Kent Tucker was eastern and central Nebraska's dominant driver throughout much of the 1970s. The popular farmer from Aurora scored back-to-back Late Model Nationals wins in 1974 and 1975 after a near-miss runner-up finish in the inaugural event in 1973 at the Mid-Nebraska Speedway (then called Mid-Continent Raceways). In addition to numerous track championships at several of Nebraska’s dirt ovals and hundreds of feature wins throughout the Cornhusker State, Tucker was also a threat on any dirt track in any state he visited. When his familiar blue No. 57 pulled through the gate, all bets were off. Among his national driving accomplishments, he claimed the Alta Race Days championship in 1976. Battling some of the best dirt track pilots throughout the Midwest, Tucker claimed the I.M.C.A. Late Model National Championship in 1977. Tucker was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2006.