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O'Neil nabs eighth USMTS win at Mississippi Thunder Speedway
The Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt was back in action Friday in Fountain City, Wis., for the 8th Annual End of Summer Bash at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway.
Jake O’Neil came into the show with a series-best seven wins during the 2022 campaign, and earned the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award following heat race action.
With reigning USMTS National Champion Dereck Ramirez getting the green flag next to O’Neil in the front row, the pair of Cornett-powered machines made contact in the first corner which gave O’Neil a crumpled right rear quarter panel for the rest of the 42-lapper.
Nonetheless, O’Neil got the best of Ramirez and seized the lead out of the gate, but eight laps later it was another Jake the fans saw take the top spot when Jake Timm powered underneath the Arizona racer to lead lap 9 at the high-banked 1/3-mile dirt oval owned by his dad, Bob Timm.
Timm used the high side in turns 1-2 and the low-to-middle grooves in turns 3-4 to keep O’Neil at arm’s length through the first 18 laps when the lead duo caught the back of the field where ten back-markers-to-be were involved in their own tussles.
Lapped traffic never became a factor though as rain began to fall and the caution flag waved with 20 or 42 laps in the books—two orbits shy of being able to call it a completed race.
Timm, who won here in May during the USMTS Dairyland Showdown, led the field back to the green flag after a 45-minute pause in the action with O’Neil following him around the high side of the racing surface.
A.J. Diemel and Tanner Mullens raced by Ramirez two laps later as O’Neil got by Timm for the lead on lap 27 and the lead duo checked out until they caught lapped traffic on lap 33.
With five to go, Diemel began to challenge Timm for second and took the spot away one lap later. He closed in on O’Neil at the end but fell three car-lengths short as O’Neil got the checkered flag first to grab his eight win of the year and 28th of his USMTS career.
The win was O’Neil’s first at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway and worth $10,000.
Meanwhile, Mullens snuck past Timm for third while points leader Dustin Sorensen rounded out the top five. Lance Mari, Terry Phillips, Jason Hughes, Cayden Carter and Shane DeVolder completed the top ten.
‘The Creek’ awaits on Saturday: With just 11 races left to determine the 2022 USMTS National Champion, four of those are slated for the Deer Creek Speedway in spring Valley, Minn., beginning Saturday with another $10,000-to-win blockbuster. Pits open at 3 p.m., grandstands at 4, hot laps begin at 5:30 and racing starts at 6.
On Sunday, the fast and furious Fayette County Speedway in West Union, Iowa, hosts the USMTS road warriors for the third straight $10,000-to-win clash of the Labor Day Weekend. The pits open at 3 p.m. grandstands at 4, qualifying kicks off at 5:30 and the first green flag flies at 6.
USRA Stock Cars, USRA B-Mods join the card both nights with USRA Hobby Stocks also in action Sunday. Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series national points are up for grabs both nights.
If you can’t be there in person, witness all the action from anywhere on any device with RacinDirt. Watch live and get exclusive content on your desktop, laptop tablet or a suite of apps like Roku, Amazon Fire, iOS, Apple TVGoogle 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.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt
8th Annual End of Summer Bash
Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis.
Friday, Sept. 2, 2022
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. (1) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
2. (2) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
3. (4) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
4. (5) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.
5. (7) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn.
6. (9) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
7. (3) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
8. (6) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
9. (8) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
10. (10) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (3) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (2) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (5) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
4. (1) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
5. (4) 44S Shane DeVolder, Pacifica, Calif.
6. (7) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis.
7. (9) 24 Brandon Dolman, Alexandria, Minn.
8. (8) 38T Dylan Thornton, Santa Maria, Calif.
9. (6) 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn.
10. (10) 16 Dave Schoenberger, Beaver Dam, Wis.
EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (4) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
2. (1) 89 A.J. Diemel, Elk Mound, Wis.
3. (2) 94JR John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis.
4. (5) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
5. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
6. (7) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
7. (8) 51 Chris Oertel, Marshfield, Wis.
8. (6) 56 Colton Horner, Houston, Texas
9. (9) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 45 Nick Stroupe, Iron Station, N.C.
2. (3) 30X Matt Leer, Bruce, Wis.
3. (4) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (1) 2G Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan.
5. (5) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
6. (7) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
7. (6) 21X Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.
8. (8) 28 Parker Hale, Grand Meadow, Minn.
9. (9) 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan.
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
2. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
3. (1) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.
4. (3) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn.
5. (6) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
6. (7) 24 Brandon Dolman, Alexandria, Minn.
7. (9) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
8. (11) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
9. (5) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
10. (10) 56 Colton Horner, Houston, Texas
11. (8) 51 Chris Oertel, Marshfield, Wis.
12. (12) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
13. (13) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (4) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
3. (3) 44S Shane DeVolder, Pacifica, Calif.
4. (2) 2G Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan.
5. (6) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
6. (5) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis.
7. (9) 38T Dylan Thornton, Santa Maria, Calif.
8. (10) 28 Parker Hale, Grand Meadow, Minn.
9. (8) 21X Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.
10. (7) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
11. (13) 16 Dave Schoenberger, Beaver Dam, Wis.
12. (12) 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan.
13. (11) 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT “A” MAIN (42 laps):
1. (1) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (5) 89 A.J. Diemel, Elk Mound, Wis.
3. (7) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
4. (4) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
5. (8) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
6. (11) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
7. (14) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
8. (10) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
9. (16) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
10. (18) 44S Shane DeVolder, Pacifica, Calif.
11. (15) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
12. (12) 94JR John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis.
13. (23) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
14. (17) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.
15. (24) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
16. (21) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
17. (2) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
18. (13) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
19. (19) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn.
20. (20) 2G Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan.
21. (3) 30X Matt Leer, Bruce, Wis.
22. (22) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
23. (6) 45 Nick Stroupe, Iron Station, N.C.
24. (25) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
25. (9) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
Lap Leaders: O’Neil 1-8, Timm 9-26, O’Neil 27-42.
Total Laps Led: O’Neil 24, Timm 18.
Margin of Victory: 1.038 seconds.
Time of Race: 11 minutes, 47.1 seconds (no cautions, 45-minute rain delay at lap 20).
Provisional Starters: VanderBeek, Ebert.
Emergency Provisional: Bleess.
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: DeVolder (started 18th, finished 10th).
Entries: 38.
Next Race: Saturday, Sept. 3, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Summit USMTS National Championship Points: Sorensen 2496, Mullens 2446, Ramirez 2361, Phillips 2324, Sanders 2270, VanderBeek 2223, Hughes 2136, Ebert 2123, O'Neil 2059, Fuqua 1953.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Carter 1937, Brown 1766, DeVolder 1751, Thornton 1679, Horner 1442.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 252, Mullens 213, Hughes 204, VanderBuilt 178, GRT 163.
Compstar/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Cornett 218, Action 186, Stoen 178, Mullens 165, Durham 153.
Contingency Awards:
American Racer – Clark.
Beyea Custom Headers – Timm.
BigDeal Car Care – O’Neil, Diemel.
Bryke Racing – Ebert.
BSB Manufacturing – Leer.
Champ Pans – Sorensen.
Deatherage Opticians – Foss.
Edelbrock – Timm.
Fast Shafts – O’Neill.
FK Rod Ends – DeVolder.
Hooker Harness – Doelle.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Wasmund.
Keyser Manufacturing – DeVolder.
KS Engineering – Sanders.
KSE Racing Products – Carter.
Mel Hambelton Ford Racing – Diemel.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Stroupe.
Midwest Wrap Co. – Fuqua.
MSD Performance – Stroupe.
Penske Racing Shocks – VanderBeek.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Bleess.
QA1 – Mullens.
RacerWebsite.com – Schoenberger.
Simpson Performance Products – Mullens.
Summit Racing Equipment – Foss, Lavasseur, Stroupe, Wasmund.
Super Clean – O’Neil.
Swift Springs – DeVolder, O’Neil, Diemel.
Sybesma Graphics – O’Neill.
Tire Demon – Hejna.
VP Racing Fuels – O’Neil.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Nelson.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Ramirez.
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Beyea Headers, Chevrolet Performance, Compstar, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, Intercomp, K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports, KS Engineering, KSE Racing Products, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, MSD Performance, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt, Summit Racing Equipment, Super Clean, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco Industries.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ARMI Contractors, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, DAY Motorsports, Hacienda Mechanical, Mel Hambelton Racing, Midwest Wrap Co., Miller Welders, PBM Performance Products, Rancho Milagro Racing, RHRSwag.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, Salty's BBQ & Catering, YouDirt.com.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, BigDeal Car Care, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Deatherage Opticians, Edelbrock, Hooker Harness, Integra Racing Shocks and Springs, JE Pistons, Keyser Manufacturing, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies & Parts, QA1, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Tire Demon, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Racing.
USMTS RACETRACKS: 81 Speedway, Arrowhead Speedway, Belleville High Banks, Casino Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Chateau Speedway, Dallas County Speedway, Deer Creek Speedway, Fayette County Speedway, Humboldt Speedway, I-70 Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Lucas Oil Speedway, Mason City Motor Speedway, Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Ogilvie Raceway, Red Dirt Raceway, Rocket Raceway Park, Tri-State Speedway, Winneshiek Raceway.
