Defending series champion going for two straight at California track

LAS VEGAS – Late Model Truck Series points leader Mark Allison will be looking for another checkered flat at The Speedway at Willow Springs on Saturday night.

The defending series champion won at the California track last October on his way to the season title, and he’ll be looking to become the first LMTS repeat winner in 2019. Allison, of Las Vegas, won at Orange Show Speedway in late June, but the series has seen four different drivers make their way to Victory Lane so far this season.

“Gary Wyatt and I have been thrilled by the parity we’ve seen so far this season,” series co-manager Mike Riefler said. “We had a record truck count at The Bullring in Las Vegas in late August, and we expect a great field at The Speedway at Willow Springs this Saturday night. It will be interesting to see if we have another different race winner or if someone will get win No. 2 for the year this weekend.”

Saturday’s 35-lap feature comes on Camp Out Inc./Reliable Banner Race Weekend for the series. Heat races will begin at 5 p.m. PT, with main events starting at 6.

Allison leads John Nahoopi by 16 points, 237-221, heading into Saturday, with Mike McKearn third with 188, Bill Black in fourth at 185 and series co-manager Wyatt fifth with 151. Allison edged Riefler for the win at The Speedway at Willow Springs last October in his black No. 3 truck.

 

This weekend’s race is the fifth of seven LMTS events scheduled for 2019, and the season will culminate on Championship Night at The Bullring at LVMS on Nov. 23. The LMTS also will visit Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., this fall.

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 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, Campout, ReliableBanner.com and Bearing King AZ.

Remaining 2019 Late Model Truck Series schedule

Oct. 12                The Speedway at Willow Springs                         Rosamond, Calif.
Nov. 2                 Havasu 95 Speedway                                              Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Championship Night
Nov. 23               The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway       Las Vegas

2019 Late Model Truck Series points standings
(Through Aug. 31 races)

1. Mark Allison 237 points;2. John Nahoopi 221; 3. Mike McKearn 188; 4. Bill Black 185; 5. Gary Wyatt 151; 6. Mike Riefler 131; 7. Andrew Porter 112; 8. Pat Petrie 85; 9. Sean Davis 83; 10. Lee Keach 65; 11. Cody Cambensy 64; 12. Matt Daly 59; 13. Matt Jaskol 58; 14. Aaron McMorran 56; 15. Michael Egurloa 56; 16. Richard Bogart 50; 17. (tie) Cindy Clark, Kenny Smith and Bob Santa Maria 48; 20. (tie) Dow Woerner and Patrick O’Hanley 46; 22. David Amaduzzi 40; 23. Mike Young 34; 24. Gary Cheek 32.