Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Announces "Jasper Engines Road to Wheatland"  and the "SuperClean Diamond Nationals"

 

For more information on the Lucas Oil Speedway, The Jasper Engines Road to Wheatland, The Diamond Nationals presented by SuperClean and or the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Touring Series, log on to www.LucasOilSpeedway.com or call (417) 282-5984.

 

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tidbits; Winter SPEED Channel Schedule Begins December 1

 

CORONA, CA (November 29, 2007)-It has already been a busy off-season for officials of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series with the release of the 2008 schedule and updating and fine tuning the series rules for next year. Already on the website are interviews with three-time and reigning Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion, Earl Pearson, Jr. of Jacksonville, FL and 2007 COMP Cams Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series "Rookie of the Year" Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY. 

 

In other series news:

 

MORAN THE MAN AT CONCORD-Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH captured the $10,000 to win event at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's in Concord, NC on Saturday Night, November 3^rd.  Moran drove his familiar #99 MasterSbilt Chassis to the win before a national television audience on SPEED.  Moran finished fourth in this year's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings after finishing third the previous two seasons.

 

JAMES TAKES WIN IN ARIZONA-2005 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series "Rookie of the Year" and this year's series runner-up in points Scott James of Lawrenceburg, IN traveled west and won at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, AZ on Thursday, November 8 earning $3,000 for the win.  James was driving a Rocket Chassis owned by Rick Wyatt.

 

ENGLISH FEATURED IN STOCK CAR RACING MAGAZINE-Terry English of Benton, KY who finished fifth in this year's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings has a feature story in STOCK CAR RACING MAZAGINE'S January 2008 issue.  English joins two other Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regulars, Earl Pearson Jr. and Steve Casebolt in receiving coverage nationwide in the publication this year.  To subscribe to the magazine you can log on to www.stockcarracing.com.

 

FORREST LUCAS FRONT PAGE COVER STORY IN NEW DIRT LATE MODEL MAGAZINE-Lucas Oil Products founder, Forrest Lucas will get some national publicity as he is on the cover of the December 2007 edition of DIRT LATE MODEL MAGAZINE.  Mr. Lucas is also featured in a written story.  In the article he talks about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO and his trials and tribulations in getting to where he is today in the world of business and racing.  For more information on how to subscribe to DIRT LATE MODEL MAGAZINE you can visit their website at www.threewidemedia.com.

 

EAST BAY SET TO KICK OFF '08 SCHEDULE IN FEBRUARY-For the fourth consecutive year the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will begin its season at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL.  The 32^nd Annual East Bay Winternationals are set for February 4-9^th, 2008.  The first three nights of racing will feature $5,000 to win events, followed by two $10,000 to win shows and a $12,000 to win finale on Saturday Night, February 9^th.  More information can viewed at www.eastbayracewaypark.com.  The entire '08 39 race schedule for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule is available online at www.lucasdirt.com/tour.php

 

SPEED CHANNEL BROADCAST BEGIN THIS SATURDAY-The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series on the SPEED Channel will kick off the '07-08 winter schedule of. Broadcasts this Saturday Night, December 1^st with coverage of the 31^st Annual East Bay Winternationals finale from East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL.  The event was taped on February 10^th, 2007 and will air at 7:30 PM Eastern/6:30 PM Central Time.  The complete broadcast schedule for the series can be seen at www.lucasdirt.com/broadcasts.php.

 

The Annual Awards Banquet for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series which will take place on Thursday, December 6^th in Orlando, FL in conjunction with the PRI Show.  Invitations have already been mailed out.  For more information on the banquet you can contact Events Coordinator Rick Schwallie at (951) 403-1609.

 

For the latest news and information regarding the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series you can visit www.lucasdirt.com.

 

 

Final 2007 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings

 

1)     Earl Pearson, Jr. (Jacksonville, FL)-5555

2)     Scott James (Lawrenceburg, IN)-5325

3)     Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN)-5170

4)     Donnie Moran (Dresden, OH)-4760

5)     Terry English (Benton, KY)-4715

6)     Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY)-4505

7)     Billy Drake (Bloomington, IL)-4465

8)     Dan Schlieper (Sullivan, WI)-4330

9)     Damon Eller (Crumpler, NC)-3850

10)Freddy Smith (Seymour, TN)-3640

 

 

Final 2007 Current COMP Cams Rookie of the Year Points Standings

 

1)  Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY)-4505

2)  Damon Eller (Crumpler, NC)-3850

3)  Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY)-2885

 

 

Justin Rattliff Earns Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series COMP Cams "Rookie of the Year" for 2007

 

CORONA, CA (November 15, 2007)-During the first nine Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events of the 2007 racing season it appeared that 20-year-old Justin Rattliff may have bitten off more than he could chew running the series for the first time in his career, but after eight months of furious competition the Campbellsville, KY realized a personal goal of winning a series event, finishing sixth in the points and capturing the COMP Cams "Rookie of the Year" award which was worth $10,000.

 

Rattliff who made only two of the first nine events against some of the top competition in the country week in and week out with the Lucas Oil Series rebounded nicely to make the starting grid for 22 of the final 24 events of the season. Coming off of a season where he finished second in the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series points standings and won "Rookie of the Year" for the series, his goals for this season were pretty lofty.  Finishing in the top five or ten each time out and winning the rookie award among some stout competition may have seemed far fetched for anyone else who tackles a national touring series for the first time, but Rattliff and his team persevered through the season and earned respect among his fellow drivers and gaining some new fans along the way.

 

Rattliff stunned the world of dirt late model racing when he picked up his first ever $10,000 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win back in May at La Salle Speedway in Illinois.  It wasn't that long ago (late 2005) when Rattliff scored his first ever late model victory at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, KY.  But this win on a national level would send Rattliff with momentum heading into the meat of '07 Lucas Oil schedule.

 

There would be just two hiccups along the way.  After the series was off for Memorial Day Weekend the ultra-tough ½ mile at Florence (KY) Speedway awaited the competitors and Rattliff just missed the starting line-up by one spot in his consy run.  Dan Schlieper and Terry English would get the series provisionals that night leaving Rattliff's black #16 on the trailer as the disappointment of not having an opportunity to go home with back to back wins in Lucas Oil competition would stoke the fires and the young racer would rebound with a several good runs through the month of August which put him on track to clinch the rookie title before the last month of the season.

 

Rattliff's best stretch of the season was from late-June through Mid-July when he was impressive in taking seven straight top 12 finishes.  While racing on tracks he had never seen before was exciting for "The Rattler" racing at two tracks familiar to him (Brownstown and Bardstown) would get him a 15^th place in the "Jackson 100" at Brownstown and a fifth place finish at Bardstown at the end of August.  Those two finishes solidified another one Rattliff's goals to seal the COMP Cams "Rookie of the Year."

 

With a strong field of 86 cars at the 39^th Annual "Hillbilly 100" Rattliff would fail to make the starting grid for the 100 lap event.  He concluded the '07 Lucas Oil Series by finishing 16^th in the "RaceFest" at West Virginia Motor Speedway which sowed up the sixth spot in the final championship point's standings.

 

For the season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Rattliff would start 24 main events with one win, five top five finishes and he recorded six top ten finishes.

 

With the experience and success Rattliff had this season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in 2007 he looks for bigger and brighter things in '08.  "I thought we did real well considering we hadn't run a national touring series before, winning rookie of the year and finishing in the top ten of the points we feel is a great accomplishment for our team, we look forward to winning some more races next year and finishing higher in the points," said Rattliff who thanked his hard working crew which includes his father, James Rattliff, Willie Rattliff, T.P and Klein Stubbs, Tim Moore and his girlfriend, Candace Tungate.

 

One person responsible for a lot of Rattliff's success over the last three years as been crew chief Jeff Gullett.  "He came on board when we started racing late models three years ago, he's so sharp on this stuff and he really helped me when we went to tracks I hadn't been to before, he's one of the best in the business."  Gullett was also complimentary of the young racer he has worked with day in and day out at the race shop and at the race track.  "I'm proud of him," said Gullett who has been involved in racing for over 25 years.

 

The other drivers on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series know what Rattliff has accomplished and better come loaded for bear come 2008 when he plans to take on some of the best that dirt late model racing has to offer running with the Lucas Oil Series again.  "We'll be ready for East Bay, I can't wait to get back there, then our plans are to run all the Lucas Oil race again next year and see if we can unseat Earl," said a smiling Rattliff in a post season interview where he was still nursing a broken wrist sustained in a racing incident in his home state of Kentucky the first weekend of October.  Rattliff did make a return to the cockpit on November 10^th at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, GA where he finished in 15^th place.

 

The 2008 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has released a 39 race schedule and it is available on line at www.lucasdirt.com.

 

 

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Releases Ambitious 2008 Race Schedule

 

CORONA, CA (November 6, 2007)-Officials of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series have released their 2008 racing schedule that currently shows 39 confirmed dates in 16 states.

 

It will be the most ambitious schedule for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series which will begin its fourth season of sanctioning dirt late model events.  In 2007 the series ran 33 events with 18 different winners as 632 drivers made at least one appearance with the series this year.

 

The 2008 season will kick off as usual with six nights of competition at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL for the 32^nd Annual East Bay Winternationals.  With nearly $470,000 in first place prize money alone up for grabs next season the series will also return to the SPEED Channel with 12 events to be televised and the year in review special will air on SPEED as well.

 

The series will visit six new venues in '08 including Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, GA, Bedford Speedway in Bedford, PA, Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg, OH, Winchester Speedway in Winchester, VA, the Batesville Speedway in Batesville, AR which will see the track's biggest event the "Topless 100" sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time in August of 2008 and to Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, IN who has a late August date next year.

 

Returning to the series schedule after a couple of years will be Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, GA, K-C Raceway in Chillicothe, OH and Cherokee Super Speedway in Gaffney, SC.

 

There are six events on the 2008 schedule that will pay more than $10,000 to win next season including the $12,000 to win "Winternationals" finale at East Bay, the Second Annual "Diamond Nationals" at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO will pay $40,000 to win next May, the $47,000 to win "Topless 100" at Batesville, AR on August 15th and 16^th, the $40,000 to win "Hillbilly Hundred" Labor Day Weekend, the 29^th Annual "Jackson 100 at Brownstown (IN) Speedway which has been moved to September 19^th and 20^th and will pay $20,000 to win next year and the "Dixie Shootout" at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock GA which will pay $15,000 to win next October.

 

A majority of the tracks that hosted events in 2007 will be on the slate again for '08.  "We are very pleased with the way the schedule has turned out for next season," said series director Ritchie Lewis.  "It just shows the strength of the series that the tracks were calling us immediately after our season was over to make sure they got a date for next year," said Lewis.  "I feel we have the best staff in all of racing and I can't thank the drivers, car owners, fans, promoters and sponsors enough for making the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series such a popular racing series and we look forward to a tremendous 2008 season."

 

"It's really been nice to get the schedule done so soon," commented Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Events Coordinator Rick Schwallie, who also played a hand in putting the schedule together.  "With the interest the series has drawn we are becoming a series that a lot of drivers are taking a hard look at running next season and with the other bonuses that will be announced in the future it is even more enticing," said Schwallie.

 

"We want the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to be a profitable event for our promoters who are bringing us in," said Lucas Oil Vice President Bob Patison.  "With the way the schedule for next season has turned out it is apparent the promoters were happy with the product we put on the race track and the way the show was ran and with that said we are always looking at even more ways to entertain the fans and bring them the most bang for their buck."

 

For the latest information and news regarding the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series you can visit their website at www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.