July 6, 2023

Sanders finds his happy place, leads USMTS invasion of Ogilvie

It took Rodney Sanders until August last year to get his first USMTS win of the season, and the 2023 campaign started with a slew of struggles for the four-time Summit USMTS National Champion from Happy, Texas.

Sitting 24th in points after the opening weekend at the Rocket Raceway Park in his home state of Texas, he didn’t even crack the top 10 in points until the ninth race of the season following the Ed Gressel Memorial at the 81 Speedway.

Fast forward to July and ‘The Rocket’ has been looking stellar.

On April 22, he was sitting fourth in points heading to the Hamilton County Speedway, and left in third place. After sweeping the first two nights at the Deer Creek Speedway during the Memorial Day Weekend four-banger, Sanders found himself sporting the orange Weiland Points Leader spoiler.

Brandon Davis ended his winless streak with the USMTS on Saturday at Deer Creek and took home $10,000, and then on Sunday another dry spell ended as Zack VanderBeek earned $10,000 for his 51st career win with a flawless performance at the Fayette County Speedway in West Union, Iowa.

After three nights at the Cedar Lake Speedway for the 24th Annual Masters to wrap up the month of June, Sanders leads Jake O’Neil in the rankings with another four-time USMTS National Champion, Jason Hughes, sitting seven points behind O’Neil in third place.

Points Standings
(as of July 6, 2023)

1. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas ... 1679 (2 wins)
2. 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz. ... 1598 (2)
3. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. ... 1591
4. 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn. ... 1529 (2)
5. 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa ... 1522
6. 11X Tom Berry Jr., Des Moines, Iowa ... 1520 (2)
7. 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan. ... 1487 (1)
8. 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. ... 1485
9. 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo. ... 1451 (1)
10. 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa ... 1447 (2)
11. 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa ... 1445 (1)
12. 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark. ... 1443 (2)
13. 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan. ... 1434
14. K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill. ... 1416
15. 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas ... 1283 (1 win)
16. 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn. ... 1231
17. 10B Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan. ... 1228
18. 38T Dylan Thornton, Orcutt, Calif. ... 1192
19. 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa ... 1124
20. 45 Chase Holland, Success, Miss. ... 1089
22. 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis. ... 1024
Other winners:
49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn. (1)
65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan. (1)
97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La. (1)
50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn. (1)

For complete standings and statistics, visit usmts.com/points.

Twenty-one different drivers from 12 different states have perfect attendance with 21 starts in 21 events during the 2023 campaign—a new record, so far. In all, 179 different drivers from 20 different States and one Canadian Province have raced with the USMTS this season.

Third Mod Wars on deck: The Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, Minn., will host the 3rd Annual Mod Wars featuring USMTS vs. Wissota Modifieds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 13-15. The main events will pay $3,000 to win Thursday and $5,000 to win Friday with a $11,000 top prize for Saturday’s champion.

The track has hosted 17 nights of USMTS racing over the last 13 seasons. The inaugural event went to Jason Hughes on Aug. 17, 2011, which as his first of three triumphs here. Stormy Scott also has three wins and is the only other racer with multiple wins at ‘The Big O.’

Other USMTS winners at Ogilvie include Jeremy Payne, Jason Krohn, Zack VanderBeek, Shane Sabraski, Johnny Scott, Dan Ebert, Jake O'Neil, Alex Williamson, Dave Cain, Dustin Sorensen and Jake Timm—the defending Mod Wars champion. Four other race nights have been rained out, postponed or canceled due to the pandemic, as was the case in 2020.

Ogilvie will host an open practice on Wednesday, July 12, with gates opening at 4 p.m. and free admission to the grandstands. Practice takes place 6-9 p.m.

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5, hot laps and qualifying begin at 6:30 and racing gets underway at 7. On Saturday, the pits open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5, hot laps and qualifying begin at 6 and racing gets underway at 6:30.

Competitors can enter online at usmts.com/register or call (515) 832-7944 to save on your entry fee. The entry form can also be downloaded at usmts.com/downloads.

Wissota Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks, Mod Fours and Hornets join the program each night. There will be live entertainment after the races on Friday night, so make your plans for a fun weekend at the Ogilvie Raceway.

The Ogilvie Raceway is a high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval located less than one hour north of the twin cities on Hwy. 23, or 5 miles west of Hwy. 65, or 11 miles east from Hwy.169 in Milaca, or 1 mile east of Hwy. 47 to 1539 MN-23, Ogilvie, MN 56358.

For more information, visit ogilvieraceway.com or email nate@ogilvieraceway.com. You can also follow Ogilvie Raceway’s social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Ogilvie Raceway: Construction on Ogilvie Raceway began in 2008. The 40 acre complex includes over 12,000 square feet of climate-controlled spaces, featuring a full kitchen, bar and restaurant area, hospitality kiosks and display areas, modern restrooms and VIP suites. The meticulously maintained grounds also include south facing grandstands, high quality lighting, a state-of-the-art public address system and a trackside tailgating section along the turns where fans can watch the action from the comfort of their car, the back of their pickup truck or in their RV

In 2015, the Wagamon Family purchased Ogilvie Raceway and are actively involved in the day-to-day operations at the track. With nearly 60 years as business owners in the automotive industry, they bring a passion for racing, family values and excitement to an already great racetrack. During their first season they added a large upper level party room and bar called the Champions Club, and in 2016 an oversized deck was added to allow fans even more viewing and entertainment options.

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.

Visit usmts.com for schedules, points, photos, souvenirs, videos and more. Follow our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Click here to get USMTS news delivered to your inbox.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Beyea Headers, Callies Performance Products, Chevrolet Performance, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, KSE Racing Products, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt, Summit Racing Equipment, Super Clean, VP Racing, Wieland.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ARMI Contractors, Boomtest Well Service, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Collins Brothers Towing, D&T Marriott Enterprise, LLC, DAY Motorsports, Duvall Electric, Gunshepherd.com, Hacienda Mechanical, Kenny's Tile, Mel Hambelton Racing, Midwest Wrap Co., Miller Welders, PBM Performance Products, Rancho Milagro Racing, S&S Fishing & Rental, Salty's BBQ & Catering, Shocker Hitch, Shop Quik Stores, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, BigDeal Car Care, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Deatherage Opticians, Edelbrock, Hooker Harness, Hyperco, Integra Racing Shocks and Springs, JE Pistons, K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports, Keyser Manufacturing, MD3, MSD Performance, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies & Parts, QA1, Quarter Master, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Willy’s Carb & Dyno Shop, Wilwood Racing.

USMTS RACETRACKS: 81 Speedway, Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Arrowhead Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Deer Creek Speedway, Fayette County Speedway, Hamilton County Speedway, Humboldt Speedway, I-70 Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Lucas Oil Speedway, Mason City Motor Speedway, Ogilvie Raceway, Rocket Raceway Park.