Sanders sails to ARMI Salute to Veterans victory at Salina Highbanks Speedway

jdearing

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PRYOR CREEK, Okla. (Aug. 17)--Rodney Sanders had 93 United States Modified Touring Series victories under his belt coming into the 7th Annual ARMI Salute To Our Veterans presented by Bryke Racing, but none at the Salina Highbanks Speedway.

That all changed Saturday night as the 29-year-old from Happy, Texas, notched his first triumph at the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval in Pryor Creek, Okla., and 94th of his USMTS career with a dominating performance.

Sanders had the worst draw of the 34 entries but charged from ninth on the grid to second at the checkered flag in just eight laps during Fast Shafts Heat Race #2.

Another unfortunate selection saw 'The Sandman' draw the seventh starting spot for the 35-lap main event with multiple heavy-hitters taking the green flag in front of him.

He fell back to eighth by the end of the first lap while pole-sitter Hunter Marriott took off and set a furious pace up front, but Sanders disposed of Willie Gammill on lap 2 and screamed past both Jason Hughes and Jake O'Neil one lap later to move up to fifth.

Meanwhile, up front Marriott was working to hold back the challenges from Dereck Ramirez who was hoping to improve on his back-to-back runner-up finishes the previous two nights.

Sanders got around Chad Wheeler for the fourth position with six laps in the books, and then worked his way around Tyler Wolff for third on lap 10 and began to reel in the lead duo.

With Sanders closing the gap, Ramirez got by Marriott to grab the lead with 19 complete and Sanders followed into second the next time around.

By lap 22, Sanders was all over the rear bumper of Ramirez and powered ahead to lead the 23rd lap. With the yellow flag remaining holstered for the entire feature race, Sanders disappeared over the final 13 circuits and rolled to a $3,000 payday plus an additional $100 for earning the FK Rod Ends Hard Charger Award.

For most dirt modified racers, finishing second in a USMTS main event is the second-best feeling in the sport. But for Ramirez, it may feel like a cruel joke. Saturday's second-place effort was the sixth bridesmaid in his last eight starts.

Marriott held on for third with Wolff and Ryan Gustin completing the top five. Sixth through tenth at the finish line Hughes, O'Neil, Terry Phillips, Mitch Keeter and Chad Wheeler.

Four More: Another four-night fandango is on tap again next week for the tireless USMTS touring titans. It all starts this Thursday, Aug. 22, with the 13th Annual Casey's General Store Webster City Wrangle presented by AmericInn at the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa, and then on Friday, Aug. 23, the Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa, hosts the 11th Annual Rapid Rumble presented by Wrisco.

On Saturday, Aug. 24, the series ventures to the Nobles County Speedway in Worthington, Minn., for the 9th Annual USMTS Summer Slam presented by Beyea Custom Headers, and the swing wraps up Sunday, Aug. 25, with the 10th Annual USMTS Summer Slam and Sandy Benson Memorial presented by Out-Pace Racing Products at the Casino Speedway in Watertown, S.D.

To connect with the United States Modified Touring Series, visit usmts.com. You can also like us on Facebook, visit us on Instagram, follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn and watch us on YouTube. Keep up to speed, get it first and subscribe to USMTS e-News.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Casey's USMTS National Championship powered by Summit
USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup
7th Annual ARMI Salute To Our Veterans presented by Bryke Racing
Salina Highbanks Speedway, Pryor Creek, Okla.
Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019


Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Casey's General Stores "A" Main.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (6) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo.
2. (5) 88 Chad Wheeler, Muskogee, Okla.
3. (3) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
4. (1) 26 Brian Williams, Fayetteville, Ark.
5. (4) 15 George Martin, Fort Smith, Ark.
6. (7) 17 Brandon Dean (R), Sapulpa, Okla.
7. (9) 00 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo.
8. (8) 10h Randy Henson, Alma, Ark.
9. (2) 8c Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 7 Willie Gammill, Colcord, Okla.
2. (9) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
3. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
4. (4) 19sb Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif.
5. (8) 34 Jared Russell (R), Muskogee, Okla.
6. (1) 8 Jeremy Vaughn (R), Pocola, Okla.
7. (7) 71 Jim Body, Diamond, Mo.
8. (3) 84c Craig Yeoman (R), Diamond, Mo.
9. (5) 30 Joel Hill (R), Tulsa, Okla.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (5) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
3. (1) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (7) 52 Mitch Keeter, Webb City, Mo.
5. (4) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.
6. (3) 91 Greg Skaggs, Broken Arrow, Okla.
7. (2) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo.
8. (6) 73 Jay Arnold (R), Haskell, Okla.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (4) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (8) 4w Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
3. (1) 84 John Yeoman (R), Joplin, Mo.
4. (6) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
5. (5) 13 Jonathon Beyer (R), Inola, Okla.
6. (7) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
7. (2) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
8. (3) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas.

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (3) 19sb Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif.
2. (4) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.
3. (2) 34 Jared Russell (R), Muskogee, Okla.
4. (1) 84 John Yeoman (R), Joplin, Mo.
5. (7) 00 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo.
6. (6) 8 Jeremy Vaughn (R), Pocola, Okla., Hughes/BMS, $90.
7. (11) 8c Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo., GRT/Cornett, $90.
8. (5) 17 Brandon Dean (R), Sapulpa, Okla., Skyrocket/Warrior, $75.
9. (8) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo.
10. (9) 10h Randy Henson, Alma, Ark., Extreme/Mullins, $75.
11. (10) 73 Jay Arnold (R), Haskell, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $75.

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
2. (2) 26 Brian Williams, Fayetteville, Ark.
3. (8) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
4. (3) 15 George Martin, Fort Smith, Ark.
5. (6) 91 Greg Skaggs, Broken Arrow, Okla.
6. (4) 13 Jonathon Beyer (R), Inola, Okla.
7. (10) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas, WFRC/KPE, $75.
8. (11) 30 Joel Hill (R), Tulsa, Okla., RaceCraft/BMS, $75.
9. (5) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
10. (7) 71 Jim Body, Diamond, Mo., Shaw/Yeoman, $75.
11. (9) 84c Craig Yeoman (R), Diamond, Mo., Hoffman/Yeoman, $75.

CASEY'S GENERAL STORES "A" MAIN (35 laps):
1. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, 35, $3100.
2. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 35, $1700.
3. (1) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE, 35, $1100.
4. (4) 4w Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/Hill, 35, $900.
5. (9) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/TriStar, 35, $800.
6. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $700.
7. (5) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, 35, $650.
8. (12) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 35, $600.
9. (10) 52 Mitch Keeter, Webb City, Mo., GRT/Yeoman, 35, $400.
10. (2) 88 Chad Wheeler, Muskogee, Okla., MBCustoms/Durham, 35, $500.
11. (6) 7 Willie Gammill, Colcord, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 34, $325.
12. (14) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jet/Speedway, 34, $425.
13. (11) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/Hill, 34, $400.
14. (17) 34 Jared Russell (R), Muskogee, Okla., Hughes/Thomas, 34, $250.
15. (15) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn., MBCustoms/ChevPerf, 34, $350.
16. (13) 19sb Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif., MRT/Yeoman, 34, $325.
17. (18) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark., Hughes/Kelly, 34, $300.
18. (21) 00 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo., Shaw/Yeoman, 34, $250.
19. (22) 91x Greg Skaggs, Broken Arrow, Okla., Rage/ChevPerf, 34, $250.
20. (24) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M., AOS/AOS, 34, $300.
21. (20) 15 George Martin, Fort Smith, Ark., MBCustoms/Bob's, 33, $250.
22. (19) 84 John Yeoman (R), Joplin, Mo., Hoffman/Yeoman, 33, $250.
23. (16) 26 Brian Williams, Fayetteville, Ark., Hughes/Mullins, 33, $250.
24. (23) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo., GRT/Eagle, 21, $300.
25. (25) 13 Jonathon Beyer (R), Inola, Okla., Mack/Shinook, 16, $250.

(R) = Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender

Lap Leaders: Marriott 1-18, Ramirez 19-22, Sanders 23-35.
Total Laps Led: Marriott 18, Sanders 13, Ramirez 4.
Margin of Victory: 2.96 seconds.
Time of Race: 11 minutes, 3.113 seconds. (no cautions).
Provisional Starters: Striegel, Ray, Beyer (track).
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Sanders (advanced 13 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Sanders (started 7th, finished 1st).
Entries: 34.
Next Race: Thursday, Aug. 22, Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa.
Casey's USMTS National Championship Points: Sanders 2732, Ramirez 2548, Marriott 2415, Gustin 2226, Phillips 2215, O'Neil 2089, Zack VanderBeek 1712, Striegel 1706, Kates 1700, Duvall 1471.
USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup Points: Sanders 850, Ramirez 843, Marriott 784, Phillips 764, Saurer 549, Striegel 544, Gustin 539, Kates 536, O'Neil 519, Mari 494.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Marriott 2048, Striegel 1571, Dustin Hodges 584, Carlos Ahumada Jr. 549, Nathan Hagar 415.
USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 250, Hughes 246, GRT 186, Rage 185, LG2 170.
USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Hatfield 224, Cornett 212, KSE 162, Durham 151, TriStar 121.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer - Nicholas.
Beyea Custom Headers - Wolff.
Bryke Racing - Saurer.
BSB Manufacturing - Martin.
Casey's General Stores - C. Yeoman.
Champ Pans - Gustin.
Deatherage Opticians - Tanner.
E3 Spark Plugs - Marriott.
Edelbrock - Hughes.
Eibach - Sanders.
Fast Shafts - Gammill.
FK Rod Ends - Sanders.
Hooker Harness - Duvall.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs - Jolly.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts - Nicholas.
K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports - Vaughn.
Keyser Manufacturing - Wheeler.
KSE Racing Products - Keeter.
Maxima Racing Oils - Sanders.
Out-Pace Racing Products - Mari.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain - Striegel.
QA1 - Phillips.
RacerWebsite.com - Sanders.
Simpson Performance Products - Marriott.
Swift Springs - Sanders, Wheeler.
Sybesma Graphics - Marriott.
Tire Demon - Gammill.
VP Racing Fuels - Sanders.
Wilwood Disc Brakes - O'Neil.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Casey's General Stores, Chevrolet Performance, CP-Carrillo, Deatherage Opticians, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts, K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports, KSE Racing Products, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, MSD, MyRacePass, Nitroquest Media, Pace Performance, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt.com, RacingJunk.com, Snickers, Spike Hardcore Energy, Summit Racing Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco Industries.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, Eagle Moon Farm, Impact RaceGear, PBM Performance Products, RACEceiver, Rancho Milagro Racing, River's Edge Scrap Management, Tony Moro Powder Coat, Top of the World Ranch, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: 905 Ink, AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, E3 Spark Plugs, Edelbrock, Forty9 Designs, Genesis Racing Shocks, Hooker Harness, Hyperco, Integra Racing Shocks and Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, Maxima Racing Oils, Out-Pace Racing Products, QA1, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Tire Demon, Wilwood Racing.

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