Fourth of seven events on 2022 calendar promises to be tough battle

A group of talented drivers are set to do battle as the Late Model Truck Series returns to action at The Speedway at Willow Springs in Rosamond, California, on Saturday night.

Two-time LMTS points champion Mark Allison of Las Vegas enters the weekend looking to make it two consecutive victories after taking the checkered flag at Irwindale Speedway and Event Center on May 14. He has won two of the 2022 season’s three races thus far and finished second to Lee Keach in the other, so Allison will be looking to pad his points lead in Saturday’s 35-lap feature.

This weekend’s action will be the first for LMTS at the California track since Allison won there on Oct. 12, 2019. Allison also won the series’ first event in Rosamond on Oct. 13, 2018, so he will be looking to remain undefeated at the paved oval.

“We have had a great start to the season so far, and Mark has been as strong as ever,” series co-manager Mike Riefler said. “Gary Wyatt and I expect a tough field in California this weekend, so fans will be treated to some great truck racing at a fun track. It’s a thrill to bring our series to California and show fans what our drivers can do. It’s going to be a great weekend!”

Resurrected in 2018, the LMTS has conducted 20 races throughout the Southwest region in recent years, including a six-race schedule in 2021 after a year away due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Allison won the series points championship in 2018 and 2019, and fellow Las Vegas native Stan Mullis took home last year’s series title.

The region’s truck racing lineage dates 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 – Campout and ReliableBanner.com.

Remaining 2022 Late Model Truck Series schedule

June 4             The Speedway at Willow Springs                            Rosamond, California
July 3              Night of Fire, The Bullring at LVMS                         Las Vegas, Nevada
Sept. 10           Irwindale Speedway and Event Center                   Irwindale, California
Oct. 14            LMTS Championship Night/ARCA Menards Series West race
                      The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway           Las Vegas, Nevada