December 24, 2023 | By Lyndal Scranton

Lucas Oil Speedway Champions Spotlight: King of the last-lap pass, Beck enjoys first Stock Cars championship

WHEATLAND, Mo. — Mason Beck not only became a Lucas Oil Speedway track champion this season, the 20-year-old from nearby Urbana gave fans some of the biggest thrills of the season.

Multiple times in 2023, Beck pulled off winning passes on the final lap in the O’Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars division. He also prevailed coming to the checkers as the Pure Stocks were a guest class one week, bringing the fans to their feet.

It was part of a winning formula that propelled Beck to six feature wins at Lucas Oil Speedway and a 94-point margin over William Garner for the Stock Cars championship. Overall, he won 14 features with other tracks included.

Of the close finishes and coming out on top, Beck said “it’s a lot of luck” and that he wasn’t planning to wait until the final lap or even the final turn to make his winning moves.

“I try to save my car until the very end, but there was a couple of those races where I was trying to get to the front from the very beginning because I started deep,” Beck said. “As soon as I got the lead it was the last lap and I couldn’t wait around any longer and I had to go.”

Asked his favorite finish, Beck said he had two with a Stock Cars win over Garner and a Pure Stock pass of Robby Jones topping the list.

“Will Garner and me are really good buddies and that was cool,” Beck said. “I tried to pass him and pass him. We raced really clean and I finally got around him. And when I raced Pure Stock and passed Robby Jones on the last lap, that was cool, too.

“The more exciting one was Will Garner, but the better one was Robby Jones because I passed him with my dad’s old car. That was probably the better one.”

Beck said it’s hard for him to choose which is more fun, making the last-lap pass or leading all the way.

“It’s hard to tell. It’s nice to know you have a good race car and you can start out front and lead the whole time.” Beck said. “At the same time, leading all the way, every lap, I wouldn’t think would be as fun as coming from the back and having something exciting like that to talk about.”

Beck said racing for a track championship was his goal from the start after finishing third in Lucas Oil Speedway points in 2022.

“We’ve tried to run for points once before, but that was back when I played football in high school so by the end of the season I had to quit racing at Lebanon and go play football,” Beck said. “We thought we should have won it last yea, but we had two really bad nights. We still ended up third which was really good, but this year we felt like we could for sure win it if we just didn’t have bad nights.”

Beck said the title was special because his dad, Phillip Beck, won a Stock Cars championship at the old Wheatland Raceway just over 20 years ago.

“I’ve always wanted to win there since my Dad’s told me he won one there, before I was born, racing the same class,” Beck said. “It means quite a bit. Now I get to tell him that I’m even with him there. I’d like to go back-to-back. I’d definitely like to one up him.”

Chasing another championship is in the works as Beck looks ahead to 2024. With a few fewer Big Adventure Weekly Racing Series events, he also is eyeing some added-money events out-of-state. He's making a pre-Christmas trip to Texas to pick up some part to start prepping the cars for 2024.

"We'll freshen both of them up. I’d like to start earlier so I can sit around and look at it a little bit before it gets all dented and scratched up," Beck said.

“I just want to thank Ethan and Duane Mackey for giving me the opportunity to drive their car,” Beck said. “Also, my sponsors, Sniper Speed and Mid-State Machine. They’re the ones who put me in victory lane.”

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.