August 1, 2023 | By USMTS

USMTS Triple at I-70, Lakeside, Lucas Oil Speedway

Odessa, MO —  The next installment of scorched dirt featuring the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt happens this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, August 3-5, with a tripleheader at three fan-favorite facilities in Kansas and Missouri.

The series returns to the I-70 Speedway in Odessa. Mo., on Thursday and then moves to the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for the 7th Annual Grant Junghans Memorial. The weekend wraps up Saturday at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.

I-70 SPEEDWAY – ODESSA, MO
2ND ANNUAL USMTS BUSHWHACKER

The 2nd Annual USMTS Bushwhacker takes place at the famed half-mile speedplant at the I-70 Motorsports Park—a multi-purpose motorsports just outside of Kansas City.

Last year, Rodney Sanders won by a nose to snap a lengthy winless streak. This time he rolls into town as the series points leader with a $5,000 top prize on the line.

The track opened in 1969 by Bill Roberts, who had previously built and owned the Kansas City International Raceway dragstrip in Kansas City, Mo.

Roberts sold the track to Greg Weld, owner of Weld Wheels, in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Weld covered the track with dirt, and in late 1989, Roberts—who continued to hold the note on the track—repossessed I-70 Speedway from Weld.

At that time, Roberts, along with sons Dennis and Randy, resurfaced the track with asphalt and attained NASCAR sanctioned. Another son, Dan, was a Kansas City area country music DJ and later a long-time announcer at Arrowhead Stadium, who got his start in broadcasting at I-70 Speedway.

In 2006, a new 3/8-mile dirt track was built on the site behind the former grandstands. That make-shift oval lasted less than two years, hosting a handful of events including the first USMTS race at I-70 Speedway on June 13, 2007. That race was won by Greg Skaggs of Bixby, Okla.

I-70 was considered the home track of many NASCAR drivers such as Rusty Wallace, Clint Bowyer and Larry Phillips, father of USMTS standout Terry Phillips. James Ince, who was Larry Phillips' crew chief and later a NASCAR Crew Chief of the Year with Johnny Benson Jr., also started his career at I-70 Speedway.

Bill Roberts sold the track to Ted Carlson in the mid-1990s. Carlson later sold the track to Brad McDonald. On July 5, 2018, it was announced that both Kansas City International Raceway and I-70 Speedway were bought by Chris Payne, owner of Heartland Park Topeka, and would reopen in 2019.

After delays due to negotiations with county lawmakers and the COVID-19 pandemic, the new complex finally reopened in April 2021 under new ownership.

For this Thursday’s show, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods will join the program, both racing for $800 to win and valuable Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series national points.

Check out the Fast Facts for complete details about the 2nd Annual USMTS Bushwhacker.

The I-70 Motorsports Park is located 35 miles east of Kansas City on I-70 at the Lexington-Mayview exit (#41), then north to 12773 N Outer Rd, Odessa, MO 64076.

For more information, call (816) 393-0001 or check out i70motorsportspark.com. Follow I-70 Speedway on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

LAKESIDE SPEEDWAY – KANSAS CITY, KS
7TH ANNUAL USMTS GRANT JUNGHANS MEMORIAL

The 7th Annual USMTS Grant Junghans Memorial presented by Shop Quik takes place Friday, Aug. 4, at the legendary Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. The one-night stand will see the winner walk away with $12,002 and every main event starter earning no less than $1,302.

As it has since the beginning, the mega-event will raise money for the Grant Junghans Memorial Fund which supports research and funding for childhood cancer in honor of the late racer from Manhattan, Kan.

A favorite among fans and fellow competitors, Grant Junghans was first diagnosed with cancer in February of 2010 when he was just 21 years old. Despite on-again off-again chemotherapy treatments and numerous surgeries, he never lost his sense of humor, fighting spirit or natural-born tendency to be kind to others.

The racing world lost one of its finest ambassadors when he passed away in March 2016, and the Grant Junghans Memorial event is an opportunity for his family, friends, fans and fellow competitors to remember the good times and racing memories shared in his 27 years with us.

He was the 2009 USMTS Rookie of the Year, and that award has since been renamed in his honor. His younger brother, Chase Junghans, is a former USMTS racer who is now a regular with the World of Outlaws Late Models.

Grant Junghans (second from left) talks with Rodney Sanders (orange uniform) while Shane Hebert (black uniform) and Morgan Bagley (green uniform) are also present during the redraw and driver's meet 'n' greet with fans in Amarillo, Texas. (Chad Ebel Photo)

Fittingly, the last two winners are also former Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Award winners.

Tanner Mullens is the defending race winner while the 2021 event was rained out. Ricky Thornton Jr. won the previous race on Oct. 30, 2020.

Jacob Bleess celebrated his 23rd birthday on Nov. 17, 2019—one day after his win at the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., and the same day that Junghans was born. It would have been his 31st birthday.

Jake O'Neil won in 2018, Rodney Sanders in 2017 and Lucas Schott captured the inaugural title in 2016. Except for the 2019 race at 81 Speedway, the others have taken place at the Lakeside Speedway.

Also running will be USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods racing for $1,002 to win and Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series national points for both classes.

Check out the Fast Facts for complete details about the 7th Annual USMTS Grant Junghans Memorial presented by Shop Quik.

The Lakeside Speedway is a high-banked 4/10-mile clay oval located 1 mile west of I-435 (exit 18) on SR 5 (northwest of Kansas City) to 5615 Wolcott Dr, Kansas City, KS 66109.

For more information, call (913) 299-9206 or check out lakesidespeedway.net and follow Lakeside Speedway on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

LUCAS OIL SPEEDWAY – WHEATLAND, MO
13TH ANNUAL USMTS SLICK-MIST SHOW-ME SHOOTOUT

On Saturday, Aug. 5, the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt brings the heat back to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., for the $10,000-to-win 13th Annual USMTS Slick-Mist Show-Me Shootout presented by Foley Equipment.

2021 USMTS National Champion Dereck Ramirez returns to try for his fourth straight victory at the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks.”

Considered by racers, fans and industry insiders to be one of the top five—if not the best—racing facilities in the nation, the Lucas Oil Speedway features 21 VIP luxury suites, a giant HD Jumbo Tron screen, Musco Sports lighting, Bose Stadium sound system, Go kart slick track for all ages, The Diamond Bar, the best track food in the country, and the nicest pits in dirt track racing are just a few of the amenities that set this place apart from the others.

What’s more, this event is happening just two months before the 10th Annual Summit USRA Nationals in October, so look for a massive car count with USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods also on the program, along with Hermitage Lumber Late Models.

With 16 prior visits to the Lucas Oil Speedway, defending USMTS National Champion Dereck Ramirez has won the last three Slick Mist Show-Me Shootouts. Kelly Shryock, Jeremy Payne and Terry Phillips are two-time winners here.

Jason Krohn, Ryan Gustin, Johnny Scott, Zack VanderBeek, Stormy Scott, Rodney Sanders and Tanner Mullens each have one win in Wheatland on their résumé.

Check out the Fast Facts for complete details about the 13th Annual USMTS Slick-Mist Show-Me Shootout presented by Foley Equipment.

The Lucas Oil Speedway is a semi-banked 3/8-mile clay oval located 0.2 mile south of US 54 on SR 83, then east to 18842 Speedway Dr, Wheatland, MO 65779.

For more information, check out lucasoilspeedway.com and follow Lucas Oil Speedway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

USMTS POINTS STANDINGS
(top 20 as of July 31, 2023)

1. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas ... 2148 (2 wins)
2. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. ... 2070
3. 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa ... 2031 (2 wins)
4. 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz. ... 2000 (2 wins)
5. 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. ... 1977 (1 win)
6. 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan. ... 1951 (1 win)
7. 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn. ... 1928 (2 wins)
8. 11X Tom Berry Jr.., Des Moines, Iowa ... 1869 (2 wins)
9. 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo. ... 1866 (2 wins)
10. 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark. ... 1858 (2 wins)
11. 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa ... 1856 (2 wins)
12. 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa ... 1839 (1 win)
13. K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill. ... 1786
14. 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan. ... 1724
15. 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr.., El Paso, Texas ... 1686 (1 win)
16. 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn. ... 1623
17. 38T Dylan Thornton, Orcutt, Calif. ... 1526
18. 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa ... 1451
19. 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn. ... 1400 (3 wins)
20. 10B Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan. ... 1394

For its Silver Anniversary season, the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt currently features 45 nights of racing at 15 of America's premier dirt track racing venues in nine states. The winners of those events are set to earn more than $300,000 with nearly $2 million in purses and prize money earmarked for the 2023 campaign.

Watch every USMTS event online live and on-demand from anywhere on any device with RacinDirt. Download the app at Roku, Amazon Fire, iOS, Apple TV or on Google Play.

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