National notebook
Notes: Watkins has Xtreme title within grasp
Ben Watkins (Kevin Ritchie)
When Ben Watkins set out on the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series trail in November, his goal of championship glory was merely a distant vision. Now with three races remaining on the schedule, that vision is getting closer to reality as he takes a 16-point lead into the final weekend of the season.
“It would definitely mean a lot,” said Watkins, whose previous regional Super Late Model title came in 2015 on the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series. “I feel like the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series is a reputable name out there, so to put my name on the list with the other guys that have already been on top would be awesome.”
The 32-year-old Rock Hill, S.C., driver leads a field of the Southeast’s best Super Late Model drivers into the 2021-22 Xtreme Series championship weekend which begins Thursday at Lake View (S.C.) Motor Speedway before a co-sanctioned doubleheader with the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series on March 25-26 at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C.
Watkins will have to defend the points lead from a hungry Super Late Model rookie in Carson Ferguson and Cherokee veteran Ross Bailes. Being in contention for a Late Model championship with drivers of this caliber was only something he dreamt of doing from humble beginnings of his career, but is now a very realistic achievement with the work he and his team have put in over the winter.
“Starting back at the beginning, my goals weren’t very high,” said Watkins, who will be coming off Saturday's season-opening Carolina Clash victory at his home-track Lancaster (S.C.) Speedway. “Just to get into Super Late Model racing was a goal. I feel like everything else beyond that has been a great accomplishment. But don’t get me wrong — this would rank up there with my top accomplishments if we can secure the championship.”
Through five races, Watkins has four top-five finishes and hasn’t finished outside the top 10. In the midst of one of the most successful stretches of his career, Watkins attributes much of his success to the link between he and car co-owner/crew chief Wesley Page.
“We’ve really hit on some stuff that I’ve been comfortable with,” Watkins said. “Around this time last year, we got together for the first time. So, I think us just meshing together as a team and finding common ground we both like on the race car. That’s been the recipe for success.”
Watkins and Page were several months into their partnership when they struck gold in September of last year, beating the WoO stars in the Charlie Mize Memorial at Lavonia (Ga.) Speedway. The victory was his first in national touring action and set him up for a fruitful return to Lavonia with the Xtreme Series last month, where two podium finishes in two days moved him into the points lead.
He’ll need to rise to the level of national touring drivers again for Cherokee’s two-day Rock Gault Memorial in closing out the Xtreme Series. Though Watkins said Cherokee’s been up-and-down for him in the past, Watkins has been riding a big wave of momentum lately and feels better each time he visits the 4/10-mile oval.
“As a team, each time we leave the shop, I feel like we’ve got a chance to win races and compete well,” Watkins said. “I do feel like if we can make all the right moves and I, as a driver, do my job the best that I can do, we’ve definitely got a shot.
“With it being co-sanctioned, it will make for an interesting race inside-of-a-race, which should be entertaining for everybody.” — Jordan DeLucia
New Wheatland regular
Third-generation Ozarks-area racer Michael Maggard has been around the sport his entire life. He began racing at age 13 in pure stocks and has driven modifieds and Late Models on Ozarks-area tracks in recent years.
Now 32, Maggard is planning to become a regular at Lucas Oil Speedway for the first time, competing in the Hermitage Lumber Late Model portion of the Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series in 2022.
“I just really want to race local and get more family time,” Maggard said of his decision. The Republic, Mo., resident has campaigned his Late Model in the Cash Money Super Dirt Series the last few years.
“Last year at work, being pretty busy, it was hard to get out and leave on a Friday morning and go race somewhere, two and a half hours away,” Maggard said. “This just fits our schedule better. I’m looking forward to it.”
Maggard is not a total stranger to Lucas Oil Speedway. He dropped in on the ULMA action three times last season and came away with a pair of top-10 finishes. He developed an appreciation for the competition.
“I love the facilities there, obviously,” Maggard said. “It’s pretty clean racing. The Cash Money deal was rough on equipment. We could go (to Lucas) and race and not really tear up tires or anything too bad.
“Plus, you’re racing with really clean race-car drivers, too. They respect their stuff as much as you do.”
Maggard’s career highlights include winning the prestigious Spooker at Tri-State Speedway near Fort Smith, Ark., twice and Cash Money Series feature win in 2018 that was special in more ways than one.
“That 2018 race also is when I proposed to my wife (Kami). She said yes that night, which probably makes it my biggest highlight,” Maggard said.
Racing definitely is a family sport for the Maggards. Michael’s grandfather, Bob, was a top competitor on area tracks in the 1960s and ’70s and was inducted into the Ozarks Area Racers Foundation Hall of Fame a couple of months ago. Dad Bobby, and uncles Erik and Brandon, also have raced, or continue to race, on area dirt.
The tradition also appears ready to continue to a fourth generation. Michael’s 5-year-old son Emmitt along with 9-year-olds Brayson and Bentley also race go-karts. He said Emmitt appears to have been bitten by the racing bug the most.
“He’s the one who’s out in the shop wanting to help work on the car. He doesn’t want to play. The race car is all he cares about,” Michael said.
That car is a Black Diamond that Maggard said is just about ready to roll for the new season. His goal is to win a track championship, though he knows it won’t be easy. Cole Henson of Russellville is the two-time defending champ with Johnny Fennewald of Appleton City has been runner-up both seasons. Fennewald won three straight titles from 2018-20.
“I would really like to set a goal to win the points,” Maggard said. “Our main focus is gonna be just Lucas. We want to be very competitive and put all our coins into that. We want to be good there.”
Team sponsors include car owner Terry Green Motorsports, Christi Bukaty, USA Mortgage, R&R Graphics, Kami’s Cleaning Services, Allen’s Automotive, Eagle Machine and Bryan Larimore’s Dirt Track Specialist. Crew help comes from Mike Jenkins who Maggard says “is 100 percent committed to the deal and that’s gonna help out a bunch.” — Lyndal Scranton
MLRA ROOKIE FIELD GROWS: Dustin Bolster, 24, of Belle Plain, Kan., is the most recent driver to throw his helmet in the ring for 2022 rookie honors on the Lucas Oil Midwest LateModel Racing Association, the series announced. Bolster, a two-time Late Model champion at Caney Valley Speedway in Caney, Kan., who moved up from Crate Late Models after the 2019 season, joins a Sunoco Race Fuels-sponsored Rookie of the Year chase that includes Trevor Gundaker of St. Charles, Mo.; Daniel Hilsabeck of Earlham, Iowa; Dylan Hoover of Columbia, Mo.; and Steve Stultz of Peoria, Ariz. The winner receives $4,000, six drums of Sunoco Race Fuel and a set of Fox Racing Shocks.
ARKANSAS TOUR GETS NEW SPONSOR: SuperClean is the new presenting sponsor for the second-year GRT Legends Late Model Series. The tour opens March 26 at Crawford County Speedway in Van Buren, Ark., in a $1,000-to-win event co-sanctioned by the Sooner Late Model Series. The series also announced that June 10’s Jimmy Don Fowler and David Blankenship Memorial event at Centerville (Ark.) Speedway will pay a series-high $3,023-to-win. Fowler, a Late Model driver from Rover, Ark., died in January at the age of 66.
FIVE-FIGURE BONUS FOR 602s: Mid-East Promotions has posted a $10,000 bonus if one driver can sweep victories in four races on the Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet Mid-East 602 Crate Late Model Series starting Saturday at Friendship Motor Speedway in Elkin, N.C. Friendship’s winner must also win April 15 at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C., July 23 at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., and Oct. 14 at Friendship to capture the bonus.
NEBRASKA TRACK WON'T OPEN IN 2022: Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., which was scheduled to host a pair of Malvern Bank Super Late Model Series events, won't be in competition in 2022 with track owner Delmar Friesen facing several health issues, track manager Susan Karmazin announced. Two falls in early February left Friesen with a head injury and three broken ribs and liver damage. During his treatment, he also faced a bout with Covid-19 and was later diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer.
MARS SETS ROOKIE AWARDS: Sunoco Race Fuels is sponsored a new Rookie of the Year program for the Illinois-based MARS Racing Series with $2,500 going to the top rookie and $1,500 going to the runner-up in rookie points. The Rookie of the Year also receives a $500 product certificate from Dyer's Top Rods. Drivers interested in the rookie chase must fill out a questionnaire on the series website to be considered for eligibility. The tour's season opens with Davenport (Iowa) Speedway's 11th annual Thaw Brawl with $10,000- and $20,000-to-win events Friday and Saturday.
SOONER LINEUP PROCEDURES: The Complete Well Testing Sooner Late Model Series has changed its lineup procedures. Instead of setting lineups by inverted point average, tour drivers will draw for heat positions and use a heads-up finish to determine the feature lineup. The top 12 (variable depending on car count) will lock into the main event with a partial redraw to be determined after sign-in. If there's a consolation, the top eight will transfer to the main event (if there aren't enough cars for a consolation, starters in the seventh row and beyond will start straightup based on heat finish). The lineup procedure is subject to change. The Oklahoma-based series opens the season Friday at Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee, Okla. Saturday's event at Crawford County Speedway in Van Buren, Ark., will be co-sancitoned by the Arkansas-based GRT Legends Late Model Series.
RECENT DEATHS: Dave Padula, a former Late Model racer from Greencastle, Pa., died Jan. 29 at Chambersburg (Pa.) Hospital. The 58-year-old Padula operated Padula Motorsports for 25 seasons and competed on the Mid-Atlantic Championship Series and in Crate Late Model competition. ... Former dirt racer Joe Sullinger of Homer City, Pa., who served as a flagger at Pennsylvania dirt tracks in Marion Center, Strongstown and Reynoldsville, died Feb. 10 at the age of 73. ... Dorla Van Epps, a member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class at her hometown Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., died March 12 at the age of 91. She was a longtime track supporter and provided hand-sewn strawberry awards to the track’s Strawberry Cup winners.
ODDS AND ENDS: The Valvoline Iron-Man Racing Series has boosted the champion's purse for the Southern division to $15,000 (up from $10,000). A Northern-Southern division title sweep pays $35,000. ... The Blue Ridge Outlaw Late Model series has removed a May 7 visit to Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway from the schedule; the July 9 and July 30 tour trips to Fayetteville will pay $3,000-to-win. ... Memorial Highway Chevrolet will sponsor the 2022 season’s three Zimmer’s United Late Model Series visits to Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown, Pa. .... Winchester (Va.) Speedway announced last week that Crate Late Models will be permitted to compete in the Limited Late Model division on nights when the Crate division isn’t scheduled. ... Brad Byrd will handle announcing and publicity duties for the Vision Wheel Topless Outlaw Late Model Series in 2022. ... The Steel Block Late Model Series has added a May 29 event at 35 Raceway Park in Frankfort, Ohio.
