7/24/2024
Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Red-hot Gillmore streaks into Saturday's USRA B-Mod Twin 20s
WHEATLAND, MO. (July 24, 2024) - Ryan Gillmore has won a lot of USRA B-Mod races over the last decade, but probably has never been on a roll like his current one. The Springfield driver has won five features in a row at four different tracks over the last few weeks.
On the drive home to Springfield following his latest triumph, last Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway, Gillmore said he was talking it over with wife Ashley and crew chief Austin Roberts. They agreed that, despite the rugged competition level in the B-Mod class, he no longer can fly under the radar.
People notice when you win as much as Gillmore has. They're gonna start throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at him to upend the streak.
“I’m excited, but a tiny bit naive at the same time,” Gillmore said this week. “We’re just working hard to be good and I get asked about how many in a row we’ve won. That’s when I start thinking we have a lot of people looking at me now because we’ve been running good.
“It’s really cool, but it’s also nerve-wracking,” he added. “You don’t want to lose the streak. You want to keep on clicking them off and run as good as you can.”
Gillmore puts his streak on the line Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway’s Mickey Fleehart Memorial Fan Appreciation Night. The Clear Creek Golf Cars USRA B-Mods will run Twin 20-lap features, each paying $1,000 to win. The first will be the normal Big Adventure RV Weekly Championship Series format.
After a short break as the car park on the front stretch, drivers will get to change tires, add fuel and make adjustments. The fans will be asked to vote whether to invert the first half of the finishing order or the entire field for the second 20-lapper.
Gillmore is pretty sure how that vote will go.
“I think they’ll vote for a full invert. Who wouldn’t, if you’re in the stands?” Gillmore said.
No matter. Gillmore said he will go all out to win the first one and deal with the invert for feature two when it happens. He believes that several drivers have the ability to drive from the back to the front in 20 laps.
“I’d say the race track will have some parity with lanes,” Gillmore said. “You’ll have your several guys that are gonna come from the back to the front. If we have a couple of yellow to break the race up and the parity in lines, I think you’ll see a lot of people go a long ways.
“I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to see a guy win from far back. I think you’re definitely gonna see some movers and shakers. You’re gonna see some smart racers make some smart moves that are gonna get themselves four or five spots at a time that you typically don’t see.”
Gillmore, 31, has been a premier mover and shaker with 12 feature wins in 20 attempts this season, including a pair of victories at Lucas Oil Speedway. He doesn’t race as often as some of the other top guns in the division, but tries to use time to his advantage with maintenance on the Dennis Choate-owned Allen Autosports chassis like never before.
“We’ve been changing some things, slowly over the last month,” Gillmore said. “I’ve also been paying a lot of attention to the particulars. I’ve always thought that I took good care of my stuff, but I’m getting really picky if there’s anything at all that I think needs to be addressed. Whether I think it needs to be cleaned or maintained, I’ll take it apart and put it back together.
“I’m spending more time during the week working on that stuff, making sure that it’s right. We have a lot really good cars that we’re racing with. These guys that we’re running with up front are racing several nights a week. I’m trying to make the most of it with fewer nights and hammering out the work so that when I do go, I make the most of my chances.”
Gillmore, a former USRA National Champion, said he does most of the preparation during the week, with Roberts living an hour away. But having his trusted crew chief on hand during race nights is invaluable, especially in the years since his dad, Gary “Bucky” Gillmore, passed away in 2021.
“Austin’s been with me the whole time, from all the way back to the front-wheel drive days in 2007 and Modifieds starting in 2014,” Ryan Gillmore said. “He’s always been there, but he really came on when my dad got sick, late in 2019 or ’20. I don’t know what my dad told him, but he listened.”
Gillmore said no one needs to tell him to go for the win in feature one on Saturday, if he has the chance. There will be no sandbagging to get a better starting spot for the finale.
“With the guys we’re racing with and as fast as the top 10 are, you take what you can get when you can get it,” he said. “If you get a chance to win the first one, you go for it because it’s gonna be even harder to win the second one. And vice versa. I don’t think I’ll try to lay back on any of them. I want to go forward and just race.
“Honestly, I want to try and win both of them. I’m looking forward to getting to run 40 laps. I’ve alway liked longer races. I know it’s split up into two, but these are 40 opportunities for me to learn and get faster.”
Team sponsors include Choate Farms, Yeoman Racing Engines, Allen Autosports, Metal Magic Auto Hail Repair, Blind Spot Outdoors, C&M Gear Works, Polk County Glass, McCoy’s Iron and Metal, Ron Ron Motor Sports, CPD Racing Shocks, Turtle Lawn Care, Rhono’s Realty, Fast Shafts, Bud’s Tire & Wheel, Swift Springs, Oz Designs and Poolside Cabanas by Rachel Choate.”
Fan admission just $5: All fans ages six and over will admitted for $5 with kids 5-and-under free, as usual, for the Big Adventure RV Weekly Championship Series program. The Arctic Food Equipment USRA Modifieds, O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars and Hermitage Lumber POWRi Late Models also will in action.
Show-Me Vintage Racers return: The always-popular Show-Me Vintage Racing Club Cars also will be on hand as guest class and will be displaying their cars on the midway prior to the event. Fleehart, a founding member and long-time racer for the SMVR, passed away in 2023 and the night's action will honor his memory.
Kids Power Wheel races: The next round of Kids' Power Wheel races will be held during intermission. Youngsters ages 5-12 can bring their own battery-powered cars to the RCR Designs Jr Fan Club sign-in or drop them at the pit gates and they will be brought to the front stretch at intermission.
Flagman Mike Striegel also will lead a Kids' Pit Tour prior to the races. Those interested can sign up at the RCR Designs Jr Fan Club table before 5:15 p.m. for a chance to go on the tour.
Pits open at 4 p.m. with grandstands at 4:30. Hot laps begin at 6:30 with racing at 7:05.
Saturday admission:
All fans (ages 6 and over) - $5
Kids (5-and-under) - FREE
Pit pass - $35
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.
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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
