Gressel Racing

Halfway through the 2023 campaign and with only eight weekends remaining, the season feels like it's flying by. At the same time it feels like we're just getting started. Twenty-one feature races are in the books, and there are 22 features left to be contested before we crown the next USMTS National Champion during the series’ 25th Anniversary Season.

Next up, the Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, Minn., will host the 3rd Annual Mod Wars featuring USMTS vs. Wissota Modifieds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 13-15. The main events will pay $3,000 to win Thursday and $5,000 to win Friday with a $11,000 top prize for Saturday’s champion.

The track has hosted 17 nights of USMTS racing over the last 13 seasons. The inaugural event went to Jason Hughes on Aug. 17, 2011, which as his first of three triumphs here. Stormy Scott also has three wins and is the only other racer with multiple wins at ‘The Big O.’

Other USMTS winners at Ogilvie include Jeremy Payne, Jason Krohn, Zack VanderBeek, Shane Sabraski, Johnny Scott, Dan Ebert, Jake O'Neil, Alex Williamson, Dave Cain, Dustin Sorensen and Jake Timm—the defending Mod Wars champion. Four other race nights have been rained out, postponed or canceled due to the pandemic, as was the case in 2020.

Ogilvie will host an open practice on Wednesday, July 12, with gates opening at 4 p.m. and free admission to the grandstands. Practice takes place 6-9 p.m.

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5, hot laps and qualifying begin at 6:30 and racing gets underway at 7. On Saturday, the pits open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5, hot laps and qualifying begin at 6 and racing gets underway at 6:30. Wissota Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks, Mod Fours and Hornets join the program each night, and there will be live entertainment after the races on Friday

Modified competitors can enter online at usmts.com/register or call (515) 832-7944 to save on your entry fee. The entry form can also be downloaded at usmts.com/downloads.

Still winless in Ogilvie, four-time USMTS national champion Rodney Sanders leads O’Neil and another four-time USMTS national champ, Hughes, who sits seven markers behind O’Neil in the current points standings.

Ebert, Jim Chisholm, Tom Berry Jr., Tanner Mullens, Dereck Ramirez, Terry Phillips and Cayden Carter round out the top 10 with VanderBeek just two points behind his teammate in 11th. In all, 179 different drivers from 20 different States and one Canadian Province.

For complete standings and statistics, visit usmts.com/points.

Other local, regional and national racers with heavy right feet expected include Clayton Wagamon, Jody Bellefeuille, Shane Sabraski, Landon Atkinson, Dave Cain, Brennan Gave, Brady Uotinen, Eric Lamm, Ryan Gierke, Tanner Williamson and many more.

The Ogilvie Raceway is a high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval located less than one hour north of the twin cities on Hwy. 23, or 5 miles west of Hwy. 65, or 11 miles east from Hwy.169 in Milaca, or 1 mile east of Hwy. 47 to 1539 MN-23, Ogilvie, MN 56358.

For more information, visit ogilvieraceway.com or email nate@ogilvieraceway.com. You can also follow Ogilvie Raceway’s social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Construction on Ogilvie Raceway began in 2008. The 40 acre complex includes over 12,000 square feet of climate-controlled spaces, featuring a full kitchen, bar and restaurant area, hospitality kiosks and display areas, modern restrooms and VIP suites. The meticulously maintained grounds also include south facing grandstands, high quality lighting, a state-of-the-art public address system and a trackside tailgating section along the turns where fans can watch the action from the comfort of their car, the back of their pickup truck or in their RV

In 2015, the Wagamon Family purchased Ogilvie Raceway and are actively involved in the day-to-day operations at the track. With nearly 60 years as business owners in the automotive industry, they bring a passion for racing, family values and excitement to an already great racetrack. During their first season they added a large upper level party room and bar called the Champions Club, and in 2016 an oversized deck was added to allow fans even more viewing and entertainment options.

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 Roku, Amazon Fire, iOS, Apple TV or on Google 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.