By Billy Rock – Wheatland, Missouri (May 1, 2018) – For the third consecutive weekend, the stars of the Lucas Oil MLRA will return to action, embarking on their first three-day stretch of the season. A stop at the popular Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, IA will kick things off with a rare Thursday night show. That will be followed by a Friday night clash on the ¼ mile in Davenport, IA before wrapping up the trifecta weekend for the second time this season at the LaSalle Speedway. Each of the events will pay $3,000 to win.
Last weekend’s MLRA tilt helped to bring needed clarity to the series point battle. Although it does not appear that 2016 champ Jesse Stovall will contend for a second title, he picked up a convincing win on Friday at Thunderbird Speedway. Stovall’s win was followed by a Saturday victory for Tony Jackson, Jr. at the Legit Speedway. Jackson’s win put him very much into contention for a bid at a second MLRA title.
While Jackson’s win broke an MLRA dry spell dating back to 2014, the early season action has been paced by the consistency of Mt. Vernon, Iowa’s Chad Simpson. The driver of the Brinkman Motorsports & Liebe Trucking entry has compiled five top 5’s in just 6 starts on the season, setting him atop the standings. The lone setback came on the ½ mile of the Davenport Speedway where he was sidelined with a DNF after running in second.
The upcoming weekend swing will bring Simpson much closer to home following his longest MLRA trek of the year. Simpson said, “Last week was all new to us in Oklahoma (Thunderbird Speedway) and at Legit. They were two new tracks that I had never seen before so anytime you can come run close to home at tracks you have raced at it makes it more comfortable and it comes with more confidence.”
Action will roll off on Thursday night as the series makes their lone stop of the season at the Lee County Speedway. The 3/8 mile, slightly banked, dirt oval has been kind to Simpson in recent years. In a pair of 2017 MLRA stops at the speedway, he compiled finishes of 4th and 2nd, both of which were won by brother Chris Simpson.
Chad Simpson, the MLRA’s 2014 Champion commented, “We have always run really good at Donnellson in the past, and we have always been a top five car there. That place always makes for an awesome race in the feature, and we are looking forward to going back there.”
| Chad Simpson (25) clears Ryan Unzicker (24) at the “Slocum 50” Photo- Lloyd Collins FastTrackPhotos
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Friday will find the tour making their second stop at the Davenport Speedway in just two weeks. Although back on the grounds of the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, this visit will see drivers moving from the super-fast half-mile to the inner quarter mile venue. The 2017 MLRA event saw Bobby Pierce picking up the win.
Simpson said of the Davenport quarter, “It’s a really wide race track. The heats can be kind of thin and a little hard to pass, but it normally gets really wide and you can race three and four wide around there in the feature.”
LaSalle Speedway will host the weekend finale as EngineMasters Inc., Presents the “Land of Lincoln 40” on Saturday night. This inaugural MLRA event will follow the successful season opener for the series at the ¼ mile high banked oval, which saw early season victories for Shannon Babb and Chris Simpson in the Thaw Brawl.
For Chad Simpson, knowing the importance of consistency could prove valuable in his quest for a second series crown. “When I won it (MLRA Championship) in 2014 we didn’t win one race on the series. We won a couple races throughout the year, but not once on the series.”
He went on to say, “We have been in the top five and in contention to win races, and that one wreck we had we were running second that night too. We are right there and if we keep running consistent and having good shows that win will hopefully finally come.”
Series officials are once again expecting very solid car counts at all three stops this weekend. After six events, the Lucas Oil MLRA is averaging 36 cars per race, making for great racing for the fans and challenging racing for drivers.
Lee County Speedway: Donnellson, IA Race Day Info– 5/3
Gates: 5:30 PM
Racing: Hot Laps – 7:00 PM, Races – 7:30 PM
Admission: Adults $20, Seniors (60+) $18, Students (11-17) $12, Kids Under 10 FREE
Support Classes: Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sportmods, Sport Compacts
Website: leecountyspeedway.com
Davenport Speedway “1/4 – Mile”: Davenport, IA Race Day Info– 5/4
Gates: 5:00 PM
Racing: Hot Laps – 5:45 PM, Races to follow
Admission: Adults $20, Students/Seniors $18, 12 and Under FREE
Support Classes: IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, Street Stocks
Website: davenportspeedway.com
LaSalle Speedway: LaSalle, IL Race Day Info– 5/5
Gates: 4:00 PM
Racing:Hot Laps – 6:45 PM, Races to follow
Admission: Adult (GA) $25, Skybox Seat $35, VIP Seating $35, Kids 11 & Under Free
Support Classes: IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sportmods, Hornets
Website: lasallespeedway.com
For all of the latest news and information fans are encouraged to visit the series website at www.MLRARacing.com.
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