Jason Pursley looks forward to Heartland Modified Tour visit to his home track
WHEATLAND, Mo. — It’s pretty safe to say that Jason Pursley has made more laps around Lucas Oil Speedway - especially in a USRA Modified - than anyone else since the track opened in 2006.
That is one reason Pursley feels he has at least a fighting chance when the new Heartland Modified Tour rolls into Wheatland for the first time as the headliner of Saturday night’s Big Adventure RV Weekly Championship Series program.
With $2,000 awaiting the winner of the Arctic Food Services USRA Modified feature, several United States Modified Touring Series stars likely will be on hand as the USMTS series is idle this weekend. Pursley said he always enjoys the challenge of going up against the best of the best in Modified racing.
“It’s basically gonna be a USMTS show,” Pursley said of Saturday. “It was the same way a couple of weeks ago in Humboldt, for the season opener of the Heartland Tour. The USMTS was rained out and those guys show up. When they do, you know they’re gonna be really, really tough to beat ... but they’re a lot of fun to race with.
“If you do happen to run well or beat the, you know that you’ve done something.”
A full night of action awaits as the Clear Creek Golf Cars USRA B-Mods, Hermitage Lumber POWRi Late Models and O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock cars also will be on the program. All Moms will be admitted free courtesy of Vietti Marketing Group.
The Heartland Modified Tour came into being this year to provide a boost to weekly USRA Modified racers, who have seen a steady decline in car count over the last few years. Pursley said it’s a welcomed opportunity to help the Modified division throughout the region as the HMT runs in conjunction with weekly programs at the tracks it visits.
“I’m real excited about this new series,” Pursley said. “The last few years, as the B Mods have grown and MW Mods and all the other Mod classes have come into fruition, the A Mods have kind of been struggling a little bit. I’m hoping this series makes for a little more interest in A Mods and helps the tracks that run A Mods.”
Pursley, knowing as the “Racing Superintendent” for his job as Superintendent of Hickory County R-1 Schools in Skyline, will have to sit out the first half of this weekend’s doubleheader on Friday at Lebanon Midway Speedway. It’s graduation night at Skyline High and figures his day job must take precedence.
“The job pays a little more than racing, so I guess I’d better go and do my job,” Pursley said with a laugh.
But he’s eager to fire it up on Saturday, hoping that a home-track advantage might help level the playing field against top competition.
“If I’m going to have to race against those guys, I’d want it to be at Lucas just because I have so many laps there,” he said. “The only USMTS race I almost won was at Lucas, when Jason Krohn ended up beating me and I ended up second. But I’m always excited to race against those guys, especially on my home turf.”
Pursley had a fifth-place feature run at Humboldt last month in the Heartland Tour opener, then had a second last weekend at Springfield Raceway finishing between USMTS regulars Terry Phillips and Tanner Mullens. While starts have been limited so far, he’s ready to see how his nearly new MB Customs car owned by long-time car owner Tom Campbell fares this spring and summer.
“Tom got this car last year and we raced it at USRA Nationals and a couple of times this year,” Pursley said, noting the red wrap scheme has replaced his traditional blue one. “So far, we’ve really liked the car. It feels different than the old MB Customs car we had. The corner speed is a lot more than the other one. Any time you have more corner speed, you have more straightaway speed.”
With five career runner-up finishes in pursuit of a Lucas Oil Speedway track championship, Pursley said his season goals include winning the elusive championship on his home track and earning top-10 in Heartland Modified Tour points.
“The Heartland series and Lucas only have about two conflicts, so I think we’ll be able to run them both,” he said. “So those are our goals and hopefully we can attaint them.”
This marks the second Weekly Championship Series program of the season at Lucas Oil Speedway after an April 27 rainout. Feature winners on April 20 were Robbie Reed (USRA Modifieds), Ryan Gillmore (USRA B-Mods), Justin Wells (POWRi Late Models) and Derek Brown (USRA Stock Cars).
Pits open at 4 p.m. with grandstands at 4:30, hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:05 p.m.
Kids Power Wheel races at intermission: Round 2 of Kids Power Wheel Championship Series will be held during intermission with a 24V-36V class. Kids can bring their own battery-powered cars to the RCR Designs Jr Fan Club sign-in on the midway or drop them at the pit gates and they will be brought to the front stretch at intermission.
Saturday admission:
(All Mothers FREE courtesy Vietti Marketing Group for Mothers Day)
Advance discount tickets 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.
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