Stuckey Enterprises & Earl Pearson Jr. Join Forces For 2018

Story By: BEN SHELTON / STUCKEY ENTERPRISES – SHREVEPORT, LA – Ronnie and Terri Stuckey are venturing into new territory in 2018. The husband-and-wife duo – who spearhead the efforts at Stuckey Enterprises and Black Diamond Chassis – are entering the car owner game.

They will field entries for Earl Pearson Jr. on the highly-competitive Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS).

“The 2018 season will mark our fifth year of building Black Diamond Race Cars, and along the way we’ve had some amazing support from racers on both the national and regional level. However, we know that to take our technology to the next level that we need more research and development,” Ronnie Stuckey said. “With our new house car program it will allow us to add even more setup information to our existing database. We will then be able to readily share this information with our racers and teams, so that owners and drivers are more confident in not having to have their own engineer on staff to be competitive week-in and week-out.

“We will be able to utilize the pull-down rig that that we have in place to perform extensive, race-simulation testing. This will allow us to build even faster cars, while also providing our customers with more feedback.”

The Stuckey family have been close with Earl Pearson Jr. for 20 years. With Pearson and car owners Carlton and Kemp Lamm of Dunn Benson Motorsports agreeing to go separate ways at the end of 2017, it opened the door for Stuckey Enterprises to team with the four-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champ.

“I’ve always thought a lot of Earl (Pearson Jr.) as both a driver and a friend, so if I was going to start a new team he was a great choice to be our driver,” Stuckey noted. “He’s helped us a lot with developing our cars over the years. His knowledge and experience will be an invaluable asset to us building and growing this operation for years to come.”

For Pearson Jr., he’s both grateful and amped about this new opportunity.

“I’m truly excited to be a part of the new Late Model team that the Stuckey family is starting in 2018,” Pearson commented. “We know this will be a big step for both of us, but I know Stuckey and all the staff at Black Diamond Chassis are the hardest working guys in the sport. I have enjoyed working with Stuckey for many years, and I honestly believe that we can be successful.”

While the Stuckey family is clearly focused on putting all of their efforts into the new team, Ronnie is quick to note that it won’t impact the great customer service that clients have come to expect from him.

“I will start the year on the road with the team to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. With the commitments we have in the race shop with customers, I will not travel the entire Lucas Oil schedule with the new team. Earl has vast experience, traveling up and down the road for over 20 years, so when I’m not out there I know he will have things running smoothly.

“However, we are also actively seeking a team leader, so that I can continue to travel to World of Outlaws events and regional shows to provide Black Diamond customers with hands-on support at the track, while not leaving Earl having to shoulder all of the responsibility.”

Penske Shocks will be lending a helping hand at the track with shocks. They also will help collect data from the DRP pulldown system. In addition, there is product support in place for all aspects of the car to ensure that the team is performing at the top of their game at all times.

The team plans to utilize Clements Racing Engines in their Black Diamond Chassis.

“It was a no-brainer to select Clements Racing Engines for our race cars, because a large portion of our customer base have enjoyed great success with them,” Stuckey commented. “Everyone at Clements are just awesome to deal with. We are currently finalizing our engine configuration with them, but one thing that is for sure is that we will have Lucas Oil inside it and Sunoco Race Fuel propelling it.”

While many of the team details are still being finalized, Ronnie is quick to thank several individuals, who have made this idea become a reality.

“First, I’ve got to thank Earl for agreeing to drive for this new team. I also want to say a special thanks to Larry Moring. He’s always been a big supporter of everything I’ve done, and we are working on incorporating his team into our operation. Other folks that have been a huge help include Jason Rauen, Wayman McMillan, David Peterson, J.R. Haley, Randy Timms and Henry Cooper.

“Last but definitely not least, I would be severely remised if I didn’t thank B.J. Robinson, JC Wright, Garrett Alberson, Chandler Petty, Danny Nelan, and all of the guys at the shop. They all bust their tails to take care of all of our awesome clients and without their hard work, there’s no way that we could be starting this team.”

Pearson Jr. is quick to thank some of his long-time supporters, who will be joining the team.

“I am proud to have Forrest Lucas and Gary Hubert with Lucas Oil Products continuing to support my driving career. I’m also thankful for the continued support from Midwest Sheet Metal, Papich Construction, Five Star Shop Services and all of the great sponsors who are helping to make this new endeavor possible.”

He concludes by saying, “I really want to say thanks to Carlton and Kemp Lamm and everyone at Dunn Benson Motorsports/Ford for everything they’ve done for me over the past several years. I enjoyed our time together, and can say you guys are true friends to myself and my family.”

The team hopes to be ready to shake down their equipment at the annual Wild West Shootout at Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, Arizona) in early January, but it will all be dependent on whether or not everything is ready to go. The team’s primary focus is to be prepared for the start of the LOLMDS schedule in early February.

More team and schedule details will be released as they are finalized in the coming weeks.

Ronnie Stuckey concludes by being completely honest about tackling such a large endeavor.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little nervous. My biggest focus right now is to make sure that we have a good chemistry between our driver and our team, so that we can hit the ground running. I know that there will be some bumps and hiccups along the way, but I couldn’t be more excited about the potential for greatness that this team already has. I think most of the nerves will go away when the tires finally hit the dirt, and we officially get the 2018 season underway.”

Stuckey Enterprises would like to thank their marketing partners, which include Black Diamond Chassis, Lucas Oil, Rauen Precision Machining, Five Star Shop Service, P&W Sales, DP Motorsports, JR Motorsports, Cooper’s Country Meat Packers, Papich Construction, Midwest Sheet Metal, DriveWFX.com and MSR Mafia Marketing Services.

For more information on Stuckey Enterprises and Black Diamond Race Cars, please visit www.StuckeyCars.com .