19-year old dirt Super Street driver Kyle Heckman made his dirt Super Late Model debut Saturday night in the Beattie Motors #57 car when the Western Allstars DIRTcar Series made its way to Santa Maria Speedway on July 18th. Competing against the best dirt Late Model drivers in California, Heckman brought home the #57 machine in the 7th position.
After driving the car once in a private test session, Heckman impressed driver/car owner Dana Beattie and was offered a night in the seat when the tour made its way into Santa Maria. Hoping to make the most of the opportunity in California’s pinnacle Super Late Model series, Heckman qualified the Beattie Motors machine in the 8th position with a time of 14.6, nearly two seconds faster than the Super Street he is familiar running. Earning the 3rd position for his heat race, Heckman held his own early in the ten-lap qualifier, but one slight bobble due to a tight handling condition sent him backwards. When the checkard flag flew, Kyle finished his first heat race in the 5th position.
After tuning on the car after each session, and inching up on a comfortable setup, Heckman took what he’d learned on track from earlier in the night, and was optimistic heading into the main event. With his mediocre finish in the heat race, it meant Kyle would have to make his charge to the front from the 15th position in a talent-stacked field. When the green flag flew for the 30-lap feature, Heckman wasted no time advancing positions, as by lap 5, he was up to the 12th position, when a red flag brought the race to a hault. Once the race resumed, Heckman made quick passes on the restart and began picking off cars. After another quick yellow, the remainder of the race went green and Kyle was able to find a good rythem, and diced back and forth for the 6th position as the laps wound down. When the race ended, Heckman came across the line in 7th, advancing eight positions in his debut night.
“It has always been a goal of mine to run a dirt late model, and I’m thankful the opportunity came so quick. I can’t say how much I appreciate Mr. Beattie for having the trust to put me in his car, and it was a blast lining up alongside racers I’d always idolized in my childhood,” says Heckman on driving the car. “Overall it was a good night for us as a whole. We were tight early on, and kept adjusting after every session and made progress each time. Each lap was a learning curve for me, and by the end of the evening I felt I made a lot of progress behind the wheel and could put the car where I wanted and be competitive.”
As a result of the finish, Heckman was offered to pilot the car again on Saturday August 1st in Santa Maria, and hopes on building on his progress.
Kyle would like to thank Dana Beattie of Beattie Motors for the opportunity in his racecar, crew chief Mike Keebler and crewmen Mike Smith, Scott Wallenberger and his dad Steve. A special thanks goes to Chris Sivesind of Victory Circle Chassis for his expertise and trackside support throughout the night. To learn more about Kyle and his progress, visit www.kyleheckmanracing.com.
