By Lyndal Scranton – WHEATLAND, Missouri (May 22, 2017) – One of the biggest weeks of the year for dirt-track racing has arrived and it’s a special Silver Anniversary edition rolling into Lucas Oil Speedway, Thursday-through-Saturday.
The 2017 Show-Me 100 Presented by ProtecttheHarvest.com marks the 25th renewal of the crown-jewel event which began in 1993 at West Plains Motor Speedway. The event is co-sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil MLRA.
“This is something that dirt-racing fans circle on their calendars months in advance. There’s nothing quite like Show-Me 100 week and we’re ready for three big nights of racing,” Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager Dan Robinson said. “Campers started to roll in last week and there’s a definite buzz in the air.”
Gates open at 5 p.m. with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:35 each night.
Full programs are scheduled three straight nights, culminating with Saturday’s 100-lap, $30,000-to-win 100-lap feature. Jimmy Owens earned his fourth Show-Me 100 victory a year ago in a classic battle that saw Owens, runner-up Scott Bloomquist and young phenom Bobby Pierce engage in a memorable late-race duel.
Tire issues relegated Pierce to a final sixth-place finish. Meanwhile, Jesse Stovall of Billings earned a podium finish for the Ozarks by coming home in third. It marked the third straight year that Stovall finished in the top 10 of the Show-Me 100.
“When you’ve ran good a few times at an event like this, you have a little more confidence,” Stovall said. “That racetrack’s always been good to me. It actually used to be one of my worst tracks, but I finally went up there and raced weekly in my Modified until I figured out how to get around the place.”
Stovall said he’s yet to really hit a good stride this season, but thinks he hit on something in a Saturday MARS Dirt-Car Series win at Longdale, Okla. Jackson was second in that race with Randy Timms, Stovall’s teammate, in third.
“We were better. We’ll see how things shape up when you add the competition level of those Lucas guys,” Stovall said of this week. “But yeah, we’re definitely better.”
Springfield’s Terry Phillips is the only Missouri driver to ever win the Show-Me, taking home honors in 1999.
Bloomquist, of Mooresburg, Tenn., is chasing a repeat Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship. Entering Tuesday’s Go 50 at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., Bloomquist already has four series wins in 2017 and leads Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., by 125 points.
On the Lucas Oil MLRA scene, Lebanon’s Tony Jackson Jr., has an early season six-point advantage over Rodney Sanders with Stovall 20 points behind Jackson.
Here’s a rundown of the three upcoming race days at Lucas Oil Speedway:
Thursday: The “Cowboy Classic Presented by Hotrod Processing” headlines opening night, with the $6,000-to-win feature honoring the late MLRA owner/promoter Allen “Cowboy” Chancellor. A full program for the Late Models and Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds is scheduled.
Friday: The “Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson” honoring the long-time West Plains Motor Speedway owners who started the Show-Me 100 also will pay $6,000 to win. Full programs for the Late Models and Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds are slated with finishing order in both helping set the field for Saturday’s features.
Saturday: Action concludes with the $30,000-to-win Show-Me 100, following the Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge in which the winner can forfeit the $2,500 check to start at the rear of the main event. The Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds feature, presented by RacinDirt.com, will pay $1,200 to win and $150 to start.
A select number of three-day passes remain. Contact admissions director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or via email at nichole@LucasOilSpeedway.com. Gates will open at 5 p.m. each day with single-day reserved and general admission tickets going on sale at that time.
Ticket prices:
(Thursday)
Adults (16 and up) $25
Seniors (62 and up)/Military $22
Youth (age 6 to 15) $10
Kids (age 5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $50
3-Day Reserved Seat Ticket $95
Pit Pass $35
3-Day Pit Pass $100
(Friday)
Adults (16 and up) $25
Seniors (62 and up)/Military $22
Youth (age 6 to 15) $10
Kids (age 5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $50
3-Day Reserved Seat Ticket $95
Pit Pass $35
3-Day Pit Pass $100
(Saturday)
Adults (16 and up) $30
Seniors (62 and up)/Military $27
Youth (age 6 to 15) $10
Kids (age 5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $60
3-Day Reserved Seat Ticket $95
Pit Pass $40
3-Day Pit Pass $100
For complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived stories, ticket info and the 2017 racing schedule, visit LucasOilSpeedway.com.
Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With it’s entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.
Click www.LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984.
In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking “Like” at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway.