MANSFIELD — Mansfield Speedway is rolling out the red, i.e. dirt, carpet for another high-profile national touring series.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, presented by FloRacing, will make an unplanned stop in north central Ohio on Friday and the winner will leave town $25,000 richer.

The event was scheduled for Atomic Speedway, but the Chillicothe track has experienced financial difficulties.

A deal to bring the series to the .44-mile Crall Road facility was announced Monday, but the wheels were set in motion over the weekend.

Track owner Matt Tifft was serving as the track-side interviewer during Saturday’s sprint car races when his phone began to blow up.

“We got some messages saying there might be something happening next week,” Tifft said. “I said, ‘I’m up for a conversation, but we’re going into the ‘A Main’ right now and I have to go interview some drivers.’

“It was late Saturday night, so we exchanged phone numbers. We got hooked up with some of the Lucas Oil Series guys Sunday.”

While Tifft didn’t seek out the chance to host, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

“We didn’t inquire about it at all. Honestly, the stars aligned and it kind of fell into our lap,” Tifft said. “We were honored to be asked to host this race for all the fans, teams and competitors and to do our part in assisting Atomic Speedway and (track owner) Charlie Vest as they look toward the future to build the best path forward for their loyal fans and competitors.”

The event Friday will be highlighted by a 50-lap, $25,000-to-win feature event with full championship points on the line.

“We’re excited to bring the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series back to Mansfield Speedway,” series director Rick Schwallie said in a statement.

“We appreciate the efforts of Mansfield Speedway and everyone involved in making this event possible on short notice, and we look forward to putting on a great show for the fans.”

Another national series, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, came to town in May for the Blaster 57 Special. The rough racing surface came under fire, leading to a month-long track rebuild by Tifft and his team.

That effort was partially responsible for luring the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to town. The re-worked surface drew rave reviews during last week’s sprint car races.

“We worked a lot on the track surface and that played a role in this,” Tifft said. “We’ve built a lot of great relationships with teams and sanctioning bodies and one of the big hold-ups was getting our track right. They have seen the work that has gone into that.”

The Lucas Oil Late Model Series is headquartered in Batavia, about 25 miles east of Cincinnati.  The series visited Mansfield in 2019, the last year the dirt oval on the city’s north side hosted events.

“We’re excited to bring the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series back to Mansfield Speedway,” series director Rick Schwallie said. “We appreciate the efforts of Mansfield Speedway and everyone involved in making this event possible on short notice, and we look forward to putting on a great show for the fans.”

Limited preparation time for a national series race already has led to some hand-wringing for Tifft and his team.

“Honestly, it’s a big risk for us,” Tifft said. “We’re taking on one of the biggest races of the summer. The World of Outlaws race was, too, and we didn’t perform back in May.

“A Fourth of July weekend date … I don’t know how we could have said no to this opportunity.”