Non-Qualifiers Race Back At Show-Me 100
Story By: LUCAS OIL SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Photos By: MIKE CAMPBELL / THESPORTSWIRE.NET
WHEATLAND, Mo. –February 15, 2017- For the fifth straight year, the Midwest Sheet Metal Challenge will provide drivers one last chance to earn a spot in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Show-Me 100 Presented by ProtecttheHarvest.com at Lucas Oil Speedway.
The winner of the non-qualifiers race can take the $2,500 check – or forfeit it to start shotgun in the 100-lap feature where first prize is $30,000.
Midwest Sheet Metal owner Chris Davis said he’s proud of the way the Challenge has quickly become a Show-Me 100 tradition and provided memorable moments for drivers and fans alike.
“It’s really become maybe the best race of the weekend,” Davis said of the last-chance qualifier, sending only the winner on to main event – if the winner wants to forfeit the prize money.
“We’re proud of our affiliation with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the Lucas Oil MLRA and Lucas Oil Speedway,” Davis said. “It’s really like being a part of a big family and great bunch of friends. The whole Lucas deal … they’re for real. It’s a great partnership.”
Last year, Bobby Pierce won the Midwest Sheet Metal Challenge and started 29th in the Show-Me 100. He was dueling for the lead late in the event, bringing fans to their feet in a duel with Scott Bloomquist and Jimmy Owens before a flat tire ruined his chances. Pierce still wound up finishing sixth, earning $5,000.
Two years ago, Chris Simpson went from 31st to third to take home $6,000.
“We got so close last year to that being an unbelievable deal with Bobby Pierce coming all the way to the front,” Davis said. “That would have been quite a story and it would have been if he didn’t have the flat.”
Davis and Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager Dan Robinson came up with the idea for the Challenge five years ago. In the format, the top 24 drivers not already locked into the main event after heat races and B-mains are eligible for the 20-lap, $2,500-to-win race. The winner has the choice to keep the prize money – or forfeit it and start shotgun in the $30,000-to-win Show-Me 100.
In addition to the winner’s share, the Midwest Sheet Metal Challenge pays a minimum of $250 to start so it gives everyone in the field a chance for additional winnings despite not making the main event.
