WHEATLAND, MO. — Third-generation racecar driver Michael Maggard has been around the sport his entire life. He began racing at age 13 in pure stocks and has driven modifieds and late models on his local Ozarks-area tracks in recent years.
Now 32, Maggard is planning to become a regular at Lucas Oil Speedway for the first time. He will compete in the Hermitage Lumber Late Model portion of the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series.
“I just really want to race local and get more family time,” Maggard said of his decision. The Republic resident has campaigned his late model in the Cash Money Super Dirt Series the last few years.
“Last year at work, being pretty busy, it was hard to get out and leave on a Friday morning and go race somewhere, two and a half hours away,” Maggard said. “This just fits our schedule better. I’m looking forward to it.”
Maggard is not a total stranger to Lucas Oil Speedway. He dropped in on the ULMA action three times last season and came away with a pair of top-10 finishes. He developed an appreciation for the competition.
“I love the facilities there, obviously,” Maggard said. “It’s pretty clean racing. The Cash Money deal was rough on equipment. We could go (to Lucas) and race and not really tear up tires or anything too bad. Plus, you’re racing with really clean racecar drivers, too. They respect their stuff as much as you do.”
Maggard’s career highlights include winning the prestigious Spooker at Tri-State Speedway near Fort Smith, Ark., twice. The first was in 2013 in a modified and the second in 2018 in his late model for a Cash Money Series feature win that was special in more ways than one.
“That 2018 race also is when I proposed to my wife (Kami). She said yes that night, which probably makes it my biggest highlight,” Maggard said.
Racing definitely is a family sport for the Maggards. Michael’s grandfather, Bob, was a top competitor on area tracks in the 1960s and ’70s and was inducted into the Ozarks Area Racers Foundation Hall of Fame a couple of months ago. Michael’s dad, Bobby, and uncles Erik and Brandon have also raced, or continue to race on dirt.
The tradition appears ready to continue to a fourth generation. Michael’s five-year-old son Emmitt, along with nine-year-olds Brayson and Bentley, also race go-karts. He said Emmitt appears to have been bitten by the racing bug the most.
“He’s the one who’s out in the shop wanting to help work on the car. He doesn’t want to play. The race car is all he cares about,” Michael said.
Maggard’s car that he said is just about ready to roll for the new reason is a black diamond. His goal is to win a track championship, though he knows it won’t be easy. Cole Henson of Russellville is the two-time defending champ with Johnny Fennewald of Appleton City being the runner-up for both seasons. Fennewald won three straight titles from 2018-20.
“I would really like to set a goal to win the points,” Maggard said. “Our main focus is gonna be just Lucas. We want to be very competitive and put all our coins into that. We want to be good there.”