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MLRA and Street Stock Big Buck 50 at Lucas Oil Speedway

By Lyndal Scranton (Wheatland, MO) -- Lucas Oil Speedway wraps up its oval-track season this weekend with a big doubleheader featuring the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models and the Big O Tires Street Stocks.

The 4th annual MLRA Fall Nationals will award the feature winner $3,000 on Friday and $5,000 on Saturday, along with crowning a 2017 series champion following the final-night feature.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kenny Shaw photo

Meanwhile, the Street Stocks get time in the big-money spotlight with the Big Buck 50 Presented by Whitetail Trophy Hunt. They'll determine the first 16 starters for the $5,000-to-win 50-lap Saturday feature via Friday-night qualifying.

"This is a weekend that a lot of fans, and certainly the drivers, have had circled on their calendars for months," Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager Dan Robinson said. "For the MLRA, it's a celebration of a great season and crowning of a champion. For the Street Stock guys, it's a chance to run for big money and exposure with a fun, new format.

"We're looking forward to one more big weekend for our dirt-track fans to come out and enjoy some great racing."

The biggest Street Stock race of the season attracted 93 entries a year ago and at least that many are expected this weekend. Along with $5,000, the winner of Saturday's feature will receive a free entry into the Whitetail Trophy Hunt in central Missouri, Nov. 11-13. That is valued at $3,000.

An open practice session has been scheduled for Thursday, from 6-9 p.m. Pit admission is $20 and spectators in the grandstand are admitted free. The Diamond Bar will be open with the band Phat Mike and the Bartenders playing following the practice.

On Friday, Street Stock drivers will run time trials in groups of three to determine fast qualifier and set the lineups for heat-race lineups. The first and second-place finishers in each of the eight heats (based on 96 entries) will lock themselves into Saturday's A-Main.

Those top 16 will be split into two dashes on Friday which will determine the first eight rows of Saturday's main event. Heat-race winners will run the first dash, determining starting positions 1-8 in Saturday's A-main with the second-place heat finishers running another dash to set positions 9-16.

The third and fourth-place finishers from Friday's heats will be locked into the B-Main on Saturday; those finishing fifth and sixth going into the C-Main, seventh and eighth to the D-Main, eighth and ninth to the E-Main and the rest headed for the F-Main.

On Saturday, the transfer features starting with the F-main will see the top six in each transferring on before the top eight in the B-feature advance to the 50-lap, $5,000-to-win, main event. Along with two track provisionals, 26 will start the main event.

"It's a format that's used at the Chili Bowl and Knoxville Nationals and one I think the drivers and fans will enjoy," Robinson said.

The feature payout for the Big Buck 50 will be: 1 - $5,000; 2 - $2,500; 3 - $1,250; 4 - $1,000; 5, $900. 6 - $800. 7 - $700. 8 - $700. 9 - $500; 10 - $400. 11 - $350. 12-26 - $300. First non-transfer - $600 (courtesy of a $500 bonus from Alamo Arms of Montreal, Mo.). Remaining non-transfers - $100.

Lucas Oil Speedway recently announced three additional awards for the Big Buck 50:

Fast time award: Tony Jackson Racing out of Lebanon once again will sponsor the Fast Time Award, with $500 going to the quickest qualifier in time trials on opening night Oct. 6. Jackson, a veteran Late Model standout, also has become a leading builder of Street Stocks through Tony Jackson Racing.

Hard charger award: Ray's Lake Service returns as sponsor for the Hard Charger Award, with the driver advancing the most positions in the feature earning a $500 bonus.

First non-transfer award: Alamo Arms LLC, of Montreal, Mo., will award $500 to the first non-transfer car into the feature.

The 2016 Big Buck 50 champion cashed in big. Tim Brown of Stoutland, Mo., took home the $5,000 winner's share and the free Whitetail Trophy Hunt entry. Then Brown won another $2,000 when he bagged a buck big enough to finish ninth among 189 hunters. That also won Brown another free entry into the 2017 Whitetail Trophy Hunt.

This November will mark the 29th year for the Whitetail Trophy Hunt. For more information about the hunt, set for Nov. 11-13, go to whitetail.net or call 1-800-633-4868.

In the Lucas Oil MLRA Series, veteran Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., will be looking to nail down his second series championship in three years and his fourth overall. Phillips begins the weekend 42 points ahead of Rodney Sanders of Happy, Texas, with reigning MLRA champ Jesse Stovall of Billings, Mo., 113 behind.

Phillips has four feature victories this season, but hasn't won at Lucas Oil Speedway in a decade. Sanders, who's already clinched the MLRA Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, captured one of the MLRA Spring Nationals features back in April.

Randy Timms of Wheatland, Okla., prevailed the last time the MLRA Series appeared at Lucas Oil Speedway, taking the Larry Phillips Memorial on Sept. 2 as Stovall had a mechanical failure, while leading, on the next-to-last lap.

The complete weekend will be filmed by Lucas Oil production for a later broadcast on MAVTV and will also included in the offerings on Lucas Oil Racing TV.

Schedule/format
(Thursday practice)
6-9 p.m. - $20 pits, FREE grandstands (Diamond Bar open after practice with Phat Mike and the Bartenders playing)

(Friday)
Gates open at 5 p.m. with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:35
Street stock time trials
Heat races for MLRA (passing points)
Heat races for Street Stocks (first and second place finishers lock into Saturday's A-Main)
B-Main for MLRA
Street Stocks Top 16, two dashes for Saturday A-Main lineup (first place in heats run for starting positions 1-8, second place in heats run for positions 9-16)
MLRA feature (40 laps)

(Saturday)
Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6 and racing at 6:35
MLRA time trials
Street Stocks F-Feature, 12 laps (top 6 transfer to E-Feature)
Opening ceremonies/National Anthem
Street Stocks E-Feature, 14 laps (top 6 transfer to D-Feature)
MLRA heat races
Street Stocks D-Feature, 16 laps (top 6 transfer to C-Feature)
Hot laps for Top 16 Street Stock A Feature qualifiers
Street Stocks C-Feature, 18 laps (top 6 transfer to B-Feature)
MLRA B-Feature
Street Stocks B-Feature, 20 laps (top 8 transfer to A-Feature)
Intermission
MLRA Feature (50 laps)
Street Stocks Feature (50 laps)

Tickets
(Friday)
Gates open at 5 p.m. with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:35
Adults (16 and up) $15
Seniors (62 and up)/Military $12
Youth (6-15) $5
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $30
Pit Pass $35

(Saturday)
Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6 and racing at 6:35
Adults (16 and up) $20
Seniors (62 and up)/Military $17
Youth (6-15) $5
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $40
Pit Pass $40

For ticket information for all Lucas Oil Speedway events, contact admissions director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or via email at nichole@LucasOilSpeedway.com.

Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived stories, ticket info and schedules 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

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