With their eyes on the $50,000 prize that awaits the USMTS national champion later this year, Mike Wedelstadt Racing is teaming up with dirt modified standout Lucas Schott for an aggressive 2018 campaign on America’s dirt ovals.

With Schott behind the wheel, the team plans to compete on the full national tour in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup while also making time for other marquee events.

While both Wedelstadt and Schott will find time in the cockpit, Schott will spend his time on the road driving MB Customs race cars powered by Vic Hill Racing Engines and Wedelstadt will compete on a limited schedule.

Schott won’t be alone on the road, however. Wedelstadt recently hired Riley Hatfield to be the team’s full-time crew chief. Most recently, Hatfield has been turning wrenches for Morgan Bagley’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series stable, and has extensive experience with Modifieds and the rigors of the USMTS trail.

Wedelstadt’s son, Tony, will also give the team a three-way punch from time to time.

Since first teaming up with Wedelstadt in November of 2015 in Arizona, Schott has had success racing modifieds for Wedelstadt—a racer and businessman from Fremont, Wis., who has thousands of hours of seat time himself behind the wheel of a dirt modified.

“Lucas is humble but aggressive when he needs to be on the racetrack,” Wedelstadt said. “Most of all, he’s a hard-working quality guy with strong character. He’s exactly the kind of guy I want driving my cars.”

Wedelstadt was equally enthusiastic about his car builder.

“Jimmy (Mars) builds the best cars on the track, but the thing I like best is their customer service and how strongly they support and offer feedback for their customers,” he added. “As long as I am in this sport, I’ll always work with MB Customs.”

Schott, who turned 21 this past July, has already assembled a résumé that would be the envy of most seasoned veterans.

Starting off in go-karts at the age of seven, Schott made the jump from Slingshots to a full-fledged USRA Modified in 2010 at the age of 13. In that season, he finished 16th in USRA national points, second in USMTS rookie points and scored his first feature win at the Nobles County Speedway in Worthington, Minn.

Over the next four seasons, he racked up another 26 feature wins including his first USMTS victory—a $7,500 win on Friday night during the Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., and was a $5,000 Triple Crown winner at the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. During that time he also nailed down a pair of track championships at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis.

It was two years ago that his fellow competitors and dirt modified racing fans realized that ‘Cool Hand Luke’ was something special. Against one of the toughest and most talented fields ever assembled, he emerged as the winner of the inaugural Grant Junghans Memorial at the Lakeside Speedway and returned to the Kansas City oval in October to win the 3rd Annual USRA Nationals en route to capturing the 2016 USRA Modified National Championship.

Lucas Schott celebrates after winning the inaugural Grant Junghans Memorial on Sept. 30, 2016, at the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. (Buck Monson Photo)

Several sponsors will support Schott’s efforts with Mike Wedelstadt Racing, including Wedelstadt’s Auto Pro Express and Graveyard Auto in Hortonville, Wis. Vic Hill Racing Engines will power the team’s MB Customs race cars.

Other marketing partners making things go include Big Cat Transportation, Landrum Springs, Dynamic Drivelines, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Bassett Racing Wheels, CMD Race Shocks and Forty9 Designs will keep the bodies wrapped.

The team will kick off the 2018 season this weekend racing USRA Modifieds at the Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at the Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley, Ariz. The ten-day excursion starts this Friday, Jan. 5, with an open practice, followed by racing on Saturday, Jan. 6; Sunday, Jan. 7; Wednesday, Jan. 10; Friday, Jan. 12; Saturday, Jan. 13; and Sunday, Jan. 14.

The 20th anniversary season for the USMTS features a points fund of more than $160,000 highlighted by a record top prize of $50,000 awaiting the 2018 USMTS National Champion. The USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup has 43 nights of racing penciled in at 37 of America’s most popular dirt ovals with the first points race on Friday, March 9, at the Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss.

2018 USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup:
Fri Mar 9 ... Jackson Motor Speedway, Byram, Miss.
Sat Mar 10 ... Whynot Motorsports Park, Meridian, Miss.
Sun Mar 11 ... Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, Miss.
Thu Mar 15 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Fri-Sat Apr 13-14 ... Canyon Speedway Park, Peoria, Ariz.
Fri-Sun Apr 20-22 ... Southern New Mexico Speedway, Las Cruces, N.M.
Fri Apr 27 ... West Texas Raceway, Lubbock, Texas
Sat Apr 28 ... Route 66 Motor Speedway, Amarillo, Texas
Sun Apr 29 ... Enid Speedway, Enid, Okla.
Fri May 4 ... I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, Ark.
Sat May 5 ... Tri-State Speedway, Pocola, Okla.
Sun May 6 ... Creek County Speedway, Sapulpa, Okla.
Fri May 18 ... I-94 Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Sat May 19 ... Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie, Minn.
Sun May 20 ... Mason City Motor Speedway, Mason City, Iowa
Fri May 25 ... Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis.
Sat May 26 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Sun May 27 ... Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, Iowa
Thu Jun 7 ... 81 Speedway, Park City, Kan.
Fri Jun 8 ... Dodge City Raceway Park, Dodge City, Kan.
Sat Jun 9 ... Salina Speedway, Salina, Kan.
Thu Jun 14 ... Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis.
Thu Jun 28 ... Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, Minn.
Fri Jun 29 ... Brown County Speedway, Aberdeen, S.D.
Sat Jun 30 ... Devil’s Lake Speedway, Crary, N.D.
Tue Jul 17 ... Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa
Wed Jul 18 ... Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, Iowa
Thu Aug 2 ... Springfield Raceway, Springfield, Mo.
Fri Aug 3 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Sat Aug 4 ... Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo.
Thu Aug 16 ... I-35 Speedway, Winston, Mo.
Fri Aug 17 ... Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Sat Aug 18 ... Salina Highbanks Speedway, Pryor Creek, Okla.
Fri Aug 24 ... Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa
Sat Aug 25 ... Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D.
Sun Aug 26 ... Casino Speedway, Watertown, S.D.
Fri Aug 31 ... Fayette County Speedway, West Union, Iowa
Sat Sep 1 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Sun Sep 2 ... Cresco Speedway, Cresco, Iowa
Thu Sep 20 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.

The USMTS will continue to stage several non-points crown jewel events.

King of America VIII is set for March 15-17 at the Humboldt (Kan.) Speedway. The $50,000-to-win Masters returns to the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., June 14-16, and the I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., hosts the Silver Dollar Nationals for the USMTS Modifieds and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the eighth straight year on Friday and Saturday, July 20-21.

The 20th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree takes place at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Sept. 20-22, where the USMTS National Champion will once again be crowned at the conclusion of Thursday’s night opener.

The 3rd Annual Grant Junghans Memorial will return to the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., on Friday, Aug. 17. It was also also announced today that the 2018 Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year will earn a record $5,000.

A new crown jewel event will close out the 2018 racing season with the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Nationals at the Kennedale Speedway Park, Nov. 1-3.

2018 USMTS Crown Jewel Events:
Thu-Sat Mar 15-17 ... King of America VIII - Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Thu-Sat Jun 14-16 ... 20th Annual Masters - Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis.
Fri-Sat Jul 20-21 ... 8th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals - I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb.
Fri Aug 17 ... 3rd Annual Grant Junghans Memorial - Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Thu-Sat Sep 20-22 ... 20th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree - Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Thu-Sat Nov 1-3 ... Summit USMTS Southern Nationals - Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas

To learn more about Lucas Schott, visit LucasSchott.com.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmts and Instagram at instagram.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/usmtstv. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS by joining our email list at usmts.com/subscribe.

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