4/7/2021
Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: After career-threatening finger amputation, former MLRA champ Vaught primed for Spring Nationals
WHEATLAND, MO. (April 7, 2021) - Few people outside of his immediate circle knew just how close Will Vaught’s racing career came to ending last year following a family bicycle ride gone wrong.
It was just after the COVID 19 shutdown began last March when the 2019 Lucas Oil MLRA champion broke the little finger on his right hand in a bike accident near his Crane, Missouri home. Vaught shrugged the injury off - at least for a while.
“That was just the beginning of a seemingly never-ending story,” Vaught said this week. “I was optimistic that it was nothing. I still had to work. I’ve broke fingers before, jammed fingers playing basketball and whatever. (But) this was pretty gruesome.”
After a few weeks, the pain proved too much and Vaught underwent surgery. A pin was inserted to promote healing, but the pain persisted. Vaught continued to work and attempted to race a few times, at first intending to try and defend his MLRA title once the schedule resumed in early summer.
“Every time I raced, my hand hurt so bad I couldn’t hardly concentrate on driving,” he said. “It was just a bad deal.”
The pin became infected and infected the bone all the way up to his knuckle. By August, Vaught underwent another surgery. The finger had to be amputated, in order to save his right hand.
“My wife said, ‘You have to go to the doctor.’ Obviously, I waited too long,” Vaught said. “Now, I still see that bicycle wreck every time I look at my hand.”
Vaught, 34, makes his return to MLRA action this weekend at Lucas Oil Speedway for the 8th annual MLRA Spring Nationals Presented by RacingJunk.com. It’ll be his third consecutive week at the speedway, after a test session in late March followed by an outing in Larry Moon’s ULMA Late Model last Saturday, resulting in a feature win.
“I love the Moon brothers. They’re always fun to be around,” Vaught said. “But the biggest reason I raced was to see if I could still do it, one, and two see if we could still be successful at it."
Vaught said the extra track time should be something of an advantage this weekend, in what’s expected to be a large and talented field of entries.
"That was one of my old cars, that I sold to Larry," Vaught said. "The set-up this weekend will be a little different, but I've been on that track three weeks in a row. It'll be different with so many cars there (this weekend) but I would think we'll have a little bit of an advantage because we've drove so many laps around it."
Vaught, whose 16 career MLRA feature wins are tied for 12th-most in series history, is simply happy to be in the mix and pain free. He admitted there were times last fall, after the amputation, that he wondered if his racing days might be over.
“A month or so after my finger was removed, it hurt so bad that I didn’t have any grip at all,” Vaught said. “Now, I can shake hands with somebody and be normal. But it was kind of depressing for a while.
“It took months before I could feel like I could yank on something or feel halfway strong. They said the little finger is about 40 percent of your grip. I did a lot of exercises. The last few months I’ve been working out, doing push-ups and pull-ups and it’s come a long way. I don’t feel like it affects my everyday life now.”
While he’s pumped to be back on the race track, don’t expect “Will the Thrill” to spend the year traveling up and down Midwestern highways and chasing MLRA points. With three kids playing sports and two businesses to operate, Vaught said he will pick and choose his racing opportunities.
“The businesses (Johnson Service Center and Circle V Auto Sales) are hopping right now and I feel very fortunate,” Vaught said. “We’ll race when we can and when we can afford it, but we’ll do it as a family and have fun when we race.”
He noted that 11-year-old son Maddox is playing basketball and baseball, 9-year-old daughter Mallory is into softball and volleyball and 3-year-old son Myles is just starting t-ball.
“We have our hands full, but it's great,” he said of himself and wife Ashtin. “You can only cherish this time once. I love racing, but … you can always race. You can’t have your 11-year-old and your 9-year-old that age but one time.”
The MLRA Fall Nationals is the first special event of the Lucas Oil Speedway season and will feature some of the nation’s top national-touring Late Model drivers mixing it up with the regional regulars. The MLRA feature on Friday will pay $5,000 to win and $500 to start, with the April 10 winner earning $10,000 with $600 to start. The Spring Nationals winners’ shares originally were $3,000 and $5,000.
A practice session for all classes participating that weekend is scheduled for Thursday from 6-9 p.m. Pit passes will be $25 and the grandstands free to the public. The Diamond Bar will be open and concessions available on the pit side.
USRA Modifieds, Stock Cars also in action: Joining the MLRA Late Models at both nights of the MLRA Spring Nationals will be two members of Lucas Oil Speedway's Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series lineup: The Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds (running for $750 to win on Friday and $1,000 on Saturday) and O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars (running for $500 to win on Friday and $750 on Saturday).
VIP Suite tickets available: Fans can take in this weekend's 8th annual Lucas Oil MLRA Fall Nationals Presented by RacingJunk.com at Lucas Oil Speedway in style and with a suite view. Admissions director Nichole McMillan said that an 18-seat VIP Suite on the third-level overlooking the front straightaway is available for both Friday and Saturday nights.
Individual suite tickets are $40 for Friday and $50 for Saturday. All VIP Suite seats must be pre-paid and can be reserved by calling McMillan at (417) 282-5984.
The suite offers prime viewing from inside, where the temperature is climate-controlled, or an outside seating area. Food and drinks are not included in the ticket price, though a host/hostess will be available to take food and drink orders throughout the evening.
Pit and spectator gates will open at 4 p.m. both race days with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7:05.
Friday admission:
Adults (16 and over) $20
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $17
Youth (ages 6-15) $10
Kids (5 & under) FREE
Family Pass $50
Pit Pass $35
Saturday admission:
Adult (16 and over) $25
Senior (62 and over)/Military $22
Youth (ages 6-15) $10
Kids (5 & under) FREE
Family Pass $60
Pit Pass $40
For ticket information for any event during the 2021 Lucas Oil Speedway season, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or via email at Nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com. Fans also can use the online ticketing system.
CONTACT:
Danny Lorton
Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager
Office: (417) 282-5984
DLorton@lucasoilspeedway.com
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Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived race recaps, previews and driver features, along with ticket information and schedules can be found by visiting LucasOilSpeedway.com.
Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With its entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.
Click LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984.
In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway
About Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway is considered by fans, drivers and industry insiders to be one of the top five racing facilities in the nation. Located in Wheatland, Missouri, approximately an hour from Springfield, Missouri, and just an hour and a half from the Kansas City metro area, the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" lives up to its title.
Twenty-One VIP Luxury Suites, HD Jumbo-Tron Screen, Stadium Style Musco Sports Lighting, a Bose Sound System, Go-Kart Slick Track, The Diamond Bar, Track Treasures Gift Shop, the best track food in the country and paved pits are a few of the spectacular amenities setting the Diamond of Dirt apart. This year marks the ninth season for the Liquid Quarter Mile Drag Racing Lake, "Lake Lucas." New for 2017 was all-purpose built Off Road facility featuring the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series as well as a host of other regional events.
Lucas Oil Speedway's dirt oval track plays host to some of the largest and most-popular events in the Midwest with national and regional touring series appearing frequently including: The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, POWRi Midget National Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, United States Modified Touring Series, ASCS Sprint Cars and the Lucas Oil MLRA.
In addition to the special events, the Lucas Oil Speedway Weekly Racing Series features the ULMA Late Models, USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods.
2021 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners
Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick
"The Official Truck" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Dixie Chopper
"The Official Mowers of Lucas Oil Speedway"
General Tire
"The Official Tire" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Products
"The Official Oil" of Lucas Oil Speedway
MAVTV
"The Official Television Network" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Optima Batteries
"The Official Battery" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper
"The Official Soft Drink" of Lucas Oil Speedway
RacingJunk.com
"The Official Classifieds" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Rugged Radios
"The Official 2-Way Communications Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Sunoco Race Fuels
"The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Super Clean
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway
2021 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:
Advanced Automotive Repair, AM Pyrotechnics, Angler's Resort, Arizona Sport Shirts, Ash Grove Aggregates, Ball Tree Service, Benton County Tire, Berry Tractor and Equipment Co., Big Adventure RV, Big O Tires, Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick, Bolivar Auto Sales & Detailing, Bolivar Farmers Exchange-MFA, Boone's BBQ Barn, Boubin Tire/American Racer, Branstetter & Lightfoot LLC, Bridal Cave, BWI Sanitation, Camden on the Lake Resort, Candlelight Creations-Dick's Wild Root Horseradish, Casey's General Stores, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky, Central Life Sciences, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Comfort Inn-Bolivar,DirtonDirt.com, Dixie Chopper, Eibach Springs, Evans Pipe & Steel Co., Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, 54 Buildings and More, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Frog Signs, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Highway 54 RV Park, Hobbytime Motorsports, Hoosier Race Tires, Impact Racing, Inc.; Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, Kettle Treats, Keyser Manufacturing, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, LimeBank, Lucas Cattle Company, McClaren, Merck Animal Health, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, Missouri Metal Buildings, Missouri One Call System, Missouri Welding Institute (MWI), MyRacePass, Nemo Quarry, NMI/VMG Marketing Group, OakStar Bank, O'Bannon Bank, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Ozark Golf Cars, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper, Ozarks Community Health Center, PFI Western Store, Pitts Homes, Pitts Realty, Pitts Cattle, ProThings Apparel, RACEceiver, Racinboys.com, RacinDirt.com, RacingJunk.com, Rains Ice Company, Real Racing Wheels, Rod End Supply, Ron Jenkins Accounting & Tax Service, Rugged Radios, Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC, SBU Athletics, Safety Kleen, Schlesselman Fencing, Scott Furniture, Sidetrack RV Park, Southwest Electric Cooperative, Stillwater Resort, Stover Milling, Sunoco Race Fuels, Sunflower Resort, Superior Products, TA/PETRO, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Wheatland Motel, Wheeler Livestock Auction, White's Marine Center, Wild Animal Safari, Windsor Livestock Auction, Woods Supermarkets, Wrisco Industries.
Article Credit: By Lyndal Scranton, Lucas Oil Speedway
