NEW RICHMOND, Wis. — The Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt staged their 34th race at the Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday with $11,000 up for grabs to the driver who could win the 24th Annual Masters main event.
A two-time USMTS winner at Cedar Lake, Dustin Sorensen, led the majority of Friday night’s main event before failing to fend off Cayden Carter in the closing laps, eventually finishing second to Carter who led the final five laps.
Driving the familiar No. 28 for Jimmy Mars, Sorensen led the opening circuit of Saturday’s 50-lap feature and the next 41 orbits when the race’s third caution waved with just eight laps to go.
During that time, Dylan Thornton kept the pressure on the defending USMTS national champion as the pair pulled away to an advantage of nearly four seconds over the third-place car of Jim Chisholm with Jason Hughes and Zack VanderBeek filling out the fastest five.
Sorensen struggled with lapped traffic in the second half of the race. Thornton made his move with 20 laps to go using a sliding pass going into turn three but Sorensen scooted back underneath to hold the position.
“Yeah I could see on the scoreboard that he was right on my bumper but last night I got passed because I wasn’t high enough on the track and then tonight he drove underneath me but luckily he kind of blew through the rubber there and I was able to cross back underneath,” Sorensen said. “Hats off to him for running me clean and clearing me and everything. He’s fun to race with.”
Thursday’s runner-up Will Krup was a member of the group of tough-to-tame lapped cars. Eventually, he was tapped by another back-marker and spun right in front of the leaders—all of whom scurried around the inside and outside of Krup and continued without damage.
The restart with eight laps to go saw Hughes power around the outside of Thornton but was unable to mount a serious charge at the top spot. Sorensen beat Hughes to the checkered flag with two car lengths to spare.
“Last night I was really patient with lapped cars and it kind of bit me so tonight I kind of pushed the issue a little more than I normally would have,” Sorensen revealed during his victory lane interview with RacinDirt’s Pat Graham.
While Hughes matched his best finish in nearly six years, Thornton held on for a career-best third-place paycheck while Zack VanderBeek finished fourth and Joe Chisholm—driving the car that carried Sorensen to last year’s series title—round out the top five.
Feature Finish (50 Laps)
1. (3) 28 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., 2. (10) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., 3. (2) 38T Dylan Thornton, Orcutt, Calif., 4. (4) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, 5. (6) 19 Joe Chisholm, Osage, Iowa, 6. (9) 89 A.J. Diemel, Elk Mound, Wis., 7. (5) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, Minn., 8. (22) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa, 9. (20) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, 10. (15) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn., 11. (7) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 12. (23) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan., 13. (14) 0 Jake O’Neil, Tucson, Ariz., 14. (24) 11X Tom Berry Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, 15. (13) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., 16. (25) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., 17. (12) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., 18. (17) 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn., 19. (29) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn., 20. (27) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, 21. (11) 14W Clayton Wagamon, Ramsey, Minn., 22. (19) 44H Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis., 23. (30) 96 Taton Hansen, Spicer, Minn., 24. (16) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn., 25. (28) 45 Chase Holland, Success, Miss., 26. (26) K9 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill., 27. (21) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., 28. (18) 18A Landon Atkinson, Little Falls, Minn., 29. (8) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa, 30. (1) 30 Matt Leer, Bruce, Wis.