The Lucas Oil Modified Racing Series, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, returns to action this weekend, April 17th, for the running of the Lucas Oil Products 75. Round two of the series schedule will be held at the Havasu 95 Speedway, a challenging ASA sanctioned quarter mile paved oval, located in Lake Havasu City-Arizona.
There are more than a few drivers who will be looking to park their modified racers in the Sunoco Race Fuels victory lane after running the 75 lap A feature Saturday night. Chief among them is Riverside-California's Jim Mardis who won the March 27th season opener at the Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway. Considered a pre season favorite to claim the 2010 series championship, Mardis and company will be going all out to get a second consecutive win.
Mardis said that he used to hate the Havasu 95 Speedway because his racing ventures there had always been troublesome in the past. But the Havasu negatives became a major positive last September when he won his first series win that night. "I love that place now," Mardis said laughing. "I got my first ever series win there and we've got a really good note book on the track now. I think we're really going to be strong there. Everyone needs to take notice that this #51 Rockstar Energy Drink car is here to stay this year," he added.
This doesn't mean Mardis will be conducting his personal cruise in Saturday night in Lake Havasu City. Far from it, he's going to have plenty of competition. One of those chief sources will be San Antonio-Texas driver James Cole who finished second in the season opener. Cole, in his #11 Screen Pro Graphics/Swenson Racing Modified, is another driver who was considered to be pre season favorite championship material.
Cole said he's looking forward to racing at the Havasu 95 Speedway again and said "we're going to bringing a different package there and will be doing some research and development to see if we can get some speed out of the car than above what we've had there in the past. It's probably our second worst track on the series schedule but we have some good ideas of what we need to do get things back on track. There's not a lack of trying on this team, that's for sure."
One of the Lucas Oil-Rockstar Energy Drink Modified Series teams to keep an eye on this season is the Las Vegas-Nevada based operation driven by Doug Hamm. The Crispy Critters Exterminators #4X team has just begun their sophomore season in the series and they have already surpassed their progress levels from this time last year. Hamm will be the first to tell you that the series is highly competitive and features some of the best drivers he's ever raced against.
When asked about racing at the Havasu 95 Speedway this Saturday night, Hamm smiled and said "oh, another one of my favorite tracks." Hamm is used to his home track, the Las Vegas Bullring, with its three eighths of a mile circumference and sweeping high banks. The small venues on the series schedule is a challenge for him. "I'm really not good at these quarter mile tracks," he said adding "but we do have a game plan for the next race. We'll be working hard to get our car right for that quarter mile track and we'll be there."
There are plenty more series regulars who will be looking for the Sunoco Race Fuels Victory Lane Saturday night. Certainly one of them is Burbank-California's Tim Morse. Although he's still looking for his first series win, Morse has been a model of consistency with his frequent top five finishes. Many series observers are saying that it's just a matter of time and circumstances that will get him that first win.
Another strong effort can be expected the racing Gerchman family who are considered home town heroes by the Havasu 95 Speedway fans. Chris Gerchman was a two time feature winner last season. He will also be picking up the local modified track championship Saturday night while also seeking his first Lucas Oil Series win of the season.
Leading this racing family is Larry Gerchman who has more modified racing feature wins than even he can count as well as multiple championships at a variety of race tracks. He will also be a strong favorite to do well in Saturday night's race.
Saturday night's starting line up will also feature three teen age rookies who will be looking to launch the next giant step in their racing careers. That includes Las Vegas native Dylan Kwasniewski, who finished fifth in the season opener, Escondido-California's Austin Barnes who stunned everyone by setting the Budweiser fast time, and Lancaster-California's Broc Murphy who scored an impressive top ten finish in the season opener. All three range in the 14 to 16 year old brackets but each are already racing veterans because they all started some form of racing around the age of five.
Series co- promoter Greg Scheidecker, also the promoter of the Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway, said he expects a full field of modifieds at the Havasu race and added "typically at Havasu we end up with more race cars. I fully expect to see 30 or more cars at that race. That race track is really good for side by side racing. We have run races there in the past that only had one yellow flag all night long. I'm really looking forward to returning to the Havasu 95 Speedway."
The Lucas Oil Products 75 will mean exactly what it says: it will be 75 full green flag laps of racing action. The series does not count yellow flag laps. That just one more aspect that makes their racing even more exciting. Racing fans can expect a full evening of action from a full field of 22 modifieds this Saturday night featuring some of the finest open wheel driving talent from the western states.
Who's going to be next to "party like a Rockstar" in this series? It's impossible to say, but it will be exciting to watch and find out.
In addition to their title sponsors, the series is supported by a highly potent marketing concept known as "Team Lucas" Team members include Lucas Oil Products Inc, Magnaflow Exhaust Systems, E3 Spark Plugs, General Tire, K&N Performance Filters, Geico Powersports, Canidae All Natural Pet Food, MAV-TV, Dart Machinery and Rockstar Energy Drink.
That, in turn, is enhanced by a group of series sponsors that includes Eibach Springs, Hoosier Tire West, Budweiser, Blue Water Resort & Casino, Sunoco Race Fuels, Frank's Radio, Racing Plus and Mac Tools.
