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Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Arkansas driver Anglin fired up to hunt Street Stock Big Buck 50 repeat

WHEATLAND, Missouri - Tony Anglin made the lengthy haul to Lucas Oil Speedway twice in August, a five-hour trip designed to dial in for a defense of his Big Buck 50 Presented by Whitetail Trophy Hunt championship.

Neither outing went according to plan. Motor issues the first time and brake problems the other left the veteran Street Stock racer from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas frustrated.

"Maybe that monkey is off our back and we'll come up and capture a win again," Anglin said earlier this week. "That's what we're hoping. I think we have everything lined out again. I'm pumped up and ready to get back up there."

The 5th annual Big Buck 50 Presented by Whitetail Trophy Hunt begins on Thursday night with an open practice session from 6-9 p.m. for both the Street Stocks and ULMA Late Models. Time trials for the Street Stocks will follow setting lineups for heat races on Friday with everyone pointing toward Saturday night's finale.

Anglin took command a year ago with 11 laps remaining and pulled away to capture the $5,000-to-win Big Buck 50. This time, the winner's check is doubled to $10,000 and once again, a free entry into November's Whitetail Trophy Hunt in mid-Missouri valued at $3,000 is included.

"I'm a big deer hunt and went to Craig's deal last year and loved it," Anglin said of Whitetail Trophy Hunt owner Craig Danuser. "I saw some nice bucks, but I was looking the dollar signs, I guess. Their hunting club is phenomenal. You go there and they treat you like family.

"I loved it and I'm hoping that I can win this deal this weekend and get to go back."

History shows that Anglin again will likely be in the mix. He's the only driver to finish in the Big Buck 50 top six in all of the previous editions of the event with a second in 2014, sixth in 2015 and fifth in 2016 before winning last year's big prize - despite having to come through the B Feature.

"We didn't time in good and then didn't have a good heat race on Friday night," Anglin said. "Saturday, I spent all day working on the car, trying to figure out if it was the car or me. Come to find out, we had a bad shock. We changed it and went out for hot laps and had a pretty good hot rod."

Anglin builds his own Street Stocks and again will field a car for long-time friend and veteran racer Jeff Floyd. As for why he usually runs strong in the Big Buck 50, Anglin said he has a sense of confidence at Lucas Oil Speedway.

"I just love it being slick and smooth," he said. "The facility is unbelievable. I just wish it was a little closer."

Since his mechanical struggles at Wheatland a couple of month ago, Anglin has posted top-five runs in major Street Stock events at West Plains and his home track in Batesville. He called the Street Stock division stronger than it's ever been.

"Street Stocks, to me, is like Late Models for the big guys," Anglin said. "There are so many competitive guys that we run against. There's 20 of us that can win any time, anywhere we go. When we all show up at one track we're all thinking, 'who's gonna win? Is it gonna be you or is it gonna be me or who?'

"The sport has got really competitive. The luck of the draw, where you get to start in your heat. You have to finish good to start up front in a big show. Unfortunately last year I didn't. We started in the back and ended up lucky enough to get to the front."

The strong competition is one of the appeals of Street Stock racing for Anglin, who's settled into the division both as a driver and car builder.

"I just love Street Stocks," he said. "I drove a Modified for many years, but ... I just got burned out on it. I started doing Street Stock stuff and building my own. They're easy to drive and fun and don't take as much work as you have to put into a Modified.

"That's what I started out in 31 years ago, in Factory Stocks at that time. It just fits me better than Modified did and I love driving them."

The Warsaw Auto Marine & RV ULMA Late Models will also be on the program running complete shows on Friday with $1,000 to the winner and on Saturday with $2,000 to the winner. Action will kick off on Thursday with open practice from 6-9 p.m. and time trials for the Street Stocks.

Grandstand admission on Thursday is free with limited concessions on the pit side. Live music in the Diamond Bar will follow qualifying.

For Street Stocks on Friday, there will be qualifying heat races with the top two advancing to two 10-lap dashes. The first dash, consisting of heat-race winners, will set the first eight spots in the feature lineup; the second dash, from the second-place heat finishers, will produce positions 9-16 for the A Feature.

Last-chance races will finalize the Big Buck 50 feature field on Saturday with two Lucas Oil Speedway provisionals will be added to the feature field based on final 2018 Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series points standings.

This year's Big Buck 50 feature payout will be: 1st $10,000; 2nd $5,000; 3rd $2,500; 4th $1,500. 5th $1,250; 6th $1,000; 7th $900; 8th $850; 9th $800; 10th $750; 11th $700; 12th $650; 13th $600; 14th $550; 15th-through-24th $500; non-transfers $200.

More information about the Whitetail Trophy Hunt can be found at whitetail.net. Nearly $5 million in prize money has been awarded in the hunt over the last 29 years. The prestigious hunt in mid-Missouri, which is limited to 230 people, has been sold out since February. The hunt winner will earn $15,000 so, potentially, the Big Buck 50 winner could make a gigantic haul.

For ticket information on all events at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2018, contact Admission Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or by email at nichole@LucasOilSpeedway.com. Fans also can go online to purchase tickets for any event on the 2018 schedule.

Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived race recaps, previews and driver features, along with ticket information and 2018 schedule can be found by visiting LucasOilSpeedway.com.

Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. 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.

In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway

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, Missouri, approximately an hour from Springfield, Missouri, 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 apart. This year marks the 8th season for the Liquid Quarter Mile Drag Racing Lake, "Lake Lucas." Two nationally televised Drag Boat Races featuring the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series are held annually. New for 2017 was all-purpose built Off Road facility featuring the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series as well as a host of other regional events.

Lucas Oil Speedway's dirt oval track 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, POWRi Midget National Series, Lucas Oil Pro-Pulling League, United States Modified Touring Series, ASCS Sprint Cars and the Lucas Oil MLRA.

In addition to the special events, the Lucas Oil Speedway Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series features the Warsaw Auto Marine & RV ULMA Late Models, Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds, Big O Tires Street Stocks and the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods.

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