3/27/2019
RacinBoys
Meet the Lucas Oil Speedway Staff: Diamond Bar Manager Looney eager for season
By Lyndal Scranton (Wheatland, MO) -- You would be hard pressed to find a Lucas Oil Speedway employee who is counting down the days to the new season with more anticipation than Laurie Looney.
"I am so excited. I just love it," Looney said of the rapidly approaching Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series opener, on April 6.
Looney is set to begin her first full season as manager of the Diamond Bar. However, she's far from a newcomer to the popular Lucas Oil Speedway hangout having been a bartender there for 11 seasons prior to taking over as interim manager midway through last season.
"I sling drinks and give the customers the full Lucas Oil Speedway experience," Looney said. "That means great service, always with a smile. This is my 12th season and a lot of these people are like family.
"It's fun to see people I've served the last 11 seasons bring new people in to meet me because the Diamond Bar has given them a fun experience that they have remembered. I just love it."
Looney has a staff of seven ready to serve thirsty customers throughout the season, whether it's at the Diamond Bar in main grandstand or with mobile set-ups on the pit side or at special events at the Off Road track.
While a lifelong fan of classic or "muscle" cars, Looney said she wasn't particularly a dirt-track racing fan before going to work at Lucas Oil Speedway.
"I started working there and got to knowing the people and learning a little about it. Then, I got hooked," Looney said.
Now, she loves all forms of racing at the speedway, but added that the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series has "kind of stole my heart" since debuting at the speedway in 2017.
Don't look for much new in 2019 at the Diamond Bar. Looney, who's been in restaurant and bar management for 23 years, said her philosophy to keep flowing with what's been working.
"We have a couple of new beers, but we're not fixing anything that's not broken," she said.
Looney is originally from Halfway but lives in Morrisville with husband John, 23-year-old daughter Sapphire and 17-year-old son Evan. If you don't find her at the races or hanging with the family, you might find Laurie watching college basketball.
"March Madness is like my Christmas," she said, adding that her favorite team is the Georgetown Hoyas. She said the team's legacy of outstanding big men, including Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning are her favorites.
"Ewing really got me hooked on them back in the '80s," she said.
The 2019 Lucas Oil Speedway season kicks off Saturday, March 30 with an open test and tune from 2-6 p.m. Spectator grandstand admission is free with pit passes $25. The Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series begins April 6 with action in all four of the weekly divisions - Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds, Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods, Warsaw Auto Marine & RV ULMA Late Models and O'Reilly Auto Parts Street Stocks.
To inquire about tickets, VIP suites or camping, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or via email at Nichole@LucasOilSpeedway.com.
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
