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Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Local favorite McCowan eager for MLRA Spring Nationals

WHEATLAND, MO. (April 8, 2026) - When Dillon McCowan made the commitment to run the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series full time in 2026, the 22-year-old from Urbana, Mo., knew it would be a hefty challenge.

So in that regard, posting only two top-10 finishes in 15 series events - and a modest 15th place standing in LOLMDS points - is not a huge surprise.

Still, McCowan remains upbeat as he returns to his home track this weekend to compete in the 13th annual MLRA Spring Nationals. Several of the top LOLMDS regulars, including Jonathan Davenport and Hudson O’Neal - are expected to compete with winning payouts of $7,000 and $20,000 on the line Friday and Saturday nights.

“It’s been a learning process,” McCowan said of taking on the best of the best. “It’s definitely a bigger jump than most people would realize going from regional racing to full time on tour. Those guys, they race at a very fast pace. The show moves at a fast pace. Those guys are intense to race with. It’s been beneficial to us and very good.

“We haven’t maybe had the runs we’ve wanted, but that’s to be expected with essentially a rookie team with only a couple of guys who have done it. It’s not like we’ve got somebody who’s crew chief-ing that’s got years of experience. It’s just me and Riley (friend and crew chief Riley Duncan) and if we can get a little help along the way, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

McCowan was able to grab back-to-back ninth-place finishes at Golden Isles Speedway in early March as his highlights so far. With the LOLMDS on break, he scooped up a second-place run in an Open Late Model show at Springfield Raceway on March 14, a race won by Tony Jackson Jr.

The top-10 runs at Golden Isles in Waynesville, Georgia, during the grind of Florida-Georgia Speedweeks, was a confidence builder that McCowan hopes is a sign of things to come.

“Starting as far back as we did when we got those top 10s, we started in provisional land,” McCowan said. “The car was good enough and the track came around and we were able to pass some cars here and there. It showed the team that we can run top 10 with these guys.

"As the season progresses hopefully we can get into a rhythm and get better.”

McCowan feels like he's back on his game, returning to a Longhorn chassis this season after spending a portion of 2025 in an Infinity. He drove the Longhorn in 2024 when he finished second in the Summer Nationals "Hell Tour."

“We’re just trying to get back to where we were a couple of years ago, into a rhythm with solid finishes,” McCowan said. “A couple of years ago I felt like we could pull into any track and do good.”

McCowan said the intensity of running the national series is something that, aside from the big budgets of the top teams compared to his modest war chest, stands out the most.

“They’re intense. It don’t matter if it’s a 50-lap or a 100-lap race, it’s go from the drop of the green,” he said. “It’s wide open and get as much as you can get. That’s really what has taken getting used to. These is not any lay back and wait. That’s taken some getting us to, racing regional.

“We’re just trying to learn as much as we can. When we do have bad runs, we try not to get too down. We just have to keep plugging and we’ll figure it out."

The decision to step up and travel with the LOLMDS this season was a matter of commitment rather than wondering "what if?" for another year.

“I told Dad (Charlie McCowan) ‘we’re just gonna have to do it.’ We’ve sit here before and said we’ll see where we are in points after Florida. That just don’t do it," Dillon McCowan said. "When you give yourself an out, you’ll be prone to take it. No matter what, we’re gonna race it and we’re gonna finish it. We’re not gonna give ourselves a back-up plan. We’re gonna run it and, win, lose or draw we’re gonna get better or else.

“As far as expectations, we don’t have a lot. We know we need to make the shows. We need to run top-10 as much as we can and make sure and finish every race that we make. That’s the big thing, to have a bunch of DNFs or anything like that.”

The chance to run at Wheatland, about a half-hour from home, is one McCowan relishes. He won Modified track championships there as a teen-ager and was voted the track's Most Popular Driver in fan voting. He gave home fans a thrill by qualifying for the last three Show-Me 100 feature lineups with a sixth-place in 2023 after running top-five most of the event.

"We always like running there when we can, with so many people who enjoy seeing us race," McCowan said.

One of the biggest story lines this weekend will be the new configuration in turns three and four. The flat shelf near the wall was removed over the winter with gradual banking now extending to the wall.

As someone who grew up racing at Lucas Oil Speedway, McCowan isn’t sure if he will like the change.

“I was pretty fond of how it was. Who knows? Maybe it’ll work out better than we think,” McCowan said. “The only thing I’m afraid of is it being so far out there, that the bottom is always faster. But you never know. I’ve seen places that you never thought it would ever work and it worked better than you ever would have dreamed of.

“Hopefully it builds a nice little cushion up there and we can stay off the wall, that way we’re not all ripping the deck out of it. I’m excited to see how it goes.”

The Hickamo Super Stocks join the Late Models both nights, with Legend cars on Friday and Show-Me Vintage Racing Series on Saturday.

O’Neal captured both nights of the Spring Nationals a year ago when it was an unsanctioned open Late Model event. Davenport, meanwhile, has eight feature wins at Lucas Oil Speedway since the spring of 2023, including a pair of Spring Nationals triumph in 2024 and one in 2023.

The MLRA came back to life for 2026 after Ernie Leftwich, former series director of the Lucas Oil MLRA, bought the rights to the series after it shut down following the 2024 season.

Tony Jackson Jr. of Lebanon collected his 17th and 18th career MLRA victories in a mid-March doubleheader at the Springfield Raceway.

Friday Late Model feature purse: 1, $7,000. 2, $3,000. 3, $2,000. 4, $1,000. 5, $950. 6, $900. 7, $850. 8, $825. 9, $800. 10, $775. 11, $750. 12, $725. 13, $725. 14, $725. 15-24, $700.

Saturday Late Model feature purse: 1, $20,000. 2, $10,000. 3, $5,000. 4, $3,000. 5, $2,500. 6, $2,000. 7, $1,700. 8, $1,600. 9, $1,500. 10, $1,450. 11, $1,400. 12, $1,400. 13, $1,300. 14, $1,200. 15, $1,100. 16-24, $1,000.

Practice set for Thursday: The Late Models will have a practice session from 6-9 p.m. Thursday with pit passes $35 and grandstand admission free. Gates open at 4 p.m.

Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and grandstands at 5 p.m. Friday; both open at 4 p.m. on Saturday with hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7 both nights.

Friday admission:

Adults (13 and over) - $27.50

Seniors (62 and over)/Military - $24.25

Youth (ages 6-12) - $12

Kids (5 and under) - FREE

Pit pass (purchase only at pit office) - $44, $22.25 (5 and under), 2-day pit pass $91, $22.25 (5 and under).

Saturday admission:

Adults (13 and over) - $33

Seniors (62 and over)/Military - $29.50

Youth (ages 6-12) - $12

Kids (5 and under) - FREE

Pit pass (purchase only at pit office) - $49, $12 (5 and under).

For advance ticket info go online to Stub Wire.

High Limit Sprints coming April 18: Advance tickets for the Interstate Batteries High Limit Sprint Series' April 18 visit at Lucas Oil Speedway are available online. Tanner Thorson holds a narrow lead over Aaron Reutzel, Rice Abreu and Giovanni Scelzi in the early 2026 championship standings.

For further event information, including more info on tickets and camping for any event at Lucas Oil Speedway, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or by email at Nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com.

CONTACT:
Casey Shuman
Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager
Office: (417) 282-5984
Email: CShuman@lucasoilspeedway.com

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

For ticket and camping information and everything about the Show-Me 100 event, visit www.LucasOilSpeedway.com for all the 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 X, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway

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.

About Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Speedway is considered by fans, drivers and industry insiders to be one of the top 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 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, United States Modified Touring Series and the High Limit Sprint Racing Series, POWRi Sprint Cars and POWRi WAR Sprints.

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

2026 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners

Bill Roberts Chevrolet

"The Official Truck" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Iconic Apparel

"The Official Merchandise Provider of Lucas Oil Speedway"

Lucas Oil Products

"The Official Oil" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper

"The Official Soft Drink" 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

2026 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:

AM Pyrotechnics, Alliance Sport Marketing, Arctic Food Equipment, Berry Tractor and Equipment Co., Big Adventure RV, Bill Roberts Chevrolet, Bolivar Auto Sales & Detailing, Bolivar Farmers Exchange-MFA, Boubin Tire/American Racer, Bridal Cave, BWI Sanitation, Candlelight Creations-Dick's Wild Root Horseradish, Casey's, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clear Creek Golf Cars, Clearlight Inn, Dixie Chopper, Eibach Springs, Encounter Ministry Inc., FSE Fire Systems, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Henry's Towing Service, Heritage Tractor, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Highkine Warren, Hobbytime Motorsports, Iconic Apparel, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, 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, Outerwears Performance Products, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper, Ozarks Community Health Center, PEM, Pitts Homes, Pitts Realty, Pitts Cattle, RACEceiver, RacinDirt.com, RCR Designs, Real Racing Wheels, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC, SBU Athletics, Safety Kleen, Scott Furniture, Sidetrack RV Park, SMSI, Southwest Electric Cooperative, State Tech, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels, Super 8 Bolivar Mo., Super Splash, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, WacoBill.com, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wieland, Woods Supermarkets.

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