2/10/2024
Brennon Willard
Willard takes on final East Bay Winternationals
Brennon Willard rejoined the Lucas Oil Late Model Series (LOLMDS) schedule over the past week for several intense nights of racing in the 48th annual Wieland Winternationals. The six-night program at the 1/3-mile East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida, attracted an average of more than 70 strong Super Late Model competitors each night.
Monday night’s opener of the final Winternationals at the track rained out, pushing the first night to Tuesday. The Monday show meanwhile was made up in segments over the next three days. On Tuesday evening, Willard drove his Willard Asphalt No. 3 car to seventh in his heat and 12th in his B-Main on the clay oval, ending his evening before the 30-lap, $5,000-to-win feature.
The next night, without being able to transfer via his heat, Willard picked up six spots in his consolation race but was too deep in the field to transfer to the 40-lapper paying $7,000 to the victor.
On Thursday, Willard inched ever closer to a transfer spot through his B-Main, but again couldn’t find his way into the 40-lap main event with $10,000 going to the winner. Over the two previous nights, he had also been unable to qualify for Thursday’s makeup of the 30-lap, $5,000-to-win Monday A-Main.
Friday night’s $12,000-to-win program saw Willard again drive forward six spots in his B-Main after a 10th-place result in his heat, but again he was mired too deep to move into the 50-lap feature event.
During Saturday’s finale, in which $15,000 went to the winner of the 50-lap A-Main, Willard took the seventh place result in his consi as his week drew to a close.
Full results are at www.lucasdirt.com.
Article Credit: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series image