Sunoco® Race Fuels to Sponsor the 2009 Sunoco® Road to Wheatland Program, Race For Gas Program and Adds Bonus Money to Series

Corona, CA (March 9, 2009) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series officials are excited to announce Sunoco Race Fuels has come on board as the title sponsor for the 3^rd Annual Sunoco Road to Wheatland. The Sunoco Road to Wheatland program is for competitors that participate with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series headed to the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks”. The “Sunoco Road to Wheatland” bonus program will reward participants that follow the Series to each Lucas Oil Championship Points event beginning at East Bay Raceway in Tampa, FL through the May 8^th & 9^th, 75 Lap “3^rd Annual SuperClean Diamond Nationals” event at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO. In addition to the $30,000 first place prize money for the winner of the Diamond Nationals, Sunoco Race Fuels will award an additional $2,000 cash award to the winner if that driver has perfect attendance on the series leading up to the Diamond Nationals and used Sunoco Race Fuels to win the event.

"We are extremely pleased that we have further enhanced our support of the premiere dirt sanctioning series in the US. In a relatively short time Lucas Oil has demonstrated to its sponsors and drivers that they are indeed the future of dirtcar competition, stated Rob Marro, Sunoco's General Manager of Performance Products and Automotive Events."

“Sunoco is the perfect title sponsor for the Road to Wheatland! It brings national attention to the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model races leading up to one of the premier dirt late model racing events, the SuperClean Diamond Nationals in Wheatland MO. Sunoco Racing Fuels definitely shares our vision to put on a show that not only lights up the crowd, but keeps a national television audience coming back for more.” said Tom Fredrickson . “Working with a proven leader such as Sunoco, we will have our foot to the floor to push dirt late model racing to be the most exciting racing series you can watch on television. Sunoco really stepped up and I’m very proud of this partnership,” continued Fredrickson.

The “Sunoco Road to Wheatland” program will blaze a path through the US, with competition already held at East BayRaceway Park during speedweeks, will next visit Brownstown Speedway for the “Indiana Ice Breaker,” held March 21^st. Next, the series will head back down south to Screven Motor Speedway and Swainsboro Raceway on April 3^rd and 4^th. The “Sunoco Road To Wheatland” then leads drivers and fans to Bedford Speedway and Hagerstown Speedway on April 24^thand 25^th. The final stop prior to the “Diamond Nationals” on the “Sunoco Road to Wheatland” will be on May 2^nd at Paducah International Raceway. The miles wind down to the “Road to Wheatland” and convene at the “Diamond of the Dirt Tracks” for the “3^rd Annual SuperClean Diamond Nationals on Mothers’ Day Weekend May 8^th and 9^th, 2009.   

The terms for the 2009 “Sunoco Road to Wheatland” Winners Circle Program have been set. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Winners Circle program will pay the top ten drivers in the final 2008 Lucas Oil Championship Points Standings who maintain perfect attendance during the 2009 “Road to Wheatland” $700. Also receiving winners circle money, will be the top ten highest drivers in 2009 Lucas Oil Championship Points with perfect attendance; these drivers will also receive the $700 in “Road to Wheatland” Winners Circle money after the DART Winternationals, beginning at the next sanctioned event, Brownstown Speedway on March 21^st and will continue to earn “Sunoco Road to Wheatland” money as long as the driver maintains perfect attendance at each of the “Sunoco Road to Wheatland” events. Only drivers that have perfect attendance on the Series schedule through the May 8^th & 9^th event at Wheatland,MO will be eligible for this bonus money.

In addition to the Sunoco Race Fuels $2,000 cash bonus at the Diamond Nationals, the series and Sunoco have put together a separate Sunoco point’s fund category to award points to drivers using Sunoco Race Fuels at each event. At the end of the year the driver earning the most Sunoco Race for Gas Points will be awarded a $3,000 cash award and the runner up will receive $1,000 cash award at the year end banquet.

“We at Sunoco are very excited to increase our involvement with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series by sponsoring the “Sunoco Road To Wheatland” program and rewarding drivers that use Sunoco Race Fuel on the series with additional cash awards. The Lucas Oil Series has put together some great marketing programs that rewards the drivers that follow the series and gives sponsors like us a great platform to promote and market our products as well”, stated Bill Corwin, National Sales Director for Sunoco Race Fuels.

Sunoco Race Fuels is the “Official Fuel” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the title sponsor of the Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 held at Florence Speedway in Union,KY paying the winner a whopping $50,000. Sunoco Performance Products is the largest manufacturer of racing gasoline in the world and Sunoco Race Fuels are designed to meet the quality and consistency needs of professional racers. In addition, Sunoco is involved with numerous racing sanctioning bodies, tracks and competitors to provide the latest in race gas technology. Sunoco's track-proven fuels are designed to provide performance, quality and consistency. To obtain more information, contact Sunoco at 1-800-RACE GAS (1-800-722-3427) or visit their web site at www.racegas.com.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series was founded in 2005 and has seen a steady growth in the four years of its existence to become the premier dirt late model touring series in the country. The series sanctioned 40 events at 32 different race tracks on the tour in 16 different states in 2008. A total of 694 drivers entered at least one series event with 22 different drivers winning an event on the series in 2008. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series averaged 50.9 cars per event the highest of any touring series in the country in 2008.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 2009 schedule has been released and can be found at the official website of the series. For more information about the “Sunoco Road to Wheatland” Program and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, visit the official series website at www.lucasdirt.com or contact the Series Office at (951) 532-2503.

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