Fairmont fans see Sanders blast to 120th USMTS win

The outlaw open-wheel modifieds of the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt returned to the Fairmont Raceway for the first time in eight seasons on Thursday as Rodney Sanders netted his third win of 2024.

Gary Christian led the 25-car field to the green flag to start the 25-lap main event with fellow front-row starter Terry Phillips following in his tire tracks.

Two drivers with a combined nine titles filled the second row for the start with five-time and defending USMTS national champ Sanders on the inside and four-time series king Jason Hughes to his right.

Both drivers had a good start as they chased the lead duo but it was Sanders who found his preferred line faster and used the low side of the big half-mile oval to sneak by Phillips for the runner-up spot with five laps in the books.

Two laps later, Sanders gave Christian the same treatment and that was the closest anybody got to ‘The Rocket’ as the 34-year-old from Happy, Texas, led the final 18 laps in the caution-free feature that last just under nine minutes.

“Having a good starting position definitely helps tonight.” Sanders said in Victory Fuel Victory Lane. “I feel like we’ve been kind of off just a little bit, so we threw some stuff at it tonight and definitely felt like we went the right direction.”

Sanders pocketed $3,000 for winning the main event of the 10th Annual USMTS Summer Spectacular powered by Bettin Trucking, and the driver of the No. 20 MB Customs chassis powered by Hatfield Racing Engines registered his 120th career USMTS win in the 20th race of the year.

Phillips was able to get close to Sanders on the final lap and looked for a way around the outside of the leader in the final turn. It gave Jim Chisholm just enough room to slip underneath and snag second-place money at the checkered flag.

Behind the Featherlite Top-3 of Sanders, Chisholm and Phillips, national points leader Jake Timm ended his strong run in fourth after starting eleventh on the grid.

Christian held on for fifth while Brandon Davis, Dan Ebert, Kyle Brown, Tanner Mullens and A.J. Hoff rounded out the top ten at the finish line.

Chisholm continues to lead the points in the Collins Brothers Towing USMTS North Region presented by Featherlite with Timm and Sanders staying alive in second and third.

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Three nights in Mason City up next: Drivers head east on I-90 to I-35, and then south to the electrifying Pritchard Family Auto Stores Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa, for the 11th Annual USMTS North Iowa Nationals presented by Kabrick Distributing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mullens tops the career USMTS wins list in Mason City. He nabbed his fourth career feature at the North Iowa Action Track in last year’s $25,000-to-win USMTS 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee.

Phillip, Chisholm, Sanders, Timm and Christian each have a win here as well.

The event will see Non-Wing Sprint Cars, School Buses on Friday and Saturday with KCS 2-Man Cruisers the first night and Outlaw 2-Man Cruisers on night two with USMTS drivers chasing $5,000 to win each night.

The USMTS Modifieds share the spotlight with USRA Stock Cars, USRA B-Mods, USRA Hobby Stocks and Outlaw Mini-Mods on Sunday with USMTS Modified going after $3,000 to win.

For complete event information, check out the FAST FACTS https://usmts.com/schedule/event.asp?RaceID=72346 for the 11th Annual USMTS North Iowa Nationals presented by Kabrick Distributing.

The Pritchard Family Auto Stores Mason City Motor Speedway is a 1/3-mile high-banked clay oval located 5.1 miles east of I-35 at exit 194 on SR 122 (at the North Iowa Fairgrounds).

Check out USMTS.com for schedules, points, photos, souvenirs, videos and more. Follow our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe for free to get USMTS news delivered to your inbox plus Members Only benefits.

With live and on-demand coverage of every USMTS event plus exclusive interviews, instant replays, multiple camera angles and more, subscribe to RacinDirt for live streaming on all of your devices.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt
10th Annual USMTS Summer Spectacular powered by Bettin Trucking
Fairmont Raceway, Fairmont, Minn.
Thursday, July 18, 2024

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 RACE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
2. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
3. (2) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
4. (7) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
5. (5) 01 Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb.
6. (8) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
7. (4) 32 Derek Green, Granada, Minn.
8. (9) 97A Cole Anderson, Le Center, Minn.
9. (6) R1 Tom Brown, Heron Lake, Minn.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (3) 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla.
2. (6) 50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn.
3. (1) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
4. (8) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
5. (7) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn.
6. (2) 17 Lee Beemer, Fairmont, Minn.
7. (4) 57 Duke Erickson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
8. (5) 9 Roger Nielsen, Fairmont, Minn.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
2. (1) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
3. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (8) 7G Gabe Hodges, Lebo, Kan.
5. (7) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
6. (4) 8L Lyle Sathoff, Sherburn, Minn.
7. (3) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls , Wis.
8. (5) 3 Dustin Wiederhoeft, Fairmont, Minn.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN (8 laps, all advance):
1. (2) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
2. (1) 01 Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb.
3. (3) 8L Lyle Sathoff, Sherburn, Minn.
4. (7) 97A Cole Anderson, Le Center, Minn.
5. (10) 3 Dustin Wiederhoeft, Fairmont, Minn.
6. (4) 17 Lee Beemer, Fairmont, Minn.
7. (9) 9 Roger Nielsen, Fairmont, Minn.
8. (6) 57 Duke Erickson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
9. (8) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls , Wis.
10. (11) R1 Tom Brown, Heron Lake, Minn.
11. (5) 32 Derek Green, Granada, Minn.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT “A” MAIN (25 laps):
1. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
2. (10) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
3. (2) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (11) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
5. (1) 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla.
6. (7) 50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn.
7. (6) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
8. (5) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
9. (14) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
10. (8) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
11. (4) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
12. (12) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
13. (9) 7G Gabe Hodges, Lebo, Kan.
14. (16) 01 Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb.
15. (19) 3 Dustin Wiederhoeft, Fairmont, Minn.
16. (15) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
17. (13) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn.
18. (18) 97A Cole Anderson, Le Center, Minn.
19. (25) 32 Derek Green, Granada, Minn.
20. (20) 17 Lee Beemer, Fairmont, Minn.
21. (17) 8L Lyle Sathoff, Sherburn, Minn.
22. (22) 57 Duke Erickson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
23. (21) 9 Roger Nielsen, Fairmont, Minn.
24. (23) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls , Wis.
25. (24) R1 Tom Brown, Heron Lake, Minn.
​
Lap Leaders: Christian 1-7, Sanders 8-25.
Total Laps Led: Sanders 18, Christian 7.
Margin of Victory: 0.163 second.
Time of Race: 8 minutes, 44.861 seconds (no cautions).
Provisional Starters: none.
Emergency Provisionals: none.
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Chisholm (started 10th, finished 2nd).
Entries: 25.
Next Race: June 19-21, Mason City (Iowa) Motor Speedway.
Summit USMTS National Championship Points: Timm 1714, Chisholm 1691, Sanders 1597, Phillips 1523, Ebert 1519, Hughes 1457, Mullens 1435, T. Davis 1375, Christian 1347, Williamson 1342.
Collins Brothers Towing USMTS North Region Points: Chisholm 816, Timm 771, Sanders 770, Phillips 678, Mullens 661.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Hobscheidt 1266, Hodges 1193, Steve Glenn 727, Joe Chisholm 574, D.J. Shannon 409.
FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Points: Sanders 95, Timm 89, Chisholm 85, Ebert 80, Mullens 69.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 132, Rage 130, Skyrocket 127, Mullens 123, Bloodline 84.
Callies/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: KSE: 149, Mullins 141, OFI 133, Cornett 113, Hatfield 111.

Contingency Awards:
Aero Race Wheels – Wiederhoeft.
American Racer – Timm.
Bear Graphix – Erickson.
Beyea Custom Headers – Timm.
Bryke Racing – Wiederhoeft.
BSB Manufacturing – Sathoff.
Champ Pans – Christian.
Danny Crane Racing Engines – B. Davis.
Deatherage Opticians – T. Brown.
Edelbrock – Ebert.
Fast Shafts – Christian.
Featherlite Trailers – Sanders, Chisholm, Phillips.
FK Rod Ends – Chisholm.
Gorsuch Performance Solutions – Sanders.
Hooker Harness – Williamson.
Hyperco – Sathoff.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Anderson.
Keyser Manufacturing – Hoff.
KSE Racing Products – Mullens.
MD3 – Sanders.
MSD Performance – Timm.
Penske Racing Shocks – Hodges.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Wiederhoeft.
QA1 – B. Davis.
Quarter Master – Mullens.
RacerWebsite.com – Anderson.
Rush RaceGear by Austin Witt – B. Davis.
Simpson Race Products – K. Brown.
Summit Racing Equipment – Beemer, T. Brown, Erickson, Sathoff, Wiederhoeft.
Sweet Manufacturing – T. Davis.
Swift Springs – Chisholm, B. Davis, Sanders.
Sybesma Graphics – Christian.
Total Power –Hughes.
Victory Fuel – Sanders.
VP Racing – Sanders.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – T. Brown.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Ebert.

Contingency Awards:
Aero Race Wheels – Wiederhoeft.
Bear Graphix – Erickson.
Beyea Custom Headers – Timm.
Bryke Racing – Wiederhoeft.
BSB Manufacturing – Sathoff.
Champ Pans – Christian.
Danny Crane Racing Engines – B. Davis.
Deatherage Opticians – Brown.
Edelbrock – Ebert.
Fast Shafts – Christian.
Featherlite Trailers – Sanders, Chisholm, Phillips.
FK Rod Ends – Chisholm.
Gorsuch Performance Solutions – Sanders.
Hooker Harness – Williamson.
Hyperco – Sathoff.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Anderson.
Keyser Manufacturing – Hoff.
KSE Racing Products – Mullens.
MD3 – Sanders.
MSD Performance – Timm.
Penske Racing Shocks – Hodges.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Wiederhoeft.
QA1 – B. Davis.
Quarter Master – Mullens.
RacerWebsite.com – Anderson.
Rush RaceGear by Austin Witt – B. Davis.
Simpson Race Products – K. Brown.
Summit Racing Equipment – Beemer, Brown, Erickson, Sathoff, Wiederhoeft.
Sweet Manufacturing – T. Davis.
Swift Springs – Chisholm, B. Davis, Sanders.
Sybesma Graphics – Christian.
Total Power –Hughes.
Victory Fuel – Sanders.
VP Racing – Sanders.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – T. Brown.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Ebert.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS:  American Racer Racing Tires, Beyea Headers, Callies Performance Products, Chevrolet Performance, Fast Shafts, Featherlite Trailers, FK Rod Ends, KSE Racing Products, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt, Summit Racing Equipment, TicketSmarter, VP Racing - Heartland, Wieland.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ARMI Contractors, Boomtest Well Service, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Collins Brothers Towing, Gene Nicholas, LLC, Hacienda Mechanical, Hochatown Saloon, Mel Hambelton Ford, Miller Welders, PBM Performance Products, Rancho Milagro Racing, Salty's BBQ & Catering, Shop Quik Stores, STAKT Products, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bear Graphix, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Danny Crane Racing Engines, Deatherage Racing Opticians, Edelbrock, Gorsuch Performance Solutions, Gunshepherd.com, Hooker Harness, Hyperco, Integra Racing Shocks and Springs, JE Pistons, Keyser Manufacturing, MD3, Mel Hambelton Racing, MSD Performance, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies & Parts, QA1, Quarter Master, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Rush RaceGear by Austin Witt, Simpson Performance Products, Sweet Manufacturing, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Total Power, Victory Fuel, Victory Vault, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Racing.