ASHLAND, KY (May 15, 2012) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series driver Steve Francis of Ashland, KY had two solid finishes last weekend on the series tour.

 On Friday Night, May 4^th Steve and the rest of the LOLMDS regulars visited Hartford Motor Speedway in Hartford, MI for the first ever series race in the state.  Steve would finish sixth in the Lane Automotive 48 Presented by Allstar Performance.

The next night the series traveled to La Salle Speedway in La Salle, IL for the Spring Shootout.  Steve would start tenth on the grid in the 50-lap event.  He would advance six positions to take home the fourth-place money.

Steve is now fifth in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings trailing Jimmy Owens, Don O’Neal, Scott Bloomquist and Earl Pearson Jr.

Steve will try to advance in the points this weekend as he guns for the Bad Boy 98 at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, AR.  On Friday Night, May 18^th will be Red Buck Cigars Time Trials followed by Heat Races.  On Saturday Night, May 19^th will be the B-Mains followed by the 98-lap main event paying $10,000 to win.  The trophy for the winner will be a 2012 Chevy Camaro.  For more information please visit www.batesvillemotorspeedway.net.

ASHLAND, KY (May 10, 2012) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular, Steve Francis of Ashland, KY competed in a pair of LOLMDS events last weekend.  On Friday Night Steve raced at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL and Saturday Night at Paducah (KY) International Raceway.

On Friday Night at Tri-City, Steve had to take a provisional starting spot and would line up on the grid in 24^th.  Steve gradually worked his way to the front climbing as high as sixth place before contact with a uke tire would result in a flat tire and some suspension damage.  Steve would pit under a caution and return to the track where he finished 12^th in the final running order.

On Saturday Night, Steve would visit Paducah International Raceway where he won in his last visit to the track in 2007.  The LOLMDS sanctioned event was held before a large crowd for the second night in a row as Steve would start seventh in the lineup.  Steve would make his way to the fourth finishing position just a few car lengths behind Scott Bloomquist, who was third. Read more »

ASHLAND, KY (May 2, 2012) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular, Steve Francis of Ashland, KY hopes to put the month of April in the rear view mirror as the calendar turns to May with a pair of LOLMDS events this weekend.

On Friday Night, May 4^th the series will visit Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL and Saturday Night, May 5^th Steve returns to his home state of Kentucky with a trip to Paducah (KY) International Raceway.  Both events will pay $10,000 to win.

Steve concluded April on a disappointing note with a DNF at the LOLMDS sanctioned event at Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, PA on April 20^th.  On Friday Night, May 27^th Steve participated in a non-sanctioned event at Southern Ohio Raceway and suffered misfortune while leading the feature.

Steve is currently sixth in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings.  However he is only 45-points out of second.  Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN leads the points with positions 2-8 separated by a mere 90 points.

For more information on this weekends’ visits to Tri-City and Paducah you can check out each tracks’ respective websites at www.tricityspeedway.net and www.paducahracing.com.

ASHLAND, KY – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competitor, Steve Francis of Ashland, KY competed in this past weekend’ 3^rd Annual Commonwealth 100 at Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, VA.

It marked the first time the LOLMDS had sanctioned the event which posted the richest first place prize so far in 2012.  On Friday Night Steve would fail to transfer from his heat race meaning he would have to compete in one of the B-mains on Saturday.

Steve and the Barry Wright House Car crew went to work on the car and found a suspension issue that had occurred on Friday Night.  Steve was able to grab the fourth and final transfer spot out of the first 20-lap b-main to advance to the $25,000 to win main event.

Steve would line-up 23^rd on the grid.  He would make several pit stops during the event to find the right combination, but ultimately he finished a disappointing 15^th.  Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN won the event for the first time.

Steve is now fourth in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings trailing points leader, Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN, Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN and Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA.

Steve and the rest of the stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be in action this weekend in Pennsylvania and Maryland.  On Friday Night, April 20^th the series visits Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, PA and Saturday Night, April 21^st at Hagerstown (MD) Speedway.  Both events will pay $10,000 to win.  For more information log onto www.roaringknob.com and www.hagerstownspeedway.com.

ASHLAND, KY – Steve Francis of Ashland, KY concluded the month of March last weekend on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tour as he now sits second in the championship points standings.

In the first LOLMDS event since the East Bay Winternationals in February Francis and the rest of the series regulars ventured to the famous Brownstown (IN) Speedway on March 24^th.  Steve started off the night in fine fashion setting Red Buck Cigars Fast Time and winning his heat race to earn the outside front row starting spot for the $10,000 to win main event.

However misfortune struck on the first lap when Steve got off of all four wheels in turn two and bent some suspension parts.  Steve held on for the entire 50-lap event to finish in fourth after running third for most of the race.  He was passed by Greg Johnson on the final lap denying Steve a top three finish. Read more »