April 19, 2024 | By Lyndal Scranton

Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Busy Dayton Pursley looks for more success in 2024

WHEATLAND, Mo. — 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 JC 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 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 POWRi Late Models, Arctic Food Equipment USRA Modifieds and O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars will join the 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.

POWRi Super Stocks added to pair of programs: Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager Danny Lorton has announced that the POWRi Super Stocks have been added as a special guest class to Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series programs on June 15 and July 27. Both events will pay $500 to win.

Jr. Pit Tour and Kids Power Wheel Races: Pit gates open at 4 p.m. Saturday with grandstands 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 and up) online only - $12
Adults (13 and up) - $15
Seniors (62 and up)/Military - $12
Youth (ages 6-12) - $5
Kids (5-and-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 via email at nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information about any event on the 2024 Lucas Oil Speedway scheduled.