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Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: James Ellis enjoying his racing return in competitive USRA Stock Car class

WHEATLAND, MO. (April 19, 2023) - 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 O’Reilly Auto Parts 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 Cars 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.

Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series 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

SRX roster of drivers expands, with tickets on sale: General admission tickets for the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) race scheduled for Aug. 17 at Lucas Oil Speedway remain on sale. Some of the biggest names in racing will be on hand as the SRX Thursday Night Thunder event will be the finale in the six-race series.

Drivers previously announced for the Wheatland event include Tony Stewart, Kenny Wallace, Hailie Deegan, Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, Helio Castroneves, Clint Bowyer, reigning SRX Champion Marco Andretti, Paul Tracy and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Tickets for the SRX event are $35 in advance and $40 at the gate (ages 16 and over). Kids (ages 6-15) will be $20 with ages 5-and-under free. Advance tickets can now be purchased via Stubwire - https://www.stubwire.com/event/srxespnthursdaynightthunder/lucasoilspeedway/wheatland/28075/ Pit passes are $50 and must be purchased the day of the event.

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.

CONTACT:
Danny Lorton
Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager
Office: (417) 282-5984
DLorton@lucasoilspeedway.com
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, 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. The Lucas Oil Speedway EZ Texting number is (417) 804-4141.

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 12th season for the Liquid Quarter Mile Drag Racing Lake, "Lake Lucas." New for 2017 was all-purpose built Off Road facility featuring a host of 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 Weekly Racing Series features the Late Models, USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods.

2023 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners

Arizona Sport Shirts
"The Official Merchandise Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick
"The Official Truck" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Dixie Chopper
"The Official Mowers of Lucas Oil Speedway"

General Tire
"The Official Tire" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Products
"The Official Oil" of Lucas Oil Speedway

MAVTV
"The Official Television Network" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper
"The Official Soft Drink" of Lucas Oil Speedway

RacingJunk.com
"The Official Classifieds" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Rugged Radios
"The Official 2-Way Communications Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Summit Racing Equipment
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Sunoco Race Fuels
"The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Super Clean
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway

2023 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:
AM Pyrotechnics, Alliance Sport Marketing, Arctic Food Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts, Berry Tractor and Equipment Co., Big Adventure RV, Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick, Bolivar Auto Sales & Detailing, Bolivar Farmers Exchange-MFA, Boone's BBQ Barn, Boubin Tire/American Racer, Branstetter & Lightfoot LLC, Bridal Cave, BWI Sanitation, Camden on the Lake Resort, Candlelight Creations-Dick's Wild Root Horseradish, Casey's, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Dirt Track Specialist, Dixie Chopper, Eibach Springs, Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Frog Signs, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Hobbytime Motorsports, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, KC Bobcat, Kettle Treats, Keyser Manufacturing, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, Lucas Cattle Company, MD3, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, Missouri Division of Tourism, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, OakStar Bank, O'Bannon Bank, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Ozark Golf Cars, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper, Ozarks Community Health Center, PEM, Pitts Homes, Pitts Realty, Pitts Cattle, Pomme de Terre Resort, ProThings Apparel, RACEceiver, Racinboys.com, RacinDirt.com, RacingJunk.com, Rains Ice Company, Real Racing Wheels, Reed Environmental, Rod End Supply, Ron Jenkins Accounting & Tax Service, Rugged Radios, Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC, SBU Athletics, Safety Kleen, Scott Furniture, Sidetrack RV Park, Simpson Racing Products, Southwest Electric Cooperative, State Tech, Stillwater Resort, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, Wasoba Seed & Trucking, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wieland, Wild Animal Safari, Woods Supermarkets.

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