6/8/2018
RacinBoys
Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Fuqua enjoying big season
By Lyndal Scranton (Wheatland, MO) -- Darron Fuqua said he only raced two or three times ever at Lucas Oil Speedway prior to this season. Now, he already has three feature wins in the Pitts Homes USRA Modified division in 2018.
"It's just so far away, about four and a half hours from my place," the driver from Mayetta, Kansas - just north of Topeka - said of why he rarely made the haul to Wheatland in the past.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kenny Shaw
So why make the trip so often this year? Teamwork is the main factor. Fuqua joined up with fellow Kansas racer Lance Town of Wellsville and crew chief Thomas McCoy over the winter, making the switch to an MB Customs race car like Town already had.
It's led to a dream season so far for Fuqua, who is the Lucas Oil Speedway Tailgate Guys Radio Spotlight Driver of the Week. He goes after win No. 4 on Saturday night when the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series resumes - and win No. 7 overall.
Fuqua, 33, won two of three features at Lucas Oil Speedway during Show-Me 100 weekend, then added a win at Central Missouri Speedway to cap the banner, four-night bonanza which was worth nearly $4,000. He's leading the USRA national points, having recently sailed past 100 career wins.
"That was a good deal," Fuqua said of Memorial Day Weekend. "I've won three out of three before, but never races of that caliber. The Lucas Oil weekend deal was amazing, with 65 or 67 cars there and to be at the top was outstanding."
He added that those races being televised on LucasOilRacing.TV all three nights and live the final night on MAVTV Motorsports Network was icing.
"I ended up subscribing to LucasOilRacing.TV and I've probably watched it a dozen times and I've shown different sponsors who weren't able to see it live," he said. "It's been good for everybody, just the exposure."
Fuqua, in his 10th season of racing a Modified, credits the pairing with Town and McCoy as key. They began to race together late last season and clicked, both in terms of shared resources and knowledge.
"The MB has been a good car and a good fit for me," Fuqua said. "They already had a good baseline set-up for Lance. Tommy put that on my car and with a little fine-tuning here and there, we've got it dialed in pretty good."
As for racing at Lucas Oil Speedway, Fuqua said Town likes to race there "and with it being USRA, we started out there this season and we went to running good and we've kept coming back."
Fuqua enters this Saturday's program, which is Presented by KY3 Digital, 20 points ahead of Town as the teammates run 1-2 in Pitts Homes USRA Modified points. Town is third in USRA national points.
Racing has been a family sport for Fuqua, who's father, Steve, drove various styles of race cars for 35 years.
"I watched him spend evenings in the shop working on the car and helping him," Fuqua said. "He owned his own roofing company and what he made went into racing. He would work longer than he should have, in the heat, just so he would have money to buy tires to do better at the races the next week.
"He used to come and watch me and passed away in 2011. He raced for 35 years and won a lot of races and had a lot of success."
Fuqua said he initially didn't have the racing bug, but was a car enthusiast. He built a hot rod out of a 1981 Chevy Camaro with his grandfather's help, but soon thereafter wound up selling that car and getting his first Modified.
He's been on the fast track to dirt-track success ever since, with five track championships and triple digits in feature wins over the last 10 years. Now he's potentially on his way to the best season yet.
"I race as much as I can and as much as my wife, Mindy, will let me," he said, laughing. We have two kids, three and seven years old, and I own my own trucking company. All that and trying to race two or three nights a week keeps me busy.
"I've been blessed to have had a lot of good help along the way and some good sponsors," he said. His 2018 sponsors include Big Time Bail Bonds, Harold's Tire, TOS Motorsorts, Albright Farms, Hair Port, Weekley Trucking, Murphy Ag, Murphy Trucking, Driskell Race Engines, Swift Springs, Fastshafts, Will Power Performance, VP Race Fuel, Siebert Performance and Kansas Powertrain.
All four weekly divisions will be in action Saturday night, with the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods headlining the program with a 25-lap feature for $750-to-win.
Fans also have an opportunity to watch some of the world's fastest boats, Friday and Saturday, with the 7th annual John Haas Memorial Drag Boat Classic on the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series. Those purchasing two-day passes, or Saturday tickets to the drag boat races on "Lake Lucas" will be admitted free to the dirt-track action.
The Tailgate Guys Radio Show airs each Saturday, 11:05-noon on KICK 92.3 FM, 1340 AM and online at 923kick.com. The show has a barbecue and sports theme along with a segment on news from Lucas Oil Speedway.
For ticket information on all events at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2018, contact admission director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or by email at nichole@LucasOilSpeedway.com. Fans also can go online to purchase tickets for any event on the 2018 schedule.
Dirt-track schedule Saturday
4 p.m. - Gates open
6:30 p.m. - Hot laps
7 p.m. - Opening ceremonies
(Tickets - FREE with drag-boat admission)
Adults (16 and over) $12
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $9
Youth (6-15) $5
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family pass $25
Pit Pass $30
John Haas Memorial Drag Boat Classic
(Friday schedule)
8 a.m. - Spectator gates open
9 a.m. - Round one qualifying sportsman session
10:30 a.m. - Round one qualifying pro session
12:30 p.m. - Round two qualifying sportsman session
2 p.m. - Round two qualifying pro session
(Tickets)
General Admission $10
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Two-day General Admission $35
Two-day Senior (62 and over)/Military $32
Two-day Youth (ages 6-15) $20
(Saturday schedule)
8 a.m. - Spectator gates open
9 a.m. - Round one eliminations (PM, PO)
9:30 a.m. - Round one eliminations (TFH, TAH, TAF)
10:30 a.m. - Round one eliminations (QE, PE, TE, ME, SE, RR, PWC, JR)
12:30 p.m. - Round two eliminations (TFH, TAH, TAF)
1 p.m. - Round two eliminations (TFH, TAH, TAF)
1:30 p.m. - Round two eliminations (QE, PE, TE, ME, SE, RR, PWC, JR)
2:30 p.m. - Round three eliminations (PM, PO)
2:45 p.m. - Round three eliminations (JR, PWC, RR, SE, ME, TE, PE, QE)
3 p.m. - Final eliminations all classes
(Tickets - includes admission to dirt-track races)
General admission (16 and over) $25
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $22
Youth (6-15) $10
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived stories, ticket information and 2018 schedule can be found by visiting http://www.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 its 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 http://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 http://www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on http://www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
