Sanders Finds
His Happy Place with 113th USMTS Triumph
With a flawless performance from the 16th starting spot,
Rodney Sanders needed just 18 laps to secure the lead
and eventually his 113th career Summit USMTS main event
win on Thursday during the 20th Annual LRS Waste
Services USMTS Southern Minnesota Spring Challenge at
the Deer Creek Speedway.
The high-banked 3/8-mile
clay oval nestled in the rolling hills of Spring Valley,
Minnesota, delivered once again as it has so many times
with a night full of high-speed ups and downs, capped
off by a thrilling finish.
The 33-year-old native
of Happy, Texas—now residing about a half hour away in
Kasson, Minnesota—worked the high side of ‘The Creek’ to
perfection. He got a little help from his unfortunate
friends at the front of the field just past the halfway
point, and then fought back the challenges from Jim
Chisholm to net the $3,000 winner’s paycheck.
“It
feels good. It seems like a long time since we won one,”
said Sanders whose last win happened last August in the
series debut at the I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri.
“We’ve been close and I feel like we’ve been knocking on
the door here for a while, but you know it feels good…
coming from 16th it means a lot.”
The USMTS
returns to the I-70 Speedway for the 2nd Annual
Bushwhacker on August 3. While this time was a bit
shorter, his win there last year also broke a winless
drought of more than a year.
A stout battalion of
28 competitors took the green flag for Thursday’s 30-lap
feature race for the Summit USMTS National Championship
presented by RacinDirt, and the drama kicked in just as
quickly as adrenaline.
Dan Ebert used the Sybesma
Graphics Pole Position to take the lead when the green
flag waved, but after a few position swaps and slide
jobs with Terry Phillips on the opening lap it was
Phillips taking charge the next time around.
Searching for his sixth career win here, Phillips
remained out front and set the pace through lap 17.
Meanwhile, Tyler Wolff was marching from his fourth-row
spot on the starting grid and stole the position from
Phillips as they completed the 18th lap.
Entering
the first turn, Phillips moved to the low side and slid
up to retake the lead, but the pair made contact and
both drivers came crashing to a stop. As the yellow flag
waved, third-running Ebert was unable to avoid the melee
and Al Hejna, who was fourth at the time, also clipped
the accident scene but continued moving.
That
gave the veteran Hejna the pleasure to leading the pack
back to the green flag, but damage from the earlier
crash left ‘The A-Train’ with a less competitive machine
and he slipped back several spots in the first corner.
That opened the door even wider for Sanders. Running
sixth when the hullabaloo began with 12 laps to go, he
wasted no time when racing resumed and bolted into the
lead using the high side of the perfectly-prepped racing
surface.
However, Sanders had his hands full with
Jim Chisholm—a two-time USMTS winner at Deer Creek and
the track’s winningest driver over the last four
years—with Chisholm clinging to the short way around the
racetrack.
Despite his best efforts, Chisholm
followed Sanders to the checkered flag as ‘The Rocket’
recorded his 113th career victory and 12th at the Deer
Creek Speedway.
“I felt like that top was getting
a long way around and I was kind of skating on entry,
but I felt like I had straight-away speed,” Sanders
added. “I went pretty hard early and I didn’t know what
I had left for my tire. There’s a lot of tread on it,
but I feel like I got it pretty hot and the car didn't
want to stick as good at the end.”
Next month
will mark the 14th anniversary of Sanders’ first USMTS
victory on June 26, 2009, at the LA Raceway in La Monte,
Missouri.
While Chisholm had to settle for the
runner-up honors, Alex Williamson held his ground and
finished third—right where he started. Points leader
Jake O'Neil—a five-time winner at Deer Creek along with
Phillips and Brandon Davis.
Looking to capture
his first USMTS points crown, O’Neil sprinted from the
22nd starting spot to finish fourth and held on to his
points lead by a mere three points over Sanders who is
seeking his fifth USMTS title.
Not to be outdone,
Davis rebounded from problems in his heat race, came
through a Real Racing Wheels “B” Main and then came from
23rd in the “A” Main to garner the final spot in the top
five.
Jake Timm, Tanner Mullens, Tom Berry Jr.,
Brandon Givens and defending series champ Dustin
Sorensen rounded out the top 10.
Chisholm and
Williamson were the only finishers among the top 10 that
started the 30-lapper inside the top 10. Just another
incredible night at the Deer Creek Speedway.
Action continues with a $5,000-to-win feature on Friday
and a $10,000 top prize for Saturday’s winner. The
Memorial Day Weekend swing of four events culminates
Sunday with the 10th Annual Super Clean War in West
Union and another $10,000-to-win battle at the Fayette
County Speedway in West Union, Iowa.
For its
Silver Anniversary season, the Summit USMTS National
Championship presented by RacinDirt currently features
45 nights of racing at 15 of America's premier dirt
track racing venues in nine states. The winners of those
events are set to earn more than $300,000 with nearly $2
million in purses and prize money earmarked for the 2023
campaign.
Watch every USMTS event online live and
on-demand from anywhere on any device with
RacinDirt. Download the app at
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Google Play.
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OFFICIAL RESULTS United States Modified
Touring Series Summit USMTS National Championship
presented by RacinDirt 20th Annual LRS Waste Services
Southern Minnesota Spring Challenge – Night 1 of 3
Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn. Thursday,
May 25, 2023
Showing finishing
position, starting position in parentheses, car number,
driver and hometown. Heat race lineups are determined
via group qualifying. The top 12 in heat race passing
points advance to the Summit Racing Equipment “A” Main.
SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8
laps): 1. (3) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
2. (4) 45 Chase Holland, Success, Miss. 3. (1) 21K
Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa 4. (5) 28S Dustin Sorensen,
Rochester, Minn. 5. (7) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New
Sharon, Iowa 6. (6) 11X Tom Berry Jr., Des Moines,
Iowa 7. (2) 19 Joe Chisholm, Osage, Iowa 8. (9)
58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla. 9. (8) 7 Cory
Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis. 10. (10) 29D Brad
Dierks, Clarence, Iowa
FAST SHAFTS HEAT
RACE #2 (8 laps): 1. (1) 15W Alex
Williamson, Rushford, Minn. 2. (3) 10C Cayden Carter,
Oskaloosa, Iowa 3. (2) 4TW Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa
4. (6) 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn. 5. (4) 19SB
Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif. 6. (8) 25C Cody
Thompson, Sioux City, Iowa 7. (5) 21 Jacob Bleess,
Chatfield, Minn. 8. (7) 38T Dylan Thornton, Orcutt,
Calif. 9. (9) 96 Taton Hansen, Spicer, Minn.
EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps): 1.
(2) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn. 2. (1) 65 Tyler
Davis, Haysville, Kan. 3. (5) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake
Shore, Minn. 4. (3) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
5. (6) 28 Parker Hale, Grand Meadow, Minn. 6. (7) 99L
Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis. 7. (4) 4R Dereck
Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. 8. (8) 90 Ryan Wetzstein,
West Concord, Minn. DNS – 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton,
Kan.
WIELAND HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 777 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa 2. (3) 51W J.T.
Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn. 3. (6) 4W Tyler Wolff,
Fayetteville, Ark. 4. (7) 10B Brandon Givens,
Wichita, Kan. 5. (8) 98M Mitchel Madery, Kasson,
Minn. 6. (9) 16B Randy Brown, Chowchilla, Calif.
7. (1) K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill. 8. (5) 99 Josh
Angst, Winona, Minn. 9. (4) 50III Brandon Davis,
Hayfield, Minn.
VP RACING HEAT RACE #5 (8
laps): 1. (1) 75 Terry Phillips,
Springfield, Mo. 2. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy,
Texas 3. (3) 2 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan. 4.
(5) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn. 5. (6) 49 Jake
Timm, Winona, Minn. 6. (8) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El
Paso, Texas 7. (4) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz. 8.
(9) 90B Daniel Bargender, Menomonie, Wis. 9. (7) 87
Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
REAL RACING
WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (1) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn. 2. (4) 2
Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan. 3. (3) 10B Brandon
Givens, Wichita, Kan. 4. (6) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New
Sharon, Iowa 5. (2) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
6. (16) 50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn. 7. (9)
99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis. 8. (5) 21K
Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa 9. (11) 19 Joe Chisholm,
Osage, Iowa 10. (8) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso,
Texas 11. (10) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
12. (15) 7 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis. 13.
(13) 90 Ryan Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn. 14. (12)
90B Daniel Bargender, Menomonie, Wis. 15. (14) 96
Taton Hansen, Spicer, Minn. 16. (7) 19SB Lance Mari,
El Centro, Calif.
REAL RACING WHEELS “B”
MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 6 advance): 1. (1) 20
Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas 2. (3) 4TW Tim Ward,
Harcourt, Iowa 3. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (8) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn. 5. (10) 0
Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz. 6. (9) 99 Josh Angst,
Winona, Minn. 7. (7) 25C Cody Thompson, Sioux City,
Iowa 8. (13) 38T Dylan Thornton, Orcutt, Calif. 9.
(12) K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill. 10. (15) 87
Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan. 11. (2) 28 Parker Hale,
Grand Meadow, Minn. 12. (11) 58X Gary Christian,
Broken Bow, Okla. 13. (4) 98M Mitchel Madery, Kasson,
Minn. 14. (16) 29D Brad Dierks, Clarence, Iowa 15.
(14) 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan. 16. (6) 16B Randy
Brown, Chowchilla, Calif.
SUMMIT RACING
EQUIPMENT “A” MAIN (30 laps): 1. (16) 20
Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas 2. (6) 24C Jim Chisholm,
Osage, Iowa 3. (3) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford,
Minn. 4. (22) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz. 5. (23)
50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn. 6. (14) 49 Jake
Timm, Winona, Minn. 7. (15) 02 Tanner Mullens,
Wichita, Kan. 8. (13) 11X Tom Berry Jr., Des Moines,
Iowa 9. (17) 10B Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan. 10.
(12) 28S Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn. 11. (8) 95
Keith Foss, Winona, Minn. 12. (24) 99 Josh Angst,
Winona, Minn. 13. (19) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New
Sharon, Iowa 14. (20) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
15. (11) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn. 16.
(27) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan. 17. (2) 75 Terry
Phillips, Springfield, Mo. 18. (1) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake
Shore, Minn. 19. (25) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward,
Okla. 20. (9) 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn.
21. (4) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa 22. (18) 4TW Tim
Ward, Harcourt, Iowa 23. (10) 10C Cayden Carter,
Oskaloosa, Iowa 24. (28) 58X Gary Christian, Broken
Bow, Okla. 25. (5) 45 Chase Holland, Success, Miss.
26. (26) K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill. 27. (7) 4W
Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark. 28. (21) 65 Tyler
Davis, Haysville, Kan.
Lap Leaders:
Ebert 1, Phillips 2-17, Wolff 18, Sanders 19-30.
Total Laps Led: Phillips 16, Sanders
12, Ebert 1, Wolff 1. Margin of Victory:
0.662 second. Time of Race:
21 minutes, 57.762 seconds (3 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Ramirez, Krup.
Emergency Provisionals: Fuqua,
Christian. FK Rod Ends Hard Charger:
O’Neil (started 22nd, finished 4th). Entries:
46. Next Race:
Friday-Saturday, May 26-27, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring
Valley, Minn. Summit USMTS National
Championship Points: O'Neil 1191, Sanders 1188,
Ebert 1132, Hughes 1114, Jim Chisholm 1086, Ramirez
1077, Berry 1074, Phillips 1070, Wolff 1068, Fuqua 1058.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points:
Berry 1074, Krup 1044, Christian 909, Nelson
890, Holland 775. FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard
Charger Points: O'Neil 75, Sanders 61, Givens
57, Joe Chisholm 54, Hughes 46. Miller
Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points:
MBCustoms 107, Mullens 103, Hughes 84, LG2 83,
VanderBuilt 74. Callies/JE Pistons USMTS
Engine Builder of the Year Points: Cornett 112,
Mullins 109, Stoen 100, Hatfield 94, ProPower 78, KSE
78.
Contingency Awards: Aero
Race Wheels – B. Davis. American Racer – Mullens.
Beyea Custom Headers – O’Neil. BigDeal Car Care –
Sanders, B. Davis. Bryke Racing – Wasmund. BSB
Manufacturing – Hejna. Champ Pans – B. Davis.
Collins Brothers Towing – Wolff. Deatherage Opticians
– Angst. Edelbrock – Foss. Fast Shafts –
Williamson. FK Rod Ends – O’Neil. Hooker Harness –
Angst. Hyperco – Wolff. Integra Racing Shocks &
Springs – Ebert. Keyser Manufacturing – Sorensen.
KSE Racing Products – O’Neil. MD3 – Phillips. Mel
Hambelton Racing – Jim Chisholm. Mesilla Valley
Transportation – R. Brown. Midwest Wrap Co. – Ward.
MSD Performance – Williamson. Penske Racing Shocks –
VanderBeek. PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Dierks.
QA1 – Jim Chisholm. Quarter Master – Givens.
RacerWebsite.com – Holland. Salty’s BBQ & Catering –
B. Davis. Simpson Performance Products – Jim
Chisholm. Summit Racing Equipment – Angst, B. Davis,
Dierks, Kirk, Hale. Super Clean – Sanders. Swift
Springs – Berry, Williamson, Sanders. Sybesma
Graphics – Ebert. VP Racing – Sanders. Wehrs
Machine & Racing Products – Dierks. Willy's Carb &
Dyno Shop – Berry. Wilwood Disc Brakes – Mullens.
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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, Willy’s
Carb & Dyno Shop, 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.
##
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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