6/27/2023
Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Cox happy to be back behind wheel after hard crash earlier in the season
WHEATLAND, MO. (June 27, 2023) - No third-place finish felt better than the one Jefferson City driver Tucker Cox experienced last Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Cox, 23, was racing for the first time since suffering broken bones in his left foot and a demolished race car in an April 15th accident in the Hermitage Lumber Late Model division of the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series.
"I really missed it," Cox said of the 10 weeks of healing. "It was fun to be out there again and the race track was really good. I’m glad to be back.
"I thought (third place) was pretty good. I thought if my car would have been turning a little better in the feature, I felt I would have been in contention for the win. I made a few mistakes and the car was a little bit too tight. But I believe it's gonna be faster than the old car. That's a good sign."
Cox's previous MB Customs car was totaled during the feature on April 15 when Jimmy Dowell had a mechanical failure in front of him and turned toward the infield. Cox had no chance of missing Dowell, with only a fraction of a second to hit the brakes before making high-speed contact.
Cox said he was following Larry Ferris and JC Morton down the backstretch and "all of a sudden, they ducked dead left and I followed them. I knew something was coming, but I didn't know what.
"When JC moved, Jimmy was right there. I hit the brakes real hard and then the impact of my foot being on the brake pedal is what broke the bones in my foot."
The violent accident could have been much worse, with Cox adding, "I was real thankful that I had good safety equipment. It could have been real worse, but now we're good to go."
While MB Customs worked to put together a new car, Cox came to the track a few times as his foot healed in support of mid-Missouri friend Ryan Middaugh, the Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modified points leader.
"I was missing it pretty bad, especially after I went and got my new car," Cox said of the down time from racing. "My Dad (Chris) got that together pretty quick as I was trying to catch up at work. Thankfully my Dad was nice enough to put that together for me and the guys at MB Customs got me a car really quick - a lot quicker than I thought. It's nice of them to help me so quickly."
With no points to worry about after missing so much of the season, Cox said his goal the rest of the way is pretty simple.
"I just want to win some races," he said. "My goal is to win every night that I show up. I know that’s pretty tough, but that’s the goal every week.”
The next opportunity arrives with the special Casey's Thursday Night Thunder program, which finds the Hermitage Lumber Late Models headlining the on-track action with a $1,000-to-win feature Presented by Rains Ice.
The Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds, Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods and O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars also will be in action.
Along with the racing action, it will be Kids' Night at the Races as youngsters ages 5-through-12 can sign up before intermission for a chance to enter a drawing for new bicycles of various sizes. The speedway is still accepting donations of new boys' or girls' bicycles, or cash donations toward purchase of bikes.
Those interested in helping may do so by bringing a bicycle or cash to the track office during business hours this week, or bringing a new bicycle to the office prior to Thursday night's races.
After the races, another Lucas Oil Speedway 4th of July weekend tradition will continue with the area's biggest fireworks display, courtesy of AM Pyrotechnics, beginning a few minutes after the final checkered flag flies.
Pit gates open at 4 p.m., spectator gates at 5 with hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:05. Spectators can pick up $2 off coupons for grandstand tickets at participating area Casey’s stores.
Thursday Night Thunder admission:
Adults (16 and up) - $20
Seniors (62 and up)/Military - $17
Youth (6-15) - $10
Kids (5 and under) - FREE
Family Pass - $50
Pit Pass - $40
Camping World SRX Series tickets on sale: Some of racing's legends are coming to Lucas Oil Speedway for the Camping World SRX Series. The Aug. 17th SRX "Thursday Night Thunder" will be the finale of the six-race series and determine the 2023 champion. All SRX races will air live on ESPN.
Drivers announced for the Lucas Oil Speedway event include NASCAR Cup Series champions Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski and Bobby Labonte, along with NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Hailie Deegan. Also on hand will be four-time Indy 500 winer Helio Castroneves, plus reigning SRX Champion Marco Andretti and Indy-car drivers Paul Tracy and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Click here to purchase tickets now
The series will pit the drivers against one another in identically prepared cars with points accumulated in each of the six events. The championship chase will culminate at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Tickets for the SRX event are $35 in advance and $40 at the gate (ages 16 and over). Kids (ages 6-15) will be $20 with ages 5-and-under free. Advance tickets can now be purchased via Stubwire. Pit passes are $50 and must be purchased the day of the event.
For information about any event at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2023 contact admissions director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email her at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.
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. The Lucas Oil Speedway EZ Texting number is (417) 804-4141.
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 Late Models, USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods.
2023 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners
Arizona Sport Shirts
"The Official Merchandise Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway
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
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
Summit Racing Equipment
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Sunoco Race Fuels
"The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil Speedway
Super Clean
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway
2023 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:
AM Pyrotechnics, Alliance Sport Marketing, Arctic Food Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts, 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, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Dirt Track Specialist, Dixie Chopper, Eagle Vision Paving LLC, Eibach Springs, Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Frog Signs, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Hobbytime Motorsports, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, KC Bobcat, Kettle Treats, Keyser Manufacturing, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, Lucas Cattle Company, MD3, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, Missouri Division of Tourism, 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, PEM, Pitts Homes, Pitts Realty, Pitts Cattle, Pomme de Terre Resort, ProThings Apparel, RACEceiver, Racinboys.com, RacinDirt.com, RacingJunk.com, Rains Ice Company, Real Racing Wheels, Reed Environmental, River's End Motel & RV Park, Rod End Supply, Ron Jenkins Accounting & Tax Service, Rugged Radios, Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC, SBU Athletics, Safety Kleen, Scott Furniture, Sidetrack RV Park, Simpson Racing Products, Southwest Electric Cooperative, State Tech, Stillwater Resort, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, Wasoba Seed & Trucking, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wieland, Wild Animal Safari, Woods Supermarkets.
Article Credit: By Lyndal Scranton, Lucas Oil Speedway
