From Lakeside Speedway PR
KANSAS CITY, Kans. (May 8) - The rains came down around Lakeside all day long. All day long the rains never hit at Lakeside Speedway. Many fans and competitors were scared off by the rain Wednesday afternoon. With several racers in the area for the Lucas Oil SuperClean Diamond Nationals, it could have been a large car count. For the fans that made the trip, they got to see one great race.

Clint Bowyer, a former track champion at Lakeside Speedway who is now on the NASCAR circuit, is coming off a win in the Sprint Cup last Saturday night. Fans of Lakeside came out to see their 'favorite son'. Not only did Bowyer show up, he brought with him, Shannon Babb. Babb drives for Bowyer's new dirt late model team. This past Saturday night, not only did Bowyer pick up a win, but Babb won a World of Outlaw Late Model race at I-44 Speedway. Needless to say, Clint Bowyer Racing is on a high at the moment.

In the first heat of the night. Al Purkey, a former MLRA Champion, took the early lead as Bowyer settled into the 2nd spot. David Turner made a move on Bowyer on the 3rd lap, but Bowyer would get him back on the outside and hold onto that 2nd spot. Alan Vaughn, last year's MLRA Champion, moved up to 3rd on the speedway by lap 7 of the 12 lap heat race. A yellow flag came out on lap number 10 for Bill Koons in turn 1.

Purkey, Bowyer and Vaughn would lead the field down to restart the race. The green flag dropped and Purkey jumped back into the lead. It would be short lived as debris on the front straight would bring out another yellow. On the restart Bryant Goldsmith would bring out another yellow. It appeared that David Turner got into him on the restart. Back to green and again it's Purkey to the front and Bowyer second. Purkey, Bowyer and Vaughn are your top 3 as the checkered flag drops.

The 2nd heat of the night contained another modified track champion at Lakeside Speedway, Tim Karrick. Chad Frewaldt is the leader in this heat early. Sonny Findling moved his way into the 2nd spot, while Jeremy Payne moved into 3rd on lap 5. Larry Clawson Jr. will bring out the caution and the field will have to bunch up again. Frewaldt, Findling, Payne, Brantlee Gotschall and Jerry Warner are your top 5. Tim Karrick has moved up to 4th on the speedway. From his last place starting spot. Karrick now moves into 3rd spot and Payne has rolled up to Frewaldt to battle for the lead. Clawson brings out another yellow. Karrick was thrown into duty when he got an offer from Denny Woodworth to drive his backup car. At this point he is looking good. Findling gets by Karrick on the restart and Payne takes over the lead. Payne now has a commanding lead at the white flag. Payne, Frewaldt and Karrick are the top 3 in this heat.

The 3rd heat is a stacked heat. Shannon Babb, John Anderson, Clint 'Cat Daddy' Smith, Joe Kosiski and Terry Phillips are all in this heat, the 3rd and final heat. Babb scoots out in front. Clint Smith, who picked up the WoO win at Lakeside in '07 is in 3rd spot and on the move forward. He will take 2nd from Tommy Elston and now John Anderson will put pressure on Elston for 3rd. Terry Phillips and Anderson are in a tight battle for the 3rd position. The race is now up front between Babb and Smith. Smith to the inside and will take the lead from Babb on lap 10. White flag to Smith. Phillips goes by Anderson for 3rd. Smith, Babb and Phillips are your top 3.

Jeremy Payne and Clint Smith will make up the front row for the 40 lap A Main event. Payne will get the early lead and Clint Smith gives chase in the 2nd spot.

Sonny Findling came to a rest up in turn 2 and it will bring out the first yellow of the night in this main event. Payne, Smith and Phillips are the top 3. Al Purkey holds down the 4th spot and rounding out the top 5 is Clint Bowyer.

Alan Vaughn is on the move through the field. He is hounding Bowyer at the moment.

Jeremy Payne enters lapped traffic on lap number 6. Smith is still within shouting distance of Payne as they march through the field.
Phillips has command of 3rd at the moment and Purkey and Bowyer are entangled in a battle for 4th at the moment.

A right rear flat on the Mark Voight will bring out the caution and take us back to lap 8. Up to this point, the feature has been moving along at a torrid pace. The current top 10 on the track, Jeremy Payne, Clint Smith, Terry Phillips, Al Purkey, Clint Bowyer, Alan Vaughn, David Turner, John Anderson, Shannon Babb and Denny Woodworth.

Payne brings them back to the restart. On the restart Babb jumps back up to the 7th spot. Payne still shows the way, with Smith in tow and his car owner, Terry Phillips, in 3rd.

Bowyer pulls up on Purkey on lap 12, Shannon Babb pulls off the track. As he pulls off the track Bryant Goldsmith will bring out the caution with a motor that has let go. It brings out another yellow. The top 5 are the same on the speedway that was running at the last yellow flag break. Lights are out on the speedway and we are ready to go back racing.

Double file restarts are common place in the O'Reilly MLRA. On this restart Vaughn flies by Bowyer to take 5th. Payne and Smith are 1 and 2. Sixteen laps in and Payne still has control. Smith goes to the inside of Payne into turn one, but Payne takes the lead back out of two.

Payne, Smith, Phillips, Purkey, Vaughn, Bowyer and Anderson have broken away from the field. Lapped traffic comes into play once again. Smith will look to capitalize here. Looked like a puff of smoke from Payne, we will have to keep an eye on that at lap 22. Bowyer and Anderson are putting on a hard battle at the moment for the 6th position.

Payne, Smith and Phillips have now pulled a ways away from the rest of the field by lap 26. 3 Car battle for 5th. Vaughn, Bowyer and Anderson. The trio run nose to tail. Bowyer and Vaughn get caught up and Bowyer gets the best of it as he takes 5th position back.

Terry Phillips closes in on Clint Smith. Lapped traffic is coming into play with these two. Jeremy Payne is way out in front, he can put it on cruise control with 4 laps to go.

The track stays clean with two laps to go. Payne is still out in front. White flag to Payne.

Payne put together a great run on the evening. It will be a start to a weekend that could be very lucrative for some late model driver as the Lucas Oil Speedway presents the Super Clean Diamond Nationals Friday and Saturday night.

A Feature:1. Jeremy Payne (Springfield, MO), 2. Clint Smith (Senoia, GA), 3. Terry Phillips (Springfield, MO), 4. Al Purkey (Coffeyville, KS), 5. Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS), 6. John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 7. David Turner (Adrian, MO), 8. Tim Karrick (Bashor, KS), 9. Joe Kosiski (Omaha, NE), 10. Mike Ryun (Pleasant Valley, MO), 11.Chad Frewaldt (Kansas City, KS),12. Larry Clawson (N. Kansas City, MO), 13. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 14. Alan Vaughn (Belton, MO), 15. Jerry Warner (La Vista, NE), 16. Rusty Dukes (Fair Grove, MO), 17. Denny Woodworth (Mendon, IL), 18. Bill LaFollette (Kansas City, KS), 19. Bryant Goldsmith (Corning, IA), 20. Shannon Babb (Moweaqua, IL), 21. Brantlee Gotschall (Nevada, MO), 22. Mark Voigt (Marine, IL), 23. Brett LaFollette (Kansas City, KS), 24. Sonny Findling (Kirksville, MO Chad Frewaldt (Kansas City, KS)), 25. Tommy Elston (Keokuk, IA), 26. Larry Clawson (N Kansas City, MO),

 Heat 1:1. Al Purkey (Coffeyville, KS), 2. Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS), 3. Alan Vaughn (Belton, MO), 4. David Turner (Adrian, MO), 5. Mark Voigt (Marine, IL), 6. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 7. Denny Woodworth (Mendon, IL), 8. Bryant Goldsmith (Corning, IA),

 Heat 2:1. Jeremy Payne (Springfield, MO), 2. Chad Frewaldt (Kansas City, KS), 3. Tim Karrick (Bashor, KS), 4. Sonny Findling (Kirksville, MO), 5. Jerry Warner (La Vista, NE), 6. Brantlee Gotschall (Nevada, MO), 7. Larry Clawson (N Kansas City, MO), 8. Rusty Dukes (Fair Grove, MO), 9. Larry Clawson (N. Kansas City, MO),

 Heat 3:1. Clint Smith (Senoia, GA), 2. Shannon Babb (Moweaqua, IL), 3. Terry Phillips (Springfield, MO), 4. John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 5. Tommy Elston (Keokuk, IA), 6. Joe Kosiski (Omaha, NE), 7. Mike Ryun (Pleasant Valley, MO), 8. Bill LaFollette (Kansas City, KS), 9. Brett LaFollette (Kansas City, KS)

For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling (816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.

The O'Reilly MLRA would like to thank the sponsors of the 2008 Thunder Tour including O'Reilly Auto Parts, Midwest Walnut, Lucas Oil, Hoosier Race Tires, Hatfield Racing Engines, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Adrian Bank, Afco, GRT Race Cars, The Driveline Shop, Taylor Cable Products, Impact Racing Products, Sunoco Race Fuels, Weld Wheels, Bodee's Race Bodies, Outpace Racing Products, Duralite Racing Wheels, Impact Signs and Lighting, Rod End Supply, Racing Optics, Schoenfeld Headers, Kluhsman Racing Components, Performance Race Bodies, ATL Fuel Cells, Shepherd of the Hills Entertainment