AUGUST 18, 2018 - LAWRENCEBURG SPEEDWAY - DICK GAINES MEMORIAL - $3,000 TO WIN
The 15th Annual “Dick Gaines Memorial,” featuring the Kelsey Chevrolet Sprint cars, will be held on August 18th at the Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Ind. Saturday night’s race honors the memory of one of Indiana’s greatest sprint car heroes, Dick Gaines, who was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1992.
Dick Gaines was nearly unbeatable in the 1960’s winning Lawrenceburg Speedway track championships in 1963 and 1965 (he also added a third title in 1976). In 1974 he won the “Knoxville Nationals,” beating Jan Opperman on the final lap.
Gaines was not just a dirt driver, he had success on the pavement as well. In 1973 he annihilated the competition at the Sun Valley (Anderson) Speedway. Gaines set one-lap and four-lap records in qualifying to secure the pole position for the 25th Running of the “Little 500.” After being snookered at the start when the green flag waived unexpectedly, Gaines took the lead on lap eleven and breezed to a four-lap victory in the rain-shortened event. Gaines had built up such a lead by the 237th lap that he pitted for fuel and did not lose his position.
Gaines would back that up with a second “Little 500” victory in 1976 where he again started from the pole. Gaines would take the lead for good on lap 170, narrowly avoid a spinning Bob Redic on lap 497, and again coast to a four-lap victory.
Gaines retired in 1977 from a racing career that spanned thirty years and included an association with such celebrated car owners as Red McCord, Dizz Wilson, and Karl Kinser. In all, he amassed over 600 victories in fifteen states.
Since its inception fourteen years ago the “Dick Gaines Memorial” has included some of the best drivers in Indiana dirt track racing. In its inaugural running in 2004, 15-year-old Bryan Clauson captured his first win at “The Burg” after battling wheel-to-wheel for 30-laps with Dick’s son Dickie.
After a caution flag late in the race bunched the field, Gaines’ last-ditch charge off of turn four at the checkered wasn’t enough. “I want to thank Dickie for racing me clean the entire race. He had chances where he could have put a wheel under me, but he didn’t,” Clauson said in victory lane.
Although Dickie has multiple wins on the Dearborn County oval, and a 2003 track championship, his runner-up finish in 2004 has been his best to date in the race honoring his late father. Gaines has also finished fourth (2010), fifth (2017), sixth (2006 and 2015), seventh (2011) and ninth (2007).
Last season Robert Ballou prevailed in a late race battle with Kevin Thomas, Jr. to lead the final four laps and record his first “Dick Gaines Memorial” feature win. Ballou finished 0.449 seconds ahead of Thomas, Jr., Jarett Andretti, Shawn Westerfeld, and Gaines.
Amazingly, in the fourteen previous “Dick Gaines Memorial’s”, there has never been a repeat winner. In fact, only Hunter Schuerenberg has been able to score a win (2008) and a runner-up finish (2011).
DICK GAINES MEMORIAL WINNERS
2004 Bryan Clauson
2005 Kevin Briscoe
2006 AJ Anderson
2007 Jimmy Light
2008 Hunter Schuerenberg
2009 Jerry Coons, Jr.
2010 John Memmer
2011 Coleman Gulick
2012 Jonathan Hendrick
2013 Justin Grant
2014 Chase Stockon
2015 Jon Stanbrough
2016 Josh Hodges
2017 Robert Ballou
The 2018 running of the “Dick Gaines Memorial” will once again pay $3,000 to win and $300 to start the 25-lap feature. There will also be $100 tow money to all cars that do not start the feature, and a $63 Grasshopper Award to the feature hard charger from Lawrenceburg Speedway Fire-Rescue in honor of the late Bryan Clauson.
Dick Gaines Memorial Feature Payout:
1- $3,000, 2- $1,500, 3- $700, 4- $600, 5- $500, 6- $450, 7- $400, 8- $375, 9- $350, 10- $325, 11- $300, 12- $300, 13- $300, 14- $300, 15- $300, 16- $300, 17- $300, 18- $300, 19- $300, 20- $300.
In addition to the increased purse, there will be a slight change to the standard Lawrenceburg Speedway race format.
A blind pill draw will still be used to set the heat race groups, but lap times gathered during practice will set the heat race lineups. Cars will be lined straight up by time with the fastest four cars in each heat race inverted.
Heat race finish will still determine the lineups for the B Main(s) and feature with the top two finishers in each heat race (if five or more heats only the winners) redrawing for their starting position at the front of the feature field.
General admission gates are set to open at 5:00 pm Saturday with hot laps at 6:00 pm and opening ceremonies scheduled for 7:00 pm. Adult general admission is $18, children (7-12) are $7, and those 6 and under are free. Pit passes are $30 for all ages.
Saturday is also “47025 Night at the Races” and any resident with a 47025 zip code who presents a valid driver license at the gate will receive free general admission. The Lawrenceburg Speedway is also hosting a Pet Food & Toy Drive in conjunction with their friends at Kroger. For each item, you bring to donate you will receive a chance to win a $100 Kroger gift card.
For more information please visit
www.lawrenceburgspeedway .com or the “Lawrenceburg Speedway” Facebook page.
August 18, 2018 – Lawrenceburg Speedway
15th Annual Dick Gaines Memorial
• Kelsey Chevrolet Sprints ($3,000 to win/$300 to start)
• Budweiser UMP Modifieds
• Impact Sports Pure Stocks
• Bessler’s U Pull & Save Hornets
4:00 pm Pit Gate Opens
5:00 pm Front Gate Opens
6:00 pm Practice
7:00 pm Opening Ceremonies
General Admission:
Adult $18
Children (7-12) $7
Under 6 FREE
Pit Passes: $30 (all ages)
Special promotions, tickets, and Family Four Packs are only redeemable at the main front gate entrance.
Pit passes cannot be purchased as an upgrade from a promo ticket, Family Four Pack, or a theme night.
For More Information –
www.lawrenceburgspeedway.com