9/1/2024
Tony Jackson Jr
Tony Jackson Jr. takes thrilling win in MLRA Ron Jenkins Memorial at Lucas Oil Speedway
Collects $12,000 MLRA Payday for Second Victory in Annual Event
LEBANON, Mo. (9/03/24) – Three straight days of Lucas Oil LateModel Racing Association (MLRA) competition were good to Tony Jackson Jr. over Labor Day weekend. The veteran driver posted a trio of top-five finishes, highlighted by his second feature victory of 2024 on Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway aboard his Superior Power Custom Homes / Elite Trailers / Willard Quarries No. 56 Longhorn Chassis Late Model.
Jackson Jr. drove ahead of Dillon McCowan on lap 38 and paced the final three circuits to claim his second Ron Jenkins Memorial triumph and the $12,000 winner’s payday in the Labor Day weekend special.
“It took an awful lot of hard work, we were absolutely terrible when we unloaded yesterday, we qualified dead last,” Jackson said. “I wore Vinny Guliani’s phone out man, he’s the man. I seen Dillon McCowan’s stick guy telling him to get down to block Gordy Gundaker and that was all I needed.”
His win came on Saturday evening at Wheatland, Missouri’s famed 3/8-mile oval, where 29 MLRA drivers were seeking the $12,000 winner’s share in the 10th annual Ron Jenkins Memorial finale. Jackson steered his No. 56 Super Late Model to the win in his heat race and began the 40-lap main event from the fourth spot. He ran inside the top five for the race’s entirety, then on lap 38, rocketed to the top spot with a high-side pass as race leader Dillon McCowan and Gordy Gundaker battled.
Jackson led the final three circuits en route to the victory, taking the checkered flag 1.043 seconds in front of McCowan. Third place went to Gundaker, while Chad Simpson and Jon Kirby completed the top five.
The Ron Jenkins Memorial had kicked off on Friday at Lucas Oil Speedway, a night on which Jackson was also strong in a 28-car field. He raced from sixth to second in his heat, then mounted a charge from his eighth-place starting position to finish third in the 30-lap, $5,000-to-win feature. He rounded out the podium behind Chris Simpson and Billy Moyer Jr. Chad Simpson and Jeff Herzog finished fourth and fifth respectively.
After Jackson’s Saturday victory at the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks,” the MLRA schedule shifted to Moberly (Missouri) Motorsports Park on Sunday evening for the fourth annual Wiener Nationals. Thirty MLRA Super Late Model teams made the trip to the 4/10-mile oval for the $10,000-to-win program.
Jackson was runner-up in his heat, putting him eighth on the grid to start the A-Main. He picked up four positions in the 40-lapper and finished fourth. He chased Chad Simpson, McCowan and Moyer Sr. across the start-finish line, with Chris Simpson taking fifth.
After his strong holiday run, Jackson has vaulted into second in the MLRA point standings.
Full results from Lucas Oil Speedway and Moberly Motorsports Park are at www.MLRARacing.com.
Jackson Jr. will return with the Lucas Oil MLRA on Thursday, September 12th at Cedar County Speedway for the Hawkeye Land 40. On Friday and Saturday, action shifts to Davenport Speedway for the inaugural Corn State Nationals. Friday’s preliminary paying $5,000 to the winner is followed by Saturday’s $15,000-to-win finale.
Full event details at www.MLRARacing.com.
Tony Jackson Jr. would like to thank all of his marketing partners, which include Rob and Liz Schlup, Scott Bailey Racing Engines, Merrill Bonding Company, Elite Trailers, Daly Construction, Chris Norris Norris Logging, Superior Power Custom Homes, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Five Star Bodies, K1 RaceGear, DSR, Sweet Victory Apparel Co., Winning Edge Carburetion, Bilstein Shock Absorbers, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, Deatherage Racing Optics, Springfield Raceway, Buzze Racing, The Joie of Seating, Brennon Willard Motorsports, Earnhardt Technologies Group, ProFabrication, Inc., Dynamic Drivelines, Hooker Harness, A2Z Signs & More, DirtCarLift, VG Performance, GoSunoco, Sp1ng Pro, Cornett Racing Engines, Willard Quarries, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
Article Credit: Todd Boyd image
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