Morgan Bagley, a graduate of Pine Tree High School, is a Late Model Series dirt-track racer. He will be competing in the Fourth Annual High Banks Havoc World of Outlaws event Friday at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore. (Courtesy photo)

LIBERTY CITY — A grueling schedule including 70 to 80 events a year keeps East Texan Morgan Bagley on the road.

But this week gives the Tyler resident a chance to sleep in his own bed.

It will be a homecoming of sorts as Bagley will compete in the Fourth Annual $10,000 High Banks Havoc World of Outlaws Late Model Series at Lone Star Speedway.

Bagley will be among the anticipated 35-plus competitors on the series known as “NASCAR on dirt.”

A driver who’s spent much of the past seven years traveling across the country is excited about racing closer to home.

“We spend so much time on the road and we don’t get the opportunity to race around home much,” Bagley, a 2005 Pine Tree High School graduate, said. “I am really glad that Sam Hafertepe brought the series back to Lone Star this year and I would love to have a good run here in front of the home fans … friends that don’t get to see our 14m, P&W Sales, Gotta Race sponsored Rocket Chassis race regularly.”

Known as “MoBags” among the circuit since 2011, Bagley and his crew of Nick Hover, Jay Bohannon and Matt McCrimmon are set for their 18th event of the year.

After Friday’s event, Bagley and his crew will head to I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday.

The World of Outlaws Series has a total of 48 events in 20 states and two Canadian provinces.

Bagley is now in his fourth year competing on the competitive dirt late-model circuit. This year marks his second season on the World of Outlaws tour after claiming a regional series title in 2011 and running an open schedule in 2012.

Currently the 18th-ranked driver in the nation (www.4m.net), Bagley has one win this season, a regional series event (P&W SUPR Series) in the Texas World Dirt Track Championship at Texas Motor Speedway’s Dirt Track earlier this month in Fort Worth. He was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year battle on the World of Outlaws tour in 2013, and finished seventh in the season points standings.

“I drive for some great car owners in Wayman and Kay McMillan, and they are providing the means for me to live my dream,” Bagley said on Tuesday while tweaking his No. 14m car at his Liberty City shop. “We have an awesome crew and, despite the fact that this is an extremely competitive form of racing, we are making strides … (we) really seem to be turning the corner at this level.

“We have set some high goals for 2014, and I am excited to see what our second year on the tour holds.”

Bagley exploded onto the late-model scene by winning the 2011 SUPR Series Rookie of the Year, points champion honors and a victory at the 2012 $10,000 Bill Cheesebourg Memorial in Tucson, Ariz. He also was fourth in the 2012 Pelican 100 in Vivian, La.

Bagley started racing go-karts in Quitman in 1993 and that led to his first win. He got a full-fledged racing bug that stayed with go-karts through his early teen years.

His father, Ronnie Bagley, and some sponsors had a car, so the young wheelman got an opportunity to drive. Bagley eventually moved up to open wheeled modified cars. A big win ignited his love for racing even more while taking top honors at the Turkey Nationals in 2005.

“A few years back, we knew we wanted to head for more success at the national level,” Wayne Harris, Team 14’s public relations director, said. “Morgan possesses a ton of ability as a driver, has an awesome crew and family supporting him. … Rest assured, you will hear ‘MoBags’ name mentioned alongside those national heavy hitters like (Darrell) Lanigan, (Josh) Richards, (Scott) Bloomquist and (Billy) Moyer, to name a few, one day in the not-so-distant future.”

The team competes in World of Outlaws (WoO Series), Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) events as well as other crown jewels across the country, including the $100,000 Dream race at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway (Allen Township, Ohio) in June.

Sporting the sponsor backing has led to great equipment, and the car owner has made a substantial investment to get Morgan to this point. With the addition of a few marketing partners, the team will continue to venture out even more, adding additional events and televised races to its already hectic 10 1/2 month schedule.

Notes: Grandstands open at 4 p.m. (no outside food or drink allowed through ticket gate). … Advance reserved tickets on sale through today at www.darinshort.com/woo.html for $30 (adult), $28 (senior/active military) and $15 (children 11 & under). Track officials said there are no transaction fees for online purchases. … General admission (sold on race day only) is $25 (adults), $10 (children ages 11 & under) and $23 (seniors/active military). … The track address: 3131 Farm-to-Market 1252, Kilgore, 75662. Phone (Race Day) 903-986-9731. Before Friday, email questions to contact@lonestarspeedway.com or post on the Lone Star Facebook page.