COLUMBUS, MS (June 18, 2016) – Darrell Lanigan came from the sixth starting spot to win his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event of the year on Saturday Night at Magnolia Motor Speedway. Lanigan passed race leader Jimmy Owens with 12 laps to go for his second career LOLMDS victory.

It was Lanigan’s first series win since September of 2013, when he won a preliminary at the Knoxville Nationals. Owens finished second, followed by pole sitter Brandon Sheppard, Scott Bloomquist, and Jared Landers.

Lanigan debuted a new Georgia Boot/Peak Antifreeze/ Club 29 Race Car for Clint Bowyer Racing and kept a steady pace during the first-half of the race before gradually picking off the top five in front of him during the caution-free 60 lap feature.

“We saved our tires there early on. My car really came on. We built this piece this week. When we hot lapped here on Thursday night it was really in the ground. I’d like to thank Clint and Casey Bowyer for giving me this chance,” said the 46-year-old, who was making his first appearance at the track in ten years. (more…)

UNION, KY (June 4, 2016) – Saturday night’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned, 30th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence Speedway has been postponed. A heavy late-afternoon thunderstorm and the forecast for continued rain through the evening forced Speedway and Series officials postpone the event.

The Ralph Latham Memorial will now take place on Thursday, August 11th – leading into one of the biggest weekends of the 2016 dirt late model season. The $30,000-to-win event will precede the Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 weekend. Friday night’s action will include double Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Heat Races, followed by B-Mains and the $50,000-to-win North/South 100 main event.

For more information, visit www.florencespeedway.com. (more…)

TAZEWELL, TN (June 3, 2016) – In a battle of two home-state Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series rivals, Scott Bloomquist fought off all challenges by Jimmy Owens to win the Toyota Knoxville 50 at Tazewell Speedway on Friday.

Bloomquist led every lap; the only exception that his car was not in front of the pack is when Owens made a slide job in turn 2 with 12 laps-to-go to briefly take the lead. Owens could not make his car stick and Bloomquist went back around him to regain the top spot.

Trailing Bloomquist and Owens to the checkers were 12th place starter Steve Francis, Dennis Erb Jr., and Don O’Neal. O’Neal rallied after suffering a flat tire while running in fourth early in the race.

Bloomquist went to Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the fifth time this year and extended his all-time series win total to 67 victories. “We were just trying to be careful through traffic and then we went for it. Jimmy [Owens] did a little too much of a slide there and it took him a while to gather his momentum back up. We just turned under him and got back around him,” said the 52-year-old Hall of Famer. (more…)

LaSalle, IL (May 21, 2016) – Brandon Sheppard became the second home-state driver in two nights to visit Lucas Oil Victory Lane with his victory at LaSalle Speedway on Saturday Night. The 23-year-old Illinois native led all 60 laps of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned, Spring Shootout.

The driver of the Best Performance Motorsports/Rocket took his first LOLMDS win of the season over Tim McCreadie, who crossed the line in second in his Sweeteners Plus/Longhorn. McCreadie and Don O’Neal had a terrific battle for second for most of the race. O’Neal came home in third as he narrowly beat current LOLMDS points leader, Jonathan Davenport to the finish line. Shannon Babb was fifth

“The track was pretty good for most of the race. The cushion got a little treacherous, but overall it was pretty racy. Most of the guys I was coming up on were on the bottom. I stayed up top the whole race. Hats off to the track crew for working on this track all night. Thanks to Tony Izzo Jr. for putting on all of these races this weekend.” (more…)

OSHKOSH, WI (May 20, 2016) Home-state driver A.J. Diemel scored his first-ever Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory tonight at Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway. In front of a packed grandstand, Diemel led all 50 laps and took the biggest win of his career.

Chris Simpson drove his Cheap Cars/Longhorn Chassis to a second place finish, followed by Jared Landers in the Crop Production Services/Sweet-Bloomquist. Tim McCreadie wheeled the Sweeteners Plus/Longhorn into fourth, and last year’s LOLMDS Rookie of the Year; Brandon Sheppard; in the Best Performance Motorsports/Rocket was fifth.

“I don’t know if we will make it to LaSalle tomorrow night. We may party too hard,” said the 34-year-old Wisconsin native. “We did what we had to do tonight. We qualified well, won our heat, and started up front in the feature. It was great to see this crowd again for the second year in a row. Everyone needs to write in and keep this place open!” (more…)

WAVERLY, OH (May 14, 2016) – Scott Bloomquist took the lead on lap 48 from Brandon Sheppard and then held off the field in a three-lap dash to the finish to win in the Buckeye Nationals Saturday Night at Atomic Speedway.   Bloomquist earned $50,000 for his fourth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season.

Jonathan Davenport came home in second and maintains his series points lead. Josh Richards was third after starting 15th. In his first appearance in ten years at Atomic, Chris Madden was fourth, and 12th-starting Dennis Erb Jr. edged out Steve Francis at the finish line for fifth.

“We’re pretty satisfied with this car, to say the least. We’ve only run this car twice. Those guys [Sheppard and Davenport]; they drive hard and they make you work for it,” said the winner, who took his third LOLMDS victory in the last four events.

An exciting first half of the race saw Sheppard lead the initial lap. Madden then took over the point until Bloomquist grabbed the lead on lap seven. Bloomquist then held the point until the crowd came to its feet when Sheppard darted out front on lap 16.

Sheppard and Bloomquist then set a torrid pace, pulling away from third place running Madden, and the rest of the pack. Jimmy Owens got up to fourth and was challenging Madden for third when mechanical issues struck, ending his night. (more…)

WAYCROSS, GA (May 12, 2016) – This weekend’s Inaugural Buckeye Nationals at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, OH will be the next event in the ASi Racewear Crown Jewel Cup – Presented by DirtonDirt.com.

Scott Bloomquist currently leads Earl Pearson Jr. by 30-points in the Crown Jewel Cup standings. Don O’Neal, Jared Landers, and Brandon Sheppard round out the top five in Crown Jewel Cup standings.

The Crown Jewel Cup program will award points to drivers at the thirteen crown jewel events, within the series schedule, that pay $20,000 or more to the winner. The driver that maintains perfect attendance throughout the season and earns the most points, within these thirteen events, will receive a $10,000 bonus at the championship awards banquet. Drivers finishing second and third in the Crown Jewel Cup will also receive cash awards.

ASi Racewear is the best choice for premium quality, full color, vibrant, screen printing and embroidery. For more information on ASi Racewear, visit their website at: www.asiwear.com.

DirtonDirt.com is dirt late model racing’s true home on the Internet, as a comprehensive multimedia resource that features broadcast news quality video reports, amazing action photography and informative stories. For additional information, visit their website at: www.dirtondirt.com. (more…)

Richards and Madden Battle Side-by-Side the Entire Race

MARYVILLE, Tenn.– May 7, 2016 – Scott Bloomquist stole the show Saturday night, winning The Mountain Outlaw 50 at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Bloomquist joins Dale McDowell and Willie Milliken as non-series opponents to beat the full time World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series drivers, a streak that is now extended to three-straight race weekends.

But Bloomquist is also in good company within the series. The former World of Outlaws wheelman captured his 29th win in the series, tying him for sixth all-time – it is his first series win in 2016. Bloomquist won the event last season.

“We’ve been working pretty hard here,” said Bloomquist, who started third. “We tried a lot of different stuff. Last year we had a good year, but not quite what we really wanted. Fortunately, it forces you to get to work.”

Bloomquist began the 50-lap feature on the inside and seldom left the most-inner groove. It was not until lap 9 when Bloomquist’s No. 0 Crop Production Services/ Reese Monument Co. machine made its way toward the lead. Bloomquist, who secured the bottom line, undertook Josh Richards for second place. Richards fell to fourth the next lap, while Bloomquist used lapped traffic to bypass leader Casey Roberts, to take the number-one spot. (more…)

WAYCROSS, GA (April 20, 2016) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Director, Ritchie Lewis and Lucas Oil Products proudly announce that former Assistant Series Director, Rick Schwallie will now fill the Series Director role of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Schwallie has worked full-time with the LOLMDS since the national tour was established in 2005 and has been deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of the Series.

“I want to thank Ritchie for his continued support over the years,” commented Schwallie. “I’ve learned a lot from him and respect the leadership example he’s instilled in me. I wish nothing more than to continue the same practices and goals we’ve always had for the Series. The Lucas Oil Products familiy is second to none, and the infrastructure provided by Lucas Oil will allow for us to continue the growth and success for years to come.”

Lewis, whose recent duties have included Series Director for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, has worked hand-in-hand with Schwallie for several years, and has nothing but praise for his ability. (more…)

LOCUST GROVE, AR (April 16, 2016) – Scott Bloomquist took the lead on lap six from polesitter Wendell Wallace and led the rest of the way to win the Bad Boy 98 on Saturday Night at Batesville Motor Speedway. Bloomquist earned $20,000 for his victory in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series/COMP Cams Super Dirt Series – Presented by Lucas Oil, co-sanctioned event.

Earl Pearson Jr. came home in second, followed by 12th starting, Don O’Neal, Jared Landers, and Brandon Sheppard.

“We got the lead pretty early. The track was little bumpy in one and two tonight. This is a brand new car and it ran well all weekend. The Andy Durham engine also ran great. I want to thank Steve [Martin] at Crop Production Services, Mark Martin Automotive, and Dyna-Gro Seed. We wanted to put on a show for our hometown sponsors and we did,” said Bloomquist who earned the 560th victory of his Hall-of-Fame racing career. (more…)