Jason Hughes chalks up 150th USMTS win at I-94 Speedway

[NickHolt]

Hughes chalks up 150th USMTS win at I-94 Speedway

 

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (May 19) -- Jason Hughes was behind the eight-ball all night Friday at the I-94 Speedway, but after the checkered flag waved the three-time USMTS national champion was in front of the cameras and standing in victory lane for the 150th time after a United States Modified Touring Series feature race.

 

Courtesy of USMTS PR

 

Meanwhile, a crop of rookie drivers took their shots at the front. Brent Dutenhoffer garnered the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award but it was Jacob Bleess taking control at the drop of the green flag-both drivers in search of their first-ever USMTS win.

 

Hughes, meanwhile, drew the eighth starting spot for his heat. After squeaking into the main event redraw with a third-place finish, the 42-year-old from Watts, Okla., drew the eighth position for the 40-lap feature.

Bleess paced the first 24 circuits but a pair of cautions on laps 23 and 25 kept the field close behind the leader with Hughes snagging the point as they completed the 25th lap.

 

From there, Hughes led the rest of the way while surviving two late-race yellow flags and a fierce final charge by Zack VanderBeek who settled for the runner-up paycheck while Hughes reaped the $3,000 winner's share of the prize money in the RHRSwag.com Northern Region opener.

 

Johnny Scott was third at the finish line while Cade Dillard, who traveled all the way from Robeline, La., to Fergus Falls, Minn., drove from 14th to fourth in the main event. Stormy Scott finished fifth and Dan Ebert was sixth.

 

Four Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year contenders rounded out the top 10, including KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award winner Kelly Estey who finished seventh after starting 18th. The rest of the top 10 were R.C. Whitwell, Kyle Prauner and Travis Saurer.

 

The Casey's USMTS National Tour powered by S&S Fishing & Rental makes its maiden voyage to the Devils Lake Speedway on Saturday, May 20, for the inaugural USMTS event presented by Envision & Schill Construction.

 

Midwest Mods, Pure Stocks, Hornets and Circle Track Mini-Trucks will round out the five-division program. The pit gate opens at 4 p.m. and grandstands opening at 5 and racing action getting started at 7. Race fans can get discount coupons good for $2 off general admission at the Casey's General Store located at 309 N. U.S. Hwy. 281 in Carrington. Visit www.caseys.com to find the location nearest you.

 

The Devils Lake Speedway is a 1/3-mile semi-banked clay oval located 1.3 miles east of Doyon on US 2 between mile markers 287 & 288, then south. For more information, call (701) 398-3577 or (218) 469-0576 or go to www.dlspeedway.com online.

 

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.

 

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Casey's USMTS National Tour powered by S&S Fishing & Rental -RHRSwag.com Northern Region presented by Summit Racing Equipment - 3rd Annual Summersota Nationals presented by Barry Construction
I-94 Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn. - Friday, May 19, 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) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (3) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (9) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (6) 05 Jake Hartung ®, Elmwood, Wis.
5. (7) 36 Danny Bayer, Elrosa, Minn.
6. (5) R1 Jay Richardson ®, Spring Valley, Wis.
7. (1) 50 Brady Caul, Fort Francis, Ont., Canada.
8. (8) 2j Blake Jegtvig, Hawley, Minn.
9. (4) 1s Scott Bintz, Jamestown, N.D.

 

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 48 Brent Dutenhoffer, Watertown, S.D.
2. (3) 5k Kyle Prauner ®, Norfolk, Neb.
3. (5) 52 Jason Thoennes, Garfield, Minn.
4. (2) 99 Jason Grimes, Jamestown, N.D.
5. (6) 99 Jake Wildman, Glenwood, Minn.
6. (8) 30 Pat Doar ®, New Richmond, Wis.
7. (9) 81 Mike Densberger, Lincoln, Neb.
8. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
9. (4) 6t Corky Thomas, Glyndon, Minn.

 

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
2. (4) 23 Adam Kates ®, Tonganoxie, Kan.
3. (6) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
4. (2) 53 Chris Mensen, Carlos, Minn.
5. (5) 72k Brian Krog, Fargo, N.D.
6. (8) 96 R.C. Whitwell ®, Tucson, Ariz.
7. (7) 10 Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D.
8. (3) 3s Nathan Sletto, Brandon, Minn.
9. (9) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.

 

THE JOIE OF SEATING HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (3) 49jr Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
3. (4) 2x Brady Gerdes, Villard, Minn.
4. (5) 37 Kelly Estey, Hibbing, Minn.
5. (7) 32 Shaun Peterson ®, Alexandria, Minn.
6. (9) 1s Travis Saurer ®, Elizabeth, Minn.
7. (1) 46 Justin Oestreich, Elk River, Minn.
8. (8) 1jr Tim Johnson, Brainerd, Minn.
9. (6) 21 Joey Jensen, Harris, Minn.

 

VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (3) 21 Jacob Bleess ®, Chatfield, Minn.
2. (1) 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz.
3. (5) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
4. (2) 4v Billy Vogel, West Fargo, N.D.
5. (9) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
6. (4) 6x Zack Johnson ®, Kensington, Minn.
7. (6) 20 Trevor Anderson, Watertown, S.D.
8. (7) 1m Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis.
9. (8) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Ramsey, Minn.

 

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (3) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
2. (2) 2x Brady Gerdes, Villard, Minn.
3. (1) 52 Jason Thoennes, Garfield, Minn.
4. (7) 1s Travis Saurer ®, Elizabeth, Minn.
5. (13) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
6. (14) 1jr Tim Johnson, Brainerd, Minn.
7. (4) 99 Jason Grimes, Jamestown, N.D., Hughes/Dakota, $75.
8. (5) 4v Billy Vogel, West Fargo, N.D.
9. (11) 10 Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D., GRT/GMPP, $90.
10. (10) 81 Mike Densberger, Lincoln, Neb.
11. (9) R1 Jay Richardson ®, Spring Valley, Wis., SSR/MAS, $75.
12. (8) 30 Pat Doar ®, New Richmond, Wis., Rocket/Baxter, $90.
13. (12) 20 Trevor Anderson, Watertown, S.D., Arrow/Victory, $75.
14. (17) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Ramsey, Minn.
15. (6) 32 Shaun Peterson ®, Alexandria, Minn., MasterSbilt/Sput's, $90.
16. (15) 1s Scott Bintz, Jamestown, N.D., Millennium/Dakota, $75.
17. (16) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis., MBCustom/Troy's, $90.

 

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (1) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
2. (8) 96 R.C. Whitwell ®, Tucson, Ariz.
3. (3) 37 Kelly Estey, Hibbing, Minn.
4. (2) 05 Jake Hartung ®, Elmwood, Wis.
5. (5) 36 Danny Bayer, Elrosa, Minn.
6. (6) 99 Jake Wildman, Glenwood, Minn.
7. (12) 2j Blake Jegtvig, Hawley, Minn., MBCustom/Sturdy, $90.
8. (9) 6x Zack Johnson ®, Kensington, Minn., MBCustom/Sturdy, $90.
9. (16) 21 Joey Jensen, Harris, Minn., MBCustom/Tim's, $90.
10. (11) 46 Justin Oestreich, Elk River, Minn., SSR/Hanson, $75.
11. (14) 1m Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis., LG2/Sput's, $90.
12. (10) 50 Brady Caul, Fort Francis, Ont., Canada, Taylor/GMPP, $75.
13. (15) 6t Corky Thomas, Glyndon, Minn., Hughes/G-Force, $75.
14. (13) 3s Nathan Sletto, Brandon, Minn., Mad Man/Sput's, $75.
15. (4) 53 Chris Mensen, Carlos, Minn., GRT/Saurer ®, $75.
16. (7) 72K Brian Krog, Fargo, N.D., MBR/Scott's, $75.

 

CASEY'S GENERAL STORES "A" MAIN (40 laps):
1. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $3000.
2. (6) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Sput's, 40, $1700.
3. (5) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., GRT/Durham, 40, $1200.
4. (14) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., MBCustom/ASI, 40, $1000.
5. (3) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., GRT/Mullins, 40, $900.
6. (7) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn., Millennium/Ebert, 40, $800.
7. (18) 37 Kelly Estey ®, Hibbing, Minn., SSR/Tim's, 40, $700.
8. (16) 96 R.C. Whitwell ®, Tucson, Ariz., MBCustom/Hatfield, 40, $650.
9. (9) 5k Kyle Prauner ®, Norfolk, Neb., Razor/GMPP, 40, $600.
10. (19) 1s Travis Saurer ®, Elizabeth, Minn., MBCustom/Dakota, 40, $550.
11. (2) 21 Jacob Bleess ®, Chatfield, Minn., MBCustom/Sput's, 40, $500.
12. (15) 2x Brady Gerdes, Villard, Minn., SSR/Sput's, 40, $450.
13. (24) 99 Jake Wildman, Glenwood, Minn., Sidebiter/Sower, 40, $350.
14. (20) 05 Jake Hartung ®, Elmwood, Wis., SSR/Scott's, 40, $400.
15. (25) 81 Mike Densberger, Lincoln, Neb., Jet/Speedway, 40, $375.
16. (1) 48 Brent Dutenhoffer ®, Watertown, S.D., Lethal/Sput's, 40, $350.
17. (10) 49jr Jake Timm, Winona, Minn., MBCustom/Sput's, 37, $325.
18. (23) 1jr Tim Johnson ®, Brainerd, Minn., LG2/Scott's, 37, $300.
19. (22) 36 Danny Bayer, Elrosa, Minn., SSR/Scott's, 37, $250.
20. (11) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., LG2/Cornett, 35, $300.
21. (27) 4v Billy Vogel ®, West Fargo, N.D., MBCustom/Durham, 31, $300.
22. (21) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustom/Hatfield, 25, $300.
23. (17) 52 Jason Thoennes, Garfield, Minn., MasterSbilt/Mullins, 25, $300.
24. (26) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Ramsey, Minn., MasterSbilt/Wagamon, 25, $300.
25. (4) 23 Adam Kates ®, Tonganoxie, Kan., LG2/Speedway, 23, $300.
26. (13) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 22, $300.
27. (12) 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz., Shaw/Mullins, 19, $300.

® = Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year contender

Lap Leaders: Bleess 1-24, Hughes 25-40.
Total Laps Led: Bleess 24, Hughes 16.
Margin of Victory: 0.629 second.
Time of Race: 27 minutes, 15.322 seconds (4 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Vogel, Densberger, Wagamon.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Estey (started 18th, finished 7th).
Entries: 45.

 

Next Race: Saturday, May 20, Devils Lake Speedway, Crary, N.D.

 

RHRSwag.com Northern Region Points: Hughes 101, VanderBeek 95, J. Scott 91, Dillard 87, S. Scott 84, Ebert 81, Estey 78, Whitwell 76, Prauner 74, Bleess 73.

 

Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year Points: Whitwell 1737, Saurer 1572, Tyler Wolff 1569, Kates 1195, Vogel 982.

 

Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 234, Durham 197, ASI 184, Sput's 172, Hatfield 145.

 

Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 234, MBCustoms 226, GRT 210, VanderBuilt 176, LG2 157.

 

Contingency Awards:
Allstar Performance - Whitwell.
American Racer - Ebert.
Beyea Custom Headers - VanderBeek.
BigDeal Car Care - Hughes.
BSB Manufacturing - Vogel.
Casey's General Stores - Ebert.
Chix Gear Racewear - Prauner.
Day Motor Sports - Gustin, Thornton.
Deatherage Opticians - Gerdes.
Dickson Racing Shocks - Densberger.
E3 Spark Plugs - J. Scott.
Edelbrock - Ebert.
Fast Shafts - Dutenhoffer.
Forty9Designs.com - Hartung, Bayer.
Fuel Safe Racing Cells - Ebert.
GRT Race Cars - Mensen.
Hooker Custom Harness - Wildman.
Integra Shocks & Springs - T. Johnson.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts - Timm.
Keyser Manufacturing - Saurer.
KSE Racing Products - Estey.
Out-Pace Racing Products - Dutenhoffer.
QA1 - Gustin.
Real Racing Wheels - all non-qualifiers.
Simpson Performance Products - J. Scott.
Sweet Manufacturing - Sanders.
Sybesma Graphics - Dutenhoffer.
Tire Demon - Bleess.
Tyler Rinken Photography - Ramirez.
VP Racing Fuels - Hughes.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products - Hughes.
Wilwood Engineering - Estey.