December 13, 2023 | By Lyndal Scranton

Wells combines competitive fire and fun for Lucas Oil Speedway Late Model crown

WHEATLAND, Mo. — Throughout his three-decade career of driving dirt Late Models, Justin Wells would be hard-pressed to find a season in which he had more fun than 2023.

Wells blitzed the competition en route to his first Lucas Oil Speedway track championship by winning 11 Hermitage Lumber Late Model features in 17 attempts. The 46-year-old from Aurora said it was about the right balance between competitive fire and having fun.

“I want to be serious about what we’re doing and be competitive,” Wells said. “That was probably the key to our whole year, we had fun.”

The Ozarks Area Racers Foundation Hall of Famer has raced at the high level of regional touring series over the years. He’s also the answer to one of great trivia questions in Lucas Oil Speedway history, winning the first Late Model race - an MLRA Series event - when the speedway re-opened in 2006.

Wells and his racing partner Kenny Patterson originally had planned to hit the MLRA circuit heavy in 2023 while mixing in some Big Adventure Weekly Racing Series events in Wheatland.

“We geared up pretty hard last winter,” Wells said. “We started working about this time last year and we were gonna race anything within about three hours of the house and no be committed to anything. Any way, we started out the year and everything kept raining out and races kept getting canceled.”

Meanwhile, Wells said a motor deal fell through and he faced a lengthy time to freshen his lone available open Late Model engine.

“When we got to April and May, we didn’t have a super motor because ours was lapped out,” he said, noting that after picking up some early weekly wins that the team decided to keep on pulling to Lucas Oil Speedway.

“We were having so much fun. That’s the key part of it,” Wells said.

It also didn’t hurt that added sponsor money was paying the feature winner $1,000 a week, plus some extra heat-race cash.

The No. 96 car, a 2006 TNT chassis, kept humming along all season. The 17-year-old car now has 105 feature wins and Wells plans to bring it back in 2024.

“The guys at TNT said they could build me a new one,” Wells said. “I told them, ‘why do I need a new one when this one’s still going good?’

“Right now, we’re hammer down, preparing both cars (for next season). We’re gonna do the same motto which is work hard and get the best results. Where we land, we don’t know.”

But the appeal of pulling an hour and a half to Wheatland is strong.

“We leave usually about 3:30 or so and get up there at 5,” Wells said. “We can race and usually can be sitting back at Whataburger in Republic by 10:30 or 11 and home at midnight. That makes so much difference for all of us.

“Those guys at Lucas Oil, the guy that does the track, Richard Turner does a great job. Everybody there are such good people,” Wells said. “We just enjoyed it. I’ve got to thank Kenny Patterson and his wife Pauline, along with Doug Hess, Brigitta Vance and my family.”

Team sponsors include Animal Race Bodies, Bill Vance Marine, Bud's Tire & Wheel, Bumper to Bumper, Doty Trash, Henry's Towing, Horton Supply, Jason's Stump Grinding, Muilenburg Excavation, Midwest Sheet Metal, Pettyjohn Plastering, ProGuide Batteries, Scott Bailey Race Engines, Synergy Suspension Technologies, Super Seal and TNT Race Cars.

Season pass renewals, gift cards available: Lucas Oil Speedway recently unveiled its tentative 2024 schedule with Open Test & Tune set to kick things off on March 30. The speedway has gift cards available for purchase as a Christmas-gift option and also has season pass renewals for the 2024 season available at a discount through the end of the year.

Season passes for the 2024 season are available now at a $50 discount for renewals from 2023. Contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email her at nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.


Season Pass Renewals before Dec. 29th, 2023:

Adults (Age 16-61) $700 (dirt-track only)

Seniors (Age 62 and up) $600 (dirt-track only)

Season Passes beginning Jan. 15th, 2024:

Adults (Age 16-61) $750 (dirt-track only)

Senior (Age 62 and up) $650 (dirt track only)

Each season pass holder is entitled to one reserved stadium-style seat, complete with high backs and armrests located in the top six rows of the main grandstand of the dirt track.

Meanwhile, Lucas Oil Speedway gift cards are available in any dollar amount. Gift cards can be used in all departments including in the ticket office, pit office, camp shack, concessions, gift shop, suites and the Diamond Bar.

Lorton added that the gift shop is remaining open year-round, during week-day business hours, for those interested in stopping by the track and shopping for items.

For ticket information about any future event at Lucas Oil Speedway contact admissions director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email her at nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.