Zack VanderBeek

USMTS slides into Cedar Lake Speedway for 24th Annual Masters

This Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 15-17, the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., hosts the 24th Annual Masters featuring the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt.

The show kicks off Thursday with $3,000 to win the USMTS main event, followed by a $5,000-to-win contest on Friday. The finale on Saturday pays a whopping top prize of $11,000.

Alongside the USMTS stars each day will be Super Late Models racing for the same payouts as the USMTS Modifieds, along with three complete shows for USRA Late Models.

USRA Late Models will also run a complete program each night with $600 to win Thursday and Friday before climbing to a $1,100 top prize on Saturday, and all three nights will award Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series national points.

The USMTS Modifieds made their debut at the Cedar Lake Speedway in 2001 with Tim Donlinger winning the Badger State Championship. Trent Follmer garnered his first and only USMTS victory in the 2002 edition of the event, and the series has held 31 additional feature races since then.

The USMTS then became part of the Masters tradition in 2011 with Ryan Gustin winning both ends of a rain-delayed program. He returned in 2012 to top opening night at the Masters but it was Rodney Sanders capturing the finale.

Sanders matched that by winning the opener in 2013 before the finale was pushed back two months by inclement weather with Johnny Scott winning on Aug. 14.

No driver has had more success inside the golden guardrails of the Cedar Lake Speedway than Sanders, registering seven of his 114 career triumphs here. Gustin's not far beh{USMTS-Resp-Embed}ind in either category with five of his 103 wins happening at CLS.

Last year, eventual Summit USMTS national champ Dustin Sorensen won on opening night—his second career win at Cedar Lake—with Jake O’Neil getting his second win here the following night. Taking home the big check on Saturday, 2021 USMTS national champion Dereck Ramirez is the defending Masters champion.

In addition to Donlinger, Follmer and Johnny Scott, everybody else has just one career USMTS win here including Brad Dierks, Jason Hughes, Austin Arneson, Zack VanderBeek, Stormy Scott, Terry Phillips, A.J. Diemel and Ramirez.

Camping for the weekend is just $50 for all days and is available at the racetrack starting Thursday morning. Fans can purchase tickets in advance and/or reserve camping spots at clstickets.com.

THINGS TO DO BEFORE AND AFTER THE RACES

Apple River Tubing: If you haven't tried what has made the Apple River famous you are missing out! Tubing down the river is an experience in itself but add nearly another thousand people and you have a party! For a small fee we provide to and from River's Edge Apple River Tubing & Camping and an inner tube to enjoy the day under the sun! We will have you back to the track way before hot laps start!

Driver Meet & Greet: Before the races come to souvenir alley and purchase an event t-shirt, your favorite driver's shirt or die-cast and get him to sign it as the top drivers will be there to answer your questions, snap a couple pictures and sign your souvenirs.

Post-Race Pit Party: Rub elbows with your favorite drivers, buy them a beer enjoy the music in the arena Friday night after the races.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, June 15:
Grounds open for camping all day
2:00 p.m. – Pits Open
5:00 p.m. – Grandstands Open
6:30 p.m. – Hot Laps
7:00 p.m. – Racing
- USRA Late Model Heats
- Super Late Model Heats
- USMTS Modified Heats
- Super Late Model B-Mains
- USMTS Modified B-Mains
- USRA Late Model A-Main
- Super Late Model A-Main
- USMTS Modified A-Main

Friday, June 16:
Grounds open for camping all day
2:00 p.m. – Pits Open
5:00 p.m. – Grandstands Open
6:30 p.m. – Hot Laps
7:00 p.m. – Racing
- USRA Late Model Heats
- Super Late Model Heats
- USMTS Modified Heats
- Super Late Model B-Mains
- USMTS Modified B-Mains
- USRA Late Model A-Main
- Super Late Model A-Main
- USMTS Modified A-Main

Saturday, June 17:
Grounds open for camping all day
8:30-11:00 a.m. p.m. – Breakfast Served
2:00 p.m. – Pits Open
5:00 p.m. – Grandstands Open
6:30 p.m. – Hot Laps
7:00 p.m. – Racing
- USRA Late Model Heats
- Super Late Model Heats
- USMTS Modified Heats
- Super Late Model B-Mains
- USMTS Modified B-Mains
- USRA Late Model A-Main
- Super Late Model A-Main
- USMTS Modified A-Main

TICKET INFORMATION

Thursday: Adults $30, Students (6-16) $15, Pits $35
Friday: Adults $35, Students (6-16) $17, Pits $40
Saturday: Adults $40, Students (6-16) $20, Pits $45

Kids ages 5 and under get into the grandstands for free each day. Reduced two- or three-day advance tickets are available by calling (612) 363-0479 no later than 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13.

If you can’t be there in person, witness all the action live on RacinDirt.

The pits will open at 2 p.m. and grandstands open at 5. Hot laps and USMTS qualifying begin at 6 and racing gets underway at 7 each day. USMTS drivers can register at usmts.com/register. Cedar Lake Super Late Models and USRA Late Models can register at cedarlakeway.sportngin.com.

USMTS rules are available at usmts.com/downloads. USRA Late Model rules are available at usraracing.com/rules. Super Late Model rules are available at cedarlakespeedway.com.

QUALIFYING PROCEDURES & FORMAT

A complete show is scheduled each night featuring group qualifying and heat races utilizing passing points to set the lineups for the B-Mains and A-Main each night. USMTS will use MyRacePass for timing and scoring. RACEceivers and transponders are required and available for rent or purchase at the USMTS souvenir trailer.

Super Late Models (invert 6) and USRA Late Models (no invert) will start 24 cars in the A-Main each night with qualifying by heat race passing point.

TRACK INFORMATION

Cedar Lake Speedway was founded in 1957 by Elmer Cook and his oldest son, Bob. Over the years, the family continued to expand and improve the facility. In 2001, five new partners came on board including Ron Bernhagen, Brad Both and three brothers: Bob, Chuck and Steve Kaufman.

In addition to having one of the most successful weekly racing programs on Saturday evenings, the track also hosts many nationally-sanctioned and premier racing events. Today, Cedar Lake’s state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval has developed into one of the nation's leading short track facilities.

The track is located 1.0 mile east of SR 35 on SR 64, then 4.2 miles north on CR C to CR CC, then left 1.8 miles to 2275 County Rd CC, New Richmond, WI 54017.

For more information, call (612) 363-0479 or visit cedarlakespeedway.com.

USMTS POINTS STANDINGS
(as of June 11, 2023)

1. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, 1454 (2 wins)
2. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., 1370
3. 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn., 1367 (2 wins)
4. 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz., 1365 (2 wins)
5. 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa, 1332
6. 11X Tom Berry Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, 1303 (2 wins)
7. 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., 1303
8. 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., 1283 (2 wins)
9. 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., 1275 (1 win)
10. 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, 1251 (1 win)
11. 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., 1250
12. 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan., 1244 (1 win)
13. 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 1216 (1 win)
14. K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill., 1187
15. 10B Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan., 1093
16. 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, 1075
17. 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn., 1074
18. 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla., 1060
19. 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa, 965
20. 38T Dylan Thornton, Orcutt, Calif., 965
21. 45 Chase Holland, Success, Miss., 923
22. 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis., 884
Other winners:
65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan. (1)
49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn. (1)
97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La. (1)
50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn. (1)

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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