Terry Phillips and Kyle Beard kept the Steve Rushin Memorial victories in the family at Legit Speedway Park, while Scott Crigler moved to the top of the POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour presented by Mel Hambelton Ford Racing standings with one weekend remaining in its inaugural season.

Phillips collected Saturday’s $5,014 victory before his son-in-law, Beard, claimed Sunday’s $3,014 rain-postponed program. Billy Moyer finished second both days, leading the early laps of each feature before Phillips and Beard found their way past the Hall of Famer.

Originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, the memorial shifted to a Saturday-Sunday format after rain washed out Friday’s program. The weekend honored Steve Rushin, the longtime Poplar Bluff, Mo., racer, car owner and supporter whose contributions helped put numerous Midwest drivers on the track. Rushin died September 9, 2023, at age 57.

Saturday’s 40-lap Pannell Chipping feature brought Phillips back to a familiar victory lane. The Springfield, Mo., veteran started outside polesitter Moyer and followed him through the opening seven circuits before driving underneath him off turn four to take command as lap eight was completed.

Once in front, Phillips handled traffic and three caution periods to secure his second tour victory of the season, both coming at Legit. His first came during the series’ May 15 visit to the West Plains oval. Saturday’s winning margin over Moyer was 1.969 seconds.

Phillips credited the track’s driving demands and the clean competition with a driver he has long admired.

“That was a lot of fun, (Billy Moyer) is a hero of mine,” Phillips said. “(We) raced each other clean, that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Tyler Stevens made an impressive return to Late Model competition, advancing from seventh to third by lap three and holding that position to the finish. Tanner Mullens took fourth after exchanging positions with Scott Crigler during the middle stages, while Kyle Beard climbed from tenth to fifth.

Clay Stuckey advanced eight positions, from 15th to seventh. Scott Crigler finished eighth, but that result carried championship significance. Sawyer Crigler, who entered the weekend with a 12-point advantage over his father, visited the pits before the initial green flag and finished 19th. The combination moved Scott into the points lead.

Sunday belonged to Beard, who became the ninth different winner in the tour’s first 10 events and earned his first career victory at Legit Speedway Park.

Starting third in the 30-lap Pannell Chipping feature, the Trumann, Ark., driver pursued Moyer as the leaders approached traffic. Beard found an opening underneath Moyer in turn one on lap 11. Moyer briefly answered the pass, but Beard reclaimed the advantage and established control by halfway.

Beard continued working the bottom through the remainder of the race, surviving four caution periods and keeping Moyer behind him to win by 0.914 second.

“I could get around the bottom pretty good,” Beard said. “I really didn’t know where to go, honestly. I just kind of stuck with the bottom where I got around him to start with.”

Phillips followed his Saturday victory with a third-place finish. Scott Crigler took fourth ahead of Dustin Tiger, while Sawyer Crigler finished seventh. Chris Jones gained eight positions, moving from 17th to ninth.

Moyer swept the weekend’s Deatherage Opticians overall fast-time honors, turning a 14.577-second lap Saturday and a 15.886-second lap Sunday. Saturday’s heat winners were Moyer for Rick Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning, Scott Crigler for Smith Equipment Company, Phillips for Kevko Racing and Mullens for Swift Springs. Joey Smith won the Hoosier Tire Great Plains B Feature. Sunday’s heat victories went to Moyer for Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning, Scott Crigler for Smith Equipment Company and Beard for Kevko Racing.

The championship now heads to Texas Motor Speedway with Scott Crigler holding 833 points and an 18-point lead over Sawyer Crigler’s 815. After arriving at Legit in pursuit of his son, Scott leaves with the advantage as the Alton, Mo., drivers prepare to settle the inaugural tour championship.

Several other positions remain closely contested. Rookie Kayden Clatt sits third with 704 points, just 10 ahead of Jake Nightingale. Joey Smith holds fifth with 641, only nine ahead of Dustin Walker.

John Rowland leads another tightly grouped stretch of the standings in seventh with 487 points. Jason Sivils is eighth with 473, Brandon Morton ninth with 466 and Phillips tenth with 448 — leaving just 39 points between seventh and tenth.

The Deuce’s Wild Championship Weekend closes the season November 5–7 at Texas Motor Speedway. Thursday, November 5, is scheduled as qualifying night, followed by Night 2 on Friday, November 6, and Night 3 on Saturday, November 7.

For updated schedules, championship standings, event details, and breaking series news, visit HeartlandLateModelTour.com. Fans unable to attend in person can catch every remaining race of the 2026 season live and on demand exclusively on RacinDirt.tv.

WEEKEND MEDIA RESULTS
October 3, 2026 — Legit Speedway Park — West Plains, MO
Dirt Super Late Models — 32 Entries
A Feature 1 40 Laps | 00:23:54.147 | Pannell Chipping

Terry Phillips; 2. Billy Moyer Sr; 3. Tyler Stevens; 4. Tanner Mullens; 5. Kyle Beard; 6. Garrett Taylor; 7. Clay Stuckey; 8. Scott Crigler; 9. Tyler Kuykendall; 10. Brandon Baldridge; 11. Austin Vincent; 12. Kayden Clatt; 13. Chance Mann; 14. Rodney Melvin; 15. Dustin Tiger; 16. Bryce Clark; 17. Joey Smith; 18. Dustin Walker; 19. Sawyer Crigler; 20. Brandon Morton; 21. Kanyan Methvin; 22. Jake Nightingale; 23. Jason Sivils; 24. Robby Moore; 25. Charlie Cole; 26. Cole Murphy.

B Feature 1 10 Laps | 00:02:37.734 | Hoosier Tire Great Plains

Joey Smith; 2. Kanyan Methvin; 3. Jason Sivils; 4. Bryce Clark; 5. Dustin Walker; 6. Matt Menzie; 7. Robby Moore; 8. Shawn Mann; 9. Glen Powell; 10. DJ Burke; 11. Jace Parmley; 12. John Rowland.

Heat 1 8 Laps | 00:04:33.437 | Rick Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning

Billy Moyer Sr; 2. Brandon Baldridge; 3. Garrett Taylor; 4. Sawyer Crigler; 5. Tyler Kuykendall; 6. Shawn Mann; 7. Bryce Clark; 8. Dustin Walker.

Heat 2 8 Laps | 00:02:04.071 | Smith Equipment Company

Scott Crigler; 2. Rodney Melvin; 3. Austin Vincent; 4. Clay Stuckey; 5. Jake Nightingale; 6. Joey Smith; 7. Matt Menzie; 8. Jace Parmley.

Heat 3 8 Laps | 00:02:02.317 | Kevko Racing

Terry Phillips; 2. Tyler Stevens; 3. Kyle Beard; 4. Cole Murphy; 5. Chance Mann; 6. Jason Sivils; 7. Kanyan Methvin; 8. DJ Burke.

Heat 4 8 Laps | 00:02:04.082 | Swift Springs

Tanner Mullens; 2. Dustin Tiger; 3. Kayden Clatt; 4. Brandon Morton; 5. Charlie Cole; 6. Robby Moore; 7. Glen Powell; 8. John Rowland.

Qualifying 1 | 00:00:29.000 | Deatherage Opticians

Billy Moyer Sr; 2. Scott Crigler; 3. Garrett Taylor; 4. Rodney Melvin; 5. Brandon Baldridge; 6. Austin Vincent; 7. Sawyer Crigler; 8. Clay Stuckey; 9. Tyler Kuykendall; 10. Joey Smith; 11. Dustin Walker; 12. Matt Menzie; 13. Bryce Clark; 14. Jake Nightingale; 15. Shawn Mann; 16. Jace Parmley.

Qualifying 2 | 00:00:30.000 | Deatherage Opticians

Terry Phillips; 2. Tanner Mullens; 3. Cole Murphy; 4. Dustin Tiger; 5. Tyler Stevens; 6. Kayden Clatt; 7. Kyle Beard; 8. Brandon Morton; 9. Chance Mann; 10. Charlie Cole; 11. Kanyan Methvin; 12. Glen Powell; 13. Jason Sivils; 14. Robby Moore; 15. DJ Burke; 16. John Rowland.

October 4, 2026 — Legit Speedway Park — West Plains, MO
Dirt Super Late Models — 27 Entries
A Feature 1 30 Laps | 00:19:20.693 | Pannell Chipping

Kyle Beard; 2. Billy Moyer Sr; 3. Terry Phillips; 4. Scott Crigler; 5. Dustin Tiger; 6. Clay Stuckey; 7. Sawyer Crigler; 8. Tanner Mullens; 9. Chris Jones; 10. Joey Smith; 11. Austin Vincent; 12. Charlie Cole; 13. Jake Nightingale; 14. Garrett Taylor; 15. Jason Sivils; 16. Dustin Walker; 17. Shawn Mann; 18. Cole Murphy; 19. Glen Powell; 20. Brandon Morton; 21. Rodney Melvin; 22. Chance Mann; 23. Tyler Kuykendall; 24. Brandon Baldridge; 25. Bryce Clark; 26. Matt Menzie; 27. Kayden Clatt.

Heat 1 8 Laps | 00:02:14.412 | Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning

Billy Moyer Sr; 2. Sawyer Crigler; 3. Brandon Baldridge; 4. Rodney Melvin; 5. Tyler Kuykendall; 6. Austin Vincent; 7. Jake Nightingale; 8. Shawn Mann; 9. Glen Powell.

Heat 2 8 Laps | 00:02:15.340 | Smith Equipment Company

Scott Crigler; 2. Terry Phillips; 3. Clay Stuckey; 4. Joey Smith; 5. Charlie Cole; 6. Chris Jones; 7. Garrett Taylor; 8. Bryce Clark; 9. Cole Murphy.

Heat 3 8 Laps | 00:06:03.821 | Kevko Racing

Kyle Beard; 2. Dustin Tiger; 3. Tanner Mullens; 4. Chance Mann; 5. Dustin Walker; 6. Matt Menzie; 7. Jason Sivils; 8. Brandon Morton; 9. Kayden Clatt.

Qualifying 1 | 00:00:33.000 | Deatherage Opticians

Billy Moyer Sr; 2. Scott Crigler; 3. Kyle Beard; 4. Brandon Baldridge; 5. Terry Phillips; 6. Chance Mann; 7. Sawyer Crigler; 8. Joey Smith; 9. Tanner Mullens; 10. Tyler Kuykendall; 11. Clay Stuckey; 12. Brandon Morton; 13. Jake Nightingale; 14. Chris Jones; 15. Dustin Tiger; 16. Rodney Melvin; 17. Charlie Cole; 18. Dustin Walker; 19. Austin Vincent; 20. Garrett Taylor; 21. Kayden Clatt; 22. Glen Powell; 23. Bryce Clark; 24. Matt Menzie; 25. Shawn Mann; 26. Cole Murphy; 27. Jason Sivils.

The POWRi Mel Hambelton Racing Heartland Late Model Tour would like to recognize and thank our season long partners. Please thank them, with your patronage for their support.

Gold Partners – Central Spray Foam & Cement Lifting, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Dirt Track Specialist, Dylan Scott Entertainment, Hochatown Saloon, Hoosier Tire Great Plains, Kevko Racing, Midwest Sheet Metal, Mel Hambelton Ford Racing, Pannell Chipping, RacinDirt.com, Real Racing Wheels, Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning, Smith Equipment Company, Swift Springs, VP Racing Fuels Heartland, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products

Silver Partners – American Racer Tires, Buck Monson Photos, Bulletproof Tees and Racewear, Duvall Electric, Integra Shocks, JRT Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Automation, Photos By Boyd, Scotty Dogg’s Hideout

Bronze Partners – Bryke Racing, Fast Shafts, Freight Logistics Inc., KS Engineering, Maxima Racing Oil, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, PEM Racing, Premier Lubricants, Schoenfeld Headers, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Transmissions Unlimited, Wagdog Spices, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Yeoman Race Engines

2026 HLMT Point Fund

1. $10,000

2. $6,000

3. $5,000

4. $4,000

5. $3,000

6. $2,800

7. $2,600

8. $2,400

9. $2,200

10. $2,000

*80 Percent attendance required to remain point fund eligible

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