OGILVIE, Minn. — When Jake O’Neil is on top of his game, he as hard to beat as anybody in dirt modified racing. The 32-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native was on top of his game Friday night and emerged in Victory Fuel Victory Lane with his 32nd career USMTS win.
The second night of the 4th Annual USMTS vs Wissota Mod Wars at the Ogilvie Raceway saw ‘The O-Show’ grab the lead on lap 12 and then dominate the remaining 29 laps for his second triumph at ‘The Big O.’
“It was getting pretty treacherous over there,” O’Neil said about turns three and four. “We were either really in tight or loose and then you push towards the wall on the exit, so we’re always on our toes.”
O’Neil had to be on his toes and up on the wheel as another Jake (Timm) was closing in on the leader in the late stages of the race, but O’Neil took the checkered flag 1.66 seconds ahead of the current points leader in the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt.
“Do you feel like you’re back,” he was asked during a post-race interview.
“I never left,” O’Neil replied.
Behind the fifth- and seventh-starting Jakes, Jeremy Nelson recorded a third-place finish after leading the first 11 laps of the race.
Jim Chisholm came from tenth and wound up fourth, keeping Timm in his sights in the national points race and still atop the standings in the Collins Brothers Towing USMTS North Region.
Zack VanderBeek patiently worked his way forward to finish fifth while polesitter Dave Cain, Jody Bellefeuille, Jason Hughes, Landon Atkinson and Tanner Mullens completed the top ten.
Terry Phillips finished 11th after starting 22nd to earn the FK Rod Ends Hard Charger Award.
Defending USMTS national champ Rodney Sanders, who has never won on the high-banked three-eighths-mile Ogilvie oval, struggled to a 12th-place finish but remains third in both the national and north region standings.