WHEATLAND, Mo. – Kris Jackson knows he will have that proverbial target on his back as the man to beat at this weekend’s B-Mod Clash of Champions II at Lucas Oil Speedway.
There might even be a good amount of boos from the grandstand when the announcers call his name. That’s simply part of the territory when you win as often as Jackson has the last couple of years.
“I know that they’re probably tired of the same old, same old,” Jackson said of his dominance, which includes 26 wins in 42 starts in 2019. Included are seven feature victories at Lucas Oil Speedway, where he won his fourth Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mod track championship.
Lucas Oil Speedway’s biggest race for the B-Mods, a $3,000-to-win main event on Sunday, begins with two rounds of qualifying heat races on Saturday. The Clash of Champions II is a co-headliner with the Lucas Oil MLRA Fall Nationals, which has full shows Saturday and Sunday.
A big field of B-Mods is expected, but many eyes will be on Jackson, the Lebanon driver who’s also chasing a second straight USRA B-Mod national championship. Asked is he’s comfortable with having everyone else taking aim, Jackson said he has little choice.
“I don’t know if I enjoy it, but I’ve come to accept it,” Jackson said of the attention. “You have to understand people a lot of times will race you a little bit different or maybe even talk to you different sometimes. That’s part of it.
“I don’t know what else to do, so I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Jackson called the B-Mod Clash of Champions II “one of the biggest ones we’ve wanted to win this year” because of the anticipated large car count, prize money and prestige. That’s especially true after last year, when he was set to start outside of row one in the inaugural B-Mod Clash of Champions before rain intervened.
Pole-starting Andy Bryant was awarded first-place money with Jackson settling for second prize. This time, while conditions are predicted to be cool, it’s supposed to be dry all weekend.
As for how the cool weather might affect the track, Jackson said it could go a couple of ways.
“We’ll have to play it by ear. Wheatland is always one of two ways: Really, really tacky or it’s really, really slick,” he said. “We’ve got stuff for either one. We just need to find out which one we’re on. We’re really not too worried about that.”
This weekend and other remaining USRA races are big for Jackson, who despite his glittering win total is only 41 points ahead of Springfield’s Ryan Gillmore in the USRA B-Mod national points race. Dan Hovden of Decorah, Iowa trails by 67.
“We’re just going to all the races we can and we’re trying to do the same thing we do every time,” Jackson said.