Dayton Pursley grew up going to the races at Lucas Oil Speedway as his dad, long-time USRA Modified driver Jason Pursley, chased victories. So it was pretty special for Dayton when he won his first feature race at the speedway last summer.

“That meant a lot to me,” Dayton Pursley said of his Clear Creek Golf Cars USRA B-Mod victory last June. “I know from lap one through lap 20, I was the most nervous I’d ever been. I told myself every corner not to spin out, not to do anything wrong because J.C. Morton was closing on me. Just trying to run the best race I could.”

The 21-year-old from Hermitage is ready to chase more checkered flags this season, beginning with the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series opener on Saturday night. The USRA B-Mods will headline the action with a special 25-lap, $750-to-win main event.

It will be Public Telecommunicators Appreciation Night at the Races. In observation of National Public Telecommunicators Week, to show appreciation to the 911 dispatch agencies, all 911 dispatchers will be admitted FREE with ID or Badge. The Hermitage Lumber Late Models, Arctic Food Equipment USRA Modifieds and O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars will join the USRA B-Mods.

Pursley also picked up a feature win at Midway Speedway as part of a solid 2023 season. He finished third in Lucas Oil Speedway points, behind track champion Bobby Williams and two-time champ Morton.

"It was a pretty good season," Pursley said. "I didn’t get a lot of wins, but I got better with the car in my first year with it. I struggled early in the year, but the longer the season went the better I got."

This season won’t find Pursley chasing points, however, as his racing day job will keep him busy.

As new crew chief for Brennon Willard on the Lucas Oil MLRA circuit, Pursley will be overseeing Willard’s Capital chassis race car on weekends that the MLRA series is in action. That was supposed to have been the case this weekend, but MLRA action in Iowa was postponed by wet weather.

“Whenever Brennon doesn’t race, I’m going to race my car,” Pursley said. “Throughout the week, I’ll go home to my dad’s shop and work on my race car and get it ready. Other than that, I’m a full-time crew chief/tire guy for Brennon.”

Pursley got experience working on Late Models a couple of years ago doing tire prep for Earl Pearson Jr. He sees it as a great way to spread his education of what it takes to build and maintain a full-time racing program.

What he learns on the Late Models doesn’t directly help in prepping a B-Mod, but he said there are some things that will be a benefit in his planned move to a USRA Modified a year from now. But overall, he’s enjoying the Late Model knowledge he’s picking up in a crew chief role.

“It really has made my knowledge for the race car a lot better. I’ve learned so much already and it’s only April,” Pursley said. I’m working on shocks and the actual set-up of the race car. I think it will help me with my own racing career and then also helping my dad and uncle (Donnie Fellers). My knowledge is a lot more than it was four months ago.”

While he won’t race weekly in 2024, Pursley said he has high hopes for making a splash in his Skyrocket Chassis at Wheatland and other speedways.

“I’m gonna try to go to the bigger money races or go to Lucas and support them,” Pursley said. “The more seat time a get and the more tracks I can say I raced at, the better it will be.”

Team sponsors include CPD Racing Shocks, Earl-F Electric, DF Safety Solutions, Tom Campbell Racing, Loto Lifts, DP Race Bodies, E3 Spark Plugs, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Icon Race Graphics, Skyrocket Chassis, Balanced Speed and Dayton Pursley Racing.

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

The earlier opening to the grandstands this season is to allow kids a chance to sign up for the RCR Designs Jr. Fan Club and take part in flagman Mike Striegel's Pit Tour prior to the races. Youngsters ages 5-12 eligible to sign up for a pre-race tour of the pits where they can meet drivers.

Kids can sign up for the RCR Designs Jr Fan Club on the south end of the Midway after grandstand gates open. Also returning in 2024, with this Saturday the first week, is the popular Kids Power Wheel Races with a 24V-36V class. The races will be held during intermission of Big Adventure Weekly Racing Series events on April 20, May 11, June 8, July 27 and Aug. 24. Kids can bring their own battery-powered cars to the RCR Designs Jr Fan Club sign-in or drop them at the pit gates and they will be brought to the front stretch at intermission.

Saturday Admission:
Advance discount tickets (13+) online only - $12
Adults (13+) - $15
Military & Seniors (62+) - $12
Youth (6-12) - $5
Kids (5 & Under) - FREE
Family Pass - $35
Pit pass - $35

For ticket information about any event on the 2024 Lucas Oil Speedway schedule, fans can contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or email her for more information about any event on the 2024 Lucas Oil Speedway schedule.

Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived race recaps, previews and driver features, along with ticket information and schedules can be found by visiting LucasOilSpeedway.com.

Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Mo. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With its entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.

Click LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984. The Lucas Oil Speedway EZ Texting number is (417) 804-4141.

In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following Lucas Oil Speedway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

About Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway is considered by fans, drivers and industry insiders to be one of the top five racing facilities in the nation. Located in Wheatland, Mo.—approximately an hour from Springfield and just an hour and a half from the Kansas City metro area—the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" lives up to its title.

Twenty-one VIP luxury suites, HD Jumbo-Tron screen, stadium-style Musco Sports Lighting, a Bose sound system, go-kart slick track, The Diamond Bar, Track Treasures Gift Shop, the best track food in the country and paved pits are a few of the spectacular amenities setting the Diamond of Dirt Tracks apart. 

Lucas Oil Speedway's dirt oval racetrack plays host to some of the largest and most-popular events in the Midwest with national and regional touring series appearing frequently, including the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, United States Modified Touring Series and the Lucas Oil MLRA.

In addition to the special events, the Lucas Oil Speedway Weekly Racing Series features Late Models, USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods.

For more than two decades, the United States Racing Association 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. During the 2023 Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series, more than 60 of America's finest dirt ovals hosted more than 1,000 nights of racing.

To learn more about the USRA, check out USRAracing.com. Follow our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. To get USRA news and exclusive promotions delivered to your inbox, click here.

USRA competitors can register for the 2024 Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series online at USRAracing.com/Register or call (515) 832-6000 to register by phone. You can also download the application at USRAracing.com/Downloads and then submit your completed form by email at office@usraracing.com or fax at (515) 832-7958.