The Midwest LateModel Racing Association (MLRA) announced its return after it was shut down by Lucas Oil last year.

At the end of the 2024 season, Lucas Oil announced the series closure as “part of its long-term vision and commitment to continue nurturing the growth of dirt racing at the grassroots level and to provide a sustainable and exciting future for racers, fans and the entire Midwest motorsports community.”

The company detailed that the dissolution of the MLRA series “will allow the company to consolidate efforts and resources to better serve the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and to improve facilities and fan experiences at Lucas Oil Speedway.”

President of Lucas Cattle Company and Lucas Oil Speedway Jamie Devney stated, “Ending the MLRA was a difficult decision for everyone here at Lucas Oil. The series has brought fans incredible late model racing for years, but this shift helps us dedicate more time, energy and resources to growing the Late Model Dirt Series and enhancing the Lucas Oil Speedway.”

Now, the series is back under new ownership and the direction of Ernie Leftwich. Leftwich is the fourth owner of the series and is aiming to make the series the premiere Midwest Super Late Model series, “Open Late Model racing is where my heart is, and I want to see this type of racing continue in our area,” Leftwich said.

A full schedule for the 2026 season has not been announced, but the series is aiming to have 20-24 races on it. A press release detailed, ” The upcoming schedule will include many of the series’ former venues and events, as well as some that have not seen the MLRA in a number of years.”

Leftwich did add there are still spots on the schedule if any track promoters want to schedule a date, ““I’d say our schedule is about 85% complete, but we are still looking to fill a few open dates. I’m expecting to have multiple weekends with back-to-back events at the same track and other weekends we will venture to multiple tracks just like in years past. It’s only November, but I’m ready to go and excited to get the MLRA back up and running.”

He also indicated that he’s getting a ton of support from both the drivers as well as partners, “So far, the response from everyone has been overwhelming, with everyone excited to see the MLRA returning. I’ve had drivers calling and asking, hey what’s going on with MLRA? The racetracks and marketing partners we’ve spoken to thus far have been extremely welcoming and are excited to partner with the comeback of the MLRA.”

“I attribute a lot of this interest to the strong foundation our series laid over the year,” he explained. “People came to expect national caliber drivers and well ran shows when the MLRA came to town and that’s what we intend to provide as we move forward.”

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