WHEATLAND, Mo. —An old pro found victory lane in the featured Hermitage Lumber Late Model division on opening night at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Justin Wells, who won the first Late Model race held at Diamond of Dirt Tracks when it opened in 2006, edged Tucker Cox for the $1,000 feature win.
Other feature winners in the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series Spring Opener Presented by KOZL were Cayden Stacye (Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods), Robbie Reed (Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds) and Waylon Dimmitt (O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars).
A total of 85 cars checked into the pits to usher in the 2023 season, including 35 USRA B-Mods.
Wells, with approximately 400 career feature wins, took the lead from Jace Parmley on lap 16 and led the final nine circuits of the feature. It was his first win of 2023 after capturing two features at Lucas Oil Speedway in limited visits to the track a year ago.
Wells said it was win No. 95 for the No. 98 car, a 2006 TNT that he calls old dependable.
“That’s No. 95,” Wells said. “We gave it a brush-up over the winter and we’re really proud of it. TNT does a heck of a job on these cars. It’s just a special race car.
“You never know when you’re gonna win your last one; these are so hard to win,” Wells said of late model triumphs. “We really appreciate this. You guys could have easily gave up tonight here (due to recent rains) but you put in a hell of a lot of effort and I’ll say you have a damn good track.”
Parmley started on the front row and set a blistering early pace, leading by 2.5 seconds over Dean Willie after seven laps.
The 46-year-old Wells, who started sixth, was working his way through the field and closed to the back bumper of Parmley by lap 12. Just four laps laps later, Wells drove past the leader coming off turn four.
From there, Wells needed only three laps to stretch his lead to 1.5 seconds and he was 1.7 in front when a caution for Josh Dugan’s lap-22 spin set up a dramatic finish.
Wells executed a flawless restart with Cox slipped past Parmley for second behind him. The fifth-starting Cox made a strong run, but couldn’t get to Wells with the final margin .525 seconds or about three car lengths.
“It’s kind of a young man’s sports any more and you’ve got a good group of kids coming up and I really like them and respect them,” Wells said. “They have a bright future.”
Parmley settled for third with Bryon Allison fourth and Joe Walkenhorst taking fifth.
Stacye earns thrilling USRA B-Mod win
Stacye pulled off a last-lap pass of Bobby Williams to pick up the feature victory in the Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds.
Stacye drove past Williams on the inside of the final turn of the final lap and held on by a car length for his first Lucas Oil Speedway feature win.
“I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to get it done, with (Williams) on the pole there those last two laps,” Stacye said. “I just knew that I had to get a good jump and we just kind of went from there. I just drove it hard and ended up on top.”
From the outside of row one, J.C. Newell beat pole winner Stacye to the lead as the race went green. Newell opened a 1.2-second lead after four laps before a caution for debris on the track slowed the action.
Two more cautions over the next four laps kept Newell’s lead slim, but Williams advanced from sixth to second after making a pass on a lap-nine restart.
Rolling with a 1.5-second lead, Newell’s hopes dissolved coming off turn four to conclude lap 12. He slowed with mechanical issues and pulled to the infield as Williams inherited the lead.
From there, it was a two-car battle as Williams fought to hold off Stacye and – just as Stacye was about to go in front – a caution flew on lap 18.
Stacyce dove to the inside of turn one on the final lap, but couldn’t complete the pass. However, a similar move going into turn four did stick and Stacye beat Williams by .258 seconds.
Reed rolls to USRA Modified triumph
It was all Reed in the Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modified main event. The driver from Mexico, Missouri, outdistanced Ryan Middaugh by a comfortable margin, leading all 20 laps.
“I just looked for that smooth part of the track,” Reed said. “I looked for him under me, going through the rough, but I was hoping it would prevail, staying in the smooth.
“It was fun. I was pleasantly surprised as well as the track was with all the rain we’ve had.”
Reed and Middaugh separated themselves from the field in the early going with Reed maintaining the lead in the battle of front-row starters.
Reed, the 2020 track champion, opened a 1.9-second lead by the midpoint on lap 10. His cushion continued to build and was 2.2 seconds when a lap-14 caution came out.
That gave Middaugh and third-place Matt Johnson a chance to run down the leader. But Reed had a solid restart and, while Middaugh and Johnson mixed it up behind him, was able to re-establish a sizable lead over the final six laps.
Dimmitt takes first Lucas win in USRA Stock Cars
Dimmitt led all 20 laps of a caution-filled O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars feature to celebrate his first Lucas Oil Speedway feature win.
“We’ve fought this place for a long time and I think we’re finally getting something figure out,” Dimmitt said.
Dimmitt started third but had the lead by the end of lap one, inching past post-starting William Garner at the start-finish line. From there, Dean Wille began to give chase to Dimmitt, moving into second by lap two of a race plagued by four cautions in the first half of the 20-lapper.
The biggest mover in the first part of the race was eighth-starting Rodney Schweizer who was running third by lap eight.
Willie swung to the high side by lap 12 and closed to the bumper of Dimmitt, then started taking the low groove into the corners. Dimmitt was able to hold onto the lead as the race’s fifth caution flew on lap 15 as Schweizer went for a spin.
Dimmitt held on the rest of the way to capture the feature win, finishing 1.3 seconds in front of Wille.
“I knew just as long as I hit my lines, we had it,” Dimmitt said.