The 2018 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule for the 2018 season has been released. And as is typically the case, the east Tennessee region will play a significant role in the national touring series. A total of four feature races will be contested on tracks within our region.
The series will return to the Volunteer Speedway on Thursday, March 22 for a 50-lap affair that will pay $10,000 to the eventual winner. That race will be teamed with an event just across the state line from Chattanooga on Friday night March 23 when the series visits Boyd’s Speedway for a $12,000-to-win race. A move further south to the East Alabama Motor Speedway on Saturday evening for another $12,000-to-win feature will complete the three-race weekend.
The LOLMDS will make its annual trek to upper east Tennessee when its stars roll through the gates of the Tazewell Speedway on Friday, May for a $12,000-to-win feature. That race will be combined with a move to Kentucky’s Florence Speedway the following night.
And finally, the Lucas Oil tour will take on Maryville’s Smoky Mountain Speedway on Saturday, July 7 for a $12,000-to-win event. That event will follow a Friday night race at Cherokee Speedway in South Carolina.
Once again, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction some of the sports biggest races, including the inaugural Dirt Million event in Mansfield, OH in late August.
Drivers such as Jimmy Owens(20) and Tim McCreadie will once again compete on east Tennessee tracks with the LOLMDS
Here is the full press release with the complete schedule included:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BATAVIA, OH (October 18, 2017) – As the 2017 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season finale takes place this weekend, the tour announced today, an aggressive 2018 slate, which includes 58 feature events at 37 different venues across 22 states. The 2018 schedule begins with the February 2nd-3rd “Super Bowl of Racing” at Golden Isles Speedway. Portsmouth Raceway Park will be hosting the season-ending Dirt Track World Championship on October 19th-20th.
The 2018 schedule will feature an impressive 23 events that will pay $12,000-to-win, along with 13 crown jewel events that will pay $20,000-to-win (or more). The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction some of most prestigious dirt late model events of the season, including: Bad Boy 98 ($20,000-to-win); Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 ($30,000-to-win); Salute the Troops 75 ($25,000-to-win); Clash at the Mag ($20,000-to-win); Silver Dollar Nationals ($53,000-to-win); Sunoco North/South 100 ($50,000-to-win); COMP Cams Topless 100 ($40,000-to-win); Dirt Million ($100,000-to-win); Hillbilly Hundred ($50,000-to-win); Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals ($40,000-to-win); Jackson 100 ($20,000-to-win); Pittsburgher 100 ($20,000-to-win); and the season finale – Dirt Track World Championship ($100,000-to-win).
Two tracks on the 2018 schedule will host the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time, including: 141 Speedway in Maribel, WI on May 18th and Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, MN on July 18th. In addition, Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, TN returns to the series docket for the first time since 2015 on March 22nd, 2018.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction the inaugural “Dirt Million” at Mansfield Motor Speedway, August 24th-25th, 2018. The new mega-event will allow Super Late Model competitors to compete for a minimum of $100,000-to-win, $2,000-to-start at the 4/10-mile oval. However, the purse will continue to increase throughout the 2018 calendar year via a unique format and promotion that allows dirt racing families, friends, sponsors, fans and teams everywhere in the world to play a role in building the feature’s payoff. The total purse for the event can climb to a spectacular $1 million, which would result in the weekend’s A-main offering a $500,000 winner’s prize and $10,000 just to take the green flag. Additional information is available at: www.dirtmillion.com.
“We are thrilled to release our 2018 schedule. We’re thankful to have such great relationships with our promoters, from all over the country, that have worked so diligently to help us get the schedule to completion. With their support, we’re able to raise all the traditional Friday events to a minimum of $12,000-to-win/$1,000-to-start, in 2018.We feel that we have the best show in dirt late model racing and I can’t thank our promoters, our staff, drivers, car owners, sponsors and of course, our great fans enough for their continued support.” stated Rick Schwallie, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Director.
In 2018, Lucas Oil Production Studios will produce and edit original, high-definition Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series content for four major television networks. The 2018 television schedule includes: twenty-three races streamed LIVE on LucasOilRacing.TV; along with twenty-five episodes taped-delay for MAVTV Motorsports Network. In addition, ten events will air on NBC Sports Network, eight episodes on CBS Sports Network, and the 26th Annual Show-Me 100 on CBS. A complete 2018 television schedule for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be released at a later date.
2018 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Schedule:
| Date | Track | Event Title | Location | To Win | Laps |
| February 2 | Golden Isles Speedway | Super Bowl of Racing | Brunswick, GA | $10,000 | 50 |
| February 3 | Golden Isles Speedway | Super Bowl of Racing | Brunswick, GA | $12,000 | 60 |
| February 5 | East Bay Raceway Park | 41st Annual Winternationals | Tampa, FL | $5,000 | 30 |
| February 6 | East Bay Raceway Park | 41st Annual Winternationals | Tampa, FL | $5,000 | 30 |
| February 7 | East Bay Raceway Park | 41st Annual Winternationals | Tampa, FL | $7,000 | 40 |
| February 8 | East Bay Raceway Park | 41st Annual Winternationals | Tampa, FL | $7,000 | 40 |
| February 9 | East Bay Raceway Park | 41st Annual Winternationals | Tampa, FL | $10,000 | 50 |
| February 10 | East Bay Raceway Park | 41st Annual Winternationals | Tampa, FL | $12,000 | 60 |
| February 11 | Bubba Raceway Park | Winter Nationals | Ocala, FL | $10,000 | 50 |
| March 16 | Atomic Speedway | Buckeye Spring 50 | Chillicothe, OH | $12,000 | 50 |
| March 17 | Brownstown Speedway | 21st Annual Indiana Icebreaker | Brownstown, IN | $12,000 | 50 |
| March 22 | Volunteer Speedway | Bulls Gap, TN | $10,000 | 50 | |
| March 23 | Boyd’s Speedway | Ringgold, GA | $12,000 | 50 | |
| March 24 | East Alabama Motor Speedway | 21st Annual Bama Bash | Phenix City, AL | $12,000 | 50 |
| April 6, 7 | Batesville Motor Speedway | Bad Boy 98 | Batesville, AR | $20,000 | 98 |
| April 20 | Sharon Speedway | Steel Valley 50 | Hartford, OH | $12,000 | 50 |
| April 21 | Hagerstown Speedway | 37th Annual Stanley Schetrompf Classic | Hagerstown, MD | $12,000 | 50 |
| April 22 | Port Royal Speedway | Port Royal, PA | $10,000 | 50 | |
| April 27 | Tri-City Speedway | Busch 50 | Granite City, IL | $12,000 | 50 |
| April 28 | Macon Speedway | St. Louis U-Pic-A-Part 100 | Macon, IL | $12,000 | 100 |
| May 4 | Tazewell Speedway | Toyota Knoxville 50 | Tazewell, TN | $12,000 | 50 |
| May 5 | Florence Speedway | 32nd Annual Ralph Latham Memorial | Union, KY | $12,000 | 50 |
| May 18 | 141 Speedway | Spring Shootout | Maribel, WI | $12,000 | 50 |
| May 19 | Deer Creek Speedway | NAPA North Star Nationals | Spring Valley, MN | $12,000 | 50 |
| May 20 | I-80 Speedway | Go 50 | Greenwood, NE | $10,000 | 50 |
| May 24 | Lucas Oil Speedway | 5th Annual Cowboy Classic | Wheatland, MO | $6,000 | 45 |
| May 25 | Lucas Oil Speedway | The Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson | Wheatland, MO | $6,000 | 40 |
| May 26 | Lucas Oil Speedway | 26th Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 | Wheatland, MO | $30,000 | 100 |
| June 1, 2 | LaSalle Speedway | Salute the Troops 75 | LaSalle, IL | $25,000 | 75 |
| June 14, 15, 16 | Magnolia Motor Speedway | Clash at the Mag | Columbus, MS | $20,000 | 100 |
| June 30 | Portsmouth Raceway Park | Independence 50 | Portsmouth, OH | $12,000 | 50 |
| July 1 | Mansfield Motor Speedway | Freedom 50 | Mansfield, OH | $10,000 | 50 |
| July 3 | Muskingum County Speedway | Zanesville, OH | $12,000 | 50 | |
| July 5 | Fayetteville Motor Speedway | Wayne Gray Sr. Memorial | Fayetteville, NC | $10,000 | 50 |
| July 6 | Cherokee Speedway | 20th Annual Grassy Smith Memorial | Gaffney, SC | $12,000 | 50 |
| July 7 | Smoky Mountain Speedway | Mountain Moonshine Classic | Maryville, TN | $12,000 | 50 |
| July 13 | Tri-City Speedway | NAPA Know How 50 | Granite City, IL | $12,000 | 50 |
| July 14 | Lucas Oil Speedway | 12th Annual Diamond Nationals | Wheatland, MO | $12,000 | 50 |
| July 17 | Brown County Speedway | Bullet SportsWear Shootout | Aberdeen, SD | $10,000 | 50 |
| July 18 | Jackson Motorplex | Jackson, MN | $10,000 | 50 | |
| July 19, 20, 21 | I-80 Speedway | 8th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals | Greenwood, NE | $53,000 | 80 |
| August 9 | Florence Speedway | North/South Shootout | Union, KY | $10,000 | 50 |
| August 10, 11 | Florence Speedway | 36th Annual Sunoco North/South 100 | Union, KY | $50,000 | 100 |
| August 16, 17, 18 | Batesville Motor Speedway | 26th Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 | Batesville, AR | $40,000 | 100 |
| August 24 | Mansfield Motor Speedway | Dirt Million Prelims – Twin $10k Features | Mansfield, OH | 2x $10,000 | 30 |
| August 25 | Mansfield Motor Speedway | Dirt Million | Mansfield, OH | $100,000+ | 100 |
| August 31 | Ponderosa Speedway | 15th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial | Junction City, KY | $12,000 | 50 |
| September 1 | Portsmouth Raceway Park | Bob Miller Memorial | Portsmouth, OH | $12,000 | 50 |
| September 2 | Tyler County Speedway | 50th Annual Hillbilly Hundred | Middlebourne, WV | $50,000 | 100 |
| September 13 | Knoxville Raceway | 15th Annual Late Model Nationals | Knoxville, IA | $7,000 | 25 |
| September 14 | Knoxville Raceway | 15th Annual Late Model Nationals | Knoxville, IA | $7,000 | 25 |
| September 15 | Knoxville Raceway | 15th Annual Late Model Nationals | Knoxville, IA | $40,000 | 100 |
| September 21, 22 | Brownstown Speedway | 39th Annual Jackson 100 | Brownstown, IN | $20,000 | 100 |
| September 29 | Dixie Speedway | Dixie Shootout | Woodstock, GA | $12,000 | 50 |
| September 30 | Rome Speedway | Rome Showdown | Rome, GA | $10,000 | 50 |
| October 5, 6 | Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway | 30th Annual Pittsburgher 100 | Imperial, PA | $20,000 | 100 |
| October 19, 20 | Portsmouth Raceway Park | 38th Annual Dirt Track World Championship | Portsmouth, OH | $100,000 | 100 |
