Sam Stoecklin
ULMA Public Relations
April 2, 2012
ULMA’s sixth season begins this Friday night at Callaway Raceway in Fulton, Missouri, followed by the long-awaited return of late model racing at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Missouri on Saturday. By now, most drivers have experienced at least one practice session at their favorite racing venue and have already begun dialing in their cars for the kickoff weekend. This weekend’s first points-earning races will likely foreshadow an early storyline as to who the heavy-hitters will be for the coming year.
Several drivers pre-registered for the season, early entrants include perennial nice guy and solo long-distance traveler Tommy Cordray of Browning, Missouri. From Jefferson City, Missouri Bob Test with father and son duo Trace and Alan Westling from Fulton, Missouri also ready to go. Veteran racer Gary Billings, Jr., makes his return to late models this year and will likely be a force to reckon with at Valley Speedway. Jon Binning of Warrensburg will look to add to his all-time ULMA stats as he sets sail for a ULMA championship. Kevin Coyne, Danny Lorton, Justin Russell, John Farmer, Gage Wineland, Dave Mosley, Justin Russell, Jimmy Jobe, Mike Berger, Walt Imhoff, Todd McCoin, Brandon Imhoff, Jason Russell, R.D. Peterson, Ashley Lancaster, and Jeremy Kelley are also ready to go for 2012. Other drivers reportedly competing this season include past champions Jason Bodenhamer and Rylan Long, multiple-time feature winner Steve Clancy, as well as Zeke Langley, James McMillin, and Brett Wood.
ULMA’s 2012 curtain-raiser takes place at Callaway Raceway this Friday, April 6th. The quarter-mile track is located just outside of Fulton, Missouri at 7419 County Road 405. Call 573-592-7795 for complete details or visit the track’s official website at www.callawayraceways.com. Late model fans hoping to fill the void near Kansas City have to look no further than Grain Valley, Missouri’s Valley Speedway this season to get their fix. Racing kicks off at the paperclip quarter-mile track this Saturday night. ULMA has several appearances throughout the year scheduled at Valley, with several of the events falling on Friday nights. Visit the track online at www.valleyspeedway.com.
This year’s season opener at Lucas Oil Speedway is just around the corner and to kick things off the track will come to life this weekend with a test and tune session on Saturday, April 7th from Noon to Dusk. The first ULMA points-earning event at the speedway takes place on Saturday, April 21st. The speedway has another solid points fund lined up for participating drivers, this information and much more is available online at www.lucasoilspeedway.com. In addition to weekly ULMA racing, drivers competing at the track’s early and late season MLRA races will have a chance to earn one of two provisional starting spots for the MLRA-sanctioned main event. One provisional chosen by the track from the pool of ULMA drivers on hand and one provisional chosen by ULMA will round out the starting field for each of the MLRA races this season. Only ULMA members are eligible for these provisional starting spots. MLRA has also awarded two provisional starting spots each for ULMA drivers at their races scheduled at Valley Speedway and LA Raceway later this season. ULMA and MLRA are working together for the betterment of late model racing through these collaborations. Again, only paid ULMA members are eligible for any of the provisional starting positions for these events!
The countdown has begun for ULMA’s return to the ‘Historic Half Mile’ in Sedalia, Missouri, which marks a rare appearance for ULMA drivers to compete at the speedway. The track, which is located on the Missouri State Fair Grounds, will host the first round of the “Kasey Kahne Challenge.” The race takes place on Friday, April 20th and ULMA will serve as the support class to the immensely popular World of Outlaw sprint cars for this event. This is easily the biggest stage ULMA drivers have every competed on. Barry Smith of Midland Printing Company took up the association’s invitation to support the ULMA portion of this event and will provide a mystery finisher in the event with an extra $100 bonus, for which the association is extremely grateful for his support. For more information on this highly anticipated event be sure to visit www.slspromotions.com. Look for additional information on the late model purse for this event to be released in the coming days. It’s not too late for additional business partners to join up with ULMA at this prestigious event, contact us through our web or email address for details.
Drivers are encouraged to visit www.ulmaracing.com prior to racing with the association to educate themselves on rules, general rules, and the 2012 schedule. Membership forms are easily accessible on the association’s website under the Drivers link. This season’s membership dues are $100, membership is mandatory at Lucas Oil Speedway, Callaway Raceway and upon the third time competing at Valley Speedway. Forms are available at various tracks or from on-site ULMA officials when present.
This year’s confirmed affiliated sponsors at the time of this press release consist of Imhoff Construction, Rod End Supply, Buyraceparts.com, Racingjunk.com, and Photographics by Shelly Payne. ULMA is a proud supporter of Homes for Our Troops. To join the team, simply contact ULMA at unitedlatemodelassociation@hotmail.com.