PARK CITY, Kan. — The outlaw dirt modifieds of the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt wrapped up the Mel Hambelton Racing USMTS Central Region on Saturday at the 81 Speedway with the 4th Annual Modified Spooktacular.
Sybesma Graphics Pole Award winner Rodney Sanders jumped out to a huge lead when the green flag waved to start the 40-lap main event while Kale Westover fended off points leader Jim Chisholm for second.
Meanwhile, Gary Christian blasted from sixth to fourth on the opening lap and then raced by Chisholm for third on lap two.
Sanders, Westover and Christian followed each other nose-to-tail around the top side of the high-banked three-eighths-mile dirt oval for the first 10 laps when lapped traffic became part of the story.
With 15 laps in the books, national title contender Jake Timm took a hit to his title chances and his No 49 Rage Chassis when he smacked the wall in turn one to cause the feature’s first caution.
Back under green, Sanders pulled away from his pursuers as Westover and Christian traded slide-jobs in each corner. Meanwhile, Dan Ebert was holding off Chisholm for fourth while ‘Big Daddy’ Joe Duvall was in the mix in sixth.
However, the No. 20 MB Customs machine of Sanders began puffing smoke from beneath his hood and eventually slowed down the backstretch with 14 laps to go.
Westover inherited the lead with 15 circuits remaining and Christian resumed his challenge for the lead with his fellow Sooner State speedster.
The race’s second caution flew with seven laps to go and wiped out a massive advantage the top two enjoyed over the rest of the pack.
The sparring continued between Westover and Christian as they fought for real estate around the high side, allowing Chisholm to sneak by when Westover got into the marbles in turn four.
Running fourth, Terry Phillips was the cause of the race’s final caution with four laps to go as he sat parked at the bottom of turns one and two.
Just like Westover and Christian before him, Chisholm just about gave it away when the rougher but faster route around the top nearly sucked him into the wall, but the 21-year-old was able to gather it in and get to the checkered flag first.
Chisholm’s 13th career USMTS win came with a $5,000 paycheck and earn him the tile of Mel Hambelton Racing USMTS Central Region champion.
“We took off from the green and I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Chisholm said. “We tried running up top and I thought running that hard we’d roast tires doing that so Kind of went to the safe line, just riding. It looked like Rodney was going to check out and leave us in the dust.”
Chisholm won the Collins Brothers Towing USMTS North Region presented by Featherlite points last month, and now has a second regional crown worth $10,000 each at the season-ending awards banquet on Saturday, January 25.
“I hit that blue slick going into (turn) one on the last lap and thought I was going to pile it into the fence,” Chisholm said. “It’s one of the coolest trophies I’ve ever won and we’re going to cherish this one.”