Zack VanderBeek

Wolff wins 8th Annual USMTS Grant Junghans Memorial

For the eighth time on Friday, the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt converged on the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., to battle for the Grant Junghans Memorial trophy.

With this event rained out last year, Thursday’s 7th Annual Grant Junghans Memorial featured a pair of $2,222-to-win features while Saturday’s 8th Annual Grant Junghans Memorial carried a $12,002 top prize and a minimum of $1,002 to start the 42-lap finale.

The son of a legend and a legend in his own right, Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., took the lead away from polesitter Tyler Davis of Haysville, Kan., from the outside of the front row.

Phillips had luck on his side coming into the race after winning the first feature on Thursday and then drawing the lucky No. 2 pill in the redraw tonight and that was worth another $2,222 in $2 bills as a bonus from .

The first of two Gorsuch Performance caution flags appeared on the third lap when Wednesday’s winner at the Beatrice Speedway, Jake O’Neil, suffered a right front flat tire and smacked the red and white striped concrete wall at the top of turn two.

Broken Bow, Okla., racer Gary Christian contested Phillips for the first seven laps but contact with a tire barrier damaged his left front suspension and he began to fall off the pace.

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Tyler Wolff of Fayetteville, Ark., got by Davis and the pair moved into second and third, but Phillips was ahead by more than two seconds.

His lead shrank with each lap and Wolff eventually snuck past on the low side to lead lap 19. Wolff set sail and Kyle Strickler jumped into second on lap 24 with Wolff enjoying a 2.3-second advantage.

With most of the field preferring the low line, lapped traffic became an issue for the leader as Strickler closed in on Wolff’s rear bumper with 12 laps to go.

The yellow flag waved for the second and final time one lap later, giving Wolff clean air in front of him while Jacob Hobscheidt retiring from the race with a broken left front suspension after passing 12 cars from his 20th starting spot.

With the green flag waving again, Strickler faded while five-time USMTS national champ Rodney Sanders of Happy, Texas, bolted into second with Phillips rejoining the fight for first place.

While Wolff and Sanders remained faithful to the shortest way around the 4/10-mile high-banked clay oval, Phillips found comfort in running the hairy high line.

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In the 2020 edition of this event, Wolff started 12th and crossed the finish line three car-lengths behind Ricky Thornton Jr. whose engine exploded in a cloud of smoke as he coasted across the finish line.

This year, Wolff was the one nobody could catch and he bested Sanders and Phillips to pocket $12,002 as the 8th Annual Grant Junghans Memorial conqueror.

“I was wondering if I was messing up (running the bottom of the track), but I just thought this got me here so stay here and see what we have,” Wolff said in Victory Fuel Victory Lane. “It worked out for us.

“I was definitely concerned when that yellow came out. I had a feeling it wasn't in my favor, but at the same time it just it is what it is.”

“I had too much front brake in there and finally kind of got my brakes back around a little bit and then changed my line up just a little bit to keep rolling. It felt slick but got the win.”

It was the sixth career USMTS victory for the driver of the No. 4W ARMI Contractors-sponsored MB Customs Race Cars powered by Elusive Competition Engines.

Wolff was joined on the Featherlite Top-3 podium by Sanders and Phillips while Davis and 13th-starting Tanner Mullens of nearby Wichita, Kan., rounded out the top five.

Sixth through tenth, respectively, at the finish line were Strickler, Dan Ebert, Jake Timm, Cayden Carter, and Zack VanderBeek who clawed his way from 22nd on the starting grid.

The FK Rod Ends Hard Charger Award, however, went to Sanders as he passed 14 cars in the 42-lap nightcap.

Featherlite Fall Jamboree up next: The series has about three weeks to prepare for the next race on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 29-31, for the 26th Annual USMTS Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

Check out USMTS.com for schedules, points, photos, souvenirs, videos and more. Follow our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe for free to get USMTS news delivered to your inbox plus Members Only benefits.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt
Mel Hambelton Racing USMTS Central Region
8th Annual Grant Junghans Memorial
Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Friday, Aug. 9, 2024

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver and hometown. Heat race lineups are determined via group qualifying. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Summit Racing Equipment “A” Main.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (10 laps):
1. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (7) 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla.
3. (4) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (8) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
5. (2) 56 Shadren Turner, St. Joseph, Mo.
6. (5) 80XX Jason Langford, Palestine, Texas
7. (6) 7G Gabe Hodges, Lebo, Kan.
8. (1) 26S Steven Glenn, Hamilton, Mo.
DNS – 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):
1. (2) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
2. (5) 8 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C.
3. (3) 18L Chad Lyle, Lone Jack, Mo.
4. (8) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
5. (6) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls , Wis.
6. (7) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
7. (1) 22B Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
8. (9) 18JR Brad Johnson, Cameron, Mo.
9. (4) 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):
1. (1) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
2. (2) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
3. (7) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
4. (4) 08 Dakota Sproul, Hays, Kan.
5. (6) 11JR Randal Schiffelbein Jr., Berryton, Kan.
6. (8) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
7. (5) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
8. (3) 11N Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
DNS – 32 Reece Solander, Emporia, Kan.

WIELAND METAL SERVICES HEAT RACE #4 (10 laps):
1. (1) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
2. (2) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
3. (4) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
4. (5) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
5. (9) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
6. (3) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
7. (6) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
8. (7) 01 Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb.
9. (8) 75G Gunner Martin, Sugar Creek, Mo.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
2. (4) 11JR Randal Schiffelbein Jr., Berryton, Kan.
3. (3) 08 Dakota Sproul, Hays, Kan.
4. (7) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
5. (5) 56 Shadren Turner, St. Joseph, Mo.
6. (10) 75G Gunner Martin, Sugar Creek, Mo.
7. (6) 7G Gabe Hodges, Lebo, Kan.
8. (9) 11N Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
9. (8) 22B Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
10. (2) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
DNS – 80XX Jason Langford, Palestine, Texas
DNS – 32 Reece Solander, Emporia, Kan.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
2. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
3. (10) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
4. (5) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
5. (6) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
6. (9) 01 Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb.
7. (7) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
8. (3) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls , Wis.
9. (8) 18JR Brad Johnson, Cameron, Mo.
10. (11) 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan.
11. (1) 18L Chad Lyle, Lone Jack, Mo.
DNS – 26S Steven Glenn, Hamilton, Mo.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT “A” MAIN (42 laps):
1. (6) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
2. (16) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
3. (2) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (1) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
5. (13) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
6. (7) 8 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C.
7. (9) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
8. (14) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
9. (11) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
10. (22) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
11. (8) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
12. (3) 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla.
13. (20) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
14. (12) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
15. (4) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
16. (17) 08 Dakota Sproul, Hays, Kan.
17. (15) 11JR Randal Schiffelbein Jr., Berryton, Kan.
18. (24) 7G Gabe Hodges, Lebo, Kan.
19. (26) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls , Wis.
20. (25) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
21. (10) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
22. (23) 01 Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb.
23. (5) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
24. (21) 56 Shadren Turner, St. Joseph, Mo.
25. (27) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
26. (19) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
27. (18) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.

Lap Leaders: Phillips 1-18, Wolff 19-42.
Total Laps Led: Wolff 24, Phillips 18.
Margin of Victory: 0.79 second.
Time of Race: 21 minutes, 24.257 seconds (2 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Hobscheidt, Hodges, Hoff, Lavasseur, Junghans (track).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Sanders (started 16th, finished 2nd).
Entries: 36.
Next Race: Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 29-31, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Summit USMTS National Championship Points: Chisholm 2333, Timm 2280, Sanders 2192, Phillips 2148, Ebert 2050, Mullens 1990, Hughes 1920, Davis 1899, Williamson 1842, Christian 1799.
Mel Hambelton Racing USMTS Central Region Points: Chisholm 875, Phillips 847, Timm 819, Sanders 794, Ebert 755.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Hobscheidt 1759, Hodges 1632, Glenn 927, Joe Chisholm 574, D.J. Shannon 409.
FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Points: Sanders 143, Timm 127, Chisholm 116, Ebert 98, Mullens 87.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: Skyrocket 185, MBCustoms 183, Mullens 170, Rage 170, Bloodline 135.
Callies/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: KSE 216, Mullins 197, OFI 174, Durham 161, Hatfield 156.

Contingency Awards:
Aero Race Wheels – Glenn.
American Racer – Carter.
Bear Graphix – Hobscheidt.
Beyea Custom Headers – Davis.
Bryke Racing – Brown.
BSB Manufacturing – Siebert.
Champ Pans – Mullens.
Danny Crane Racing Engines – Strickler.
Deatherage Opticians – Strickler.
Edelbrock – Davis.
Fast Shafts – Fuqua.
Featherlite Trailers – Phillips, Sanders, Wolff.
FK Rod Ends – Sanders.
Gorsuch Performance Solutions – Wolff.
Hooker Harness – Christian.
Hyperco – Turner.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Hodges.
Keyser Manufacturing – VanderBeek.
KSE Racing Products – Carter.
MD3 – Wolff.
Mel Hambelton Racing – Martin, Nicholas.
MSD Performance – Davis.
Penske Racing Shocks – Williamson.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Lyle.
Performance Bodies – Schiffelbein.
QA1 – Brown.
Quarter Master – Carter.
RacerWebsite.com – Johnson.
Rush RaceGear by Austin Witt – Christian.
Simpson Race Products – Phillips.
Summit Racing Equipment – Junghans, Krup, Lyle, Martin, Siebert.
Sweet Manufacturing – Sproul.
Swift Springs – Sanders, Sproul, Wolff.
Sybesma Graphics – Davis.
Total Power – Chisholm.
Victory Fuel – Wolff.
VP Racing – Wolff.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Lyle.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Ebert.