The LA Raceway in La Monte, Missouri finally got their chance to host the USMTS on Friday, June 26. The event had been cancelled on several occasions, but last night the weather was warm and the crowd was plentiful. Forty-four USMTS drivers checked in to the backgate for their chance to win the $2,000 top prize.
Before that could happen, a handful of support classes ran their feature events. Galen Hassler took the lead early on in the bmod race, but Gary Lewis was dusting off the top side trying to make his way to the front. Lewis would grab the lead on lap two, but Hassler would take it back the following lap. Pole sitter Colt Cheevers would make his way to the top spot on lap four and never look back as he took home the win. Gary Lewis was second, Mike Higley third, Galen Hassler fourth, and Joe Harris rounded out the top five.
Hobby stocks were next to hit the track. These hobby stocks are equivalent to Iowa's hornet class. Fourteen cars were on hand last night, and it would be Danny Everts setting the pace early on his way to the win. Tanny Young came home second, Miranda Arnold was third, Jeremy Gordon fourth, and Harold Dump rounded out the top five.
Up next would be the twelve-car street stock feature. Troy Reasoner would grab the slight edge at the line at the completion of the first lap as Dean Wille followed closely behind. Wille would duck low after a restart to try to get by Reasoner's machine, but he didn't have enough speed to complete the pass. The two battled side by side for two laps before Wille made it stick on the bottom for the winning pass. Dean Wille took home the win followed by Troy Reasoner in second, Kevin Perkins third, Brian Eckhoff fourth, and Cody Frazon completed the top five.
Nine 305 sprint cars took the green flag for their fifteen lap finale. Tom McGarry used his pole start to take the lead early on, but his persistence to run the high line was his downfall as Ryan Schlender made the pass on the bottom side on lap three. From there Schlender would extend his lead on his way to the easy win. Tom McGarry was second, Tyler Utz third, Timothy Wheeler fourth, and Mike Schouten rounded out the top five.
The USMTS modifieds would run their thirty-five lap finale as the nightcap of the evening. Chad Wheeler and Rodney Sanders paced the field to the green flag. Sanders edged out Wheeler for the lead the first couple of laps while the battle for third heated up behind them. Jim Moody and Jason Krohn went at it side by side for the spot before Moody would get the nod. Just behind them, Jason Hughes was slowly making his way forward as the Oklahoma hotshoe started seventh and made his way by Dereck Ramirez for fifth. Krohn would get by Moody a few laps later for third while Hughes followed him to fourth.
Up front Sanders was putting some distance between him and the rest of the field. At one point he had nearly a straight away lead on the second place driver Wheeler. Hughes would take his car to the outside of Krohn to move into third place and would later use the same maneuver to take the runner up spot away from Wheeler.
By this time, Sanders was catching slower traffic that allowed Hughes to slowly make up ground. While eyes were focused on the front two cars, Zach VanderBeek was making some noise of his own as he moved into sixth place after winning a bmain and started thirteenth. VanderBeek would not be done clicking off spots as he got by Krohn for fourth. Hughes closed in on the rear bumper of Sanders late in the race, and actually got a wheeler under Sanders' left rear tire coming out of turn two on the final lap, but Rodney Sanders made his car wide enough to hold him off at the line for the win. Jason Hughes finished a close second, Zach VanderBeek got by Chad Wheeler at the line for third and fourth, and Jason Krohn rounded out the top five.
Four of the five features were run without a caution. The track was a little dusty in the heat races, but the cars put down enough rubber throughout the night that the dust went away for the most part in the features. The track was in great shape all night, although a few small holes did emerge in the middle of turns one and two.
It was nice to finally meet Alan Brown face to face. Brown is the man behind the Speedway Directory, a composite list of every race track across the country. It was nice getting a chance to talk to him both before and during the races. He pointed out that the leader of the hobby stock (aka hornet) feature ran a lap that was only .5 seconds slower then what the street stock leader ran.
The USMTS series travels to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri on Saturday for their final event before a three-week layoff. After having visited the Lucas Oil Speedway earlier for the Diamond Dirt Nationals late model race, I quickly put this USMTS visit on my schedule. The facility is one of the best, if not THE best, in the country while the racing was top notch as well. I look forward to seeing the USMTS in action along with the Show-Me late model series.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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