July 10, 2025 | By Lyndal Scranton

Looney eager for return at CMH Diamond Nationals

WHEATLAND, MO.—One of southwest Missouri’s most-popular drivers - and one of only two home-state Show-Me 100 winners in the event’s history - makes a return in front of the local fans this weekend.

It’s in a big-time doubleheader, to boot.

Payton Looney of Republic, who’s competed sparingly since 2021 due to work and family commitments, will take on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series heavyweights during the two-night, 19th annual CMH Diamond Nationals Presented by Wieland at Lucas Oil Speedway.

Looney has been named to drive a Capital Race Cars Late Model owned by Jefferson City’s Tucker Cox, a regular in the Hermitage Lumber Late Model division in the Pitts Homes and Realty Weekly Racing Series. Cox, a long-time friend, has equipped the car with a Super Late Model motor.

“Tucker reached out to me a couple of months ago and said he was getting a super motor and asked if I’d be interested in driving it the first couple of nights,” said Looney, who raced against Tucker Cox's dad, Chris, early in his racing career. “I said yeah and it all kind of worked out. We kind of planned it a couple of weeks back, so we’re just gonna see what we can do Friday and Saturday.”

Tucker Cox, with one of his three wins this season at Lucas Oil Speedway, said the two originally talked about putting Looney in the car for the Show-Me 100 in late May “and just didn’t have enough time to get it all together with my work and everything.”

Cox said Looney will drive the Capital that Cox drove last season in a handful of open events. Looney drove a Capital to the landmark 2020 Show-Me 100 win when he joined Springfield’s Terry Phillips as the only Missourians to win that crown-jewel race.

Looney, 30, lost a hard-fought battle for the Lucas Oil MLRA championship that season. He cut back on his racing the next season to commit more time to wife Emilee and their two children - son Baylor (7) daughter Elliott (5) are involved in multiple sports.

With a busy job as an estimator for one of the area’s largest roofing companies, Looney has been extra busy the last couple of months after widespread damage in the Springfield area from a pair of strong storms.

Highlights since the Show-Me 100 victory include an MLRA feature win at the 2022 Spring Nationals in Wheatland. He wound up 31st in the 2021 Show-Me 100, ran a solid eighth in 2022, was 29th in 2023 and did not qualify n 2024 when felled by mechanical issues.

This year, for the first time since 2017, he didn’t enter the Show-Me 100 and has entered only one event, running 14th in March Madness at Springfield Raceway.

“It sucked,” Looney said of sitting out the 2025 Show-Me 100. “I went Saturday and watched. We took my brothers and a couple of buddies and had a good time, but it’s definitely not nearly as cool watching it as racing it, for sure.”

Looney still had an impact on the outcome. Bobby Pierce found him in the pits and quizzed him about the Lucas Oil Speedway oval. Pierce wound up winning his second Show-Me 100 that night.

“They were struggling a little bit,” Looney said, shrugging off any role he had in Pierce’s win. “Wheatland is a little different. A lot of stuff that works at other places doesn’t work at Wheatland. You’ve got to kind of go reverse there. I’d been chit-chatting with them and they asked for my opinion. We talked back and forth about an hour or so before the races and it all worked out for them.”

Now Looney hopes things might work out for him, albeit in a different car than his usual yellow and white No. 15.

“My expectations are to try and make the race both nights,” he said. “I haven’t ran in a while and my goal would be to make the races both nights and see where that takes us."

Action is set for Friday and Saturday with winners of the Late Model features collecting $15,000 on Friday and $25,000 on Saturday. A red-hot championship battle between Ricky Thornton Jr. and Jonathan Davenport continues as Thornton holds a 20-point lead.

Davenport looks to close in at one of his favorite tracks. The 2024 Show-Me 100 winner is a four-time Diamond Nationals champ with eight feature wins at Lucas Oil Speedway since the spring of 2023. He finished second at the 2025 Show-Me 100 Presented by Missouri Division of Tourism.

More than $145,000 in purse money will be up for grabs at the Diamond Nationals, which was canceled last year due to rain.

Friday's feature payout: 1. $15,000, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. Total $63,400.

Saturday's feature payout: 1. $25,000, 2. $10,000, 3. $6,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,500, 6. $2,700, 7. $2,500, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,900, 13. $1,800, 14. $1,700, 15. $1,600, 16. $1,500, 17. $1,500, 18. $1,500, 19. $1,500, 20. $1,500, 21. $1,500, 22. $1,500, 23. $1,500, 24. $1,500. Total $82,800.

Hickamo Super Stocks also will be on the program both nights with features paying $650 and $1,000 to win, respectively.

'Beat the Heat' Suite Special: "Beat the Heat" Suite specials are being offered for both Friday and Saturday night's action on a first-come, first-served basis with payment required at the time of purchase. Tickets are $50 for Friday and $60 on Saturday and do not include access to the pits.

Contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-6119 or (417) 295-6043, or email her at nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.


Friday admission:

Adults (13 and up) - $25
Seniors (62 and up)/Military - $22
Youth (ages 6-12) - $10
Kids (5 and under) - FREE
Family Pass - $60
Pit pass - $45
2-day Pit pass - $90


Saturday admission:

Adults (13 and up) - $30
Seniors (62 and up)/Military - $27
Youth (ages 6-12) - $10
Kids (5 and under) - FREE
Family Pass - $780
Pit Pass - $45


CAMPING: DAILY RATES (Limited Availability)

Dry Camping $15/Night (up to 6 people) ($5 additional a night per person)
Reserve Dry $25/Night (up to 6 people $5 additional a night per person)
Reserved Electric & Water- $40/Night (up to 6 people) ($5 additional a night per person)


For information on admission or camping for any Lucas Oil Speedway event in 2025, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-6119 or (417) 295-6043 or email her at nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.