Specialty division set for 35-lap feature at The Speedway at Willow Springs
LAS VEGAS – The Late Model Truck Series is taking the show on the road to California this Saturday night.
The series – which has a long history in short track racing in the southwest – will have a 35-lap feature as part of its Elgin Pro Stock Performance Prestige Weekend at The Speedway at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, Calif. The evening’s action is part of the 1/4-mile track’s “Destruction in the Desert Race Nights” Part 1 of 2.
“The Late Model Truck Series is gaining momentum, and Gary Wyatt and I can’t wait for this weekend,” said series organizer Michael Riefler, a longtime racing veteran and co-manager of the Late Model Truck Series. “We have had two exciting races at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and now we’re ready to showcase this great division to a new audience in California. It’s going to be a great night!”
The race winner will receive a $250 product certificate toward Elgin Pro Stock Performance push rods or Black Ice Rocker Arms in addition to the payout, and the top five finishers will take home The Racer’s Rewards Contingency Connection coupon books with up to $3,000 in race product coupons. The main event features start at 6.
The 1/4-mile oval is part of the eight race tracks and 600 acres that make up Willow Springs International Raceway. It is internationally recognized since 1953 as among the most prestigious in the World, and as of 1996, a California State Historical Landmark.
Michael Andretti, Tommy Kendall, Derrick Cope, and Nigel Mansell all hold track records at the facility.
“We are very excited to have the LMTS race for our Willow Springs fans this Saturday,” said Andy Daddario of The Speedway at Willow Springs. “We met Gary Wyatt and Mike Riefler at the Promoters Conference last year in Reno, and we were quick to say, ‘Absolutely. Bring it!’ We can’t wait!”
The LMTS will compete at everything from 1/4-mile short tracks to 1/2-mile ovals, as well as 1.7-mile and 2.1-mile road courses this season. After Saturday, the series moves on to Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., on Nov. 10.
The region’s truck racing lineage dates back to the Speed Truck Series that originated in 1997 under the American Speed Association (ASA). MechanixWear gloves and Go Fast! energy drinks sponsored the class throughout the years, and the trucks raced at up to 10 different tracks in California, Arizona and Nevada before the ASA disbanded in 2013.
The series trucks will feature a full-tube chassis, a 330-horsepower sealed V-8 spec engine and two-speed direct-drive transmission, with a clutch pedal dump valve, coupled to an aluminum quick-change rear end. The trucks sport replica fiberglass bodies of the Chevrolet S-10, Chevrolet Colorado, Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma.
Series partners include the On Wheels Now online radio show – the longest-running motorsports radio show in Las Vegas – Melling Performance Racing, The Bomber Nation, KO Mechanical Services, Gary’s Trailer Repair, Nevada Pic-A-Part, The “Racer’s Rewards” Contingency Connection, Richmond Gear and ReliableBanner.com.
Remaining 2018 Late Model Truck Series schedule
Date Track City
Oct. 13 The Speedway at Willow Springs Rosamond, Calif.
Nov. 10 Havasu 95 Speedway Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
