8/30/2018
RacinBoys
Larry Phillips Memorial this Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway
By Lyndal Scranton (Wheatland, MO) -- With champions crowned after an exciting finish to the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series, Lucas Oil Speedway's dirt oval fires back up Saturday night with a race paying tribute to one of the all-time greats.
The Lucas Oil MLRA Larry Phillips Memorial Presented by Rugged Radios will find Late Model drivers going 50 laps for $5,075 to win. The "75" in the win total is in recognition of Phillips, the five-time NASCAR Weekly Racing Series National Champion from Springfield who drove the iconic No. 75 car for so many years.
PHOTO: Chad Simpson of Mount Vernon, Iowa leads the Lucas Oil MLRA championship standings entering this weekend's action.--CREDIT: Kenny Shaw photo
"This is always one of our favorite events of the season because it honors one of the greatest stock-car drivers of all time," Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager Dan Robinson said of Phillips, who died in 2004 and is a NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee.
"Anyone who had the privilege of watching Larry or knew Larry realized that he was a one-of-a-kind talent. We're proud to have this race in his honor once again," Robinson added.
The Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods will also be in action, racing 30 laps for $750 to win. Hot laps are set for 6:30 with opening ceremonies at 7 followed by qualifying heat races for both divisions.
It's all part of a big weekend at Lucas Oil Speedway, which begins Friday with the 8th annual Diamond Drag Boat Nationals on Lake Lucas. The Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series event continues Saturday - with those purchasing boat-race tickets admitted free to the dirt-track program - and concludes on Sunday.
The Lucas Oil MLRA Series championship chase is heating up with just five races remaining on the schedule. Three of those are this weekend, with a Friday event at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa and Sunday's 4-State Dirt Track Championship at Monett sandwiching the Larry Phillips Memorial.
Chad Simpson of Mount Vernon, Iowa - the 2014 MLRA champion - leads the championship race by 38 points over Will Vaught of Crane and 58 over Tony Jackson Jr. of Lebanon. Vaught has made a push, after being 134 points down, to get into contention with two wins and a second place over the last four MLRA events.
The MLRA Sunoco Rookie of the Year race also is coming to the wire. Payton Looney of Republic is fourth in the overall standings with Mitch McGrath of Waukesha, Wisconsin just 13 points behind him in fifth.
Following this weekend's tripleheader, the only remaining MLRA races are Oct. 12-13 with the 5th annual MLRA Fall Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Meanwhile, the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods should provide more highly competitive action as it has throughout 2018. JC Morton wrapped up the track championship last Saturday by winning the feature to finish 14 points ahead of Taylor Moore.
Larry Phillips Memorial admission prices:
(Free with Saturday boat-racing ticket)
Adults (16 and over) $20
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $17
Youth (6-15) $10
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family pass $40
Pit pass $40
Go to http://www.MLRAracing.com for complete points, the season schedule and archived stories. For more information about Rugged Radios, the No. 1 choice for two-way racing communications, go to http://www.RuggedRadios.com.
On the water: The Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series returns to Wheatland for the second time in 2018 with the 8th annual Diamond Drag Boat Nationals. Season points leader Tyler Speer will be looking to retain the championship lead in Robert Montgomery's "Shockwave" and back up his win in June's John Haas Memorial on Lake Lucas. Speer leads Jarrett Silvey and "Speed Sports" by just 67 points entering this weekend.
Speer went 233.44 miles-per-hour with an elapsed time of 3.252 seconds in the June race, records at the 875-foot course length.
The Woodstock, Georgia, driver also will continue his pursuit of double championship as he also leads the Pro Outlaw division in his family owned boat "Georgia Outlaw" by a commanding 326 points over Terry Kain in "Raisin Kain."
Weekend drag boat schedule:
Friday and Saturday
7 a.m. - Registration opens
8 a.m. - Spectator gates open
9 a.m. - Round 1 Qualifying (Sportsman session)
10:30 a.m. - Round 1 Qualifying (Pro session)
12:30 p.m. - Round 2 Qualifying (Sportsman session)
2 p.m. - Round 2 Qualifying (Pro session)
Sunday
8 a.m. - Spectator gates open
9 a.m. - Eliminations
***All times are tentative and subject to change without notice.
Admission prices
Ticket prices (All tickets include access to drag boat pit area):
Friday
General admission (6 and over) $10
Kids (5 and under) FREE
3-day general admission $50
3-day seniors (62 and over)/Military $44
3-day youth (ages 6-15) $20
Saturday (includes admission to dirt-track racing on Saturday night)
Adults (16 and over) $25
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $22
Youth (ages 6-15) $10
Kids (5 and under) FREE
3-day general admission (16 and over) $50
3-day Seniors (62 and over)/Military $44
3-day youth (ages 6-15) $20
Sunday
Adults (16 and over) $25
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $22
Youth (ages 6-15) $10
Kids (5 and under) FREE
3-day general admission (16 and over) $50
3-day Seniors (62 and over)/Military $44
Kids (5 and under) FREE
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.
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
