4/13/2022
Lucas Oil Speedway
Ozarks Racers Hall of Famer Sharp looks forward to Lucas Oil Speedway's Enduro Easter Bowl 150
WHEATLAND, MO. (April 13, 2022) - The inaugural Enduro Easter Bowl 150 will bring several new drivers to Lucas Oil Speedway on Saturday night to chase the $1,500 first prize in the 150-lap main event.
Rick Sharp, who’s done just about everything in 50 years of racing on Ozarks-area ovals, saw it as the perfect opportunity to have some fun while knocking off a bucket-list item.
“I’m doing this because it’s my last year to race,” Sharp said. “I’ve never ran at that track. I was running asphalt when it opened. I thought, ‘Well, I have this car we’ve been running at Bolivar … let’s take it and make it into an Enduro car.
“I’ll go out and see if I can last 150 laps.”
Opening ceremonies begin at 6:30 p.m. with the Enduro marathon to follow. An Open Test and Tune for anyone other than Enduro cars is set for 4-6 p.m. Pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and grandstands at 4.
Sharp, of Fair Grove, is a member of the Ozarks Area Racers Foundation Hall of Fame in the Legends category. He made his mark on paved tracks since the late 1980s, but is not a stranger to dirt.
Sharp recalled his first race back in 1972 at the old Bolivar Speedway dirt track. He started the feature on the outside of row one with Roger Chism, a well-known dirt contender, right behind him.
“Roger asked me, ‘Sharp, what are you gonna do when they drop the green flag?’ I said, ‘Roger, I’m gonna get up next to the wall and let all you guys go by so I won’t be in the way.’ He said that would be a good idea.
“But I didn’t run asphalt regularly until 1989. I can relate back to when we were running good on dirt, especially one summer. The top four were (Dale) Roper, (Rex) Merritt, (Earl) Muilenburg and me, in various orders. I didn’t win, but I stayed in the top four. It was a lot of fun.”
Sharp does have experience preparing cars for Enduro races, at least a couple of times over the years for his son, Riley and friend Pee Wee Roper. He said endurance and consistency will be more important than speed in this type of race.
Action will begin from a three-wide, standing start on the front stretch. The race will only be stopped if the track is blocked or a driver is in danger, meaning non-stop action at any given moment.
“Everybody is all jazzed up to start and anxious to go,” Sharp said. “I’d like to try to keep from being put a lap down early, as I start back in (26th). You don’t know. The guy who laps you twice might not even finish the race. You just have to try to run consistent laps.”
Fans are encouraged to come out earlier for an Open Test and Tune session from 4-6 p.m. Competitors in each of the four Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series classes - Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds, Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods, O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars and Hermitage Lumber Late Models - plus any others from the region are invited to participate.
Lucas Oil Speedway also will be holding an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids from 5-5:30 p.m. Youngsters can sign up at the Frogs Jr Fan Club Table on the midway before 5. The Easter Bunny also will be visiting the kids.
Entries remain open for the inaugural Enduro Easter Bowl 150 with entry fee $150. Drivers can call into the speedway office at (417) 282-5984 and pay the entry fee via credit card or print off the entry form from the website and drop off at the track with the entry fee. Starting positions will be based on order of paid entries received, but drivers can run any car number of their choice.
The Easter Bowl 150 payouts: 1st - $1,500. 2nd - $800. 3rd - $500. 4th - $300. 5th - 200. 6th - $175. 7th - $150. 8th - $125. 9th - $100. 10th - $100.
Saturday admission:
Adults (16 and up) $15
Seniors (62 and up)/Military $12
Youth (6-15) $5
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $35 (Click Here for more information)
Pit Pass $30
MLRA Spring Nationals set April 22-23: The 9th annual Pitts Homes MLRA Spring Nationals are set for April 22-23. On night one, the Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds and Show Me Vintage Racers also will be on the program. Night two will find Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds, the O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars and the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods joining the MLRA Late Models.
The Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series Spring Opener opener is scheduled for April 30.
To purchase tickets for any event on Lucas Oil Speedway's schedule, or get ticket information for the Show-Me 100 or any future event at Lucas Oil Speedway, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or via email at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com.
CONTACT:
Danny Lorton
Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager
Office: (417) 282-5984
DLorton@lucasoilspeedway.com
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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.
Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With its entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.
Click LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984. The Lucas Oil Speedway EZ Texting number is (417) 804-4141.
In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway
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.
2022 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners
Arizona Sport Shirts
"The Official Merchandise Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick
"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
Optima Batteries
"The Official Battery" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper
"The Official Soft Drink" of Lucas Oil Speedway
RacingJunk.com
"The Official Classifieds" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Rugged Radios
"The Official 2-Way Communications Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Sunoco Race Fuels
"The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Super Clean
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway
2022 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:
AM Pyrotechnics, Arizona Sport Shirts, Ash Grove Aggregates, Berry Tractor and Equipment Co., Big Adventure RV, Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick, Bolivar Auto Sales & Detailing, Bolivar Farmers Exchange-MFA, Boone's BBQ Barn, Boubin Tire/American Racer, Branstetter & Lightfoot LLC, Bridal Cave, BWI Sanitation, Camden on the Lake Resort, Candlelight Creations-Dick's Wild Root Horseradish, Casey's, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Comfort Inn-Bolivar,DirtonDirt.com, Dixie Chopper, eBay Motors, Eibach Springs, Evans Pipe & Steel Co., Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Frog Signs, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Highway 54 RV Park, Hobbytime Motorsports, Hoosier Race Tires, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, Kettle Treats, Keyser Manufacturing, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, Lucas Cattle Company, Margaritaville Lake Resort, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, 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, ProThings Apparel, RACEceiver, Racinboys.com, RacinDirt.com, RacingJunk.com, Rains Ice Company, 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, Simpson Racing Products, Southwest Electric Cooperative, Stillwater Resort, Sunoco Race Fuels, Sunflower Resort, TA/PETRO, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wild Animal Safari, Woods Supermarkets, Wrisco Industries.
Article Credit: By Lyndal Scranton, Lucas Oil Speedway
