Weekend preview
Bad Boy 98 offering up big money, special prize
This Kia Soul will be driven away by a lucky fan Saturday in Batesville. (lucasdirt.com)
Someone will drive to a $20,000 victory this weekend at Batesville Motor Speedway. And someone else will drive home in a brand new vehicle.
The Bad Boy 98, the May 16-18 event at the Locust Grove, Ark., track, provides a big payout to the winner of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series along with a new Kia Soul to a lucky fan paired with the winning driver. It adds an extra element of suspense for the first of two series visits to the high-speed, 3/8-mile oval. | Batesville practice rained out
“The series is excited to be going back to Batesville Motor Speedway twice this year, not only for the Comp Cams Topless 100 but for the second annual Bad Boy 98 as well,” series director Ritchie Lewis said. “We enjoy working with (track promoters) Mooney and Connie Starr every year and want to see this springtime event grow into something big every year for the great fans in that area.
“It’s a really cool deal for the fans to get a chance to drive a new car home from that event. To see all the fans that were matched up with each driver last year was exciting to watch as each one rooted for their driver to win. It’s a great promotion and event that everyone should attend.”
In a promotion sponsored by Mark Martin Ford and Kia in Batesville, each Bad Boy 98 fan will receive a special ticket at the main entrance for a random drawing Saturday night. Track officials will draw out tickets and match a fan with each driver starting the 98-lap main event, and the luckiest of those fans will join the winning driver in victory lane to check out the new wheels.
The next-richest Super Late Model event for the weekend is Saturday’s 34th annual USA 100 at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va., one of the country’s longest running Dirt Late Model events. Jamie Lathroum of Mechanicsville, Md., will be gunning for his second straight victory in the Ernie Shelton-founded event sanctioned by the Ultimate Super Late Model Series.
A preview of national and regional touring events and unsanctioned specials for May 17-19:
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Event: Second annual Bad Boy 98, sponsored by Batesville’s Bad Boy Mowers with a showroom and warehouse near the racetrack.
Date: May 16-18 (practice Thursday; time trials and heat races Friday; consolations and main event Saturday).
Track: Batesville Motor Speedway, Locust Grove, Ark. (3/8-mile high-banked clay oval).
Purse: $20,000-to-win, $1,200-to-start.
Times: Not announced.
Tickets: Call (870) 251-0011 or 870-613-1337 or visit batesvillemotorspeedway.net.
Last year’s winner: Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.
Notes: Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., leads the series points heading to Batesville. ... Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., won the previous series event at La Salle, Ill., and is expected to be among the entrants at Batesville. ... An autograph session is scheduled for Saturday. ... Mark Martin Kia will have the 2013 Kia Soul on display during the weekend. ... The Mark Martin Museum and gift shop at Mark Martin Ford will be open through the weekend for fans to see the history of the NASCAR driver’s career.
Ultimate Super Late Model Series
Event: 34th annual USA 100, an Ernie Shelton-founded event previously held in Beckley, W.Va.
Date: May 18 (time trials, qualifying semifeatures, consolations and main event)
Track: Virginia Motor Speedway, Jamaica, Va. (half-mile semi-banked oval)
Purse: $10,000-to-win
Times: Pit gates at 4 p.m.; grandstands at 5 p.m.; hot laps at 6:30.
Tickets: General admission $18 (seniors $15 and military $12); students $8, children 7-12 $4 and children 6-and-under free. Pit passes $25. No advance ticket sales.
Last year’s winner: Jamie Lathroum, Mechanicsville, Md.
Notes: Two 25-lap qualifying semifeatures will set the lineup for the 50-lap finale. ... Non-qualifiers will receive $200. ... Among drivers expected: reigning Ultimate champ Casey Roberts, Rick Eckert (in the Paul Crowl-owned No. 7), Chris Ferguson, Jeff Smith, Brett Miller, Ricky Elliott, Jamie Lathroum, Jason Covert and Jeremy Miller. ... Besides Late Models, VMS will run events for the truckin’ thunder sportsman, modifieds and stock cars. ... All divisions will time-trial. ... Fans can bring 16-inch coolers but no glass is allowed. ... Primitive camping is available free. ... Fans can listen to the track’s PA system at 95.5 FM.
Other events
Notes: Casey Roberts leads series points heading to the Tar River Throwdown. ... Chris Madden and Walker Arthur won series races last season at County Line. ... Christian Joyner leads the points for the track’s Limited Late Model division.
Notes: Brandon Thirlby leads the overall series points. ... All four events are on the ALMS West Region schedule; Kankakee and Fairbury are East Region events as well. ... Chad Simpson is the only two-race winner on the series. ... Fairbury’s race will be its season opener. ... The Charleston and Danville ovals don’t host weekly Late Model divisions.
Notes: Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., leads Billy Ogle Jr. by 30 points heading into series finale. ... Race was postponed from a week earlier. ... Casebolt won previous series event at Dixie Speedway. ... Title pays $5,000. ... Eight previous series races have had eight winners.
Notes: Riley Hickman leads SAS points. ... The 35th annual Coca-Cola Tennessee Memorial is second of five series visits to Cleveland. ... Forty-lap feature. ... Six other divisions in action including Limited Late Model and Crate Late Models. ... Randy Weaver won March’s SAS visit. ... The track is hosting Blood Assurance Blood Drive. ... Hot laps are scheduled for 7 p.m. ... Skip Arp won last year’s race. ... Jason Hiett leads the rookie chase.
Notes: Rob Litton leads the points in trying to become the first four-time SUPR champ. ... First series event in Oklahoma since 2006. ... Five winners in five SUPR events so far. ... Patrik Daniel won last week’s Late Model feature at Ardmore.
Notes: First of three MSCCS visits to Greenville. ... Fifty-lap feature. ... Chris Wall has won last two series events. ... David Breazeale won the two before that. ... Wall leads the series points.
Notes: Karsyn's Krusaders 40 is a fund-raiser for cancer awareness at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds oval. ... Rick Wendling won the previous series event at Elko (Minn.) Speedway. ... QuickCar Racing Products Quick Six will receive a new MD3 nose courtesy of Karsyn's Krusaders. ... The event is be on live pay-per-view via XSAN.tv. ... IMCA Late Models will also be in action along with modifieds and street stocks.
Notes: Series-opening event. ... Brandon Thirlby won last year’s title. ... Five other divisions are in action.
Notes: Second and third ADRA Dirt Masters presented by Suddenlink events of season. ... Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, won last year’s title and this year’s opener at Jackson County (Ohio) Speedway. ... Sixth annual Freedom Fighters 40 at Moler is on Armed Forces Night (military admitted free with ID). ... Moler will pass helmets to raise money for five-time champion Barry Doss, who recently suffered a heart attack. ... Hilltop’s event is Jerry Reed Memorial, honoring the late track chaplain. ... Event is Hilltop’s first with summer hours with hots laps at 6 p.m. and racing at 7:30.
Notes: The Rain Basher 40 was rained out May 3. ... Among the state’s highest-banked ovals. ... Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. ... It will mark 14th SRRS event at Thunderhill. ... Series winners at Thunderhill in 2011 were Josh Putnam and Chuck Procter.
Notes: Hometown driver Brad Williams won last visit to Tucson. ... Four other divisions are in action.
Notes: NLRA tour opener. ... Ricky Weiss has won last two visits to track. ... The night’s racing is sponsored by Christie Motors and Langdon Implement.
