By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

An expanded Open Wheel Turkey Classic is scheduled for area stock car racing fans on Saturday at Springfield Raceway.

The second running will offer four classes rather than the inaugural three.

The sport mod division has been added to 360 sprint cars, midget and modified.

“We’re expecting about 100 race cars,” co-owner Jerry Hoffman said Thursday. “I believe we had about 80 last year and there were about 50 modifieds.

“Jackie Dalton (modified) and Danny Lasoski (sprint car) are expected to return to defend their championships,” Hoffman said. “We aren’t sure about our midget class winner (Zach Daum).”

Lasoski beat Brian Brown and Jesse Hockett in 2007, Hoffman said, and three-time track points champion Dalton, from Carthage, beat Erik Maggard of Nixa.

Third through fifth in the modified main were occupied by Mitch Keeter of Webb City, John Yeoman of Joplin and Ben Ledgerwood.

Dalton said on Thursday that Rogersville’s Jason Meadors had the pole position in the main event. Dalton started on the second row, inside, because of finishing third in passing points.

“I remember that Rex Merritt (of Billings) was leading and I was second for quite a while,” Dalton said. “We had a caution and after the restart Rex (Merritt) was involved in the a.

“It wasn’t easy after that, either, as Erik (Maggard) and I ran side-by-side for about the last five laps. He was driving on the top and I was on the bottom. I wound up winning ($1,250) by just a few car lengths.

“I know, too, it was cold (by the end of the race).”

Hoffman said the forecast is for sun and a high of some 50 degrees on Saturday.

“I had been in Knoxville (Tenn.) earlier that day,” Dalton recalled of last season. “My pit crew had the race car waiting at the track.”