TGIF: O’Neil cashes another $10,000 check, wires USMTS field at Park Jeff

JEFFERSON, S.D. (June 4)—Friday is payday for Jake O’Neil and the 29-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., deposited another $10,000 into his bank account after a wire-to-wire win in Friday’s main event for the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s at the Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D.

Barely an hour away, O’Neil pulled the same feat last Friday at the Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa, where he led every lap to collect his first checkered flag of the season.

Friday night’s encore performance in the 9th Annual USMTS River City Rumble presented by Malvern Bank brought his four-race take to $23,400 over the course of the last eight days.

Tyler Wolff, who won the most recent race last Sunday at the Upper Iowa Speedway, pressured O’Neil at times but the biggest threat to all 27 starters was tire wear.

“I was sweating bullets. That could’ve been the longest race of my life,” O’Neil said in victory lane. “It took a lot of luck, you know, we had to start on that front row and I think that was definitely the winning ticket.

“I just I wasn't sure where the rubber was at. I kept feeling it and I would slide out of it and I thought by then I’d done used my tire up,” O’Neil added. He had enough still on the wheel to bring his Ford-powered LG2 Race Cars USMTS Modified home for his 12th career win.

Others were not as fortunate, including Tyler Davis who watched a probable top-three result evaporate when his right rear tire exploded with just four laps remaining. Seven cautions in all—five of them for blown tires—made for a 30-minute-long 35-lap contest.

Wolff followed O’Neil across the finish in second while Dereck Ramirez finished third and regained the Wrisco points lead from Rodney Sanders, who finish sixth after rolling off 11th for the start of the race.

Lucas Schott started and finished fourth and Dan Ebert was fifth. Behind Sanders, Tanner Mullens, Jacob Bleess, Jason Hughes and Zack VanderBeek completed the top 10.

In the ninth show for the USMTS at the Park Jefferson Speedway, O’Neil became the ninth different winner.

Ramirez regained the points lead over Sanders by 17 markers (1119 to 1102). O'Neil is third with 1098 points followed by Wolff (1034), Terry Phillips (1009), Schott (1002), Mullens (1000), Ebert (959), Hughes (914) and Dustin Sorensen (893).

Another $10,000 awaits in Webster City: On Saturday, the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s faces east and journeys to the historic half-mile oval of the Karl Chevrolet Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa, for another $10,000-to-win show.

It's the birthplace of the USMTS and hosted the first four Fall Jamborees from 1999-2002. Nine-time USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock won the first race on Oct. 7, 1999, while Ron Jones went on to win the next two nights and capture the first Fall Jamboree title.

Since then, victory lane has been visited by Kevin Pittman, Mark Noble, Tommy Myer, Johnny Saathoff, Jason Hughes, Willy Kraft, Ryan Gustin, Johnny Scott, Jesse Sobbing, Cade Dillard, Jake O'Neil, Zack VanderBeek, Terry Phillips and Dustin Sorensen.

Shryock has four wins here while Jones, Noble, Hughes and Scott each have two. Saturday's event will see the 24th feature winner emerge $10,000 richer.

A trio of Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series classes will be running both nights with national points and padded prize money on the line for Seneca Foundry USRA Stock Cars ($500 to win), stein Heating & Cooling USRA B-Mods ($500 to win), Diamond in the Rough USRA Hobby Stocks ($400 to win) and MyRacePass USRA Tuners ($125 to win). Any class with 22 or more entries gets $100 more to win and $20 more to start.

The pits will open Saturday at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5, hot laps gets underway at 7 and the green flag waves for qualifications and full-throttle racing at 7:30.

General admission tickets are $25. Military, seniors (62+) and juniors (12-16) get in for just $20. Kids under 12 year old get in for free. Pit passes are $40 each night or $25 for kids ages 6-10. Children under 6 are admitted for free to the pits.

Opening in July 1910, the Hamilton County Speedway is the oldest speedway in the state of Iowa. In 1938, work began on the current location at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. The semi-banked half-mile dirt track was completed in the spring of 1939, and the first races were held on the track in September of that year.

The Hamilton County Speedway is located off US 20 at exit 140, then 1.2 miles north, then 0.5 mile east on Bank St., then 0.4 mile south on Bluff St. to the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Webster City, Iowa. The physical address is 1200 Bluff St, Webster City, IA 50595.

The Super 8 by Wyndham Webster City is the Official Host Hotel for this event. Located at 305 Closz Dr, Webster City, IA, 50595-3200, travelers can book online or call (515) 832-2000 and mention USMTS or Hamilton County Speedway this weekend to receive a discounted rate of $79.99.

For more information, call (515) 832-6000 or check out hamiltoncospeedway.com.

Taking dirt to a new level: The 2021 campaign for the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s features 36 nights of racing with the winners of those main events set to take home over $300,000 in earnings from more than $1 million in prize money earmarked for those shows.

Twenty-six of the 36 race nights will pay at least $10,000 to win while the other 10 carry a $5,000 top prize. And if that weren’t enough, more than $230,000 is committed to the top ten finishers in the 2021 points standings with a record $70,000 reserved for the 2021 USMTS National Champion.

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.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s
9th Annual USMTS River City Rumble presented by Malvern Bank
Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D.
Friday, June 4, 2021

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine, laps completed and money won. 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) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
2. (3) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (1) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
4. (6) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
5. (7) 369 Bart Taylor (R), Sheridan, Wyo.
6. (4) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
7. (5) 99 Nathan Hagar, Adair, Okla.
8. (8) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan.
9. (9) 89X Jesse Glenz (R), Chippewa Falls, Wis.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
2. (2) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
3. (4) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (3) K19 Will Krup (R), Mt. Carmel, Ill.
5. (6) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
6. (5) 12L Lucas Lee (R), Paris, Tenn.
7. (7) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
8. (8) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (1) 444 Brooks Strength (R), Raymond, Miss.
3. (3) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
4. (4) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
5. (5) 18A Landon Atkinson, Little Falls, Minn.
6. (6) 7II Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
7. (7) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
8. (8) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 85 Jayson Good (R), Watertown, S.D.
2. (2) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
3. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
4. (4) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
5. (6) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
6. (5) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis.
7. (7) 57 Duke Erickson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
8. (8) 88 Sean Barragan (R), Sergeant Bluff, Iowa

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2. (5) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
3. (1) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
4. (4) 65X Carlos Jr. Ahumada, El Paso, Texas
5. (6) 7II Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
6. (3) 369 Bart Taylor (R), Sheridan, Wyo., VanderBuilt/Tim's, $125.
7. (8) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
8. (7) 99 Nathan Hagar, Adair, Okla.
9. (11) 89X Jesse Glenz (R), Chippewa Falls, Wis.
10. (9) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, $125.
11. (10) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo., Hughes/Cornett, $125.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
2. (3) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
3. (2) K19 Will Krup (R), Mt. Carmel, Ill.
4. (4) 18A Landon Atkinson, Little Falls, Minn.
5. (5) 12L Lucas Lee (R), Paris, Tenn.
6. (8) 57 Duke Erickson, Sioux Falls, S.D., MBCustoms/Stoen, $125.
7. (6) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis.
8. (7) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
9. (9) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa, Skyrocket/HarryHeads, $125.
10. (10) 88 Sean Barragan (R), Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, BMS/Chevrolet, $100.

CASEY’S “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. (2) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, 35, $10,000.
2. (3) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/ECE, 35, $500.
3. (7) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 35, $3000.
4. (4) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn., MBCustoms/Stoen, 35, $2000.
5. (8) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn., Lethal/Ebert, 35, $1700.
6. (11) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, 35, $1500.
7. (10) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan., Mullens/Mullens, 35, $1200.
8. (12) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE, 35, $1000.
9. (9) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $900.
10. (13) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen, 35, $850.
11. (15) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 35, $800.
12. (17) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/Stoen, 35, $775.
13. (16) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo., MBCustoms/Durham, 35, $750.
14. (14) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, 35, $740.
15. (26) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis., Rage/Sput's, 35, $160.
16. (19) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, Hughes/BMS, 35, $730.
17. (22) 12L Lucas Lee (R), Paris, Tenn., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $725.
18. (1) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $720.
19. (27) 99 Nathan Hagar, Adair, Okla., Hughes/Chevrolet, 35, $125.
20. (6) 444 Brooks Strength (R), Raymond, Miss., MBCustoms/Stoen, 33, $710.
21. (23) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., MBCustoms/Driskell, 33, $580.
22. (18) K19 Will Krup (R), Mt. Carmel, Ill., MBCustoms/Mullins, 31, $700.
23. (21) 7II Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, Rage/Chevrolet, 27, $700.
24. (24) 89X Jesse Glenz (R), Chippewa Falls, Wis., MBCustoms/KSE, 20, $575.
25. (20) 18A Landon Atkinson, Little Falls, Minn., Lethal/Sower, 16, $700.
26. (25) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif., MRT/Yeoman, 14, $125.
27. (5) 85 Jayson Good (R), Watertown, S.D., MBCustoms/Tim's, 8, $700.

Lap Leader: O’Neil 1-35.
Total Laps Led: O’Neil 35.
Margin of Victory: 2.462 seconds.
Time of Race: 29 minutes, 49.445 seconds (7 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Fuqua, Glenz.
Emergency Provisionals: Mari, Myers, Hagar.
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Sanders (started 11th, finished 6th).
Entries: 33.
Next Race: Saturday, June 5, Karl Chevrolet Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa.
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s Points: Ramirez 1119, Sanders 1102, O'Neil 1098, Wolff 1034, Phillips 1009, Schott 1002, Mullens 1000, Ebert 959, Hughes 914, Sorensen 893.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Strength 562, Glenz 535, Krup 477, Lee 460, Good 453.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 105, Hughes 97, LG2 91, GRT 70, Lethal 69.
Compstar USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Cornett 100, Hatfield 81, Stoen 79, Durham 64, Mullins 62.