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Lucas Oil Speedway Preseason Spotlight: Sawyer ready for another go in USRA Stock Cars

WHEATLAND, MO. (March 3, 2022) - The first season of USRA Stock Cars attracted a solid base of drivers to Lucas Oil Speedway that grew throughout the year and figures to continue expanding in 2022.

Christopher Sawyer of Buffalo is among those who gave the new class a try and liked it. Sawyer, after a decade driving Pure Stocks, finished fifth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Car division at Lucas Oil Speedway and fourth at Dallas County Speedway.

Now he’s ready to do it again with upgraded equipment and a boost of optimism.

“Hopefully we’ll be a lot better,” Sawyer said. “I’m getting a brand new Allen (Autosports) car and we’ll have a fresh motor, so it should be a pretty good year. I’m looking forward to it.”

Sawyer wound up with nine top-10 finishes in 13 Lucas Oil Speedway races. His highlights at Dallas County Speedway in Urbana were a pair of top-three runs.

“It was pretty big coming from a Pure Stock,” Sawyer said of the learning curve. “There was a lot more you could change instead of just a spring. The (USRA Stock Cars) are fun to drive. There’s close racing. It’s fun and that’s appealing to me.”

Sawyer, 37, was bitten by the racing bug as a youngster when he attended races held on the pavement at Bolivar Speedway.

“Then later on I went to Bill Allen’s track (Dallas County Speedway) on Friday night and I was hooked,” Sawyer said. “I had a car three weeks later and started racing it toward the end of that season.”

Over his years in a Pure Stock, Sawyer’s notable accomplishments include a points championship at Lake Ozark Speedway and multiple runner-up finishes in the championship chase at Dallas County Speedway. He said his buddy Matt Darnell - who drove Sawyer’s Pure Stock last year and will be a Stock Cars teammate this season - beat him out a couple of times for the title.

Racing also is a family passion as Sawyer’s four kids, ages 13 through 18, often join him at the track. The one most likely to be found helping him work on the car is his 16-year-old daughter, Krislynn.

“She wants to (race) and I told her she had to learn to wrench them herself before she does,” Sawyer said with a laugh.

Goals for Sawyer this season include repeating top-five points finishes at both Lucas Oil Speedway and Dallas County Speedway “and I want to be top-15 in (USRA) national points.”

Team sponsors include Watson Metal Masters and Sheldon’s Mufflers in Buffalo and Springfield.

The Lucas Oil Speedway opens the season with a Test and Tune April 9 from 2-6 p.m. and another for April 16 from 4-6 p.m. The April 16 Test and Tune will be followed by the "Easter Bowl 150" Enduro race at 6:30 p.m.

The 9th annual Pitts Homes MLRA Spring Nationals are set for April 22-23. The Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series Spring Opener opener is scheduled for April 30.

For ticket information for any future event at Lucas Oil Speedway, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or via email at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com.

CONTACT:
Danny Lorton
Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager
Office: (417) 282-5984
DLorton@lucasoilspeedway.com
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 12th season for the Liquid Quarter Mile Drag Racing Lake, "Lake Lucas." New for 2017 was all-purpose built Off Road facility featuring a host of 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.

2022 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

2022 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, 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, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky, CED Electric, Central Life Sciences, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Comfort Inn-Bolivar,DirtonDirt.com, Dixie Chopper, eBay Motors, Eibach Springs, Evans Pipe & Steel Co., Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Frog Signs, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Heritage Tractor Inc., Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Highway 54 RV Park, Hobbytime Motorsports, Hoosier Race Tires, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, Kettle Treats, Keyser Manufacturing, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, LimeBank, Lucas Cattle Company, Margaritaville Lake Resort, McCoy Logging LLC, Merck Animal Health, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, Missouri Land Co. LLC, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, 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, Simpson Racing Products, Southwest Electric Cooperative, Square B Ranch, Stillwater Resort, Stover Milling, Sunoco Race Fuels, Sunflower Resort, Superior Products, TA/PETRO, Transportation Distribution Co. (TDC), US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wild Animal Safari, Windsor Livestock Auction, Woods Supermarkets, Wrisco Industries, ZINPRO Performance Minerals.

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