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Hughes Seeks
Win Wearing Weiland Spoiler in Wichita
A familiar face and
formidable force sits atop the points as the Summit
USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt
invades the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., this
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 20-22, for the
inaugural Ed Gressel Memorial.
Jason Hughes has
been the leadder of the pack many times in his storied
career, winding up atop the standings at season's end
four times. He captured his first Summit USMTS National
Championship in 2010 and repeated the feat in 2015.
Hughes returned to win all three regional titles in
2016 and led the points through all but one night during
the first 16 events in 'The Hunt.' Once again in 2017,
Hughes won the war to secure his fourth title.
In
the next-to-last event of the 2017 campaign, the
48-year-old chassis builder from Watts, Okla., snared
his 155th career feature win Sept. 3 at the Cresco
Speedway in Cresco. Unbelievable, it was the last time
Hughes stood in victory lane at the conclusion of a
USMTS main event.
Now riding a winless streak of
more than five years, Hughes has not been out of the
picture. In fact, during the time since his last victory
he has amassed more than 40 top-five finishes—eight
times of those occasions winding up in the runner-up
spot.
Nonetheless, Hughes will be sporting the
daiglo orange Weiland Points Leader spoiler when he
leads a pack of hungry leadfoots into the 81 Speedway
this weekend. With seven shows in the books, seven
different drivers have tasted victory. Hughes hopes to
be the next.
Summit USMTS National Championship presented by
RacinDirt
Points standings as of April 19, 2023
1. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. … 558
2. 75
Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo. … 543 (1 win)
3. 60
Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn. … 538 (1 win)
3. 4W
Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark. … 538 (1 win)
5. 0
Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz. … 529
6. 87 Darron Fuqua,
Mayetta, Kan. … 519
7. 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa,
Iowa … 497 (1 win)
8. 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa …
492
9. 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa … 481
10. 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. … 475
Other winners:
Tom Berry Jr., Des Moines, Iowa
(1 win)
Cade Dillard, Robeline, La. (1 win)
Jake
Timm, Winona, Minn. (1 win)
Complete standings at
usmts.com/points.
Racing action kicks off
Thursday paying $3,000 to win the Summit USMTS main
event. Following a $5,000-to-win contest on Friday, the
event reaches a final crescendo paying a $10,000 top
prize on Saturday.
Alongside the USMTS stars on
Thursday night will be the United Rebel Sprint Series
(URSS). The JLR Property Management 316 A-Mods and
AutoTech Service Super Stocks join the fun on Friday.
The Heyglassman.com Stock Cars complete the two-class
card Saturday.
For complete race day information
and a complete 2023 schedule, check out the
FAST FACTS or visit
81speedway.com.
Mel Hambelton Ford
hosts open house: Mel Hambelton Ford in
Wichita, Kansas, invites all race fans, drivers, crew
members and their families to the 3rd Annual USMTS Open
House on Friday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet
your favorite drivers while you enjoy food, fun,
contests and more.
Click here to learn more.
Friday
night live: A perfect blend of country and rock
from the nation's heartland since 2012, the midwest's
most prominent Heartland Rock band, Tequila Ridge will
be playing live music following the races on Friday
night.
Cornhole Tournament: 81
Speedway will host a Cornhole Tournament and silent
auction for door panels on Saturday, April 22. Winners
will receive cornhole boards as prizes.
Click here to register. Space is limited. The cost
is $50 per team and the tournment starts at 10 a.m. for
more information call (316) 304-1454 or email
81speedwayevents@gmail.com.
Kansasland Dash 4 Cash: Competitors can earn
some serious bonus money on Saturday, beginning with the
Kansasland Dash 4 Cash each night. Each night the top 8
drivers in passing points will re-draw to lineup the
eight-lap Dash. If the winner chooses to take the $500
cash prize, he will then start sixth. If he refuses, he
will start on the pole and the Dash runner-up gets
choice. If the runner-up refuses the cash, the money
will be added to the next night's pot.
Friday's
Kansasland Dash 4 Cash amount is $750, so if the
Thursday money is held over then Friday's amount climbs
to $1,250 with the same rules and procedures as
Thursday. On Saturday, the Kansasland Dash 4 Cash is
worth $1,000. If Friday's money is in play, it's worth
$1,750 and if both Thursday and Friday go unclaimed,
then Saturday's prize is worth $2,250.
If the
stars align, Saturday's top prize could be $12,250.
Thanks to Kansasland Tire, Rock Island Recycling, Duvall
Electric and McCowan Farms for making this special award
happen.
But wait, there's more:
VP Racing Fuels-Heartland is adding incentives to
driver's in Saturday's main event. If the driver who
starts 2nd wins, hey will get an extra $200 in honor of
the Gressel Racing No. 2G driven by Brandon Givens. If
the driver who starts 19th wins, he will get an extra
$1,900 in honor of the No. 19R driven by Ryan Gustin. If
the driver who starts 25th wins, he will get and extra
$2,500 in honor of the No. 25 driven by Scott Green.
The Ed Gressel Memorial will feature a special
one-of-a-kind victory lane banner. The 10x20 sign will
autographed by USMTS drivers, and then after Saturday's
finale one lucky person will take the banner home.
Proceeds will go to the choice of Ed's widow, Cinde
Gressel. Bidding starts Thursday.
Adam Gressel will offer a $1,000 cash award for
Saturday's FK Rod Ends Hard Charger Award winner, which
makes the award a total of $1,100. On top of that,
former crew member for Gressel Racing going all the way
back to Scott Green, Joe Wright is putting up $800 for
the longest tow to the event—$200 each to the farthesst
travelers from east, north, south and west.
Even
more 'Reaper Madness' ensues as Chris Sutton with the
RPM Speedway in Hays, Kan., has a crisp $100 bill for
the 19th-place finisher in honor of the Gressel Racing
No. 19R driven by Gustin, who garnered two Summit USMTS
National Championships while driving for Gressel Racing.
Competitor & Pit Information: Line
up boards are located at the pit shack, BillsBuilt parts
building and in front of the watch stand on the outside
of turn 4. You can also find lineups on MyRacePass and
listen to the announcer by tuning to FM 95.7 on your
radio.
Officials at the 81 Speedway have recently
installed pit stall markers along the pit perimeter
fence. They are black strips that are the full height of
the fence. Please center your rig on these markers to
help us park the rigs more efficiently. Do not park long
rigs directly behind the pit grandstands as this causes
congestion on pit road.
There are plenty of trash
cans in the pit area, so please use them. Trash will be
picked up Friday morning and Saturday morning. Do not
leave used tires. There are two used oil receptacles—one
is located off of turn 1 and one is located off the
backstretch. Use these—do not put oil in the trash cans.
Concessions are available in pits from cart that
travels around the pit area, and at the BillsBuilt parts
store. When visiting the grandstands from the pits, use
the walk gate at south end. The north gate at turn 4
will be locked.
Watch every USMTS event online
live and on-demand from anywhere on any device with
RacinDirt. Download the app at
Roku,
Amazon Fire,
iOS,
Apple TV or on
Google Play.
Visit
usmts.com for
schedules,
points,
photos,
souvenirs,
videos and more. Follow our social media channels on
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter and
YouTube.
Click here to get USMTS news delivered to your
inbox.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS:
American Racer Racing Tires,
Beyea Headers,
Callies Performance Products,
Chevrolet Performance,
Fast Shafts,
FK Rod Ends,
KSE Racing Products,
Malvern Bank,
Mesilla Valley Transportation,
Nitroquest Media,
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain,
RacinDirt,
Summit Racing Equipment,
Super Clean,
VP Racing,
Wieland.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS:
ARMI Contractors,
Boomtest Well Service,
Boubin Tire & Automotive,
Brodix Cylinder Heads,
Collins Brothers Towing,
D&T Marriott Enterprise, LLC,
DAY Motorsports,
Duvall Electric,
Gunshepherd.com,
Hacienda Mechanical,
Kenny's Tile,
Mel Hambelton Racing,
Midwest Wrap Co.,
Miller Welders,
PBM Performance Products,
Rancho Milagro Racing,
S&S Fishing & Rental,
Salty's BBQ & Catering,
Shocker Hitch,
Shop Quik Stores,
YouDirt.com.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS:
AERO Race Wheels,
AFCO Racing Products,
Allstar Performance,
BigDeal Car Care,
Bryke Racing,
BSB Manufacturing,
Champ Pans,
Deatherage Opticians,
Edelbrock,
Hooker Harness,
Hyperco,
Integra Racing Shocks and Springs,
JE Pistons,
K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports,
Keyser Manufacturing,
MD3,
MSD Performance,
Penske Racing Shocks,
Performance Bodies & Parts,
QA1,
Quarter Master,
RacerWebsite.com,
Real Racing Wheels,
Simpson Performance Products,
Swift Springs,
Sybesma Graphics,
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products,
Wilwood Racing.
USMTS RACETRACKS:
81 Speedway,
Ark-La-Tex Speedway,
Arrowhead Speedway,
Cedar Lake Speedway,
Deer Creek Speedway,
Fayette County Speedway,
Hamilton County Speedway,
Humboldt Speedway,
I-70 Speedway,
Lakeside Speedway,
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track,
Lucas Oil Speedway,
Mason City Motor Speedway,
Ogilvie Raceway,
Rocket Raceway Park.
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Contact Info:
Jeff Nun
Chief Communications Officer
United States Modified Touring Series, Inc. (USMTS)
1715 W 2nd St, PO Box 905
Webster City, IA 50595
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