King Bags Second Dirt Late Model Win Of Season

Michael King Jr. celebrates his win at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway.

PLUMERVILLE, Ark. – Michael King Jr. drove to his second dirt late model victory of the season Saturday with a dominant drive at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway.

Competing with the Titan Legends Late Model Series, King put together a thrilling drive from sixth to first in his heat race, assuming command in the final corner after the top two collided and spun.

That allowed the 23-year-old to start from the pole in the 20-lap feature, where he led from flag to flag en route to a $1,000 payday at the quarter-mile clay oval.

King bested Chris Reed by 1.239 seconds at the checkered flag. Geoff Aitken, Edward Hoyer, and Heath Stephens closed the top five. It marked King’s first victory with the touring Titan Legends Series.

“What a night we had over the weekend at Plumerville,” said King. “Our APE-powered Rocket XR1 chassis was on a rail all night and did everything we needed it to do to get to victory lane. I’m very thankful everything went our way, and we were able to pull off our second win of the season; we’re hopeful of more strong runs as we head into the summer!”

King would like to thank APE Engines, PPG Paint, Thurmon’s Heat & Air, M&A Wrecker Service, Advanced Specialized Services LLC, J&J Motorsports, ML Performance, Next Level Designs, SUPE, Team 5 Enterprise, Team Forty-Eight Motorsports, Thrifty Liquor, Race Face Brand Development, and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation for their partnership and support.

King’s next scheduled race is Saturday, May 18 in DIRTcar UMP Late Model action at Big O Speedway in Ennis, Texas. He already has one win at the quarter-mile dirt track this year, which came on Feb. 24.

About Michael King Jr.

Michael King Jr. is a 23-year-old dirt late model and dirt modified racer from Paducah, Ky., who now calls El Dorado, Ark., home. He’s in the midst of his sixth season of racing with his family-owned and operated team, spearheaded by his parents – Michael Sr. and Leslie.

King started in the front-wheel drive class in 2018, collecting 14 wins in his rookie season, including highlight victories during the Louisiana State Championship Race at Boothill Speedway and the Spooky 50 weekend at Super Bee Speedway.

He advanced into Limited Modifieds in 2019, and has racked up eight victories in the class, as well as the 2020 Super Bee Speedway track championship.

His late model tenure took off in 2022, and he debuted with the Titan Legends Late Model Series the next year, where he contended for rookie-of-the-year honors and narrowly missed out to Preston Farmer. King has also made two appearances at the prestigious Gateway Dirt Nationals in St. Louis, Mo.

King’s family is no stranger to racing, either, as his mother Leslie is a longtime shock builder under the ShocKing Shocks banner.

He counts dirt late model legend Don O’Neal and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson among his racing inspirations, and away from the racetrack, King is a supporter of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation’s efforts in the fight against pediatric cancer.

A new website for King is under construction. For more information in the meantime, visit https://www.14jrracing.com/.