WHEATLAND, MO. (May 18, 2022) - Dean Wille was watching a video replay of his recent O’Reilly Auto Parts Stock Cars feature victory at Lucas Oil Speedway when track announcers Corey Riggs and Shane Friebe mentioned that Wille had won at 10 different tracks during a 30-year racing career.
Wille had to hit the pause button and think about it for a minute.
“I’ve raced here, there and everywhere,” Wille said. “But I heard that and thought, ‘Have I really won at 10 tracks?’ I started counting and was like, ‘Yeah, I guess I have.’
“That was my first win at Lucas,” Wille added. “I’ve raced there a handful of times with my A Mod. We’ve had some good runs there, but not any wins. So it’s good to say we have a win there now.”
The veteran driver from Warrensburg, a one-time football player at the University of Central Missouri, looks to make it two on Saturday night when the USRA Stock Cars are the headline class of the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series, going 25 laps for $750 to win.
It will be Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Night at the Races with the Hermitage Lumber Late Models, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds and Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods also in action as points battles resume.
Wille has driven just about every type of race car during his career. He started in Street Stocks and moved to Modifieds before helping launch the B-Mod division at Central Missouri Speedway several years ago.
A banner season was 2012 when he captured 14 races in his A Mod and he still has a car for the USRA Modified class. But the USRA Stock Car class caught his eye, especially after business partner at Gator Graphics James McMillin got involved in it and had success a year ago.
“I really like them because of their simplicity,” Wille said of the Stock Cars. “There’s not a lot on the set-up side of it. There’s quite a few things you can do to make it handle, but you don’t have a lot of guess work on making them handle. They’re more of a driver’s car, even more so than the B Mod.
“In the B-Mod have to drive car completely wide-open all the time and you have to have your set-up spot-on. The Stock Car, the driver makes more of a difference than the set-up does.”
Wille said he noticed that even on different tracks that are one-groove for other divisions, the Stock Cars usually are able to race side by side. That not only appeals to the fans, but to the drivers. He’s found the racing to be mostly clean despite the close competition.
“For the most part, they don’t want to tear the car up,” he said. “The guys figure out real quick it’s not fun doing body work. They’re racing hard and fast, but everybody’s not out there running over each other.
Wille said running for points at Lucas Oil Speedway probably is not realistic because he missed opening night while still getting his newly purchased Scotty Allen Autosports car ready.
“So it will be tough to run for points there, although I’ll probably run most every night there the rest of the year,” Wille said, adding that USRA national points are something he might take a look at later in the season.
“We’ll have to see how many nights we end up getting to race, with other things going on,” Wille said. “At the end of the season they take your best 20 nights with USRA and I like that. We’ve started off pretty good. We’ll see. More than anything, we’re racing to have fun.”
Wille said he plans to break the Modified out next week on the first two nights of Show-Me 100 weekend as the division runs as a support class.
Along with Gator Graphics, Wille’s sponsors include Cuttin’ Up Meat Processing, Royal Roofing & Solar, Fairway Mortgage and Swishers.
Gates open at 4 p.m. Saturday with hot laps set for 6:30 and opening ceremonies at 7.
The second of four scheduled Kids Power Wheel races are set for intermission. It's for youngsters ages 3-9 with the kids racing on the front straightaway during intermission, navigating a course outlined by orange cones.
The kids can enter their own battery-powered Power Wheel cars by signing up for the Frogs Jr. Fan Club on the south end of the Midway prior to the races.
Youngsters also can sign up for the Frogs Jr. Fan Club before 5 p.m. to be in a drawing for flagman Mike Striegel's pit tour prior to the program.
Admission prices:
Advance discount tickets online only (16 and up) - $12
Adults (16 and up) - $15
Seniors (62 and over)/Military - $12
Youth (ages 6-15) - $5
Kids (5 and under) - FREE
Family pass (click here for more information) - $35
Pit pass - $30
This will be the final Weekly Racing Series program prior to the biggest weekend of the season at Lucas Oil Speedway as the 30th annual Show-Me 100 Presented by ProtecttheHarvest.com rolls into Wheatland May 26-28 for three big nights of action.
To purchase three-day passes for the Show-Me 100 or inquire about tickets for any event on Lucas Oil Speedway's schedule, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or via email at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com.
Wille had to hit the pause button and think about it for a minute.
“I’ve raced here, there and everywhere,” Wille said. “But I heard that and thought, ‘Have I really won at 10 tracks?’ I started counting and was like, ‘Yeah, I guess I have.’
“That was my first win at Lucas,” Wille added. “I’ve raced there a handful of times with my A Mod. We’ve had some good runs there, but not any wins. So it’s good to say we have a win there now.”
The veteran driver from Warrensburg, a one-time football player at the University of Central Missouri, looks to make it two on Saturday night when the USRA Stock Cars are the headline class of the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series, going 25 laps for $750 to win.
It will be Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Night at the Races with the Hermitage Lumber Late Models, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds and Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods also in action as points battles resume.
Wille has driven just about every type of race car during his career. He started in Street Stocks and moved to Modifieds before helping launch the B-Mod division at Central Missouri Speedway several years ago.
A banner season was 2012 when he captured 14 races in his A Mod and he still has a car for the USRA Modified class. But the USRA Stock Car class caught his eye, especially after business partner at Gator Graphics James McMillin got involved in it and had success a year ago.
“I really like them because of their simplicity,” Wille said of the Stock Cars. “There’s not a lot on the set-up side of it. There’s quite a few things you can do to make it handle, but you don’t have a lot of guess work on making them handle. They’re more of a driver’s car, even more so than the B Mod.
“In the B-Mod have to drive car completely wide-open all the time and you have to have your set-up spot-on. The Stock Car, the driver makes more of a difference than the set-up does.”
Wille said he noticed that even on different tracks that are one-groove for other divisions, the Stock Cars usually are able to race side by side. That not only appeals to the fans, but to the drivers. He’s found the racing to be mostly clean despite the close competition.
“For the most part, they don’t want to tear the car up,” he said. “The guys figure out real quick it’s not fun doing body work. They’re racing hard and fast, but everybody’s not out there running over each other.
Wille said running for points at Lucas Oil Speedway probably is not realistic because he missed opening night while still getting his newly purchased Scotty Allen Autosports car ready.
“So it will be tough to run for points there, although I’ll probably run most every night there the rest of the year,” Wille said, adding that USRA national points are something he might take a look at later in the season.
“We’ll have to see how many nights we end up getting to race, with other things going on,” Wille said. “At the end of the season they take your best 20 nights with USRA and I like that. We’ve started off pretty good. We’ll see. More than anything, we’re racing to have fun.”
Wille said he plans to break the Modified out next week on the first two nights of Show-Me 100 weekend as the division runs as a support class.
Along with Gator Graphics, Wille’s sponsors include Cuttin’ Up Meat Processing, Royal Roofing & Solar, Fairway Mortgage and Swishers.
Gates open at 4 p.m. Saturday with hot laps set for 6:30 and opening ceremonies at 7.
The second of four scheduled Kids Power Wheel races are set for intermission. It's for youngsters ages 3-9 with the kids racing on the front straightaway during intermission, navigating a course outlined by orange cones.
The kids can enter their own battery-powered Power Wheel cars by signing up for the Frogs Jr. Fan Club on the south end of the Midway prior to the races.
Youngsters also can sign up for the Frogs Jr. Fan Club before 5 p.m. to be in a drawing for flagman Mike Striegel's pit tour prior to the program.
Admission prices:
Advance discount tickets online only (16 and up) - $12
Adults (16 and up) - $15
Seniors (62 and over)/Military - $12
Youth (ages 6-15) - $5
Kids (5 and under) - FREE
Family pass (click here for more information) - $35
Pit pass - $30
This will be the final Weekly Racing Series program prior to the biggest weekend of the season at Lucas Oil Speedway as the 30th annual Show-Me 100 Presented by ProtecttheHarvest.com rolls into Wheatland May 26-28 for three big nights of action.
To purchase three-day passes for the Show-Me 100 or inquire about tickets for any event on Lucas Oil Speedway's schedule, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or via email at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com.
