Mullens wires Mod Mania opener

July 28, 2020

Capturing his third USMTS victory of the year, Tanner Mullens led all 35 laps to top opening night of Mod Mania at the Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa.

The 27-year-old from Wichita, Kan., was the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award winner and remained at the front of the field the entire distance to capture another multitude of awards that await each winner. He also pocketed $2,000.

“I tried to ride around as long as I could on the bottom and was just trying to slow the pace down to save the tire there,” Mullens revealed in victory lane. “I was getting tight there at the end and it (right rear tire) don’t look like we have too much left on it.”

Zack VanderBeek started from the outside of Mullens on the front row. He was second on the first lap and stayed glued to Mullens’ rear bumper until the checkered flag waved.

“I could kind of hear him,” Mullens recalled,” and I think he bumped me there once but I was just trying to slow down and save the tire. I didn’t think they were going to be able to drive around me on the outside.”

Mullens was in the mix the entire race when the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s visited Mason City on June 18, eventually finishing third behind Dereck Ramirez—who was unable to crack the top ten tonight—and current points leader Rodney Sanders.

Then again, he’s been in the mix since the start of the 2020 campaign. He won the first USMTS main event of his career at the Lucas Oil Speedway on June 3 and followed that up with a heart-breaking runner-up the following night at his hometown 81 Speedway before winning again two weeks later at the Cedar County Raceway.

In addition to three wins he has eight top-five finishes and he’s finished among the top ten in all 13 of his starts utilizing a family-built chassis and engine.

VanderBeek brought his VanderBuilt home second while Sanders had to settle for the third-place paycheck. Hunter Marriott was fourth and Terry Phillips found himself fifth in the end.

Tyler Davis, Lucas Schott, Al Hejna, Jacob Bleess and Jake Timm rounded out the top ten. Bleess, who started 16th, earned the FK Rod Ends Hard Charger Award and a best-of-show nine positions during the night to add the Eibach Spring Forward Award.

Mod Mania continues Wednesday and Thursday at the Mason City Motor Speedway. USMTS Modifieds will race for $3,000 to win and $250 to start on Wednesday and Thursday’s payout is $4,000 to the winner and $300 to all feature race starters.

The pits are slated to open at 3 p.m. and grandstand gates swing open at 5 each day. Hot laps will begin at 7 with qualifying getting underway at 7:30.

Spectator tickets for those ages 17-61 are $20 each day while seniors (62+) and juniors (12-16) are just $15. Youth (6-11) are $5. Pit passes for everybody 11 and older are $35 Wednesday and $40 Thursday while youth (6-10) are $20 Wednesday and $25 Thursday. Children 5 and under get in free both days at both gates.

The inaugural tripleheader at Iowa's newest Action Track will also see American Racer USRA Stock Cars, USRA B-Mods and Mensink Racing Products USRA Hobby Stocks competing all three nights.

Watch all three nights live with a subscription to RacinDirt.TV https://racindirt.tv and follow along with entries, lineups and live scoring at MyRacePass https://myracepass.com.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mason City is the Official Host Hotel for Mod Mania. Make your reservations today by calling (641) 424-1200 or online at HolidayInn.com. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mason City is located at 3041 4th Street SW, Mason City, IA 50401.

The 2020 schedule for the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s is currently highlighted by 47 nights of racing at 28 unique dirt ovals for the 22nd season of competition for the world’s Best of the Best in dirt modified racing. Due to inclement weather, issues related to the COVID-19 and/or other forces out of our control, the schedule is tentative and subject to change without notice.

The Mason City Motor Speedway is a 1/3-mile clay oval located 5.1 miles east of I-35 at exit 194 on SR 122 (at the North Iowa Fairgrounds). The physical address is 3700 4th St SW, Mason City, IA 50401. For more information, check out MasonCityMotorSpeedway.com. You can also like us on Facebook and Instagram and follow us on Twitter.

To learn more about the United States Racing Association, visit USRAracing.com. You can also like us on Facebook, visit us on Instagram, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube. Keep up to speed with everything USRA and subscribe to the USRA e-Newsletter at USRAracing.com/subscribe.

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
Mod Mania presented by Keyser Manufacturing – Night 1 of 3
Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa
Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder and laps completed. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Casey’s “A” Main with the top-8 drawing for starting positions 1-8.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (2) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (4) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
4. (7) 444 Brooks Strength (R), Raymond, Miss.
5. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
6. (6) 9 Ken Schrader, Dittmer, Mo.
7. (8) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
8. (3) 10 Dustin Robinson (R), Post, Texas

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 65 Tyler Davis (R), Haysville, Kan.
2. (3) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.
3. (2) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
4. (8) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (4) 15W Alex Williamson (R), Rushford, Minn.
6. (5) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
7. (7) 009 Jason Asbe (R), Clear Lake, Iowa
8. (6) 77 Ronnie Yanacsek (R), Amarillo, Texas

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2. (1) 777 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
3. (6) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
4. (4) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
5. (3) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
6. (7) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
7. (5) 51A Blake Arndt (R), Brownsdale, Minn.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 02 Tanner Mullens (R), Wichita, Kan.
2. (2) 49JR Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
3. (5) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis.
4. (7) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (3) 20JR Chase Rudolf (R), Norwalk, Iowa
6. (4) 29H Joe Horgdal, Kasson, Minn.
7. (6) 14M Brian Mahlstedt (R), Ionia, Iowa

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 444 Brooks Strength (R), Raymond, Miss.
2. (3) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (2) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis.
4. (6) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D.
5. (7) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
6. (5) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
7. (8) 51A Blake Arndt (R), Brownsdale, Minn., Shaw/KSE.
8. (4) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
9. (9) 10 Dustin Robinson (R), Post, Texas, WFRC/ASI.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (1) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
3. (3) 15W Alex Williamson (R), Rushford, Minn.
4. (4) 20JR Chase Rudolf (R), Norwalk, Iowa
5. (6) 29H Joe Horgdal, Kasson, Minn.
6. (5) 9 Ken Schrader, Dittmer, Mo., Lethal/Mullins.
7. (7) 009 Jason Asbe (R), Clear Lake, Iowa, SideBiter/ChevPerf.
8. (8) 14M Brian Mahlstedt (R), Ionia, Iowa, Hughes/LM.
9. (9) 77 Ronnie Yanacsek (R), Amarillo, Texas, Rocket/PPE.

CASEY’S “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. (1) 02 Tanner Mullens (R), Wichita, Kan., Mullens/Mullens, 35.
2. (2) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen, 35.
3. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, 35.
4. (6) 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE, 35.
5. (8) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 35.
6. (5) 65 Tyler Davis (R), Haysville, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 35.
7. (11) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn., MBCustoms/Stoen, 35.
8. (3) 777 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, Rage/ChevPerf, 35.
9. (16) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE, 35.
10. (9) 49JR Jake Timm, Winona, Minn., MBCustoms/OFI, 35.
11. (7) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 35.
12. (12) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, 35.
13. (17) 27X Calvin Iverson (R), Eleva, Wis., MBCustoms/Tim's, 35.
14. (13) 444 Brooks Strength (R), Raymond, Miss., MBCustoms/Stoen, 35.
15. (18) 15W Alex Williamson (R), Rushford, Minn., SSR/KSE, 35.
16. (15) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 35.
17. (21) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn., Rocket/Baier's, 35.
18. (24) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/BMS, 35.
19. (20) 20JR Chase Rudolf (R), Norwalk, Iowa, Rage/KSE, 27.
20. (19) 6 Casey Skyberg (R), Rapid City, S.D., Lethal/Mullins, 24.
21. (10) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis., DirtDueler/OFI, 23.
22. (23) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jet/Speedway, 19.
23. (22) 29H Joe Horgdal, Kasson, Minn., Killer/Baier’s, 1.
24. (14) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, 0.

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

Lap Leader: Mullens 1-35.
Total Laps Led: Mullens 35.
Margin of Victory: 0.697 second.
Time of Race: 19 minutes, 42.788 seconds (3 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Duvall, Kates.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Bleess (advanced 9 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Bleess (started 16th, finished 9th).
Entries: 30.
Next Race: July 29, Mason City Motor Speedway.
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s Points: Sanders 1979, Ramirez 1864, Hughes 1785, Marriott 1624, VanderBeek 1582, Davis 1562, Iverson 1534, Skyberg 1362, Phillips 1309, Kates 1287.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Davis 1562, Iverson 1534, Skyberg 1312, Mullens 1178, Nathan Hagar 778.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 191, Hughes 184, VanderBuilt 127, Rage 120, GRT 118.
Compstar/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Hatfield 167, Cornett 146, Mullins 138, KSE 115, Stoen 115.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – O’Neil.
Beyea Custom Headers – Marriott.
BigDeal Car Care – Mullens.
Bryke Racing – Williamson.
BSB Manufacturing – Hensel.
Champ Pans – Phillips.
Deatherage Opticians – Sorensen.
Edelbrock – VanderBeek.
Eibach – Bleess.
Fast Shafts – Davis.
FK Rod Ends – Bleess.
Forty9 Designs – Strength, Rudolf.
Hooker Harness – Ramirez.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Duvall.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts – Cummins.
K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports – Schrader.
Keyser Manufacturing – Timm.
KSE Racing Products – Bleess.
Maxima Racing Oils – Mullens.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Yanacsek.
Penske Racing Shocks – Iverson.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – VanderBeek.
QA1 – Bleess.
RacerWebsite.com – Cummins.
Simpson Performance Products – Phillips.
Spyder High Performance Filters – Davis.
Summit Racing Equipment – Asbe, Mahlstedt, Yanacsek.
Super Clean – Mullens.
Swift Springs – Mullens, Hejna.
Sybesma Graphics – Mullens.
Tire Demon – Kates.
VP Racing Fuels – Mullens.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Mahlstedt.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Schott.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Casey’s, Chevrolet Performance, Compstar Performance Engine Components by Callies, CP-Carrillo, Dirt Draft, Eibach, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts, K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports, KS Engineering, KSE Racing Products, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, MSD Performance, MTN DEW Zero Sugar, MyRacePass, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt.com, Snickers, Summit Racing Equipment, Super Clean, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco Industries.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, Eagle Moon Farm, JE Pistons, Miller Welders, PBM Performance Products, Rancho Milagro Racing, Rivers Edge Scrap Management, Tony Moro Powder Coat, Top of the World Ranch, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Beyea Headers, BigDeal Car Care, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Deatherage Opticians, Edelbrock, Forty9 Designs, Genesis Racing Shocks, Hooker Harness, Integra Racing Shocks and Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, Maxima Racing Oils, Penske Racing Shocks, QA1, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Tire Demon, Wehrs Machine & Race Products, Wilwood Racing.