Jimmy Owens (racing driver)

Last updated

Jimmy Owens
Nationality American
Born (1972-02-03) February 3, 1972 (age 52)
Newport, Tennessee
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series career
Current teamKoehler Motorsports
Car numberNo. 20
EngineVic Hill
Championshipsfour (2011, 2012, 2013, 2020)
Wins69 (as of June 28, 2020)
Best finish1st in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2020
Finished last season1st
Last updated on: June 27, 2021.
Owens racing in 2018 Lucas 20 Jimmy Owens.jpg
Owens racing in 2018
Owen's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series car in 2015 Jimmy Owens 20 Oshkosh 2015.jpg
Owen's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series car in 2015
Owens' dirt late model at the 2008 East Bay Winternationals JimmyOwens2008EastBayWinternationals.jpg
Owens' dirt late model at the 2008 East Bay Winternationals

Jimmy Owens is a professional dirt late model driver from Newport, Tennessee. Owens after starting out as a modified driver before switching to Late Models. Owens raced as an "Outlaw" by choosing to race selected larger purse events and not racing on national tours for several years. He eventually raced changed to national tours on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and won its championship in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2020. Owens is nicknamed "The Newport Nightmare" and "The O Show." [1]

Contents

Racing career

Owens won 4 UMP Modified National Championships before moving up to super late models where he has also had success. Rather than following a touring series, he opted for the "outlaw" mentality, traveling where he chooses and hitting all of the crown jewels. [1] He stopped racing "outlaw" and joined the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to become series' the 2011 national champion. He repeated as champion in 2012, 2013, and 2020. [2]

Owens' 2007 season included winning The World 100 at Eldora Speedway, [2] the 25th Annual North/South 100 at Florence Speedway in Florence, KY, [2] the Blue/Gray 100 in Gaffney, SC, Racefest World Championship in Mineral Wells, WV, [2] and the Crate World Championship in Tampa, FL. Owens won a total of seventeen races in 2007.

In 2008, Jimmy won the $40,000 to win Hillbilly 100 at Tyler County (WV) Speedway. [2]

In 2009, Jimmy won the 15th Annual Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway, [2] a win that was worth $100,000. He went on later in the year to capture the 17th Annual Comp Cams Topless 100 at Batesville (AR) Speedway, [2] a win worth $42,000. Owens won the Topless 100 in 2014 and 2020. [2]

He joined the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and won the 2011 championship over Bloomquist. [3] He won eight races, had 32 Top 5s and 35 Top 10s. [3] Owens' 2011 wins include the World 100 and the Show-Me 100. [2] He won the Show-Me 100 again in 2012 and 2013. [2] Owens won the 2018 and 2019 Knoxville Raceway Late Model Nationals. [2]

Owens won at least 20 events in 2020. [4] He won four consecutive Lucas Oil events in June 2020 at which point he had 69 career victories in Lucas Oil competition. [5] In his career (as of 2021), he has over 560 modified and late model victories. [2]

Career Awards

Owens was inducted in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame on 2012. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldora Speedway</span> Motorsport track in Ohio, United States

Eldora Speedway is a 0.5 mi (804.672 m) high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, its website claims capacity for 22,886 spectators in the permanent grandstand, and unlimited admittance for the grass hillside spectator area. The permanent grandstand and VIP suite seats make it the largest sports stadium in the Dayton, Ohio-region according to the Dayton Business Journal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I-70 Motorsports Park</span> Racetrack

I-70 Motorsports Park, also known as I-70 Speedway, is a multi-purpose motorsports facility near Interstate 70 east of Odessa, Missouri, USA. The track, first opened in 1969, and has since been completely rebuilt and renovated in 2021 under new ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams Grove Speedway</span> Racetrack

Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile dirt racing track located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The speedway opened on May 21, 1939, it has been owned by the Hughes family for over 50 years and has hosted many of the most notable national touring series and some of those most prestigious races in the country. The speedway is entering its 81st year of operation, with racing every Friday from March to October and other special events. One of these special events is the $75,000 to win National Open for sprint cars sanctioned by the World of Outlaws racing series held in late September or early October each year.

Volunteer Speedway is a 4/10 mile long dirt race track located in Greene County in the eastern part of Tennessee, in Mosheim. It is known as "The World's Fastest Dirt Track". It has the nickname of "The Gap." The track is banked at 32 degrees in the corners and is known for its high speed. The track record of 10.258 seconds is held by Kasey Kahne in a sprint car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim McCreadie</span> American racing driver

Tim McCreadie is an American Dirt Late Model racing driver. He is the 2021 and 2022 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Champion. In 2007 he ran a partial schedule in NASCAR West Series, ARCA RE/MAX Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series</span> Late model dirt racing series

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is a dirt late model touring series owned and operated by Lucas Oil. The series competes on dirt ovals across the United States, primarily throughout the east coast and the midwest. The cars feature a purpose-built chassis design specifically for dirt late model racing. With many chassis builders within the sport, chassis design and components are always on the cutting edge of innovation and technology. The cars are powered by aluminum-head V8 engines that produce over 800 horsepower.

Tyler County Speedway also known as America's Baddest Bullring is a 1/4 mile dirt oval located in Tyler County, southeast of Middlebourne, West Virginia. Located at the Tyler County Fair Grounds, it hosts many large races such as the Hillbilly 100, Earl Hill Memorial, Topless 50, Eaton/Childers 'King of the Ring', Pat Herrick Memorial among others. Classes currently raced at Tyler County Speedway are Super Late Models, RUSH Late Models, UMP Modifieds, EDGE Hot Mods, Sportmods, SCDRA 4 Cylinders and Mini Wedges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lernerville Speedway</span> Automobile race track in Sarver, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Lernerville Speedway is a 4/10 mile dirt oval automobile race track located in Sarver, Pennsylvania, United States. It is currently owned by Ted Tomson who runs Tomson Scrap Metal. Lernerville currently hosts the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the High Limit Racing sprint car series. 2024 will mark the 57th season for the track. The track features the "Fab 4" divisions weekly on Fridays from mid April through August. These divisions include the "Big Three"- 410 Sprints, Super Late Models, and Big Block Modifieds, and is the only track in the country to run all three on a weekly basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Bloomquist</span> American racing driver (1963–2024)

Scott Dean Bloomquist was a nationally touring Dirt Super Late Model race car driver in the United States. Bloomquist was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He was inducted in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in its second class in 2002 and was the owner of Dirt Late Model chassis manufacturer Team Zero Race Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon Speedway</span>

Macon Speedway, located in Macon, Illinois is one of Illinois's premier dirt ovals. It is also one of the longest continuously-operating racetracks in the state.

The LaSalle Speedway is a 1/4 mile dirt track racing speedway founded in 1947 and located in LaSalle, Illinois. The speedway closed in 2019 in the middle of the racing season. The track has reopened for sporadic events in 2021.

The Busch All-Star Tour was a NASCAR-sanctioned dirt track late model racing series. The series, based in the Midwestern United States, started in 1985 and folded in 2002, and was NASCAR's only national dirt racing series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rico Abreu</span> American racing driver

Rico Emanuel Abreu is an American professional dirt track and sprint car racing driver. Abreu won the 2014 USAC National Midget Series championship, and previously competed in the K&N Pro Series East in 2015 scoring one win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Landers</span> American racing driver

Jared Landers is an American professional dirt and stock car racing driver. He currently competes in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, driving the No. 777 car for Double L Motorsports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Creed</span> American racing driver (born 1997)

Sheldon Michael Creed is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Richards (racing driver)</span> American racing driver

Joshua Richards is an American former professional stock car racing driver from Shinnston, West Virginia. He last competed full-time in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, in the No. 1R Rocket Chassis for Boom Briggs Racing, where he had been a champion in 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2016. Richards was also a champion in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Strickler</span> American racing driver (born 1983)

Kyle C. Strickler, nicknamed The High Side Tickler, is an American professional racing driver who competes in dirt late models and modified cars. He previously competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado for Young's Motorsports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagerstown Speedway</span> Auto-racing track in Maryland, US

Hagerstown Speedway is a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km) red clay oval auto-racing track, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Hagerstown, Maryland, situated on US Route 40. It hosts weekly local racing of Late Model Sportsman, Pure Stock, and Hobby Stock divisions, and throughout the season hosts regional and national touring series such as the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, International Motor Contest Association, and FASTRAK. Along with the car-racing schedule during the year, Monster Jam has used the track for events for several decades, along with various concerts and special events. The speedway has also hosted World of Outlaws, ARCA, and NASCAR races in the past.

The 2021 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is the 16th season of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, a national touring series for dirt late models owned & operated by Lucas Oil. The series began with the General Tire Winter Nationals at All-Tech Raceway on January 22, and ended with the Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth Raceway Park on October 16. Tim McCreadie won the 2021 drivers' championship. Ricky Thornton Jr. was crowned 2021 Rookie of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Davenport</span> American racing driver

Jonathan Lee Davenport, nicknamed Superman, is an American professional dirt track and stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, driving the No. 49 Longhorn Chassis for Double L Motorsports. Davenport is a 3-time champion in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, having won the title in 2015, 2018, and 2019, and a 5-time champion of the World 100 at Eldora Speedway.

References

  1. 1 2 "Nicknamed "The Newport Nightmare" Late Model Dirt's". MAVTV . September 8, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Jimmy Owens Career Highlights". Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series . Retrieved June 27, 2021.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. 1 2 "Jimmy Owens Captures 2011 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship". Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  4. "Spring Nationals at 411". Schaeffer's Spring Nationals. May 31, 2021. Event occurs at 22:11. FloRacing.
  5. "Four Straight For Jimmy Owens". Speed Sport . June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  6. "Inductees". National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame . Retrieved June 27, 2021.