James Ellis is looking for a little more speed. Even a tenth of a second can make a big difference when it comes to the highly competitive Medieval USRA Stock Cars division at Lucas Oil Speedway.

“These cars are tough. They’re so close to each other in speed,” Ellis said. “There’s like six or seven of us running a Mid-State engine. I used to race the old style Street Stocks and there was a lot of separation. These things… you can be running 15th and only be running a couple of tenths of a second slower than the guy winning the race.”

Ellis continues his quest for speed on Saturday when the USRA Stock Cars are the featured class as Lucas Oil Speedway’s Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series resumes. The Stock Cars will run a special 25-lap, $750-to-win feature in the program presented by Thunderburst Media.

Ellis, a 47-year-old from Richland, is off to a solid start in 2023 with a pair of third-place feature-race finishes in four outings. He’s fourth in Stock Car points, 79 behind Rob White, after finding himself in a hole following an opening-night issue with his transmission.

The brother of Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mod competitor Jerry Ellis said he had hoped for better results after feeling his car was dialed in after last fall’s Summit USRA Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway.

“We thought we had my car pretty good at (USRA) nationals last year,” Ellis said. “It was the best it was all year, really. I tried it the first race and everybody has gotten faster since last year. It wasn’t as good as I thought it was.”

Even so, Ellis said he’s having fun with the close competition in the Stock Car division after previously running Street Stocks. He’s known several of his chief rivals, having grown up around Rob White and David Hendrix, among others.

“I bought my first race car in 2005 and I raced it just a few times that year,” Ellis said. “In 2006 I won the championship at Midway Speedway, then raced again in 2007. I quit racing then and didn’t race again until last year.”

Not that he was far away from the sport. James often went to the track with brother Jerry and helped him. Then when Lucas Oil Speedway announced it was affiliating with USRA and running Stock Cars beginning in 2022, it seemed like the right time for James to go racing again.

“This Stock Car deal seemed like a good deal and I got one of them,” Ellis said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I just wish I was doing better than I was.”

Ellis said his goal this season is a top-five finish in Lucas Oil Speedway points. He would love to win a feature, but knows it won’t be easy.

“I was telling Rob (White) at the tech shed last week - he and Mason (Beck) got way out ahead and there was no catching them - that you’ve got to find that tenth of a second and go from there. Rob has been tough. He helps me a little bit and I try to pick his brain a little bit, but he’s not giving up a lot of information right now. Nobody is, really.”

Sponsors on Ellis’ No. 83 Stock Car include Ellis Construction, Ellis Coatings, Tri County Tire Service, High Brothers Lumber and JSR Race Chassis.

Joining the USRA Stock Cars on Saturday will be the Hermitage Lumber Late Models, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds and Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods. The Late Model winner once again will take home $1,000 with heat-race bonus cash ($100, $75, $50, $25 for the top four) also available due to sponsors Wosoba Seed & Trucking, Reed Environmental and Dirt Track Specialist.

Pit gates open at 4 p.m. with grandstands at 5, hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:05 p.m.

Ticket info:
Advance Discount Tickets online only (16 and up) $12
Adults (16 and up) $15
Seniors (62 and up)/Military $12
Youth (6-15) $5
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $35
Pit Pass $35

For information about any event at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2023 contact admissions director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email her at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.

Continuing to crush it: Year after year, the USRA continues to attract more racetracks and dirt track racers through fair, logical and cost-effective rules accompanied by an organization that puts the racers, racetracks and their fans first. In the 2022 Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series, more than 50 of America’s finest dirt ovals host over 1,000 nights of racing.

USRA competitors can register online at MyRacePass today. Alternatively, you can call (515) 832-6000 to register by phone, or submit a completed USRA License Application by email at office@usraracing.com or fax (515) 832-7958. You can download the application at usraracing.com/downloads.

To learn more, check out usraracing.com for schedules, points, photos, souvenirs, videos and more. Follow our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Click here to get USRA news delivered to your inbox.

USRA OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Beyea Headers, Chevrolet Performance, Christie Door Company, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, KS Engineering, KSE Racing Products, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels.

USRA PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Allen Autosports Race Cars, ARMI Contractors, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, DAY Motorsports, Duvall Electric, Gunshepherd.com, Innovative AutoGlass & Window Tint, PBM Performance Products, Star 1 Roofing & Construction, Stealth Thru Tubing, Texas Locomotive Solutions, TNT Auto Parts, YouDirt.com.

USRA CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Edelbrock, Hooker Harness, Hyperco, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, JE Pistons, K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers, Keyser Manufacturing, Landrum Performance Springs, MD3, Medieval Chassis, MSD, Performance Bodies & Parts, QA1, Quarter Master, QuickCar Racing Products, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes.

USRA RACETRACKS: 81 Speedway, Alien Motor Speedway, Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Arrowhead Speedway, Boothill Speedway, Callaway Raceway, Caney Valley Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Chateau Speedway, Crawford County Speedway, Cresco Speedway, Dallas County Speedway, Deer Creek Speedway, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Diamond Park Speedway, Eagle Valley Speedway, Elk City Motorsports Park, Fairmont Raceway, Fayette County Speedway, Hamilton County Speedway, Humboldt Speedway, I-35 Speedway, I-90 Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Lawton Speedway, Legacy Speedway, Longdale Speedway, Lucas Oil Speedway, Mason City Motor Speedway, Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Moberly Motorsports Park, Monett Raceway, Rapid Speedway, Red Cedar Speedway, Red Dirt Raceway, Rocket Raceway Park, Route 66 Motor Speedway, RPM Speedway, Sabine Speedway, Salina Highbanks Speedway, Sandia Speedway, Sports Park Raceway, Springfield Raceway, Super Bee Speedway, Texarkana 67 Speedway, Thunder Valley Speedway, Tomahawk Speedway, Tri-State Speedway, Tulsa Speedway, US 36 Raceway, Vado Speedway Park, West Texas Raceway, Winneshiek Raceway.