HUMBOLDT, Kan. – The third and final episode of the first-ever Modster Mash for dirt modified racers took place Sunday at Humboldt Speedway during the inaugural Halloween Hangover at The Hummer.
Featuring a $5,000-to-win main event for USRA Modifieds, the best of the best in the sport were on hand to try their luck but it was ‘Cool Hand’ Lucas Schott with the hot hand.
As fate would have it, the two racers sitting atop the USRA Modified division in Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series national points earned their way onto the front row for the 40-lap feature race.
Schott, from Chatfield, Minn., came into the contest as the points leader but clinging to a precarious 10-point cushion over Jake Gallardo of Las Cruces, N.M., who garnered the pole position.
With a win by either driver, the title was virtually hanging in the balance.
Just as one lap was being completed, the yellow flag waved when fourth-starting Terry Phillips as he slowed with a flat left rear tire.
Schott led the field back to the green flag with Jake O’Neil — who collected $10,031 for his “Spooktacular” win at the 81 Speedway in Park City about 20 hours earlier — on the inside of the second row and Gallardo on the outside.
Exiting the second turn, Gallardo sent a shower of sparks over the concrete wall as he peeled the left side of his spoiler off. The next time around, a flat tire sent him to the pit area and out of serious contention for the win and title.
Several others including Lance Mari, O’Neil, Brooks Strength, Jimmy Owens and Tyler davis tried their best to find a faster line and run down Schott over the final 36 laps, but none were successful.
As a result, Schott cruised to a comfortable win, despite a handful of cautions which kept giving hope to his chasers.
Unofficially until points are audited over the next two weeks, Schott will be crowned the 2020 USRA Modified national champion. It’s his second title after earning the honor in 2016 too — one year after Gallardo took the crown in 2015.
Strength outdueled three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champ Jimmy Owens for second, with O’Neil and Dereck Ramirez completing the top five.
World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Brandon Sheppard, who started 14th, followed his teammate in sixth, Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Tanner Mullens seized seventh, 18th-starting Cade Dillard earned an eight-place paycheck, Tyler Wolff nabbed ninth and USMTS points leader Rodney Sanders was 10th at the finish line.
O’Neil and Wolff were the only racers to register a top-10 finish each of the three nights during Modster Mash weekend. O’Neil’s average finish was 4.7, while Wolff’s was 6.
Future superstars were on display in the USRA B-Mod main event, as 16-year-old Dillon McCowan rode the high side to a thrilling victory over Patrick Royalty.
Royalty previously won Friday’s USRA B-Mod feature during the Grant Junghans Memorial at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City.
A third-place finish, coupled with his win the previous night, was enough to seal the deal for 17-year-old Jim Chisholm of Osage, Iowa, who unofficially clinched the 2020 USRA B-Mod national championship and ended Kris Jackson’s two-year reign.
Jake Richards bested early leader Shadren Turner for fourth, while veteran ace Rick Beebe, Jackson, John Potter, Dan Wheeler and Matthew Kay rounded out the top 10.
USRA Tuners were also part of the show, with polesitter Cayden Vance of Chanute capturing the win over Curtis Wilson Jr. and Allen Jesseph.
Sunday was the final day for Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series national points for all classes except Sunoco USRA Factory Stocks, USRA Limited Mods and USRA Tuners.
Those three classes will compete in this coming weekend’s Summit Southern Nationals.