With 11 top-five feature finishes in 12 starts, Taylor Moore came up just short in the Lucas Oil Speedway Out-Pace USRA B-Mod division points chase in 2018, but the 22-year-old continued his upward career trajectory.

Taylor Moore can look at his runner-up finish in Lucas Oil Speedway's Out-Pace USRA B-Mod points chase either of two ways.

Finishing just 14 points behind two-time track champion and past Out-Pace USRA B-Mod National Champion J.C. Morton certainly was something to be proud of. Especially considering the battle with Morton for the 2018 title came down to the final lap of the final night of the season.

Then again, the ultra-competitive 22-year-old Moore admits that another course of thinking prevails in his self-appraisal of the 2018 season.

"I've done a lot of thinking on it," Moore said. "It's a little rough. I'm not gonna lie about it. I'm disappointed.

"Then again, when you're up there running with JC and (third place) Kris Jackson, that's the best in the country in B-Mods. To run right there with them, that's still a pretty big accomplishment."

Moore, a third-generation racer from Bois D'Arc, Missouri, continued to establish himself as one of the up-and-coming stars in the Out-Pace USRA B-Mod division this year. He reeled off 11 top-five finishes in 12 points races at Lucas Oil Speedway to finish one spot higher in the points than a year earlier.

Can Moore take that big, final step up to a championship in 2019? He already is thinking about it.

"We're going to run for points at Lucas again," Moore said this week. "We're thinking of hitting a few different tracks, maybe on Friday nights and when Lucas is off on Saturdays. But we're going to try again for a championship and see what happens.

"I think we had a pretty good year. We were consistent. That's what put us in the running for the championship going into that last race. I wish we could have won one, obviously, but we had a lot of top-threes and top-fives, which was good."

Moore said the key to his consistency was preparation. He and his crew, which included Jason Cobb, Billy Goin and his father, Tim Moore, were relentless in going over the car each week.

"I owe a lot to those guys," he said of the crew.

More patience on the track was another key as Moore rarely dented his sheet metal, much to the delight of one of his sponsors, Mike Striegel of Outlaw Race Bodies.

"I think I'm gaining patience," Moore said. "On the starts, I'm usually gung-ho and ready to go. I've kind of learned over the years to be calm and take my time moving up through the field, just do I don't tear up equipment and make sure I have it for the end of the race.

"Striegel sponsored me and thank goodness for him. He helps me so much. I think I had to replace a door and a quarter panel, and he puts on a new body in the middle of the year."

Moore's other sponsors include R&M Pallets, C&M Gear Works, Schuchmann Cattle Company, Rockin S Farms, Hoffman Race Cars, Mitchell Water Motorsports, Ray Greek and the Jason Foundation and Bois D'Arc Speedway.

The Lucas Oil Speedway season begins March 30 with an open Test and Tune with the Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series opener set for April 6.

Season passes for the 2019 season are available now and those who had them in 2018 can renew at a $25 discount through the end of the year. Contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email her at Nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com to purchase a pass or get more information.

Gift cards also are available, in any dollar amount. They can be redeemed in any department at the speedway or used toward tickets for any event during 2019.