Lucas Oil Speedway facts for kids
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Lucas Oil Wheatland Complex
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| Former names | Wheatland Raceway |
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| Coordinates | 37°56′25″N 93°23′52″W / 37.9404°N 93.3977°W |
| Owner | Lucas Oil |
| Operator | Lucas Oil |
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| Construction | |
| Built | 2001 |
| Renovated | 2007 |
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Lucas Oil Speedway is a super cool place in Wheatland, Missouri, United States, where you can watch all sorts of motorsports races! It's located right where U.S. Route 54 and Missouri Route 83 meet. The main part of the speedway is a special dirt track that's shaped like an oval with sloped turns. Right next to the track, there's also a lake called Lucas Lake. This lake is the first one ever built just for fast motorboat drag racing!
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How the Speedway Started
Lucas Oil Speedway first opened in 2001. Back then, it was called the Wheatland Raceway. It was a 3/8-mile dirt track built in what used to be a farm field by Ron and Mary Jenkins.
In 2004, a company called Lucas Oil bought the raceway. They decided to rebuild it and make it even better! By 2006, the track reopened with a new name, Lucas Oil Speedway. It had brand new areas for visitors, VIPs, and racers, plus improved track facilities.
New Racing Adventures
A special artificial lake, named Lucas Lake, was added to the complex. This lake was built for exciting drag boat races and other motorboat events. It was finished in 2011. When it opened, it became the very first artificial lake in the world made specifically for drag boat racing!
Later, in 2016, construction began on an off-road track. This track is designed for supercross-motocross-style racing. It was completed in 2017 and started hosting races that same year. You can see off-road trucks, buggies, and motocross bikes race here. As of 2017, it's the only track of its kind in southwest Missouri!
The Dirt Race Track
The main oval track at Lucas Oil Speedway is sometimes called The Diamond of Dirt Tracks. It's a 3⁄8 mi (0.60 km) long oval with a clay surface. The turns are slightly sloped, which helps the cars go faster. The track is 400 ft (120 m) wide and 4,000 ft (1,200 m) long. The sloped parts, called banking, are about 12 ft (3.7 m) high.
The Off-Road Course
The off-road course at the Lucas Oil Wheatland Complex is 1.3 mi (2.1 km) long. It has seven turns to the left and two turns to the right. This course is also known for its big jumps, which make the races super exciting!
The Boat Racing Lake
Lucas Lake is the special artificial lake at the speedway. It has a dedicated course for drag racing boats. It's truly unique because it's the world's first lake built just for this type of high-speed boat racing!
