The American Racer USRA Stock Cars visit Lucas Oil Speedway for the first time as part of a special Wednesday Night Madness program for the Christie Door Company Iron Man Challenge, which includes the better-known United States Modified Touring Series.

For USRA Stock Car driver Pat Graham, it won't be his first trip around the Lucas Oil Speedway oval. Graham, a 30-year-plus racing veteran from Ankeny, Iowa, said he's raced a Modified a few times there in the past.

Graham said the full-bodied Stock Cars might remind area fans of Street Stocks in the way they look, though the cars have different rules packages. He believes fans will enjoy the action.

"They're probably gonna look similar from the grandstand to what you're used to," Graham said. "With the USRA Stock Car class, they have a really good set of rules they've honed in on the last few years with the engine package. The tire they're on is the exact same one as the USMTS guys—American Racers. The way the technology on the stock cars has gone, they're similar to the Modifieds now.

"The racing is super close. The rules keep it that way. The engine package is very good and very fair to the budget. It's a competitive class and a lot of times, at different places we go, the Stock Car race is the best of the night, this class."

Graham said everyone in the division is itching to race after the COVID-19 pandemic pretty well shut things down for several months. He said the class has only two races so far, at Iowa's Sports Park Raceway in Fort Dodge and Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, and those were without spectators. He finished second and third in those features.

"That was strange," Graham said of having no fans on hand. "The promoters did the best they could under the circumstances. We're looking forward to where we can at least get partial crowds up here in Iowa. We're looking forward to coming down to Wheatland and having fans in the stands there at a beautiful facility."

Graham said he's focusing on the Iron Man Challenge this year, with a 20-race schedule planned along with a few special events along the way. He continues to enjoy the competition after starting more than 30 years ago, calling the sport part of his DNA.

"My grandfather raced cars, so I've been going into the pits since a young age and probably watching races since I was about two," Graham said. "I was involved in sports in high school and didn't really race then. I got into go-karts in my early teen years and progressed into Pro Mods and eventually Modifieds, which I raced for a long, long time."

Along the way Graham has won six track championships in the Iowa region and the 2018 Karl Chevrolet Dirt Truck Series.

"That was pretty neat," he said of the truck championship. "I've had a few track championships and feature wins here and there over the years. Every one of those is hard and every one of those you cherish.

"I'm still having fun and I still enjoy it. Some things this spring have made it a little tougher, but I still enjoy the racing part of it. I was just thinking the other night at Webster City, the actual racing on the track I'm having as much fun as I ever have. Some of the other stuff gets to be a grind, but I still enjoy it and seeing friends I've met over the years.

"That'll be one thing really fun at Wheatland, getting to see some people I haven't seen for quite a while."

A lucrative payout is up for grabs for competitors with as much as $2,000 possible for the winner of the 24-car main event. The purse has three tiers depending on number of entries. If there are 40 to 49 entries the Tier 2 payout will be used, and if the car count is 50 or more than Tier 3 will be used:

Tiwr 1 Payout (Under 40 entries): 1. $750, 2. $500, 3. $400, 4. $320, 5. $270, 6. $220, 7. $180, 8. $150, 9. $130, 10. $120, 11. $110, 12. $105, 13. $100, 14. $95, 15. $90, 16. $85, 17. $80, 18-24. $75, non-qualifiers $60.

Tier 2 Payout (40-49 entries): 1. $1,000, 2. $700, 3. $500, 4. $400, 5. $350, 6. $300, 7. $250, 8. $225, 9. $200, 10. $175, 11. $150, 12. $140, 13. $130, 14. $120, 15. $115, 16. $110, 17. $105, 18-24. $100, non-qualifiers $75.

Tier 3 Payout (50-plus entries): 1. $2,000, 2. $1,200, 3. $900, 4. $700, 5. $600, 6. $500, 7. $450, 8. $400, 9. $350, 10. $300, 11. $250, 12. $225, 13. $200, 14. $175, 15. $160, 16. $155, 18-24. $150, non-qualifiers $100.

Stock Car drivers must call the USRA office at 515-297-3835 to enter.

The Lucas Oil Speedway Wednesday Night Madness event will kick off a four-race swing for the USMTS drivers, with stops Thursday at 81 Speedway (Park City, Kan.), Friday at Humboldt Speedway (Humboldt, Kan.) and Saturday at Tri-State Speedway (Pocola, Okla.).

Additional details about series, including schedules, point standings and archived news, can be found at USMTS.com and USRAracing.com.

Gates on Wednesday are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 7 p.m. and racing at 7:35 p.m.

Ticket prices:
Adults (16 and over): $20
Seniors (62 and over)/Military: $17
Youth (ages 6-15): $10
Kids (5 and under): FREE
Family Pass: $50
Pit Pass: $40

Camping:
Reserved with Electric and Water - $35 per night (Limited Availability)
Reserved Dry Spots - $20 per night (Limited Availability)
Dry Camping - $10 per night

For ticket questions or information for any event this season, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email her at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.