When Dayton Pursley began driving in the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mod class in 2019, the son of long-time Lucas Oil Speedway USRA Modified competitor Jason Pursley figured it would be a fairly simple process.

“I had watched it for 15 years and I remember telling Dad, ‘I’m gonna go out here and do pretty good.’ Then I went out and I’d never experienced anything like it,” Dayton Pursley said of his rookie season. “It’s a lot harder than it looks. That was my first taste of real competition.”

Now at age 20, Pursley is starting to come into his own after getting the experience necessary to compete in the deep and talented B-Mod division. Pursley is second in points with a pair of top-five finishes to his credit entering Saturday night’s Public Safety Appreciation Night in the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series.

All police, fire and rescue personnel will be admitted free with ID. USRA Modifieds will be the featured division with a special 25-lap, $1,000-to-win main event. Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods, Hermitage Lumber Late Models and O'Reilly Auto Parts Medieval USRA Stock Cars also will be in action.

For Dayton Pursley, it’s a chance to continue building positive momentum after a rough start to the 2023 Lucas Oil Speedway season. He opened with finishes of ninth, 15th and 16th but has steadily improved since in his new Skyrocket Chassis.

“We also had some bad luck and got in a couple of wrecks at the beginning of the year, but finally started to turn it around and had some better luck and some better runs,” Pursley said. “Overall, it’s gone really good for me. I feel like I have leaped into a new position on the race track, consistently in the top-10, which is great, especially at Lucas with the stiff B-Mod competition.”

Asked to compare his driving now to his rookie USRA B-Mod season, Pursley said it’s all about consistency and “just learning. It took me probably two to three years to really learn now to drive a B-Mod. I’m not great now, but I feel I can make circles on a consistent basis now.

“That first year, I’d have some good laps and then bad ones. It’s all about momentum now in racing. The more consistent you can be, the better you’ll be.”

While Dayton always has his dad alongside in the pits when he needs advice, he’s starting to make more and more of his own decisions about car set-up.

“I’m starting to do more of my own thing, I guess,” he said. “He’s still by my side when I have questions. I lean on him, but I try to do my own thing and try to learn myself. Tom Campbell, my Dad’s car owner, has helped me with parts, traveling, everything you can think of. Everyone throughout the pits, I can talk to them and have a great conversation. They’ve raced a lot longer than I have and I can ask them questions.

“My biggest help would be my Dad. Being around him 20 years... he knows what he’s doing.”

Pursley also is learning about the ins and outs of racing by working for Brennon Willard Motorsports and TJR Motorsports out of Lebanon. During the week, he works in the shop for the Late Model teams and occasionally, when his own racing schedule doesn’t conflict, he goes on road trips with them.

“Set-up, tires, cleaning, whatever they need, I do,” Pursley said of his role. “I’ve gone with them a few times this year, to the Show-Me 100, West Plains and Tri-City. I plan on traveling next week for some Summer National races. Mainly, I’m a shop guy and race on the weekends.”

Pursley said his goals the rest of his season are to keep improving, hopefully win some races and stay near the top of the Lucas Oil Speedway standings. He’s 63 points behind Bobby Williams in the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mod chase.

“Winning races is my top priority, but being in the top three of points at Lucas would be great,” Pursley said. “Bobby is really consistent and really good this year. It’s gonna be tough to catch him. Finishing second at Lucas in points is a great accomplishment for anybody.”

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

Saturday dirt-track admission:
(free for all police, fire or rescue personnel with id)
Advance Online Tickets (16+) – $12
Adults (16+) – $15
Military & Seniors (62+) – $12
Youth (6-15) – $5
Kids (5 & under) – FREE
Family Pass – $35 (includes 2 adults, 3 youth, 1 go-kart pass and 10% off at Track Treasures gift shop)
Pit Pass – $35

Thursday Night Thunder & Kids Bicycle Night: This week begins a busy stretch for the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series, with the annual Casey's Thursday Night Thunder Kids Night with post-race fireworks, kicking off the Fourth of July Weekend on June 29.

The annual Kids' Bicycle Night giveaway will be a big part of the evening and anyone wishing to donate a bicycle or make a monetary donation to purchase bikes for youngsters (ages 5-12) may do so. General Manager Danny Lorton said the goal is to give away at least 100 new bicycles this year after 82 were collected and distributed last season.

Anyone interested in donating a new boys' or girls' bicycle, or make a cash donation, can stop by the Lucas Oil Speedway office during business hours, Monday through Friday, or do so at the office before this Saturday's Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series event . There's also a "Bike-O-Meter" donation box located in the Diamond Bar for cash donations.

For questions or more details, call Lisa Lorton at the Lucas Oil Speedway office at (417) 282-5984 or email lisa@lucasoilspeedway.com.

The youngsters can sign before intermission on June 29 for a chance to enter a drawing for the new bicycles of various sizes.

Camping World SRX Series: Some of racing's legends are coming to Lucas Oil Speedway for the Camping World SRX Series. The SRX "Thursday Night Thunder" on Aug. 17 will be the finale of the six-race series and determine the 2023 champion. All SRX races will air live on ESPN.

Drivers announced for the Lucas Oil Speedway event include NASCAR Cup Series champions Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski and Bobby Labonte, along with NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Hailie Deegan. Also on hand will be four-time Indy 500 winer Helio Castroneves, plus reigning SRX Champion Marco Andretti and Indy-car drivers Paul Tracy and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Click here to purchase tickets.

The series will pit the drivers against one another in identically prepared cars with points accumulated in each of the six events. The championship chase will culminate at Lucas Oil Speedway.

Tickets for the SRX event are $35 in advance and $40 at the gate for those 16 and older. Kids ages 6-15 will be $20 with ages 5 and under free. Advance tickets can now be purchased via Stubwire. Pit passes are $50 and must be purchased the day of the event.

For information about any event at Lucas Oil Speedway, call Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com.

For more than two decades, the USRA has attracted more and more racetracks and dirt track racers each year through fair, logical and cost-effective rules accompanied by an organization that puts the racers, racetracks and their fans first. In the 2023 Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series, as many as 60 of America’s finest dirt ovals plan to host more than 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, Crawford County Speedway, Cresco Speedway, Dallas County Speedway, Deer Creek 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, Monett Raceway, Outlaw Motor Speedway, Rapid Speedway, Red Cedar Speedway, Red Dirt Raceway, Rocket Raceway Park, Route 66 Motor 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.