King Rough-Rides To Runner-Up Finish at Plumerville

Michael King Jr. in action at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway.

PLUMERVILLE, Ark. – On a night with choppy track conditions due to consistent rain in the region, Michael King Jr. still nearly stole a win Saturday at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway.

King, who was driving his familiar No. 14jr steel-block dirt late model, finished sixth in his heat race and started on the outside of row three for the 15-lap feature at the quarter-mile dirt track.

Quickly working his way into podium position, King held down the third position for most of the main before a late caution set up a green-white-checkered finish.

Restarting from fourth, King drove around the top three to take the lead at the white flag and was on his way to victory, when he hit a rut in turns three and four that broke his momentum.

That stumble was enough to allow Edward Hoyer to make the last-corner pass for the win, with King finishing second just .342 of a second behind.

It was a near-miss for the 23-year-old, who was in search of his third late model victory of the season, but he was appreciative of the speedway officials simply putting a race on for the division after adding them to the racing program very late in the game.

“The track conditions may not have been ideal, but everyone at Plumerville did a great job for the amount of rain they had all week just giving us a place to be able to race Saturday night,” said King. “For the track staff to add the late models to their program at the last minute was a big ask, but all of us appreciate the effort when every other track in our area was rained out.

“I’m really happy we had a shot to win, but heartbroken to lose a second win this year on the last lap,” King added. “The good news is that we’re consistently fast now, and the competition knows we’re there every week. That’s big for my confidence as we chase more wins through the summer; we just hope the weather will cooperate more to make it a little bit easier on us!”

Saturday marked King’s fourth top-two finish with the steel-block late model this year, which includes his first two career victories in the class.

King will return to action in his late model at Plumerville on Saturday night, June 8, when the Titan Legends Late Model Series visits the facility.

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.

Visit King’s new website at https://michaelkingracing.com/ for more information.