The Gressel Racing team kicked off the 2020 season for the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s with the 10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals at the Big O Speedway in Ennis, Texas.
On Friday, Brandon started 4th and finished 3rd in his heat race. That locked him into the 12th starting spot in the "A" Main but mechanical trouble left him with a 22nd-place finish.
Saturday was more of the same with problems knocking him out of his heat and "B" Main to cap off the weekend.
Bo knows Big O, bags first USMTS win
The track’s surface was smooth and fast at the Big O Speedway on Friday night, and Bo Day was the smoothest and fastest of all as he powered to his career-first USMTS victory on opening night of the 10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals.
While the track was sticky-fast thanks to the heavy rainfall Wednesday night that forced officials to cancel practice and Thursday’s program, the drivers raced hard and clean.
A fourth and final caution on lap 28 set up a dozen-lap dash to the finish. Despite a valiant effort by Ramirez to make a last-lap pass around the outside, Day slammed the door shut and streaked beneath the checkered flag with his first triumph versus the Best of the Best. He pocketed $3,000 for his efforts.
“I’m just happy. We worked our butts off for this one for sure,” Day said in victory lane. “I knew (Ramirez) was there and I knew I had to block on the last lap. I figured he was going to go to the top so just played a little blocking game.”
Despite having a great finish in second, it was another second-best for Ramirez who had 11 runner-up finishes in 2019 and already has two in the first four races of 2020. Duvall exorcised some demons that haunted lat weekend’s trio of USMTS lid-lifters and finished third while Hughes and Davis were credited with fourth and fifth, respectively.
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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s
10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals – Night 1 of 2
Big O Speedway, Ennis, Texas
Friday, March 6, 2020
Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown and chassis/engine builder. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Casey’s “A” Main.
SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
2. (6) 211 Chase Hatton (R), De Berry, Texas
3. (4) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan.
4. (7) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas
5. (3) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas
6. (5) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas
7. (2) 19C Chad Guest (R), Waxahachie, Texas
8. (8) 28 Wendall Bolden (R), Greenville, Texas
FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (3) 4 Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas
3. (4) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
4. (6) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas
5. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
6. (5) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas
7. (8) 54 Carlos Ahumada Sr., El Paso, Texas
8. (1) 55 Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla.
EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 15J Jason Webb (R), McKinney, Texas
2. (1) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
3. (3) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
4. (6) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
6. (7) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
7. (8) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
8. (4) 00 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo.
MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2. (4) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
3. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (8) 7 Shayne Bailey (R), Lathrop, Mo.
5. (2) 99 Jeff Needham (R), Rice, Texas
6. (7) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas
7. (5) 5H Lance Hanson Jr. (R), Red Oak, Texas
8. (6) 24 Rick Ortega (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (2) 88R A.J. Vasquez, Garden City, Mich.
2. (1) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas
3. (4) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark.
4. (6) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
5. (5) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas
6. (3) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
7. (7) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrell, Texas
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
2. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
4. (2) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas
5. (7) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas
6. (12) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrell, Texas, IRP/3D
7. (4) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE
8. (10) 54 Carlos Ahumada Sr., El Paso, Texas, GRT/BMS
9. (8) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Rocket/Wells
10. (9) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas, WesternFlyer/Hatfield
11. (13) 55 Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla., GRT/ChevPerf
12. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham
13. (11) 19C Chad Guest (R), Waxahachie, Texas, BillsBuilt/Allard
14. (14) 24 Rick Ortega (R), Las Cruces, N.M., GRT/BMS
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
2. (10) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
3. (4) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
4. (9) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
5. (1) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark.
6. (3) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, GRT/Stoen
7. (8) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas
8. (12) 28 Wendall Bolden (R), Greenville, Texas, MBCustoms/Bullet
9. (11) 5H Lance Hanson Jr. (R), Red Oak, Texas, Phoenix/
10. (6) 99 Jeff Needham (R), Rice, Texas, Skyrocket/Wells
11. (7) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jet/Speedway
12. (13) 00 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo., MBCustoms/Yeoman
13. (5) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas
CASEY’S “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (2) 4 Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins
2. (3) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett
3. (1) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/Stoen
4. (15) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins
5. (8) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan., Hughes/Mullins
6. (17) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield
7. (14) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/Hill
8. (18) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE
9. (23) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas, MBCustoms/PPE
10. (10) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas, Rage/Fisher
11. (19) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins
12. (21) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas, Lethal/ChevPerf
13. (20) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis., MBCustoms/Tim's
14. (7) 88R A.J. Vasquez, Garden City, Mich., Hughes/Farris
15. (13) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D., Lethal/Mullins
16. (22) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark., Lethal/Mullins
17. (11) 7 Shayne Bailey (R), Lathrop, Mo., GRT/ChevPerf
18. (24) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas, MBCustoms/Wells
19. (6) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen
20. (16) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La., GRT/TwinCity
21. (9) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, GRT/BMS
22. (12) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan., Hughes/Mullins
23. (5) 15J Jason Webb (R), McKinney, Texas, VanderBuilt/Wornhor
24. (4) 211 Chase Hatton (R), De Berry, Texas, IRP/F1
(R) = Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender
Lap Leader: Day 1-40.
Total Laps Led: Day 40.
Margin of Victory: 0.249 second.
Time of Race: 22 minutes, 41.179 seconds (4 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Houston, Rutherford.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Hughes (advanced 15 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Hughes (started 15th, finished 4th).
Entries: 39.
Next Race: Saturday, March 7, Big O Speedway, Ennis, Texas.
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s Points: Sanders 359, Hughes 352, Ramirez 338, Davis 329, Marriott 312, Houston 299, Iverson 286, Wolff 282, Skyberg 271, Duvall 266.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Iverson 286, Skyberg 271, Hagar 225, Slott 81, Gaggero 140.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 38, Hughes 35, Rage 32, IRP 22, Lethal 22.
Compstar/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 34, Hatfield 29, Cornett 25, KSE 21, Stoen 21.
Contingency Awards:
American Racer – Ramirez.
Beyea Custom Headers – Davis.
BigDeal Car Care – Hughes, Day.
Bryke Racing – Skyberg.
BSB Manufacturing – Ahumada Jr.
Champ Pans – Davis.
Deatherage Opticians – Townsend.
Edelbrock – Webb.
Eibach – Hughes.
Fast Shafts – Ramirez.
FK Rod Ends – Hughes.
Forty9 Designs – Vasquez, VanderBeek.
Hooker Harness – Townsend.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Rutherford.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts – Reed.
K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports – Sartain.
Keyser Manufacturing – Sustaire.
KSE Racing Products – Houston.
Maxima Racing Oils – Day.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Ahumada Sr.
Penske Racing Shocks – Iverson.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Rutherford.
QA1 – Duvall.
RacerWebsite.com – Bailey.
Simpson Performance Products – Duvall.
Spyder High Performance Filters – Sanders.
Summit Racing Equipment – Day, Duvall, Wolff.
Super Clean – Day.
Swift Springs – Day, Sustaire.
Sybesma Graphics – Duvall.
Tire Demon – Ortega.
VP Racing Fuels – Day.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Guest.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Wolff.
Marriott checks in to victory lane in USMTS Texas Spring Nationals finale at Big O Speedway
Hunter Marriott returned to Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s victory lane for the first time since June 1, 2019, after besting Dereck Ramirez in a fierce battle to close out the 10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals at the Big O Speedway in Ennis, Texas.
With three laps to go Marriott sensed his lane was slowing and jumped to the high side of the track, effectively blocking Ramirez from making the pass and securing the top spot for good.
“I knew it was time to get going. I couldn’t pass (Ramirez) on the bottom so I was trying to get up there and see what we were made of,” Marriott said of his late-race strategy. “Just hoping to stay consistent so we can run with these guys. It’s been kind of hit and miss here in the first part of the USMTS swing, but I’m glad to be here in victory lane.”
While Marriott stashed $3,000 in his pocket for his efforts, Ramirez was forced to ponder a third runner-up finish in the first five races of the 2020 campaign. Meanwhile, Zack VanderBeek scored a season-best third while Hughes finished fourth for the fourth time this season. Sanders completed the top five.
The 2020 schedule for the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s is highlighted by 58 nights of racing at 33 unique dirt ovals as part of the 22nd season for the world’s Best of the Best in dirt modified racing.
To connect with the USMTS check out USMTS.com, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter, check us out on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Keep up to speed by joining our email list
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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s
10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals – Night 2 of 2
Big O Speedway, Ennis, Texas
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown and chassis/engine builder. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Casey’s “A” Main.
SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
2. (3) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas
3. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (1) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas
5. (7) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
6. (4) 19C Chad Guest (R), Waxahachie, Texas
7. (8) 54 Carlos Ahumada Sr., El Paso, Texas
8. (5) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (4) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
2. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (3) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
4. (8) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas
5. (2) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas
6. (6) 55 Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla.
7. (5) 24 Rick Ortega (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
8. (1) 17 Jason Sartain (R), Royce City, Texas
EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2. (2) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
3. (6) 88R A.J. Vasquez, Garden City, Mich.
4. (5) 0 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo.
5. (8) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas
6. (3) 99 Jeff Needham (R), Rice, Texas
7. (4) 55D Michael Dotson, Lathrop, Mo.
8. (7) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas
2. (6) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
3. (8) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas
4. (4) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas
5. (1) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrell, Texas
6. (7) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
7. (3) 2G Kenny Gaddis, Diana, Texas
8. (5) 2GX Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan.
VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (6) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (1) 28 Wendall Bolden (R), Greenville, Texas
3. (8) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
4. (4) 4D Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas
5. (2) 7G Sean Gaddis, Diana, Texas
6. (7) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark.
7. (3) 7 Shayne Bailey (R), Lathrop, Mo.
8. (5) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
2. (5) 4D Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas
3. (6) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas
4. (3) 0 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo.
5. (4) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas
6. (7) 7G Sean Gaddis, Diana, Texas, MBCustoms/PTS
7. (8) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark., Lethal/Mullins
8. (12) 7 Shayne Bailey (R), Lathrop, Mo., GRT/ChevPerf
9. (11) 55D Michael Dotson, Lathrop, Mo., GRT/ChevPerf
10. (10) 54 Carlos Ahumada Sr., El Paso, Texas, GRT/BMS
11. (2) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas, Lethal/ChevPerf
12. (14) 2GX Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan., Hughes/Mullins
13. (9) 55 Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla.
14. (13) 17 Jason Sartain (R), Royce City, Texas, IRP/3D
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 28 Wendall Bolden (R), Greenville, Texas
2. (3) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas
3. (2) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
4. (5) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
5. (7) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
6. (11) 2G Kenny Gaddis, Diana, Texas, MBCustoms/PTS
7. (6) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrell, Texas, IRP/3D
8. (4) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas
9. (14) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
10. (10) 24 Rick Ortega (R), Las Cruces, N.M., GRT/BMS
11. (12) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, GRT/BMS
12. (13) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
13. (9) 99 Jeff Needham (R), Rice, Texas, Skyrocket/Wells
14. (8) 19C Chad Guest (R), Waxahachie, Texas, BillsBuilt/Allard
CASEY’S “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (9) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE
2. (2) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett
3. (6) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen
4. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins
5. (1) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield
6. (10) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas, MBCustoms/PPE
7. (20) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis., MBCustoms/Tim's
8. (3) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La., GRT/TwinCity
9. (17) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Rocket/Wells
10. (23) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas, Rage/Fisher
11. (19) 0 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo., MBCustoms/Yeoman
12. (22) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan., Hughes/Mullins
13. (16) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas, MBCustoms/Wells
14. (11) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham
15. (25) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D., Lethal/Mullins
16. (13) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/Stoen
17. (12) 88R A.J. Vasquez, Garden City, Mich., Hughes/Farris
18. (24) 55 Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla., GRT/ChevPerf
19. (7) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, GRT/Stoen
20. (4) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/Hill
21. (5) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins
22. (26) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jet/Speedway
23. (14) 28 Wendall Bolden (R), Greenville, Texas, MBCustoms/Bullet
24. (15) 4D Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins
25. (21) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas, WesternFlyer/Hatfield
26. (18) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE
(R) = Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender
Lap Leaders: Ramirez 1-18, Marriott 19-40.
Total Laps Led: Marriott 22, Ramirez 18.
Margin of Victory: 0.513 second.
Time of Race: 22 minutes, 34.374 seconds (2 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Sustaire, Hagar, Skyberg, Kates.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Iverson (advanced 16 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Iverson (started 20th, finished 7th).
Entries: 40.
Next Race: March 26-28, Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s Points: Sanders 443, Hughes 439, Ramirez 434, Marriott 415, Davis 397, Houston 380, Iverson 364, Wolff 336, Skyberg 333, Rutherford 330.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Davis 397, Iverson 364, Skyberg 333, Hagar 281, Bailey 255.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 45, Hughes 44, Rage 42, GRT 27, Lethal 26.
Compstar/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 41, Hatfield 35, Cornett 34, KSE 31, Stoen 29.
Contingency Awards:
American Racer – Winslett.
Beyea Custom Headers – Dunn.
BigDeal Car Care – VanderBeek, Marriott.
Bryke Racing – Skyberg.
BSB Manufacturing – Dunn.
Champ Pans – Sanders.
Deatherage Opticians – Davis.
Edelbrock – VanderBeek.
Eibach – Iverson.
Fast Shafts – Wolff.
FK Rod Ends – Iverson.
Forty9 Designs – Phillips, Henigan.
Hooker Harness – Davis.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Hagar.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts – Duvall.
K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports – K. Gaddis.
Keyser Manufacturing – Sustaire.
KSE Racing Products – Malchus.
Maxima Racing Oils – Marriott.
Penske Racing Shocks – Rutherford.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Houston.
QA1 – VanderBeek.
RacerWebsite.com – Marriott.
Simpson Performance Products – Winslett.
Spyder High Performance Filters – Houston.
Summit Racing Equipment – Ahumada Jr., Ahumada Sr., Bailey.
Super Clean – Marriott.
Swift Springs – Marriott, Bolden.
Sybesma Graphics – Sanders.
Tire Demon – Jason Sartain.
VP Racing Fuels – Marriott.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Needham.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Iverson.
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