Sanders sizzles in Fort Dodge, collects fourth USMTS Casey’s Cup Series trophy of 2012

 

FORT DODGE, Iowa -- It’s not where you start but where you finish that counts, and Rodney Sanders has proven this true on several occasions this season.

He did it again Tuesday night at the Mineral City Speedway.

Coming from 15th on the starting grid, the 22-year-old from Happy, Texas, took control on lap 15 and sailed to his fourth win of the 2012 USMTS Casey’s Cup Series campaign.

Sanders was halfway there when the race’s first and only caution waved on lap 7. Back under green, Sanders sliced his way through the pack and zoomed past race-long leader Kelly Shryock just before the mid-point of the 30-lapper.

From there, the USMTS Casey’s Cup Series points leader sailed to victory and collected the $2,000 top prize. In his four wins this season, Sanders has started no better than seventh.

A late yellow flag may have made things interesting. Defending USMTS National Champion Ryan Gustin found his groove late in the race and was trimming nearly half a second off of Sanders’ lead every lap, but time ran out as ‘The Reaper’ followed ‘The Rocket’ to the finish line in the runner-up position.

Shryock wound up third with Jason Hughes claiming the fourth spot and Dereck Ramirez coming home fifth. Sixth through tenth were Johnny Scott, Colt Mather, Stormy Scott, Bryan Rowland and Ryan Ruter.

With the first of five straight nights of racing in the books, the USMTS Modifieds travel to the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Wednesday evening to make up a rained-out event from last month.

The Deer Creek Speedway is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located off of I-90 at exit 209, then 11.3 miles south on US 63 (0.7 mile north of SR 16). Fan may purchase tickets online at www.deercreekspeedway.com or by calling toll-free 877-DCS-RACE.

Thursday will find the best open-wheel dirt modified pilots on the planet at the Fairmont Raceway in Fairmont, Minn., and then the action moves to the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa, on Friday before wrapping up the swing with the popular “Donnybrook in Decorah” at the Upper Iowa Speedway in Decorah, Iowa, on Saturday night.

Each of the four remaining events will pay $4,000 to the winner and award valuable points in the USMTS National Championship Series where the 2012 champion will earn a $30,000 paycheck.

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 and follow us on Twitter.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Casey’s Cup Series
Mineral City Speedway, Fort Dodge, Iowa
Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed, reason out (if any) and money won. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

BEYEA CUSTOM HEADERS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 60 Kurt Krauskopf (R), Decorah, Iowa.
2. (3) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.
3. (5) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
4. (2) 21m Dean Mahlstedt, Clear Lake, Iowa.
5. (6) 12h Dakota Hayden (R), Wilton, Iowa.
6. (7) 99 Martin Bennett, Ankeny, Iowa.
7. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.

HOOKER HARNESS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (7) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (4) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa.
4. (3) 20s Stormy Scott (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
5. (6) 8 Colt Mather, Webster, Iowa.
6. (1) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.
7. (5) 7 Eric Dailey, Armstrong, Iowa.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (4) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (2) 26 Dan Fetters, Montour, Iowa.
3. (6) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
4. (3) 1k Pat Graham, Ames, Iowa.
5. (5) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
6. (1) R21 Ryan Schaffer, Corning, Iowa.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, all advance):
1. (2) 8 Colt Mather, Webster, Iowa.
2. (3) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
3. (6) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
4. (1) 12h Dakota Hayden (R), Wilton, Iowa.
5. (7) 7 Eric Dailey, Armstrong, Iowa.
6. (5) R21 Ryan Schaffer, Corning, Iowa.
7. (4) 99 Martin Bennett, Ankeny, Iowa.
DNS - 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.

SWAN ENERGY “A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. (15) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, 30, $2100.
2. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 30, $1500.
3. (1) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/RoushYates, 30, $1000.
4. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 30, $900.
5. (2) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 30, $800.
6. (7) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 30, $700.
7. (13) 8 Colt Mather, Webster, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 30, $650.
8. (11) 20s Stormy Scott (R), Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 30, $600.
9. (14) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 30, $550.
10. (9) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa, Sidebiter/Sput’s, 30, $500.
11. (3) 26 Dan Fetters, Montour, Iowa, Sidebiter/KSE, 30, $450.
12. (8) 60 Kurt Krauskopf (R), Decorah, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 30, $425.
13. (17) 7 Eric Dailey, Armstrong, Iowa, Skyrocket/Grawmondbeck’s, 30, $400.
14. (12) 1k Pat Graham, Ames, Iowa, Victory/JRM, 30, $250.
15. (19) 99 Martin Bennett, Ankeny, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 29, $350.
16. (16) 12h Dakota Hayden (R), Wilton, Iowa, GRT/Sperry, 26, mechanical, $250.
17. (4) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn., Hughes/Sput’s, 20, mechanical, $300.
18. (18) R21 Ryan Schaffer, Corning, Iowa, IROC/Mullins, 20, mechanical, $300.
19. (10) 21m Dean Mahlstedt, Clear Lake, Iowa, GRT/Midstate, 4, mechanical, $300.
DNS - 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa, BC/ProPower, 0, did not start, $90.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Integra Lap Leaders: Shryock 1-14, Sanders 15-30.
Total Laps Led: Sanders 16, Shryock 14.
Margin of Victory: 2.826 seconds.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: Sanders (started 15th, finished 1st).
Next Race: Wednesday, June 27, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
USMTS Casey’s Cup Series Points: Sanders 100, Gustin 100, S. Scott 95, J. Scott 81, Rowland 74, Hughes 63, Ramirez 55, Shryock 51, Jon Tesch 50, Daniel Hilsabeck 50.
Rookie of the Year Points: S. Scott 1891, Daniel Hilsabeck 1297, Casey Penn 956, Ron Keith 883, Thomas Tillison Jr. 627.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Geddes 231, Mullins 229, ProPower 199, Sput’s 168, Yeoman 122.
Tiger Rear Ends Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 284, GRT 254, Skyrocket 199, Shaw 99, TRE 89.