WHEATLAND, MO. (Feb. 3, 2022) – One of the winningest drivers in USRA B-Mod racing plans to make Lucas Oil Speedway his Saturday-night home in 2022 with an eye on competing for a track championship there for the first time.
Ryan Gillmore of Springfield, the 2017 USRA B-Mod National Champion, said the timing seems right as he will drive an Allen Autosports car built by Scotty Allen and owned by Dennis Choate.
“It’s somewhere that we’ve wanted to race full time and it just never has worked out,” Gillmore said this week. “We were going to run there full time in 2020 and we were leading points up until the night of our DQ and that pretty well put me out. Then we went to bouncing around on Saturdays.
“We haven’t points raced in a while and Wheatland looks like it would be the best place to go with the competitiveness, publicity, track prep and facility. It’s got the whole package.”
Gillmore earned 10 feature wins in 2021, including his first triumph at Lucas Oil Speedway. That elusive win broke a streak of near-misses there over the years that left him wondering if the victory in Wheatland would ever happen.
If finally did, last Aug. 7 and Gillmore fully intended to celebrate to the fullest. Instead, he was overcome with relief more than anything.
“We had been so close so many times,” Gillmore said. “We were consistently fast, but it kind of eluded me. When I won it, I thought of all the ways I was gonna celebrate. But when it finally happened, I was just relieved.
“I thought I’d be satisfied and if I got one, I’d be happy. Now I want to win another one.”
Gillmore will join a stacked field in the Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mod division, which regularly includes fellow former USRA B-Mod National Champions Kris Jackson, JC Morton and Andy Bryant. The decision to join the weekly action and to make a switch to an Allen Autosports car is part of what Gillmore considers a new phase to his career.
During much of last season, he felt the fun of driving a race car was waning and thought that 2021 might be the conclusion of his driving career – especially after the passing of his dad Gary “Bucky” Gillmore, his long-time supporter and crew chief.
Bucky died in the fall after a length illness that prevented him from joining Ryan at the track much over the last couple of years.
“He gave me everything it took,” Ryan Gillmore said of his dad’s influence. “We had a car for almost eight months before we were able to test it the first time as he busted his tail to get it ready. He kept it running and made sure we had everything we needed to go racing.”
Ryan was a track photographer at Springfield Raceway from 2009-14, earning money toward his racing program. He drove a Midwest Mod half a season in 2014 before instantly becoming a champ in the B-Mod class at Springfield and Monett the following year with the USRA National crown coming in 2017.
“We won six races that first season, 29 the following season and so on,” Gillmore said. “We ran second in national points in 2016 and won it in ’17 then ran in top 10 in A Mod USRA points in 2018. Haven’t really chased it super hard since then.
“It all happened so fast, it was all surprising. I don’t really know how or why we did so good so quickly, but thankful for it nonetheless.”
Moving on without his dad has been difficult, but Gillmore said he was intrigued when Choate approached him to drive an Allen Autosports car in 2022. The Allen cars made a big splash last season with JC Morton leading the way with 14 feature wins.
“JC already had fast cars from years ago, but last year he won about everything there was to win,” Gillmore said. “Me and JC drive a lot of like. We spent a lot of time growing up together and racing together. If mine and his styles are still the same, I think it’ll be OK.”
Gillmore said he was able to discuss the possibility of making the chassis change with Bucky prior to his passing.
“I looked for his approval on that kind of thing,” he said. “Sometimes I’d get the look and I knew it wasn’t good, but he was on board with this. It makes me happy to know that he knew.
“It’s a whole starting-over process racing for somebody this year, in a different chassis. It took a little bit of emotional strain at first. I was with (Jerry) Hoffman for a long time. But it got to the point that I just wasn’t having fun racing. I was gonna quit after this last year. I wasn’t having fun like I used to. Dad hadn’t had been able to go racing with me the last couple of years.
“Dennis Choate and I had been talking for a while and he came up with opportunity to drive that Allen car for him. Once we got that stuff going, it was tough for me to tell Jerry what I was going to be doing. Aside from him building the cars, we had a close friendship and he had helped me a lot.
“Talking to Scotty (Allen) and Dennis, I have all the faith in the world in the car and equipment they’re gonna be supplying me. The car is gonna be better than me right off the bat. I know the cars are fast. I have big expectations to live up to because of that.”
Austin Roberts, a childhood friend, will continue to help Gillmore prepare the car each week and serve in a crew chief role.
“He’s my only road help and I wouldn’t be able to do it without him,” Gillmore said.
Team sponsors include Choate Farms, Yeoman Race Engines, Allen Autosports, Metal Magic Auto Hail Repair, Chaney Doorworks, Ron Ron Motorsports, Vinyl Cup Records, Elena Rodgers Motorsports, Oz Designs, CPD Racing Shocks, McCoy’s Iron and Metal, Allen’s Automotive, Fast Shafts, Bud’s Tire & Wheel, Atnip Enterprises and Show-Me Dirt.
Lucas Oil Speedway has an open Test and Tune set for April 9 and another for April 16, followed by the “Easter Bowl 150” Enduro race on April 16 after that test and tune. The 9th annual Pitts Homes MLRA Spring Nationals are set for April 22-23. The Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series Spring Opener opener is set for April 30.
For ticket information for any future event at Lucas Oil Speedway, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or via email at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com.