KANSAS CITY, Kan.-The USMTS Casey’s Cup Series powered by S&S Fishing & Rental kicked off the month of May at the Lakeside Speedway Friday night with a stacked field featuring the Best of the Best in dirt modified racing.
The cream of the crop usually rises to the top, and two drivers-Terry Phillips and Rodney Sanders-continued their stranglehold at the top of the heap when the United States Modified Touring Series invades the historic 4/10-mile Kansas City clay oval.
Just like he did last August, Phillips fought off the challenges of Sanders to pocket the $3,000 top prize in Friday’s MSD Central Region barnburner.
Things might have been different had Phillips not rebounded from a mishap in his heat race. While battling for fourth, the Springfield, Mo., veteran looped his No. 75 GRT Modified in turn 3, forcing a caution and tagging the rear of the pack.
In a matter of five laps, Phillips weaved his way through the field to garner a runner-up finish behind a long-gone Sanders. It earned him the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award and he redrew the number one starting spot while Sanders drew seventh.
Early on in the 30-lap main event, Grant Junghans gave Phillips all he could handle. While Phillips ran the high line, Junghans scooted the short way around and edged out Phillips for the lead on the second lap.
Phillips regained the lead on the fifth lap, but Junghans came roaring back to regain the top spot with nine laps in the books.
But two laps later, Phillips took control for good and held on through three cautions while Sanders worked his way to a second-place finish.
It was the second straight time Sanders followed Phillips to the checkers at Lakeside after the roles were reversed last July with a Sanders-Phillips one-two finish.
In addition to earning $3,000 for the victory, Phillips also netted a $500 bonus check from Kenny’s Tile and RacinDirt.com. It was his fourth career USMTS win at the Lakeside Speedway-a series best in twelve stops here.
Jason Hughes, who captured the King of America V event a little more than a month ago, continued his string of strong runs as he raced from 20th on the starting grid to third at the checkered flag.
Ryan Gustin maintained his points lead in the MSD Central Region with a fourth-place effort ahead of Johnny Scott. Junghans held on for a solid sixth, followed by Cade Dillard, Darron Fuqua, Jesse Sobbing and Stormy Scott.
The evening kicked off with Karsyn’s Krusaders hosting a pre-race party featuring a raffle, cookout and meet ‘n’ greet with several drivers. Later on, several young cancer survivors served as honorary starters for the feature races and were able to wave the green flag to start the shows.
Special thanks to Ramirez Motorsports, High Maintenance Racewear and Varsity Sports for making the event come to life. To learn more about Karsyn’s Krusaders and help them kick cancer’s butt one lap at a time, visit www.karsynskrusaders.org.
On Saturday, the series returns to the Randolph County Raceway for the first time since 2010. After being shuttered for several seasons, new ownership breathed life back into the former 24 Raceway, and fans across the social media spectrum have been chattering about the USMTS returning to the Moberly, Mo., high banks on May 2.
The first trip to the facility has its place in history as the only USMTS feature to ever end in a tie. Zack VanderBeek and Jon Tesch crossed the finish line in a dead heat, but both the naked eye and photo finish could not determine a clear winner. Both drivers were awarded the victory.
The following season, the USMTS implemented the AMB timing and scoring system for all events, and although dozens have been incredibly close, technology has prevented another split podium. Tesch returned the following year to get the win uncontested.
The last visit in 2010 for the series saw Jason Krohn take the win in a race that was featured on the Dirt Knights docu-drama for a national television audience. Jason Hughes also won here earlier in 2010 with Michael Long taking his first USMTS win here in 2009.
Pit gate opens at 3 p.m., spectator gates open at 5 p.m., hot laps start at 6:30 and racing begins at 7 p.m. Adult grandstand tickets are $20, kids ages 6-14 are $10 and children ages 5 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35.
Race fans looking to save a couple bucks on the price of an adult ticket can pick up $2-off coupons at Casey’s General Stores locations in Higbee, Madison, Moberly and St. Paris.
To find the Casey’s General Store nearest you, visit www.caseys.com/locations. You can also like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CaseysGenStore and follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/caseysgenstore.
The Holley Iron Man Series featuring USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods will also be in action, along with ULMA Late Models, Hobby Stocks and 4-Cylinders.
The Randolph County Raceway is a high-banked 4/10-mile clay oval located 3.5 miles east of US 63 on US 24 (5 miles east of Moberly). For more information, call 660-651-8599 or check out www.randolphcountyraceway.com on the World Wide Web.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.
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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
USMTS Casey’s Cup Series powered by S&S Fishing & Rental – MSD Central Region presented by Day Motor Sports
Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races were locked into the “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.
MSD HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 34 Mark Schafman, Edwardsville, Kan.
2. (5) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
3. (1) 66t Tyler Schmidt, Easton, Kan.
4. (6) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
5. (8) 99 Jesse Sobbing (R), Malvern, Iowa.
6. (7) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
7. (9) 1k Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan.
8. (4) 5* Adam Penn, Shreveport, La.
9. (3) 23k Ben Kates (R), Tonganoxie, Kan.
KARSYN’S KRUSADERS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
2. (8) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
3. (1) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
4. (6) 3b Nic Bidinger, Lawrence, Kan.
5. (9) 68 Kerry Davis, Parkville, Mo.
6. (5) 38 Ronnie Gould III (R), Seminole, Okla.
7. (2) 86d Dagan Heim (R), Rosemount, Minn.
8. (3) 92 Jim Peeler, Trimble, Mo.
9. (7) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (4) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
2. (5) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (2) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
4. (6) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
5. (9) 2 Casey Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D.
6. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
7. (3) 7j Justin Johnson, Gardner, Kan.
8. (8) 96 Danny Barker, Kansas City, Kan.
9. (1) 10 Marc Hurd, Wichita, Kan.
PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (4) 70 Aaron Marrant, Richmond, Mo.
2. (6) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
3. (8) 40 Brian Green (R), Pierce City, Mo.
4. (1) 2 Mike Eisenhunt, Topeka, Kan.
5. (2) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.
6. (7) 21t Lance Town, Louisburg, Kan.
7. (3) 3j Lewis Jackson (R), Wellsville, Kan.
8. (5) 98 Austin Johnson, Kansas City, Mo.
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (3) 2 Casey Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D.
2. (2) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
3. (7) 1k Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan.
4. (6) 21t Lance Town, Louisburg, Kan.
5. (1) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
6. (8) 7j Justin Johnson, Gardner, Kan., GRT/Driskell, $75.
7. (10) 96 Danny Barker, Kansas City, Kan., Impressive/FastLane, $75.
8. (4) 2 Mike Eisenhunt, Topeka, Kan., KRT/Meinholdt, $75.
9. (11) 23k Ben Kates (R), Tonganoxie, Kan.
10. (5) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
11. (12) 10 Marc Hurd, Wichita, Kan., Hughes/Briley, $90.
12. (9) 5* Adam Penn, Shreveport, La., Hughes/Mullins, $90.
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 3b Nic Bidinger, Lawrence, Kan.
2. (11) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
3. (3) 99 Jesse Sobbing (R), Malvern, Iowa.
4. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
5. (2) 68 Kerry Davis, Parkville, Mo.
6. (8) 3j Lewis Jackson (R), Wellsville, Kan., Skyrocket/Driskell, $90.
7. (6) 38 Ronnie Gould III (R), Seminole, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $90.
8. (9) 92 Jim Peeler, Trimble, Mo., Shocker/KSE, $75.
9. (10) 98 Austin Johnson, Kansas City, Mo., BillsBuilt/Yancy’s, $75.
10. (4) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn., Hughes/Grove, $400.
11. (7) 86d Dagan Heim (R), Rosemount, Minn., Shaw/Murgic, $90.
CASEY’S GENERAL STORES “A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. (1) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 30, $3000.
2. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustom/Geddes, 30, $1700.
3. (20) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 30, $1200.
4. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 30, $1000.
5. (2) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., MBCustom/Mullins, 30, $900.
6. (3) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., MBCustom/Sput’s, 30, $800.
7. (15) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., LG2/Geddes, 30, $700.
8. (8) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., Venom/Driskell, 30, $650.
9. (18) 99 Jesse Sobbing (R), Malvern, Iowa, MBCustom/Sput’s, 30, $600.
10. (16) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., LG2/ProPower, 30, $550.
11. (11) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, LG2/Sput’s, 30, $500.
12. (13) 2 Casey Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D., GRT/Durham, 30, $450.
13. (17) 1k Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan., Skyrocket/Millert, 30, $425.
14. (4) 34 Mark Schafman, Edwardsville, Kan., BillsBuilt/Heeter, 30, $325.
15. (14) 3b Nic Bidinger, Lawrence, Kan., Sidebiter/Burlington, 30, $375.
16. (21) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ASI, 30, $400.
17. (23) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo., GRT/Mullins, 30, $400.
18. (19) 21t Lance Town, Louisburg, Kan., Phoenix/Driskell, 30, $300.
19. (10) 66t Tyler Schmidt, Easton, Kan., Hughes/Sput’s, 22, $250.
20. (12) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., LG2/Cornett, 22, $400.
21. (9) 40 Brian Green (R), Pierce City, Mo., MBR/Marti, 19, $300.
22. (5) 70 Aaron Marrant, Richmond, Mo., GRT/Burlington, 18, $300.
23. (24) 23k Ben Kates (R), Tonganoxie, Kan., GRT/Mullins, 17, $300.
24. (22) 68 Kerry Davis, Parkville, Mo., GRT/Sput’s, 6, $250.
(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.
Lap Leaders: Phillips 1, Junghans 2-4, Phillips 5-8, Junghans 9-10, Phillips 11-30.
Total Laps Led: Phillips 25, Junghans 5.
Margin of Victory: 1.146 seconds.
Provisional Starters: Kates, Siebert.
Sybesma Graphics Pole Award: Phillips.
Hard Charger: Hughes (started 20th, finished 3rd).
Entries: 35.
Next Race: Saturday, May 2, Randolph County Raceway, Moberly, Mo.
MSD Central Region Points: Gustin 281, S. Scott 262, Sanders 249, Dillard 239, Ramirez 233, Arneson 219, Foss 213, Junghans 212, Shryock 206, Siebert 204.
Rookie of the Year Points: Sobbing 1118, Austin Arneson 1073, C. Arneson 926, Kates 914, Gould 651.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 119, Durham 103, Geddes 99, Sput’s 93, Cornett 92.
Manufacturers Championship Points: LG2 130, GRT 124, MBCustom 123, Hughes 116, Hilsabeck 56.
Contingency Awards:
AERO Race Wheels – Davis.
Allstar Performance – Fuqua.
American Racer – Schafman.
Beyea Custom Headers – J. Scott.
BSB Manufacturing – Green.
Chix Gear Racewear – Hughes.
Deatherage Opticians – Karrick.
Edelbrock – Fuqua.
Eibach Springs – Arneson.
FK Rod Ends – Bidinger.
Forty9Designs.com – Schafman, Town.
Fuel Safe – Junghans.
GRT Race Cars – Davis.
Hooker Harness – Karrick.
KEVKO Oil Pans & Components – Sobbing.
Keyser Manufacturing – S. Scott.
KSE Racing Products – Fuqua.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Kates.
Midwest Sheet Metal – Foss.
MSD Ignition – Schafman, Phillips.
PBM Performance Products – Marrant, Phillips.
QA1 – Marrant.
R2C Performance Products – Sanders.
Real Racing Wheels – all non-qualifiers.
Sybesma Graphics – Phillips.
Tilton Engineering – Gustin.
VP Racing Fuels – Phillips.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – VanderBeek.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Dillard.
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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Casey’s General Stores, Chix Gear Racewear, COMP Cams, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Fast Shafts, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, Malvern Trust & Savings Bank, MSD, Nitroquest Media Group, RACEceiver, RacinDirt.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, VP Racing Fuels.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Double H Bands, Duvall Electric, ElbowsUp.com, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Olympic Fire Protection, Rivers Edge Scrap Management, Schwab’s Tinker Shop, UMotors Motorsports & Marine, Velocita-USA.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bell Racing Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, BSB Manufacturing, CPD Racing Tools, Crane Cams, Driven Racing Oil, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Holley Performance, Hooker Custom Harness, JRi Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Midwest Sheet Metal, PBM Performance Products, QA1 Precision Products, Quarter Master, R2C Performance, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Sybesma Graphics, Tilton Engineering, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes.