Bo Day knows Big O, bags first USMTS win in Ennis

[NickHolt]

Bo knows Big O, bags first USMTS win

ENNIS, Texas (March 6)--The track's surface was smooth and fast at the Big O Speedway on Friday night, and Bo Day was the smoothest and fastest of all as he powered to his career-first USMTS victory on opening night of the 10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals.

Tyler Rinken photo

A second-place finish behind Dereck Ramirez in Fast Shafts Heat Race #2 allowed the 32-year-old from nearby Greenville, Texas, to just squeak into the redraw for the main event.

"Big Daddy" Joe Duvall claimed the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award while Day started the 40-lap feature race alongside in the front row with both locked in on capturing their first USMTS victory.

Day led Duvall by a nose to complete the first lap, and then pulled away slightly over the next few laps while Duvall tussled with Ramirez for second.

While the track was sticky-fast thanks to the heavy rainfall Wednesday night that forced officials to cancel practice and Thursday's program, the drivers raced hard and clean.

When the yellow flag waved for a second time on lap 6, a pair of former USMTS national champions-Jason Hughes and Rodney Sanders-were already looking to break into the top five after rolling off 15th and 17th on the grid.

After the restart, the race remained green through lap 14 with Day continuing to set a blistering pace over Ramirez, Duvall, and Tyler Davis while Sanders, Zack VanderBeek Casey Skyberg, Tyler Wolff and Hughes followed close behind.

While under caution, VanderBeek suddenly ducked into the pits and Wolff followed him soon thereafter. After changing a flat tire, Wolff returned to action but VanderBeek never resurfaced.

A fourth and final caution on lap 28 set up a dozen-lap dash to the finish. Despite a valiant effort by Ramirez to make a last-lap pass around the outside, Day slammed the door shut and streaked beneath the checkered flag with his first triumph versus the Best of the Best.

He pocketed $3,000 for his efforts.

"I'm just happy. We worked our butts off for this one for sure," Day said in victory lane. "I knew (Ramirez) was there and I knew I had to block on the last lap. I figured he was going to go to the top so just played a little blocking game."

Despite having a great finish in second, it was another second-best for Ramirez who had 11 runner-up finishes in 2019 and already has two in the first four races of 2020.

Duvall exorcised some demons that haunted lat weekend's trio of USMTS lid-lifters and finished third while Hughes and Davis were credited with fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sanders wound up sixth, Wolff rebounded to finish seventh, eighth went to 18th-starting Hunter Marriott, Philip Houston made the most of his provisional starting spot and roared from 23rd to ninth, and Kevin Sustaire finished right where he started in tenth.

If you missed Friday's thriller, have no fear because the weekend is only half done.

The Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey's returns to the Big O Speedway on Saturday for a second night of racing and another $3,000 top prize awaits.

USRA Limited Mods throw down for $500 to win while Sunoco USRA Factory Stocks race for $400 to win. USRA Tuners and Mod-Lites will join the program too.

The pits will open at 2 p.m. and grandstands open at 4 with racing getting underway at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults (17+) and $15 for seniors (62+) and juniors (12-16). Kids ages 11 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35.

The Big O Speedway is located off I-45 at exit 249, then 5.6 miles east on FM 85 in Ennis, Texas. For more information, call (317) 777-2222 or email bigospeedway@gmail.com. You can also visit the track's official website at bigospeedway.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

You can also visit the track's official website at bigospeedway.com (http://bigospeedway.com)and follow them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bigospeedway) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/bigospeedway).

Just 10 minutes from the racetrack at 400 South I-45 (GPS: 1200 Dolfie Ln, Ennis, TX 75119), the Comfort Suites in Ennis is the Official Host Hotel for the event with a special rate for USMTS travelers of just $70/night for a King or $80/night for a double Queen. Call (972) 330-2404 and use discount code "LUSMTS" when booking your room(s). You can also book online at choicehotels.com (https://www.choicehotels.com/texas/ennis/comfort-suites-hotels/txa54).

RacinDirt TV will have live coverage of every lap in every division. One low monthly or annual price gets you all the action. You can now access RacinDirt in a multitude of ways, via your computer as always, but also a suite of apps for added convenience including Roku, Amazon Fire, iOS, Apple TV, and Google Play.

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
10th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals - Night 1 of 2
Big O Speedway, Ennis, Texas
Friday, March 6, 2020

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

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
2. (6) 211 Chase Hatton (R), De Berry, Texas
3. (4) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan.
4. (7) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas
5. (3) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas
6. (5) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas
7. (2) 19C Chad Guest (R), Waxahachie, Texas
8. (8) 28 Wendall Bolden (R), Greenville, Texas

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (3) 4 Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas
3. (4) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
4. (6) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas
5. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
6. (5) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas
7. (8) 54 Carlos Ahumada Sr., El Paso, Texas
8. (1) 55 Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 15J Jason Webb (R), McKinney, Texas
2. (1) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
3. (3) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
4. (6) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
6. (7) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
7. (8) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
8. (4) 00 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2. (4) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
3. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (8) 7 Shayne Bailey (R), Lathrop, Mo.
5. (2) 99 Jeff Needham (R), Rice, Texas
6. (7) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas
7. (5) 5H Lance Hanson Jr. (R), Red Oak, Texas
8. (6) 24 Rick Ortega (R), Las Cruces, N.M.

VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (2) 88R A.J. Vasquez, Garden City, Mich.
2. (1) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas
3. (4) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark.
4. (6) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
5. (5) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas
6. (3) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
7. (7) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrell, Texas

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
2. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
4. (2) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas
5. (7) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas
6. (12) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrell, Texas, IRP/3D
7. (4) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE
8. (10) 54 Carlos Ahumada Sr., El Paso, Texas, GRT/BMS
9. (8) 4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Rocket/Wells
10. (9) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas, WesternFlyer/Hatfield
11. (13) 55 Nathan Hagar (R), Adair, Okla., GRT/ChevPerf
12. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham
13. (11) 19C Chad Guest (R), Waxahachie, Texas, BillsBuilt/Allard
14. (14) 24 Rick Ortega (R), Las Cruces, N.M., GRT/BMS

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
2. (10) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
3. (4) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
4. (9) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
5. (1) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark.
6. (3) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, GRT/Stoen
7. (8) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas
8. (12) 28 Wendall Bolden (R), Greenville, Texas, MBCustoms/Bullet
9. (11) 5H Lance Hanson Jr. (R), Red Oak, Texas, Phoenix/
10. (6) 99 Jeff Needham (R), Rice, Texas, Skyrocket/Wells
11. (7) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jet/Speedway
12. (13) 00 Cody Jolly (R), Jasper, Mo., MBCustoms/Yeoman
13. (5) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas

CASEY'S "A" MAIN (40 laps):
1. (2) 4 Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins
2. (3) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett
3. (1) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/Stoen
4. (15) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins
5. (8) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan., Hughes/Mullins
6. (17) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield
7. (14) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/Hill
8. (18) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE
9. (23) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas, MBCustoms/PPE
10. (10) 71K Kevin Sustaire, Emory, Texas, Rage/Fisher
11. (19) 88XXX Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins
12. (21) 12T Tyler Townsend, Diana, Texas, Lethal/ChevPerf
13. (20) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis., MBCustoms/Tim's
14. (7) 88R A.J. Vasquez, Garden City, Mich., Hughes/Farris
15. (13) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D., Lethal/Mullins
16. (22) F2R Chris Reed (R), Rison, Ark., Lethal/Mullins
17. (11) 7 Shayne Bailey (R), Lathrop, Mo., GRT/ChevPerf
18. (24) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas, MBCustoms/Wells
19. (6) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen
20. (16) 21W David Winslett, Bossier City, La., GRT/TwinCity
21. (9) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, GRT/BMS
22. (12) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan., Hughes/Mullins
23. (5) 15J Jason Webb (R), McKinney, Texas, VanderBuilt/Wornhor
24. (4) 211 Chase Hatton (R), De Berry, Texas, IRP/F1

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

Lap Leader: Day 1-40.
Total Laps Led: Day 40.
Margin of Victory: 0.249 second.
Time of Race: 22 minutes, 41.179 seconds (4 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Houston, Rutherford.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Hughes (advanced 15 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Hughes (started 15th, finished 4th).
Entries: 39.
Next Race: Saturday, March 7, Big O Speedway, Ennis, Texas.
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey's Points: Sanders 359, Hughes 352, Ramirez 338, Davis 329, Marriott 312, Houston 299, Iverson 286, Wolff 282, Skyberg 271, Duvall 266.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Iverson 286, Skyberg 271, Hagar 225, Slott 81, Gaggero 140.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 38, Hughes 35, Rage 32, IRP 22, Lethal 22.
Compstar/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 34, Hatfield 29, Cornett 25, KSE 21, Stoen 21.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer - Ramirez.
Beyea Custom Headers - Davis.
BigDeal Car Care - Hughes, Day.
Bryke Racing - Skyberg.
BSB Manufacturing - Ahumada Jr.
Champ Pans - Davis.
Deatherage Opticians - Townsend.
Edelbrock - Webb.
Eibach - Hughes.
Fast Shafts - Ramirez.
FK Rod Ends - Hughes.
Forty9 Designs - Vasquez, VanderBeek.
Hooker Harness - Townsend.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs - Rutherford.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts - Reed.
K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports - Sartain.
Keyser Manufacturing - Sustaire.
KSE Racing Products - Houston.
Maxima Racing Oils - Day.
Mesilla Valley Transportation - Ahumada Sr.
Penske Racing Shocks - Iverson.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain - Rutherford.
QA1 - Duvall.
RacerWebsite.com - Bailey.
Simpson Performance Products - Duvall.
Spyder High Performance Filters - Sanders.
Summit Racing Equipment - Day, Duvall, Wolff.
Super Clean - Day.
Swift Springs - Day, Sustaire.
Sybesma Graphics - Duvall.
Tire Demon - Ortega.
VP Racing Fuels - Day.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products - Guest.
Wilwood Disc Brakes - Wolff.