WHEATLAND, Mo. – The Lucas Oil MLRA Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year leader is far from a racing newcomer.

Jeremiah Hurst, a 44-year-old from Dubuque, Iowa, has been an accomplished racer for years. Included on his resume is the 2018 IMCA Late Model National Championship and a runner-up in 2019.

But this season has been an entirely new challenge for Hurst – and a pretty successful one.

Hurst continues his pursuit of MLRA top rookie honors, along with the series’ overall championship, at Saturday night’s MLRA Ron Jenkins Memorial Presented by Rugged Radios at Lucas Oil Speedway. Winner of the 40-lap feature will earn $5,000, plus an additional $1,000 courtesy of Mary Jenkins, widow of Ron Jenkins who built the original Wheatland Raceway.

In his fourth season driving for Roberts Motorsports – but first in open Late Models – Hurst has four top-five finishes and eight top-10s in 12 MLRA events. He’s third overall in series points, 145 behind leader Payton Looney of Republic, Mo., with seven races remaining. Two-time MLRA champion and fellow Iowan Chad Simpson is 25 points in front of Hurst.

“It’s been good … a little bit up and down,” Hurst said of his season. “But lately we’ve been having good runs. That’s all I can ask for. As long as we’re getting better, that’s good.

“It’s pretty eye-opening,” he added of stepping up to the open Late Model ranks. “I knew it would be different, but I didn’t think it would be that different. And it is quite different. Your car has to be pretty much spot-on to be up front.”

Hurst mentioned maintaining momentum in the more-powerful motors and figuring out the right combinations of tires and shock packages as keys. Having Garrett Alberson as a teammate has been helpful in making the transition.

“He’s already been around it and that’s been helpful for us,” Hurst said. “I think otherwise we probably would not have had as good a year as we have going. We eventually would have got it, but it helped our program get better right away.

“He’s really kind of a quiet and (thoughtful) guy,” Hurst said of Alberson. “When he gets out of the car he’s already thinking of ways to get his car better and my car better. I definitely like that part of it.”

Hurst has used a seven-week break between MLRA races as a chance to race tracks he’s familiar with in the eastern Iowa and western Illinois region and has picked up a couple of wins. He hopes to continue those good vibes this weekend, at Wheatland and then on Sunday for the second annual Scottie 46 at Randolph County Raceway in Moberly.

Overtaking Looney might be a longshot, but Hurst figures it’s already been a solid season in his No. 58 Black Diamond that can become even better with a strong finish.

“I wanted to win that Lucas (MLRA) rookie deal, not tear up a bunch of equipment and be competitive,” Hurst said of his preseason goals. “I wanted to gain some respect and not be seen as a dirty driver … just try to get better in all aspects of the game.

“I’ve points raced my entire life. I’m used to it and if things come down to a couple of points here or there, I think I can handle the pressure. We’ll see, I guess.”