WHEATLAND, Mo. — Dillon McCowan has many fond memories of talking racing with his grandfather and one of those conversations included a plan for McCowan to turn competitive laps in a dirt late model.
“That was our goal and it was special to all of us,” McCowan said. “We couldn’t have done it without Jesse Stovall. He loaned us a car and we were able to put it together and practice a little bit and eventually run a couple of races in it. I was sure glad that Grandpa got to see us run it.”
A.D. McCowan, an Ozarks Area Racers Foundation Hall of Famer, passed away in September but not before 18-year-old Dillon McCowan had a pair of strong late model runs in the Lucas Oil Speedway Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series. There also was a second straight track championship in the Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modified division.
The wrap for both cars was A.D. McCowan’s yellow No. 7x that he campaigned. That made it even more special for the entire family.
Dillon McCowan said it’s time to retire the No. 7x and return to his green No. 8 in 2023. But a new chapter awaits as the Urbana resident is planning to move primarily to a late model, beginning with the Wild West Shootout next month in Vado, N.M.
“The plan right now is to take a late model and try to run it every night,” McCowan said of the six-night Wild West Shootout. “We’re trying to get geared up for the (Lucas Oil) MLRA season. We’re gonna try to run that full time and hit some different super shows. We’ll still have a modified to run some USMTS stuff with it. We may take one late model and one modified out to Vado, but I know for sure we’ll be running a late model.”
McCowan said he has a 2017 Longhorn that he and his dad, Charlie, have been working regularly on to prepare for next season. He called it a natural progression — and one he often talked with A.D. McCowan about.
“That’s the goal and always has been the goal, racing late models for a living,” McCowan said. “I love watching the late models and racing them is even better. It’s a heck of a lot of fun. I promise you when they’re good, they drive amazing compared to a modified. But when it’s not good, you can’t muscle it around like you can a modified.”
McCowan’s busy season saw him enter 72 events with 17 wins, 11 second-place finishes and 46 top-fives. He scored seven feature victories at Lucas Oil Speedway, where he wound up 22 points in front of Dustin Hodges in the championship chase.
“It was an amazing season,” McCowan said. “We won quite a few races over there at Lucas. This year we wanted to pull the championship off for Grandpa. Not having him now really makes it tough, but being able to pull off the championship the second year in a row for him that was really good.
“It was fun getting to race there all season long and being in a points battle with Dustin and a couple of other guys. That made it really fun. I thought the track was exceptionally good all year long. The times we did hit the set-up on the car right, everything came together good and it was a fun season.”
McCowan smiled about being named Lucas Oil Speedway’s Most Popular Driver, a result from online fan balloting, for the second straight year. His friendly demeanor in the pits interacting with kids — and adults of all ages — is one he learned from his time as a lad.
“I love it when kids come over to the trailer. I used to be that little kid who wanted to go and talk to the drivers in the pits and see what was happening back there,” McCowan said. “I love signing cards for the kids. You have to be kind and respectful to everybody who comes back there. Without the fans, we wouldn’t be racing. It’s all about the fans. That’s why we’re there.”
When asked if there are specific drivers that stood out to him as a fan growing up, he said many fit the bill.
“A lot of them, really,” he said. “I can’t name one that was not good to me. They were always answering any questions that I had. I respected all those guys and I still do today.”
McCowan said he hopes to drop into Lucas Oil Speedway and run weekly modified programs next season, when his schedule permits. It seems fitting that the MLRA series opener, the 10th annual Spring Nationals, are at his home track on March 31-April 1.
“I’m excited to run there, the first show of the MLRA schedule,” he said. “We love running over there and seeing everybody. That’s like home to me.”
He gave a special shout-out to his parents, Mindy and Charlie.
“Without my Mom and Dad, I couldn’t be living the dream today,” he said. “I really am living the dream. This is what I’ve always wanted to do. We’ve put in a lot of hard work, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”