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Dan Robinson
BUCKNER, Mo. (May 1) - As unseasonably cool and rainy weather created havoc for racing schedules in the month of April, the O'Reilly MLRA presented by Lucas Oil looks to get back on track in May. The first stop of the month will take place on Wednesday night, May 7th at the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas for a $3,000 to win show, followed by a two day visit to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri on May 9th and 10th for the $40,000 to win Diamond Nationals.
McCarthy Chevrolet and GM Performance Accessories present the Bad Boyz of the O'Reilly MLRA for a rare midweek show on May 7th at the Lakeside Speedway. Clint Bowyer and Shannon Babb will be in attendance to challenge the MLRA in wheel to wheel dirt late model racing action. Arizona native and current Springfield, Missouri resident Jeremy Payne leads the MLRA contingent into battle with a two point lead over 5-time MLRA Champ Al Purkey. David Turner, Terry Phillips, and Will Vaught round out the top 5 in points and are expected to be in action. Defending MLRA Champion Alan Vaughn will also look to rebound from a tough start to contend for the win. Other drivers expected to be in attendance include John Anderson, Denny Woodworth, Mark Burgtorf and Scott Drake.
With a pair of World of Outlaws Late Model shows this weekend in Southwest Missouri and the high profile Diamond Nationals the following weekend, look for several high profile dirt late model teams to make an appearance at Lakeside and snare a share of the loot.
Adult admission for the event is $15 in advance, $18 at the gate, with kids just $6. Gates open at 5:00pm, with Hot Laps at 7:00 and racing set to get underway at 7:30. The Lakeside Speedway is located north of the Kansas Speedway off of I-435 on Walcott Dr. in Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, please visit www.lakesidespeedway.net or call the track office at (913) 299-2040.
The event everyone is talking about takes place on May 9th-10th. Of course we are talking about the Super Clean Diamond Nationals at Forrest Lucas' "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" in Wheatland Missouri. With $40,000 on the line, huge car counts are expected along with capacity crowds. The event is co-sanctioned by the MLRA and by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The total purse for the event is over $160,000! The O'Reilly MLRA is also awarded two provisionals for this event so MLRA points are crucial heading into the weekend as nobody wants to be left out of the event. Please visit www.LucasOilSpeedway.com for detailed schedule and event information. The Lucas Oil Speedway can also be reached via phone at (417) 282-5984.
Two-Time NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Randy Lajoie will be on hand both days with his Safer Racer Tour. The Lucas the Oil Race'n Ride Two-Seat Late Models will make appearances following racing action both nights.
In addition to the exciting action on the track there will be a special competition for the crews of the touring dirt late model race teams that compete at this event. On Friday May 9th a special "Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge" competition will take place in front of the main grandstands and will be taped for TV broadcast at a later date. The MLRA and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race teams will compete for cash awards presented to the top three fastest pit crews that complete a pit stop in a timed format. In the first round of competition each team will have their driver drive into a pit box where two crew members will service the car by changing the RR tire and sending their driver out of the pit box the fastest in the timed format. The three fastest race teams after the first round will return and compete against each other again but this time the crew must change a RF Shock and RF tire during the timed pit stop. The team that completes the pit stop the fastest will receive $1000 from Integra Shocks. Both second and third place teams will also receive a cash award.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling (816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
The O'Reilly MLRA would like to thank the sponsors of the 2008 Thunder Tour including O'Reilly Auto Parts, Midwest Walnut, Lucas Oil, Hoosier Race Tires, Hatfield Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Adrian Bank, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline Shop, Taylor Cable Products, Impact Racing Products, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Bodee's Race Bodies, Outpace Racing Products, Duralite Racing Wheels, Impact Signs and Lighting, Rod End Supply, Racing Optics, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Shepherd of the Hills Entertainment
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