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Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: McCowan returns 'home' a battle-tested driver for MLRA Ron Jenkins Memorial

WHEATLAND, MO. (Aug. 28, 2024) - Since he last appeared on his home dirt, over Memorial Day Weekend for the Show-Me 100, you might say Dillon McCowan has gone to racing school.

The 20-year-old from nearby Urbana followed the Summer Nationals "Hell Tour" that began in mid-June, a six-week endurance test that took him to more than two dozen tracks in eight states. It was quite the education.

Add in a few non-Summer Nationals shows, and McCowan has raced at 28 different speedways in the three months since his 16th-place finish in the 32nd annual Show-Me 100 Presented by Missouri Division of Tourism on May 25th.

"It’s been kind of a blur and kind of wild," McCowan said earlier this week. "Ever since (the Show-Me 100) we’ve been wide open and put the pedal down and haven’t looked back. The Summer Nationals was definitely a big deal. It taught us a lot and we got to see a lot of different race tracks and a lot of different dirt, racing around a lot of different guys. All around, it was a great experience for us."

McCowan passed the test with, if not straight-As, certainly with honor grades. He didn't win a feature, but was a mark of consistency with 19 top-10 finishes in 23 features in which he qualified for, and a second-place finish in tour points behind Tyler Erb.

This weekend, McCowan hopes to put some of his knowledge to work at the 10th annual Lucas Oil MLRA Ron Jenkins Memorial Presented by Rugged Radios at Lucas Oil Speedway, Friday and Saturday nights.

"It’s awesome to be back," McCowan said. "I always look forward to coming home and racing with all the people I grew up racing around and getting to be at the track will all my buddies again, and all the familiar faces that I used to around every weekend."

Joining the MLRA Late Models both nights will be the Arctic Food Equipment USRA Modifieds, Clear Creek Golf Cars USRA B-Mods and Show-Me Vintage Racers. The Modifieds will run for $750 to win on Friday and $1,500 to win on Saturday; the B-Mods go for $500 to win Friday and $1,000 on Saturday.

Pit gates will open at 4 p.m. both days with grandstands at 4:30, hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:05.

Fat prize money will be up for grabs for the MLRA Late Models with a $5,000-to-win feature on Friday night and a big $10,000 prize on Saturday. The feature winners each night also will receive a $2,000 bonus from Mary Jenkins Holt, in memory of Ron Jenkins, builder of the original Wheatland Raceway. Mary Jenkins Holt also will award Fast Time Qualifier $500 each night.

That McCowan failed to win a feature on the Summer Nationals marathon may pale in comparison to the bigger picture, with the fact that he didn't tear up either of his cars iand his motors also survived intact.

"That was probably the craziest part of it all," McCowan said. "You see everybody tore up every night and guys wrecking out. We were fortunate enough to bring both of our cars back in pretty well one piece and just maintenance everything up and put on new bodies. We were really fortunate not to tear a lot of stuff up."

Meanwhile, McCowan built a racing notebook of first-time tracks from tiny to large and everything between.

“We went from one extreme to the other," McCowan said. "Macon (Speedway) is probably the smallest thing I’ve seen in my life, other than the Dome (America's Dome in St. Louis). We raced 100 laps around that place and then Red Hill (Raceway) is big and aero dependent and your stuff has to be just right.

“It was fun to experience the different types of tracks, all the different kind of dirt and how you have to change everything you’re doing inside the cockpit so frequently and so quick."

All the while, it was just Dillon and friend Riley Duncan traveling and servicing the cars for the majority of the tour. Dillon's dad, Charlie, was along for part of it before returning home to manage the family farm. Dillon's uncle Kim drove the hauler and loaned a hand for some of the trip.

But the bulk of the experience and life on the road for an extended period fell upon Dillon and Riley.

"That deal, it was so good for us," McCowan said. "That all taught me so much as a driver getting to experience different things and being in the car night after night. It was tough, but once you get out there and do it, you’re thankful. It was good for the whole team."

Now he's back in familiar surroundings, with family and friends primed to cheer him on. McCowan is fourth in MLRA season points, 105 behind championship leader Chad Simpson. He's not given up hopes to making a run at the reigning champ.

"There’s like 12 races left. If we can keep our nose clean and have some good runs, just be as consistent as we can, I think we might be right there in the chase," McCowan said. "But a bad night can be detrimental because we don’t have a full season to recover if we have a bad weekend or a bad race."

He said the same philosophy applies that he learned from the Summer Nationals.

“Mentally, you just have to take it day by day," McCowan said.

The MLRA will continue on to Moberly Motorsports Park on Sunday for another $10,000-to-win program. For more information on the Lucas Oil MLRA, including full points, schedule and archived news, visit MLRAracing.com.

Anthem Edition pre-race show Saturday: The gospel quartet Anthem Edition will perform in a pre-race concert from 5:45-6:15 p.m. on Saturday. The group has performed at Lucas Oil Speedway in previous years as The Old Paths, which formed in 2003 as a trio, founding by Doug Roark and Tim Rackley with a mission to glorify God.

It became a quartet in 2012 and signed with Crossroad Music's Sonlite Records releasing the album "Right Now" which yielded two No. 1 hits and earning them a Singing News Fan Award for Favorite New Quartet. In 2022, the group changed its name to Anthem Edition and welcomed Andrew Utech as new head vocalist and in the fall of 2023 Cameron Edens joined as new tenor.

Diamond Drag Boat Nationals on Lake Lucas: The 14th annual Diamond Drag Boat Nationals will feature the third and final visit of the season to Lake Lucas for the Kentucky Drag Boat Association. Gates and pits open at 7:30 a.m. on Friday with qualifying tentatively set for 8 a.m. On Saturday, gates open at 9:30 a.m. with qualifying at 10. Eliminations will be held on Sunday with a tentative schedule of 8:30 a.m. for gates and 10:30 for racing.

Combo passes are available for fans who wish to attend both the drag boat and dirt-track races on Friday or Saturday. All drag boat passes include access to the boat pit area.

The event will have a $33,200 purse and produced for later airing on MAVTV. Divisions include Top Alcohol Hydro, Pro Outlaw, Pro Mod, Quick Eliminator, Pro Eliminator, Pro Comp Flat, Tom Eliminator, Modified Eliminator, Stock Eliminator and Personal Watercraft.

For more info on the KDBA visit kydragboat.com.

Friday Dirt Track Admission:

Advance discount tickets online only (13 and up) - $27

Adults (13 and up) - $30

Seniors (62 and up)/Military - $27

Youth (ages 6-12) - $10

Kids (5 and under) - FREE

Family pass - $70

Pit pass - $40

Saturday Dirt Track Admission:

Advance discount tickets online only (13 and up) - $27

Adults (13 and up) - $30

Seniors (62 and up)/Military - $27

Youth (ages 6-12) - $10

Kids (5 and under) - FREE

Family pass - $70

Pit pass - $40

Friday Drag Boat Admission:

Combo (drag boats and dirt track on Friday only)

Adults (13 and up) GA combo - $45

Seniors (62 and up)/Military - $42

Youth (ages 6-12) GA combo - $25

Kids (5 and under) GA combo - FREE

Family pass GA combo (two adults, up to 2 kids 6-12 - $115

Adult 3-day pit combo - $105

Drag boats only Friday:

GA (6 and up) - $20

Kids GA (5 and under) - FREE

3-day drag boat only pit pass - $60

Saturday Drag Boat Admission:

Combo (drag boats and dirt track Saturday only)

Adults GA combo (13 and up) - $45

Seniors (62 and up)/Military GA combo - $42

Youth (6-12) GA combo - $25

Kids GA combo (5 and under) - FREE

Family pass GA combo (two adults, up to two kids 6-12) - $115

Adult two-day pit combo - $60

Saturday Drag Boat only:

GA (6 and up) - $20

Kids GA (5 and under) - FREE

2-day drag boat only pit pass - $40

Sunday Drag Boat Admission:

(Includes pit pass)

Ages 6 and up GA - $20

Ages 5 and under - FREE

For ticket or camping information on any Lucas Oil Speedway event, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or via email at nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com.

For information about Lucas Oil Speedway, including schedules, point standings and other news, please visit LucasOilSpeedway.com.

CONTACT:

Danny Lorton

Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager

Office: (417) 282-5984

DLorton@lucasoilspeedway.com

?Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is available. With its entrance located just outside the pit gate, this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience.

For ticket and camping information and everything about the Show-Me 100 event, visit www.LucasOilSpeedway.com for all the 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 X, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway

Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived race recaps, previews and driver features, along with ticket information and schedules can be found by visiting LucasOilSpeedway.com.

About Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Speedway is considered by fans, drivers and industry insiders to be one of the top five racing facilities in the nation. Located in Wheatland, Missouri, approximately an hour from Springfield, Missouri, and just an hour and a half from the Kansas City metro area, the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" lives up to its title.

Twenty-One VIP Luxury Suites, HD Jumbo-Tron Screen, Stadium Style Musco Sports Lighting, a Bose Sound System, Go-Kart Slick Track, The Diamond Bar, Track Treasures Gift Shop, the best track food in the country and paved pits are a few of the spectacular amenities setting the Diamond of Dirt apart. This year marks the 12th season for the Liquid Quarter Mile Drag Racing Lake, "Lake Lucas." New for 2017 was all-purpose built Off Road facility featuring a host of regional events.

Lucas Oil Speedway's dirt oval track plays host to some of the largest and most-popular events in the Midwest with national and regional touring series appearing frequently including: The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, POWRi Midget National Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, United States Modified Touring Series, ASCS Sprint Cars and the Lucas Oil MLRA.

In addition to the special events, the Lucas Oil Speedway Weekly Racing Series features the Late Models, USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods.

2024 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners

Arizona Sport Shirts

"The Official Merchandise Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Bill Roberts Chevrolet

"The Official Truck" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Dixie Chopper

"The Official Mowers of Lucas Oil Speedway"

General Tire

"The Official Tire" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Products

"The Official Oil" of Lucas Oil Speedway

MAVTV

"The Official Television Network" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper

"The Official Soft Drink" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Rugged Radios

"The Official 2-Way Communications Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Summit Racing Equipment

"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Sunoco Race Fuels

"The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil Speedway

2024 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:

AM Pyrotechnics, Alliance Sport Marketing, Arctic Food Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts, Berry Tractor and Equipment Co., Big Adventure RV, Bill Roberts Chevrolet, Bolivar Auto Sales & Detailing, Bolivar Farmers Exchange-MFA, Boone's BBQ Barn, Boubin Tire/American Racer, Bridal Cave, BWI Sanitation, Candlelight Creations-Dick's Wild Root Horseradish, Casey's, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Dixie Chopper, Eibach Springs, Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Hobbytime Motorsports, Iconic Apparel, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, KC Bobcat, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, Lucas Cattle Company, MD3, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, Missouri Division of Tourism, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, OakStar Bank, O'Bannon Bank, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Ozark Golf Cars, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper, Ozarks Community Health Center, PEM, Pitts Homes, Pitts Realty, Pitts Cattle, Pomme de Terre Resort, Proboat, ProThings Apparel, RACEceiver, Racinboys.com, RacinDirt.com, Rains Ice Company, RCR Designs, Real Racing Wheels, Rod End Supply, Ron Jenkins Accounting & Tax Service, Rugged Radios, Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC, SBU Athletics, Safety Kleen, Scott Furniture, Sidetrack RV Park, Simpson Racing Products, Southwest Electric Cooperative, State Tech, Stillwater Resort, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels, Turn 1 Bar & Grill, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wieland, Wild Animal Safari, Woods Supermarkets.

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