7/17/2024
Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Wille's focus on Modifieds finds him in Weekly Championship Series hunt
WHEATLAND, MO. (July 17, 2024) - Over the years, Dean Wille has driven various types of race cars on Missouri-area dirt tracks. Modifieds, B-Mods, Stock Cars, Pure Stocks and even Late Models. If it has four tires and a motor, you likely will find Wille behind the wheel of something fast.
This season, Wille has put most of his focus on his Modified. A regular at Lucas Oil Speedway, the 49-year-old from Warrensburg is a contender in the Arctic Food Equipment USRA Modified division, where he’s fifth in points entering Saturday’s Horton Supply Company Veterans and Military Appreciation Night at the Races.
“I hadn’t raced A Mods full time for two or three years,” Wille said. “Just getting back in and getting in the hang of things, we tried some things that didn’t work out that I thought would. We’ve just had a little bit of a learning curve, but I feel we’re going in the right direction.”
The USRA Modifieds headline the action with a 25-lap, $1,000-to-win feature on Saturday with all military veterans or active duty personnel admitted free with ID.
Wille finished 12th in Lucas Oil Speedway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Car division in 2023 after winding up fifth in that class in 2022, when he picked up his first Wheatland feature victory. He’s still dabbling in Stock Cars occasionally at other area tracks this season, but made the decision to go back to his preferred division.
“If the A Mod can be raced someplace close to home, I’m gonna race it,” Wille said. “If not, we’ll race the Stock Car. It’s kind of my priority. We’re trying to get this thing figured out. I feel like we’re close. Just made several changes last week and gained a whole bunch and making a few more this week. We’re going in right direction.
“We’ve just been slow. We’ve been anywhere from four to eight-tenths of a second behind, just needing some overall speed right now.”
Wille, who piled up 14 Modified feature wins in 2012, said, “I’ve raced it the most over the years. It’s always been the preferred class for me.”
“We have really good equipment with a Hughes chassis. Jason (Hughes) was fast last year at the end of the year and at the start of this year, and now he’s been on a little bit of a struggle bus. We’ve all been working together to figure out what everybody’s doing and where the speed’s at.”
Wille has been up front at times, with a second-place run at Lucas Oil Speedway on April 20th and a third on June 22nd. He’s 52 points behind Jason Pursley in a crowded top five of the track standings.
“We’re not really points chasing at Wheatland,” Wille said. “We may end up at the end of the year chasing. We’re still in the top 10 and may end up rearranging some things on the schedule toward the end. We’ll see how it plays out over the next couple of weeks.”
Team sponsors include Gator Graphics, Royal Roofing & Solar, Cuttin’ Up Meat Processing, Cornerstone Cornucopia Gift Shop, Central Power & Diesel and The Woodshed. He said Jason Thompson, Austin Payne and his wife, Crista Wille, have provided key help during race nights.
“We’ve had a lot of fun, we’ve had good finishes, we just haven’t had the consistent finishes and that’s what we’re striving for,” Wille said. "I feel we’re on the cusp of figuring some stuff out."
Extra racing also will be included on the Saturday program. The completion of the O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars feature, which was postponed by threatening weather on July 4th, will begin the show, following hot laps. The regular program with all four classes follows with the Clear Creek Golf Cars USRA B-Mods and Hermitage Lumber POWRi Late Models joining the Modifieds and Stock Cars.
Driver ticket giveaway: This Saturday marks the annual ticket giveaway to regulars in the four weekly divisions. Each driver gets up to 50 general admission grandstand tickets at payout, good for the Aug. 24th Rempfer Memorial Season Championship Night. Drivers with the most tickets used on Aug. 24th will win one free season crew member pit pass for 2025.
Kids' Pit Tour: Before this week's action, flagman Mike Striegel will lead a group of youngsters on a golf-car tour of the pits where they will have a chance to meet drivers and collect autographs. The kids can sign up at the RCR Designs Jr Fan Club table on the midway for a chance to enter the drawing for the tour, which starts at 5:15 p.m.
Pits open at 4 p.m. with grandstands at 4:30, hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:05.
Saturday admission:
Advance discount tickets online only (13 and up) - $12
Adults (ages 13 and up) - 15
Seniors (62 and over) - $12
Youth (ages 6-12) - $5
Kids (5 and under) - FREE
Family pass - $35
Pit pass - $35
Military (active and veterans) - FREE with ID
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.
Article Credit: By Lyndal Scranton, Lucas Oil Speedway
