Ingalls in USMTS winners circle for first time at South Texas Speedway


CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (February 29)--Jason Ingalls levied a smackdown Saturday night at the South Texas Speedway and sped to his career-first checkered flag with the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey's.

"This is top of the list," Ingalls said when asked to rank this victory alongside his many others in a long, storied dirt track racing career. "These guys are the best in the country so to come out here and get a win like this is a dream come true."

For the rest of the 24 main event starters, it was a wire-to-wire nightmare as the Longview, Texas, veteran set a blistering pace from start to finish en route to collecting $3,000 and his first USMTS winner's check.

He didn't just win. He won big.

With six laps to go, Ingalls lapped Ryan Slott who finished a career-best fifth while only completing 39 of the 40 scheduled laps. Just four cars were on the lead lap at the end of the contest.

Tyler Davis kept Ingalls within striking distance for most of the race, but lost a lot of ground in the final ten laps when Ingalls outmaneuvered him in heavy lapped traffic.

Another career best, however, Davis held off Philip Houston for second while four-time USMTS national champion Jason Hughes was fourth and the final driver on the lead lap in Saturday's 4th Annual USMTS Sparkling City Nationals presented by Maxima Racing Oils.

Cade Dillard earned the FK Rod Ends Hard Charger Award with his run from 13th to sixth. Kevin Rutherford, Kevin Sustaire and Dereck Ramirez were seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.

Friday's winner Rodney Sanders struggled all night and settled for tenth. That, coupled with Hughes' second straight fourth-place finish, leaves Sanders just one point ahead of Hughes, who won the first USMTS main event here on November 15, 2007.

Marching North: The USMTS heads north on Sunday for the Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas, where the inaugural event in 2017 produced a wild finish that saw Chris Brown muscle his way past Dereck Ramirez late in the race and then go on to win.

The Best of the Best will battle for $2,500 to win while USRA Factory Stocks and USRA Limited Mods race for $500 to win each.

The pits will open at 2 p.m., grandstands open at 4, hot laps begin at 5:40 and racing gets underway at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for those ages 17 and older. Juniors (12-16) and seniors (62+) are just $15. Kids ages 6-11 are $5 and children ages 5 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35.

The Cotton Bowl Speedway is a 3/8-mile, high-banked clay oval located east of Paige at the intersection of US 290 and CR 202. For more information, call (512) 731-0742 or visit cottonbowlspeedway.com.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Bastrop is the Official Host Hotel for the 2nd Annual USMTS Cotton Bowl Clash. Call (512) 321-1900 and mention USMTS when making reservations. Check them out online at holidayinnexpress.com.

The following weekend, fans and racers trek to the Big O Speedway in Ennis, Texas, for the 10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 5-7.

The engines scream again three weeks later for the first of five crown jewels this season when the Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kan., hosts King of America X powered by Summit on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 26-28.

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
4th Annual USMTS Sparkling City Nationals presented by Maxima Racing Oils
South Texas Speedway, Corpus Christi, Texas
Saturday, February 29, 2020

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver and hometown. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Casey's "A" Main.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (3) 20 Jason Ingalls, Longview, Texas
2. (6) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas
3. (8) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas
4. (1) 3 Jeremy Davenport (R), Rockport, Texas
5. (7) 55 Dave Gaggero (R), Wichita, Kan.
6. (5) 9C Dillon Hill (R), Eunice, N.M.
7. (9) 137 William Pittaway, Corpus Christi, Texas
8. (4) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
9. (2) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (8) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
3. (3) 9R Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas
4. (4) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
5. (2) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
6. (6) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
7. (7) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
8. (5) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 7 Shayne Bailey, Lathrop, Mo.
2. (5) 49 Ryan Slott (R), New Waverly, Texas
3. (4) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
4. (3) 20S Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
5. (2) 55D Michael Dotson, Lathrop, Mo.
6. (6) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas
7. (7) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
8. (8) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas
2. (1) 5R Ryan Doyon (R), LaCoste, Texas
3. (7) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
4. (5) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
5. (3) 24Z Zane Ferrell, Hermitage, Ark.
6. (6) 8 Wesley Summers, Wellington, Mo.
7. (8) 8G Greg Dinsmore (R), Kerrville, Texas
8. (4) 55H Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla.

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
2. (10) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
3. (4) 55D Michael Dotson, Lathrop, Mo.
4. (8) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
5. (2) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
6. (3) 55 Dave Gaggero (R), Wichita, Kan.
7. (7) 137 William Pittaway, Corpus Christi, Texas
8. (5) 9C Dillon Hill (R), Eunice, N.M.
9. (6) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas
DNS - 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
DNS - 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (4) 24Z Zane Ferrell, Hermitage, Ark.
2. (2) 20S Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
3. (3) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
4. (10) 55H Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla.
5. (5) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
6. (6) 8 Wesley Summers, Wellington, Mo.
7. (9) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
8. (7) 8G Greg Dinsmore (R), Kerrville, Texas
9. (8) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
10. (1) 3 Jeremy Davenport (R), Rockport, Texas

CASEY'S "A" MAIN (40 laps):
1. (2) 20 Jason Ingalls, Longview, Texas
2. (1) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
3. (5) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas
4. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
5. (3) 49 Ryan Slott (R), New Waverly, Texas
6. (13) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
7. (12) 9R Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas
8. (4) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas
9. (9) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
10. (16) 20S Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
11. (23) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
12. (18) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
13. (24) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
14. (11) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
15. (8) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas
16. (14) 24Z Zane Ferrell, Hermitage, Ark.
17. (22) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
18. (17) 55D Michael Dotson, Lathrop, Mo.
19. (21) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
20. (10) 5R Ryan Doyon (R), LaCoste, Texas
21. (7) 7 Shayne Bailey, Lathrop, Mo.
22. (19) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
23. (20) 55H Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla.
24. (15) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.

(R) = Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender

Lap Leader: Ingalls 1-40.
Total Laps Led: Ingalls 40.
Margin of Victory: 2.470 seconds.
Time of Race: 24 minutes, 19.106 seconds (4 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Skyberg, Phillips.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Dillard (advanced 8 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Dillard (started 13th, finished 6th).
Entries: 33.
Next Race: Sunday, March 1, Cotton Bowl Speedway, Paige, Texas.
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey's Points: Sanders 175, Hughes 174, Davis 171, Iverson 160, Skyberg 151, Marriott 149, Ingalls 148, Ramirez 148, Houston 147, Phillips 144.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Iverson 160, Skyberg 151, Slott 129, Doyon 118, Dinsmore 113.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: TBD.
Compstar/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: TBD.