Waycross, GA (December 14, 2012)- The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is ecstatic to announce that a pair of new events has been added to the 2013 national schedule. The series will make its first-ever visits to Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS and Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, IA on Tuesday and Wednesday July 16th and 17th. Both events will feature 50-Lap main events and will pay $10,000 to win. Along with the stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, both events will also feature the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS).
This pair of mid-week events will make up part of the LOLMDS’ annual July Midwest swing, which begins at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL and the “Diamond Nationals” at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO on Friday and Saturday, July 12th and 13th. The series then heads over to Lakeside and Hamilton County, before ending up at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, NE on July 18-20th, for the “Silver Dollar Nationals”.
“We are very excited to add such great venues to our schedule, Lakeside Speedway and Hamilton County Speedway are both so historic in their communities and we look forward to being a part of these two venues, and having them as integral pieces of our Midwest swing in July” stated Series Director, Ritchie Lewis.
The legendary Lakeside Speedway originally opened on April 17, 1955 at 92nd and Leavenworth Road. After closing for a few years, it reopened in 1961 and continued at the Leavenworth Road location through 1988, when the property was purchased. Lakeside Speedway then moved to its present location at 5615 Wolcott Drive Kansas City, Kansas. The move enabled not only construction of modern grandstands and a press box, but also provided room for an adjacent campground for racing fans. From 1989 to 1999 Lakeside operated as a half-mile asphalt track.
In 2000, it was again under new management, which converted the speedway to a slightly banked 3/8th mile dirt track. Since then, the track has seen many great racers in victory lane, including NASCAR star, Clint Bowyer, who won back-to-back modified track championships in 2001 and 2002. Mike Johnson and Don Marrs recently purchased the famed speed-plant, and look forward to the 2013 season with great enthusiasm and bringing the best talent in the country to the facility. For more information on Lakeside Speedway, log onto www.lakesidespeedway.net.
The Historic Hamilton County Speedway is the oldest speedway in the state of Iowa. Auto racing began in Webster City when an Australian native, Rupert Jeffkins moved to town in the early 1900s to take a job at a local car dealership. He was a well-known racer in Australia, and brought his passion for the sport to the city, opening the speedway in July 1910. The track was on the west side of Webster City. The first night of racing featured both cars and motorcycles. Jeffkins left Webster City in the fall of 1910 and went on to make history at the national level two years later when he became a driver/ mechanic for famed racer Ralph DePalma. The DePalma car led the pack at the 1912 Indianapolis 500 nearly the entire race.
In 1938, work began on what is now the Hamilton County Speedway on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. The speedway was a Work Progress Administration (WPA) project. WPA funds paid for slightly more than half of the construction. The half-mile, semi-banked dirt track was completed in the spring of 1939, and the first races were held on the track in September of that year, and the historic facility has seen quality racing ever since. Webster City continues to be one of the major hubs of dirt track racing in Iowa. To check out Hamilton County Speedway, head over to www.hamiltoncospeedway.com.
A year ago, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series shared the spotlight with the USMTS Modifieds for the first time ever at the inaugural Silver Dollar Nationals. The event was a rousing success which kept fans talking well past July when Brian Birkhofer captured the top prize for the late models while Terry Phillips snagged the modified portion of the program while serving double-duty in both classes.
Building on that success, race fans throughout the Great Plains will now have a chance to catch the Best of the Best in both worlds at three tracks in three states over the course of five days.
For the latest breaking news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log onto www.lucasdirt.com. Follow us as well at:www.facebook.com/lucasdirt and www.twitter.com/#!/lucasdirt.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ustmts and follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/usmts.