Bristol Motor Speedway
Notes: Lucrative month coming up for Lucas Oil
Paducah co-owner Bob Sargent hosts a Lucas Oil event on May 2. (Brian McLeod)
With $110,000 on the line in first-place prize money alone, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series hits the road for six events during a five-week stretch of racing action. Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois will host two events apiece during the May 2-30 stretch of series racing.
The month kicks off May 2 at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway, a 3/8-mile oval in western Kentucky co-owned by Bob Sargent along with NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Ken Schrader and Tony Stewart. The first-ever series event at Paducah paying $10,000 to the winner will be taped in front of the high-definition cameras of the Speed cable network for a one-hour tape-delayed broadcast.
After that, series drivers head to the third annual SuperClean Diamond Nationals at the sparkling Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. The May 8-9 event pays $30,000 to the winner and will be shown on Speed a few weeks later in a two-hour tape-delayed program. Last year's winner was Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.
On May 16, the series heads to La Salle (Ill.) Speedway for the $10,000-to-win Spring Shootout at the Kerrianne and Joe Izzo-promoted facility.
Memorial Day weekend features two new events to the series schedule, starting with the O'Reilly Show-Me 100 at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway on May 22-23, a previously unsanctioned special event that has been among the nation's biggest races. The Speed cameras will also be on hand at the Don and Billie Gibson-promoted oval, which pays $40,000 to the Show-Me 100 winner. Capping the weekend is the $10,000-to-win FedEx 50 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill.
Winding up the lucrative month is Florence (Ky.) Speedway's Ralph Latham Memorial on May 30 at the northern Kentucky oval. — From series reports
DTWC ADVANCE TICKETS ON SALE: Advance tickets for the $50,000-to-win Dirt Track World Championship are now available for the Oct. 15-17 event at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway. Besides the unsanctioned Late Model action and a $3,000-to-win modified event, promoter Carl Short has also added a $5,000-to-win non-winged sprint car show at Lawrenceburg, which regularly runs sprint car events. To purchase tickets, fans can visit the race website or mail ticket requests to Carl Short, 105 Skyline Lane, Powell, TN 37849. Advance adult general admission tickets are $40 ($50 after Oct. 1). — Brian Tidball
COTTON PICKIN' 100 CHANGES DATES: The Cotton Pickin' 100, one of Mississippi's richest Dirt Late Model events, has moved from its regular mid-October date to the last weekend of the month. The $15,000-to-win event is scheduled for Oct. 30-31 at Magnolia Motor Speedway near Columbus, Miss. The new date at the Johnny Stokes-promoted track will help the event avoid conflicts with other major events. — Tim O'Brien
NEW IOWA-BASED MINISERIES LAUNCHES: The Corn Belt Clash, a new Iowa-based miniseries for Dirt Late Models, has announced five $2,000-to-win races at three tracks for the 2009 season. The new miniseries sponsored by C.J. Promotions and Dart Machinery replaces the former Indee Open events and offers rules to provide equitable racing between open-competition Late Models and drivers using spec-engine cars. Fayette County Speedway in West Union (June 12, July 28 and an August date TBA), Highway 3 Raceway in Allison (July 2) and Independence Motor Speedway (July 16) are on the original schedule. For more information, call Cam Granger at (563) 380-0665 or Mike O’Connor at (319) 404-2153. — From series reports
