Lucas Oil Midwest LateModel Racing Association
Missouri asphalt veteran still getting hang of dirt
By Lyndal Scranton
Lucas Oil Speedway
Brennon Willard (heathlawsonphotos.com)
Brennon Willard knew the transition from being one of the region’s top asphalt Late Model drivers into the dirt-track world was going to be a challenge.
It has been that, and then some, for the racer from Lebanon, Mo., But despite limited success since making the leap beginning with the 2020 season, Willard is glad he made the move.
“It’s been tough. Anybody who tells you it’s not hard is lying to you,” Willard said this week, during his preparations for a two-race Lucas Oil MLRA Late Model swing. The series runs Friday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for a $3,000 winner's purse and Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway's second annual Ron Jenkins Memorial for a $6,000-to-win purse in Wheatland, Mo.
“It turns into a business quickly, but in the back of your mind you have to remember that you are doing it for fun,” said Willard, who plans to debut a new Rocket Chassis this weekend. “But that’s the hard part. I’m too competitive to not want to run better.”
Racing has been a life-long passion for Willard, whose grandfather Bill Willard, built the Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Bolivar Speedway in the mid-1980s. Brennon Willard’s family owns I-44 Speedway and Brennon raced on the pavement at both I-44 and Bolivar, winning championships there prior to moving to the dirt.
“It was hard in the fact that I still like asphalt racing,” the 37-year-old Willard said of his decision to switch surfaces. “I have nothing against it at all. I didn’t want to race at our own track. I didn’t want to race at Bolivar and worry about getting into somebody and they couldn’t race at Lebanon the next week.
“Travel is just too hard. The closest (asphalt) track next to us is six hours away. You can go race Dirt Late Models any time, within three hours. It was kind of a no-brainer as far as deciding what to do. We won both championships that last year and it was like, ‘What do you want to do now?’
“I wasn’t getting any younger and felt like it was time to try something different.”
Even though the results don’t always show up — he has two top-10 MLRA finishes this season — Willard said he knows he’s getting better each time behind the wheel.
“I know we’re better, especially earlier in the night,” he said. “We’re qualifying better. We qualified eighth the last race and last year our qualifying wasn’t good. So, we’re getting better. It just takes time to learn.
“Every week you also know you’re getting better because of who you’re racing against. You’re racing against the best guys in the area and they teach you a lot, whether they know it or not.”
One preconceived notion that Willard had to overcome was the thought process that saving his tires and equipment, especially in lengthy races, was important.
“On asphalt, you’re being patient trying to save your equipment to be there at the end. Everything’s backwards on dirt,” Willard said. “On dirt, it’s a sprint. The harder you drive a dirt car usually, earlier in the night, the better you are. The harder you drive as asphalt car, the harder you wreck and the slower you are. It’s 100 percent backwards.”
Willard does have the benefit of having fellow Lebanon resident Tony Jackson Jr. to lean on for advice. Jackson leads the MLRA points and has done his share of racing on both dirt and asphalt over the years.
“He understands cars better than he’ll ever let anybody know,” Willard said of Jackson. “When you have him as a buddy and see what he’s doing at night — as he’s giving you a hard time for not working on your car he holds you accountable and pushes you. That’s the best thing. He pushes me whether he realizes it or not to try and be better.
“It’s been good to have him to lean on. If I’m not sure of an adjustment or what to do, he helps me a lot. That’s been a positive.”
Willard said he’s eager to try and close the season strong. Including this weekend’s doubleheader, there are six MLRA events remaining.
“We’ll see what 2022 brings,” Willard said. “Hopefully the next month will be good and we’ll get ready for next year.”
• Saturday's purse includes a $1,000 bonus from Mary Jenkins in memory of her late husband, the builder of Wheatland Raceway, the racetrack formerly on the site of Lucas Oil Speedway. She's also awarding $500 to the fast qualifier.
