The Schaeffer’s Oil Iron-Man Championship Late Model Series will race for $5,000 to win at the November 11 spectacular, while the Brucebilt Performance Iron-Man Modified Series will race for $1,000 to win at the event. Also in competition at the Lake Cumberland Classic/Finn Watson Memorial event will be the track’s KDRA Super Stocks racing for $700 to win and Stock Four Cylinders racing for $700 to win. More details will be released in coming weeks regarding purse information, times, and ticket prices for this event.

The event will mark the return of the Lake Cumberland Classic at Lake Cumberland Speedway, which was last held in 2012. The previous winners list for this event reads like a who’s who in the world of Dirt Late Model racing. The event was started in 1986 and saw Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN pick up the inaugural Lake Cumberland Classic victory. Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN would be victorious in the 1987 event, while also scoring wins in 1991 and 1992. Jack Boggs of Grayson, KY would hit paydirt in the 1988 version of the race and would become a two-time winner of the race in 1990. Brian Asbury of Mitchell, IN would claim the victory in the race in 1989. The event would not be held from 1993 through 1997, but would return in 1998 as Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY would be victorious in the race. Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN would start a string of three-consecutive victories in the event beginning in 1999, also winning in 2000 and 2001 and would become a four-time event winner in 2003. Jim Curry of Norman, IN would stop O’Neal’s streak when he would score a victory in the race in 2002. Rod Carter, Jr. of Woodbine, KY would claim the 2003 version of the event and would score the opening night win of the race in 2007 when the race was held as a two-day, two-complete show contest. Michael Chilton of Salvisa, KY would etch his name in the record books for the race by winning in 2005, while Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN would lay claim to the 2006 race win and would also be victorious in the 2008 and 2010 versions of the race. Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN would win the second-night of the doubleheader weekend in 2007 and was champion of the race the last time it was contested in 2012. Skylar Marlar of Winfield, TN would claim a victory in the 2009 event, while Dustin Neat of Dunnville, KY would score the race win in 2011.

Former Central Kentucky Dirt Late Model driver Finn Watson of Campbellsville, KY will also be remembered as part of the 2017 renewal of the Lake Cumberland Classic. Watson passed away in April of 2013 after a storied racing career that spanned a total of 38 years and saw him amass over 300 career feature wins over the course of his illustrious career, including a 12th place finish in the 1976 World 100 driving for car owner Bobby Paul of Danville, KY, won the 1981 Mello Yello 81 at Taylor County Speedway in Campbellsville, KY, won a NDRA Invitational Qualifier event at Taylor County Speedway in 1985 in a photo-finish over the late Wayne Coakley, and won 13 events in 17 starts also driving for Mr. Paul in that 1985 season. Watson would finish third in the 1986 Lake Cumberland Classic to Jeff Purvis and Jack Boggs driving for Speck Parsons of London, KY and was the 1989 UMP Gold Series champion driving for the Hinkle Brothers of London, KY. Watson was a former Super Late Model track champion at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY and was also named Driver of the Year on multiple occasions at Taylor County Speedway, while also winning several feature events at Lake Cumberland Speedway. Some other notable car owners that Watson drove cars to victory lane for over the course of his career include Chester Nichols and Hugh “Junebug” Rowland of Danville, KY, Mickey Williams of Russell Springs, KY, Chubby Baird of Liberty, KY, Alvin Hartwick of Monticello, KY, C.J. Rayburn of Whiteland, IN, Danny Cox of Danville, KY, Jimmy Cundiff of Shepherdsville, KY, the Hinkle Brothers of London, KY, the Hatcher Family of Campbellsville, KY, and Gary Craig of Monticello, KY. Watson’s son, Jeff, continues to race in both the Super Late Model and Modified divisions at many tracks around the area. Richmond Raceway started the Finn Watson Memorial in 2015 and Victor Lee of Danville, KY was victorious in that event, with Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN taking the most recent win in the race in 2016.

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