By Trenton Berry
Wheatland, MO (July 16, 2014) – Another marquee event on the 2014 schedule fires off this weekend. For the fourth consecutive season the Lucas Oil MLRA is delighted to be taking part in the Silver Dollar Nationals at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Nebraska. Previous winners of the event include; Don O’Neal, Brian Birkhofer and Jimmy Owens.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the event, to date, is not the winners list though? Last year Ryan Gustin was a provisional qualifier into the feature. He utilized a promoter’s provisional obtained by winning a Lucas Oil MLRA race at I-80 Speedway earlier in the season.

Gustin was the final starter on the grid in 34th place. He worked forward and kept picking off cars one by one until taking the lead. Once out front, he kept his pace until getting together with Kyle Berck. The damage ended his night and what could have been a monumental upset in the sport of Dirt Late Model racing.

“We’ve got a pretty good car right now,”commented Gustin. “We need to be able to get qualified better, we’re lacking some horsepower right now.”

The team is currently waiting on a new spread bore engine, which will not be available for this weekend. He thinks the two heat race qualifying format will be better for them this weekend compared to traditional time trials. Gustin is frequently asked about his showing in the 2013 Silver Dollar Nationals.

“I’ll never forget it. I’m sure a lot of other people won’t either. To come in here and race with these guys night in and night out, you realize that stuff don’t happen everyday. We’ve got a lot better equipment this year. We’ve also got our stuff together a lot more than what we did last year. We always enjoy going there.”

Competitors will practice Thursday evening in preparation for the $30,000 to win event. Friday each racer will compete in two heats. Saturday will be the last chance qualifiers, Belt Bash non qualifiers race and 80 lap main event.

There will be a who’s who of racers vying for the win, and a huge crowd is anticipated. Chad Simpson still leads the standings, with Terry Phillips and Jeremy Payne sitting second and third. Travis Dickes is currently fourth, and Dave Eckrich rounds out the top five.

I-80 Speedway Information 7/15/14
Gates: 5:00 PM
Racing: 8:00 PM
Admission: Adults $28 (Friday) $34 (Saturday), Kids (6-12) $10, Kids (5 and Under) FREE in General Admission, Pit Pass $40
Support Class: USMTS Modifieds
Website: I-80Speedway.net