Hughes nips Scott at Cresco, has fourth USMTS crown in his crosshairs


CRESCO, Iowa (Sept. 3)--With Stormy Scott breathing down his neck in the points battle, Jason Hughes grabbed another gear Sunday night at the Cresco Speedway and led every lap of the main event to claim his fourth main event win in the USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental.

At the end of the 40-lapper, Scott was still breathing down his neck but Hughes led at the finish with a 0.064-second margin of victory over Scott and took one step closer to securing his third straight USMTS national championship and fourth overall.

The win was the 155th of his United States Modified Touring Series career and put $4,500 in the Watts, Okla., pilot's pocket.

With just one points race remaining, Hughes leads Scott by 43 points (2018 to 1975). If Scott can win on opening night of the 19th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree on Thursday, Sept. 21, Hughes can sew up the title by finishing 16th or better that night.

Cade Dillard (1866), Dereck Ramirez (1829), Ryan Gustin (1804), Zack VanderBeek (1790), Jake Timm (1777), R.C. Whitwell (1724), Travis Saurer (1716) and Ricky Thornton Jr. (1633) complete the top 10 in the rankings.

Timm finished third and VanderBeek was a passing machine in the main event, advancing to fourth from the 22nd starting spot.

His fifth KSE Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race Award put him at the top of the season-long hard charger points as well.

Saurer followed up Saturday night's runner-up finish with a fifth-place result in Sunday's 15th Annual USMTS Cresco Bowl.

Dustin Sorensen held off Gustin for sixth as 'The Reaper' saw his three-race win streak come to an end.

Tyler Wolff, Ramirez and Whitwell rounded out the top 10.

Following Sunday night's result, Whitwell has clinched the 2017 Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year Award. The rest of the top five are also locked in to their position with Saurer second, Wolff third, Zane DeVilbiss fourth and Adam Kates fifth.

This year's USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Award battle was a runaway win for Mullins Race Engines. It is the fifth title for the Mt. Olive, Ill., engine builder.

Although the USMTS national championship remains undecided, Hughes did lock up the 2017 USMTS Manufacturers Championship for his Hughes Racing Chassis with the win.

Jason Hughes (12) beat Stormy Scott (2s) by 0.064 second to win the USMTS main event at the Cresco Speedway in Cresco, Iowa, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.

The 2017 USMTS national champion will emerge following the final race of the USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup and the first night of the 19th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree on Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

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 at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts and Instagram at www.instagram.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS by joining our email list at www.usmts.com/subscribe.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental
15th Annual USMTS Cresco Bowl
Cresco Speedway, Cresco, Iowa
Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 4w Tyler Wolff (R), Fayetteville, Ark.
2. (7) 19R Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (3) 2t Jake O'Neil (R), Tucson, Ariz.
4. (8) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
5. (1) 14 Scott Stiffler (R), Farmdale, Ohio.
6. (4) 00 Owen Grube (R), Cambridge, Minn.
7. (5) 1s Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.
8. (6) 1G Pat Graham, Ankeny, Iowa.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (3) 19 Dustin Sorensen (R), Rochester, Minn.
2. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (1) 11x Rich Lofthus, Bloomer, Wis.
4. (2) 96 R.C. Whitwell (R), Tucson, Ariz.
5. (7) 29D Brad Dierks, Clarence, Iowa.
6. (5) 23b Brett Bumgardner (R), Hawkeye, Iowa.
7. (8) 1a Dwaine Hanson, Lakefield, Minn.
8. (4) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 1s Travis Saurer (R), Elizabeth, Minn.
2. (2) 49jr Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
3. (4) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis.
4. (7) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
5. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
6. (6) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
7. (5) 14 Amanda Stiffler (R), Farmdale, Ohio.

CASEY'S GENERAL STORES "A" MAIN (40 laps):
1. (1) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $4500.
2. (4) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., VanderBuilt/Mullins, 40, $1700.
3. (6) 49jr Jake Timm, Winona, Minn., MBCustoms/Sput's, 40, $1200.
4. (22) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Sput's, 40, $1000.
5. (2) 1s Travis Saurer (R), Elizabeth, Minn., MBCustoms/Dakota, 40, $900.
6. (5) 19 Dustin Sorensen (R), Rochester, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, 40, $800.
7. (7) 19R Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 40, $700.
8. (8) 4w Tyler Wolff (R), Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/Hatfield, 40, $650.
9. (15) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., LG2/Cornett, 40, $600.
10. (12) 96 R.C. Whitwell (R), Tucson, Ariz., MBCustoms/Hatfield, 40, $550.
11. (17) 23b Brett Bumgardner (R), Hawkeye, Iowa, SSR/Midnight, 40, $500.
12. (11) 11x Rich Lofthus, Bloomer, Wis., Hughes/Tim's, 40, $375.
13. (21) 1G Pat Graham, Ankeny, Iowa, Victory/Karl, 40, $425.
14. (20) 14 Amanda Stiffler (R), Farmdale, Ohio, Taylor/HRE, 39, $400.
15. (10) 2t Jake O'Neil (R), Tucson, Ariz., Hughes/Mullins, 38, $375.
16. (18) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis., MBCustoms/Troy's, 36, $350.
17. (3) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis., GRT/Sput's, 24, $325.
18. (9) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., MBCustoms/ASI, 16, $400.
19. (13) 29D Brad Dierks, Clarence, Iowa, MasterSbilt/Sperry, 16, $250.
20. (16) 00 Owen Grube (R), Cambridge, Minn., SSR/KSE, 15, $300.
21. (14) 14 Scott Stiffler (R), Farmdale, Ohio, Taylor/HRE, 1, $300.
22. (19) 1a Dwaine Hanson, Lakefield, Minn., Skyrocket/KSE, 1, $250.
DNS - 1s Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz., MBCustoms/Dakota, 0, $400.

(R) = Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year contender

Lap Leader: Hughes 1-40.
Total Laps Led: Hughes 40.
Margin of Victory: 0.064 second.
Time of Race: 20 minutes, 38.006 seconds (4 cautions).
Provisional Starters: none.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: VanderBeek (started 22nd, finished 4th).
Entries: 23.
Next Race: Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 21-23, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Hunt for the Casey's Cup Points: Hughes 2018, Scott 1975, Dillard 1866, Ramirez 1829, Gustin 1804, VanderBeek 1790, Timm 1777, Whitwell 1724, Saurer 1716, Thornton 1633.
Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year Points: Whitwell 1994, Saurer 1954, Wolff 1829, Zane DeVilbiss 1549, Adam Kates 1484.
Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 537, Sput's 442, ASI 406, Hatfield 322, Cornett 304.
Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 530, MBCustoms 520, VanderBuilt 459, GRT 377, LG2 375.

Contingency Awards:
Allstar Performance - Wolff.
American Racer - Graham.
Beyea Custom Headers - Scott.
BigDeal Car Care - Hughes.
BSB Manufacturing - S. Stiffler.
Casey's General Stores - Timm.
Chix Gear Racewear - Ramirez.
Deatherage Opticians - Lofthus.
Dickson Racing Shocks - O'Neil.
E3 Spark Plugs - Timm.
Edelbrock - Saurer.
Fast Shafts - Sorensen.
Fuel Safe Racing Cells - Sorensen.
GRT Race Cars - Myers.
Hooker Custom Harness - Graham.
Integra Shocks & Springs - Dillard.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts - Myers.
Keyser Manufacturing - Whitwell.
KSE Racing Products - VanderBeek.
Out-Pace Racing Products - Crapser.
QA1 - Wolff.
Real Racing Wheels - all non-qualifiers.
Simpson Performance Products - Wolff.
Sweet Manufacturing - Hanson.
Swift Springs - Hughes.
Sybesma Graphics - Hughes.
Tire Demon - Bumgardner.
VP Racing Fuels - Hughes.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products - VanderBeek.
Wilwood Engineering - Gustin.