when everyone is so equal and especially when the track takes rubber.” Schuett explained. “13th was a good first night, and we rolled it into the trailer in one piece. We just need to qualify better next time out and keep making laps against this field. We will get there.”
The next race for the Schuett Racing Inc. 9K will be this Saturday, May 1st at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot,WI with the IRA Sprints for Wilmot’s season opener. Tickets are available at the track. If you can’t make it out to see the methanol monsters of the IRA in person, every IRA race will be exclusively broadcasted on the FloRacing streaming service all season long.
Kyle Schuett and Schuett Racing thanks their 2021 partners for their continued support throughout the year!
Health Alliance
Progressive Propane
Amsoil
First Mid Insurance Group
Kim’s AutoBody
Engler Machine and Tool
R&B Powdercoat
Allstar Performance
Safety-Kleen
Diversified Machine Inc. (DMI)
Rod End Supply
Hooker Harness
Steve Thomas Racing
J&K Property Rentals LLC.
The 9K team will contest the full Bumper to Bumper IRA Sprints schedule in 2021, along with several outside shows with the All Star Circuit of Champions, World of Outlaws and more. You can follow Kyle's season at www.schuettracing.com and on Facebook at Schuett Racing Inc and Twitter @schuettracing, as well as Midwest AutoSports PR on Facebook at MAS AutoSports and Twitter @mas_autosports.
This article is licensed for use for Schuett Racing Inc. by Midwest AutoSports and should not be replicated or re-published without the expressed written consent of Midwest AutoSports Media and Promotion.
Jeff Burba Photo