Silver Dollar Prelim: Sanders nabs ninth USMTS win at I-80 Speedway


GREENWOOD, Neb. (July 19)--Rodney Sanders picked up where he left off last year by winning Friday's preliminary feature for the USMTS Modifieds during opening night of I-80 Speedway's 9th Annual Imperial Tile Silver Dollar Nationals.

After six qualifying heat races, 20 drivers competed in the 30-lap main event which was split into two 15-lap segments. Terry Phillips was the leader at the end of the first segment, which garnered the Springfield, Mo., native a $1,000 bonus.

Sanders finished second but the top six were inverted for the final 15-lap dash, so Sanders rolled off fifth with Phillips to his outside in row three.

Hunter Marriott led the 16th lap before Jason Hughes recorded his first lap led with the USMTS this season on lap 17. The four-time USMTS National Champion led through lap 24 when Sanders blasted around the outside to grab the lead.

From there, Sanders proceeded to sail away to a comfortable ten-car-length advantage at the checkered flag and earned an additional $1,000 in registering his 89th career USMTS victory (nine of which have happened at the I-80 Speedway).

Hughes was second at the end of 30 laps while Dereck Ramirez was in third place at the conclusion of each segment. Phillips wound up fourth in the second segment and Marriott rounded out the top five.

Zack VanderBeek, Jacob Bleess and Jake Timm finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, and are all locked in to the first four rows of Saturday's $8,000-to-win, $500-to-start main event.

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Terry Phillips came out on top in the first of two 15-lap segments of the preliminary feature during the 9th Annual Imperial Tile Silver Dollar Nationals at the I-80 Speedway in greenwood, Neb., on Friday, July 19, 2019.

The top eight finishers in Friday's "A" Main will redraw for starting positions in Saturday's finale. Two last-chance heat races will start heads-up based on Friday's finishes with the top four from each transferring to the "A" Main and the remainder to the "B" Main where an additional eight more drivers will transfer to the "A" Main.

In addition, our dancing partner for the weekend-the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-will be battling for a $53,000 top prize in their final showdown of the weekend on Saturday.

The 'Silver Dollar' will carry even more weight as it is the final event of the season in both the MSD Performance USMTS Mid-American Series and Spike Hardcore Energy USMTS Northern Lights Series.

Tickets are still available at the gate for Saturday's show. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. with live online coverage offered at DirtonDirt.com.

The I-80 Speedway is located one block north of Interstate 80 at exit 420, halfway between Omaha and Lincoln. The physical address is 13909 238th St, Greenwood, NE 68366. the entrance to the track is at 13631 238th Street (west side). For more information, visit I-80Speedway.com or call (402)-342-3453.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit USMTS.com. You can also like the USMTS on Facebook, visit us on Instagram, follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn and watch us on YouTube. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS and subscribe to the USMTS e-Newsletter.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Casey's General Stores USMTS National Championship powered by Summit
MSD Performance USMTS Mid-American Series
Spike Hardcore Energy USMTS Northern Lights Series
9th Annual Imperial Tile Silver Dollar Nationals presented by Swift Springs
I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb.
Friday, July 19, 2019

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Casey's General Stores "A" Main.

ROUND #1, SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (3) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
3. (4) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
4. (9) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
5. (8) 49jr Jake Timm, Minnesota City, Minn.
6. (1) R21 Ryan Schaffer, Corning, Iowa.
7. (6) 5k Kyle Prauner, Norfolk, Neb.
8. (2) 9 Kent Arment, Aberdeen, S.D.
9. (7) 78 Derrick Hicks (R), Ravenwood, Mo.

ROUND #1, FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (4) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (2) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo.
4. (7) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
5. (9) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
6. (6) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Earlham, Iowa.
7. (5) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
8. (3) 20b Brandon Clough (R), Wallace, Neb.
9. (1) 64 Nick Hermsen, Omaha, Neb.

ROUND #1, EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (4) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo.
2. (5) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (7) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
4. (1) 19sb Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif.
5. (6) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.
6. (2) 88 Randy Klein, Lisbon, N.D.
7. (3) 8c Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
DNS - 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.

ROUND #2, SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (7) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (2) 49jr Jake Timm, Minnesota City, Minn.
3. (5) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo.
4. (1) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
5. (8) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo.
6. (9) R21 Ryan Schaffer, Corning, Iowa.
7. (6) 8c Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
8. (4) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Earlham, Iowa.
9. (3) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.

ROUND #2, FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
2. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
3. (2) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (8) 19sb Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif.
5. (3) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.
6. (4) 5k Kyle Prauner, Norfolk, Neb.
7. (7) 20b Brandon Clough (R), Wallace, Neb.
8. (1) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
DNS - 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.

ROUND #2, EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (4) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (1) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
4. (5) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (2) 78 Derrick Hicks (R), Ravenwood, Mo.
6. (6) 88 Randy Klein, Lisbon, N.D.
7. (7) 9 Kent Arment, Aberdeen, S.D.
8. (8) 64 Nick Hermsen, Omaha, Neb.

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN (10 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
2. (7) 9 Kent Arment, Aberdeen, S.D.
3. (2) 88 Randy Klein, Lisbon, N.D.
4. (4) 78 Derrick Hicks (R), Ravenwood, Mo.
5. (3) 5k Kyle Prauner, Norfolk, Neb., Razor/ChevPerf, $150.
6. (8) 20b Brandon Clough (R), Wallace, Neb., Xtreme/ChevPerf, $140.
7. (6) 8c Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo., GRT/ChevPerf, $120.
8. (9) 64 Nick Hermsen, Omaha, Neb., Harris/Woodard, $110.
9. (5) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Earlham, Iowa, Hilsabeck/Mullins, $100.
DNS - 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, $200.

CASEY'S GENERAL STORES "A" MAIN - SEGMENT #1 (15 laps):
1. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., 15, $1,000.
2. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, 15, $700.
3. (4) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., 15, $500.
4. (1) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz., 15, $450.
5. (5) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo., 15, $400.
6. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., 15, $375.
7. (13) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, 15.
8. (8) 49jr Jake Timm, Minnesota City, Minn., 15.
9. (9) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., 15.
10. (7) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., 15.
11. (12) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis., 15.
12. (14) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn., 15.
13. (10) 19sb Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif., 15.
14. (17) 9 Kent Arment, Aberdeen, S.D., 15.
15. (18) 88 Randy Klein, Lisbon, N.D., 15.
16. (11) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo., 15.
17. (15) R21 Ryan Schaffer, Corning, Iowa, 12.
18. (16) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., 11.
19. (19) 78 Derrick Hicks (R), Ravenwood, Mo., 11.
DNS - 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, 0.

CASEY'S GENERAL STORES "A" MAIN - SEGMENT #2 (15 laps):
1. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, 15, $1,000.
2. (1) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 15, $700.
3. (4) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 15, $500.
4. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 15, $400.
5. (2) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE, 15, $375.
6. (7) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen, 15, $450.
7. (9) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE, 15, $325.
8. (8) 49jr Jake Timm, Minnesota City, Minn., MBCustoms/OFI, 15, $300.
9. (11) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis., VanderBuilt/OFI, 15, $300.
10. (12) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn., MBCustoms/ChevPerf, 15, $300.
11. (10) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., MBCustoms/Driskell, 15, $300.
12. (19) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo., MBCustoms/Driskell, 15, $300.
13. (13) 19sb Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif., MRT/Yeoman, 15, $300.
14. (14) 9 Kent Arment, Aberdeen, S.D., Hughes/Dakota, 15, $300.
15. (15) 88 Randy Klein, Lisbon, N.D., MBCustoms/Sower, 15, $300.
16. (3) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz., Lethal/Mullins, 8, $300.
DNS - R21 Ryan Schaffer, Corning, Iowa, LG2/Mullins, 0, $300.
DNS - 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, 0, $300.
DNS - 78 Derrick Hicks (R), Ravenwood, Mo., Hughes/Wyman, 0, $300.
DNS - 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/TriStar, 0, $200.

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

Lap Leaders: Whitwell 1-4, Phillips 5-15, Marriott 16, Hughes 17-24, Sanders 25-30.
Total Laps Led: Phillips 11, Hughes 8, Sanders 6, Whitwell 4, Marriott 1.
Margin of Victory: 2.071 seconds.
Time of Race: 19 minutes, 38.325 seconds (1 caution).
Provisional Starters: none.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Sanders (advanced 11 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: VanderBeek (started 13th, finished 6th).
Entries: 26.
Next Race: Saturday, July 20, I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb.
Casey's General Stores USMTS National Championship Points: Sanders 1802, Ramirez 1649, Gustin 1571, Marriott 1565, O'Neil 1459, Phillips 1419, VanderBeek 1252, Adam Kates 1164, Striegel 1089, Joe Duvall 1062.
Spike Hardcore Energy USMTS Northern Lights Series Points: Sanders 632, Ramirez 579, VanderBeek 567, O'Neil 527, Gustin 524, Marriott 513, Timm 471, Crapser 459, Bleess 456, Sorensen 398.
MSD Performance USMTS Mid-American Series Points: Ramirez 769, Sanders 746, Marriott 721, O'Neil 696, Phillips 685, Striegel 622, Gustin 618, Tyler Wolff 566, Joe Duvall 559, Whitwell 525.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Marriott 1565, Striegel 1089, Carlos Ahumada Jr. 549, Dustin Hodges 425, Nathan Hagar 415.
USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 160, Hughes 159, LG2 119, GRT 117, Rage 114.
USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Hatfield 137, Cornett 130, KSE 96, TriStar 92, Durham 92.