MANSFIELD — Come for the racing and stay for the fireworks.
Mansfield Motor Speedway will roar back to life Sunday when the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Summit Racing Equipment American Modified Series take over the .44-mile dirt oval on the city’s north side for the Freedom 50 Presented by Summit Racing Equipment.
The AMS cars will compete in a 30-lap race with the winner pocketing a cool $5,000. The winner of the 50-lap late model feature will take home $12,000.
The Freedom Festival sponsored by Omni Source/Taylor Metal will immediately follow the on-track action and will feature a fireworks show and live entertainment.
“I’ve seen a lot of fireworks shows and we had an amazing fireworks show here last year,” track president Cody Sommer said. “That is all free to the public.”
The Freedom 50 is one of more than 50 races on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule. The season started in early February in Georgia, will make its way back to Mansfield for the Dirt Million in late August and concludes with the 38th annual Dirt Track World Championship on Oct. 19 to 20 at Portsmouth Raceway Park.
“The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is the premier national touring sanctioning body for super late models,” Sommer said. “Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt race-cars are on the cutting
edge of technology in construction and are powered by 800 horsepower V-8 engines based on the Chevy, Ford and Mopar power plants.”
Gates will open at 5 p.m. Sunday with hot laps starting at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying begins at 6 p.m. and the green flag flies at 7 p.m.
“This is another great family-oriented show,” Sommer said. “You can come for the racing and enjoy a great fireworks show, too.”
