For as long as I can remember, the saying "sometimes it's better to be lucky then good" has been around. That saying was thrown out the window for Thursday night's USMTS feature as track champion Jason Cummins proved why he was crowned the champ. Kyle Jumbeck would also score a win in the Wissota Midwest Modified feature on this night.
The Wissota Midwest Modifieds were the first feature on the card with Jumbeck leading the field to the green flag for a twenty-lap event. Jumbeck would grab ahold of the lead at the start with fellow front row starter Dustin Scott challenging on the inside. Just past the halfway point, I noticed that Andrew Wiste was charging through the pack. Wiste started 20th on the grid, but found his way up to ninth at the completion of lap twelve. Closer to the front, Brandon Davis and Troy Brand were racing door to door for the third spot with Davis getting the nod a couple laps later. Kyle Jumbeck would go on to take the feature win followed by Dustin Scott, Brandon Davis, and Troy Brand. Forty-three Midwest Modifieds were on hand for tonight's event.
After the Midwest Modifieds were done, it would be time for the much-anticipated laser show. I didn't keep track of the time, but I'm sure it ran for a good 10-15 minutes, playing several songs and giving the fans a good showcase. When the lights came back on, it would be time for the USMTS thirty-lap main event. Corey Dripps and Hank Rollinger would set the pace with Dripps getting the early advantage.
The inside row got a great start as Bob Timm slid into second with Jon Tesch right behind in third. On lap four Tesch drove to the outside of Timm to take over the runner up spot while Al Hejna was on the move deeper in the pack. Hejna, who started tenth, charged to the fourth spot by lap eight using the cushion. Jason Cummins found his marks on the low groove as he took over the second spot from Tesch on lap ten. A lap later Cummins drove by Dripps on the inside to snare the lead away.
Another car on the move was youngster Ryan Gustin. After winning the first of five bmain events, Gustin would start nineteenth on the grid. By lap thirteen he had worked his way up to the eighth spot as he hugged the tires around the entire track. Up front Hejna drove by Dripps and Tesch to take the second spot just after the halfway point. By that time Cummins had opened up a half-straight away lead, but Hejna quickly cut that lead down within two laps as Cummins caught lapped traffic.
Hejna would make the pass on the outside of Cummins in turn four to lead lap twenty-three. Lapped cars would make things difficult for Hejna as he seemed to get boxed in, allowing Cummins to sprint back by on the inside to the lead. Hejna would make contact with the turn two wall late in the race to provide enough insurance for Jason Cummins to take home the $2,000 top prize. Al Hejna, Corey Dripps, Jon Tesch, and Zack VanderBeek rounded out the top five.
Points leader Kelly Shryock had an unusually bad night. After appearing to have the first heat race in hand, he would get passed by Al Hejna. That prevented him from making the top 18 in passing points, meaning he would have to race his way in from a bmain. He would win bmain #2, thus starting 20th on the grid. Shryock would only advance three spots from there, so both Jason Hughes and Ryan Gustin were able to make up some ground in the points championship with just two races remaining.
The Featherlite Fall Jamboree continues Friday and Saturday with two separate and complete shows for both the Wissota Midwest Modifieds along with the USMTS modifieds. Racing action starts at 6pm Friday while things will get kicked off an hour earlier on Saturday.
For more information, check out www.usmts.com or www.deercreekspeedway.com.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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