Dillard takes command late for USMTS King of America XIV win at Lucas Oil Speedway

NewsMarch 29, 2025 by Lyndal Scranton

Dillard takes command late for USMTS King of America XIV win at Lucas Oil Speedway

Crown him. Cade Dillard took command when it mattered the most and the talented Louisiana driver staked claim to the USMTS King of America XIV on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway.

Dillard made the big move on a restart with 16 laps remaining, supplanting race-long leader Tanner Mullens, and went on to capture the $20,000 top prize. It was the first King of America victory for Dillard, who said he's chased it for a long time.

“This King of America is something I've always wanted to win,” Dillard said. “I've won a lot of big Late Model races, but I love coming back and getting to race in Mod races like this.”

Mullens led the opening lap from his pole position as the field started three-wide, but it took only a lap before the first G-Style Energy Caution Flag came out. The leader wasted little time opening a gap, as Mullens was two seconds clear of Friday's winner Jim Chisholm by lap 10, with Terry Phillips advancing into third.

The impressive drive by Mullens continued as the green-flag laps clicked away with the margin swelling to four seconds when the race hit the one-third mark on lap 20.

Mullens caught lapped traffic at that point just as Phillips took second away from Chisholm with Alex Williamson taking fourth from Dillard. On lap 23, Mullens' 3.6-second lead over Phillips was wiped away as Steve Lavasseur slowed on the track to bring out a caution.

Chisholm, the defending Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt national champ, swooped around Phillips on the restart to claim second. As those two mixed it up, Mullens took advantage to start rebuilding his lead as he was quickly about 12 car lengths clear of Chisholm.

Dustin Sorensen, who lost an apparent victory on Thursday with a post-race disqualification, climbed to fourth by lap 30 after starting 12th. But it was all Mullens at the front as he led Chisholm by 2.5 seconds as the field marked lap 40, though the seventh-starting Dillard made it into second by that point.

With Mullens dealing with lapped traffic, Dillard cut the gap to under two seconds when a lap-44 caution bunched the field.

Mullens selected the inside line for the restart, but it did not work. Dillard grabbed the lead on lap 45 with Chisholm also rolling past the race-long leader as the trio briefly were three wide.

Dillard quickly opened a one-second lead by Chisholm and Mullens slipped to fourth behind Bobby Williams with 10 remaining.

With a clear racetrack ahead, Dillard pulled away down the stretch and held off Chisholm to take the victory.

Dillard said his background of a lot of long races during his career, in both Modified and Late Model races, might have helped him as the race proceeded.

“Just fortunate to be able to race like I have, with a lot of long runs,” Dillard said. “We had a really good car and were able to maintain on the bottom. When we got to second and picked the pace up a little bit, when that caution came out I was able to hit my marks just right and got a good run.

“I know we went three-wide at one point and knew I had to shoot the gap at one point. I knew I could get out there and ride and keep it under me.”

Williams, moving up from USRA B-Mods this season, was third at the checkers, with Sorensen finishing fourth and Mullens settling for fifth after dominating the first 44 laps.

Five-time USMTS National Champion Rodney Sanders secured a sixth-place finish while Stormy Scott, Carlos Ahumada Jr., Joe Chisholm and Terry Phillips rounded out the top 10.

Twenty-seven drivers started the 60-lap feature, going three-wide for the drop of the green flag.

Cajun Clash up next: In less than a week, the USMTS road warriors rumble into the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La., on Friday and Saturday, April 4-5, for the 12th Annual Cajun Clash.

Summit USMTS Modifieds will be racing for $5,000 to win each night's main event. USRA B-Mods, USRA Limited Mods, Sunoco USRA Factory Stocks and USRA Tuners will also be in action both nights.

For complete race information, check out usmts.com/cajunclash https://usmts.com/cajunclash. Racers can enter by downloading the entry form at usmts.com/downloads https://usmts.com/downloads/entry-forms/ or register online with MyRacePass https://www.myracepass.com/series/1129/registrations.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt
King of America XIV – Night 3 of 3
Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo.
Saturday, March 29, 2025

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver and hometown. The top 8 in overall points from Thursday and Friday advance to the Summit Racing Equipment “A” Main.

LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER #1 (20 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.
2. (3) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
3. (4) 8 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC
4. (1) 5 Reece Solander, Emporia, Kan.
5. (8) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
6. (9) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
7. (6) 4TW Tim Ward, Mesa, Ariz.
8. (10) 71 Chad Melton, Mineral Wells, Texas
9. (5) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
10. (16) 32 Mitchell Clement, Bonham, Texas
11. (14) 56 Shadren Turner, St. Joseph, Mo.
12. (11) 11X Kyle Slader, Muskogee, Okla.
13. (13) 98C Jeff Cutshaw, Bolivar, Mo.
14. (21) 33S Ben Stockton, Kansas City, Mo.
15. (17) 51T Joseph Thomas, Glyndon, Minn.
16. (18) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
17. (7) 3B Nic Bidinger, Perry, Kan.
18. (20) 29 Keith Hammett, Brookland, Ark.
19. (12) 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla.
20. (15) 0K Chris Kratzer, Haysville, Kan.
21. (19) 23 Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn.

LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER #2 (20 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
2. (4) 15WX Kale Westover, Altus, Okla.
3. (12) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
4. (7) 712 Trevor Hughes, Westville, Okla.
5. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
6. (6) 22H Dustin Hodges, Centralia, Mo.
7. (9) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
8. (8) 90W Ryan Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn.
9. (13) 17 Henry Chambers, Baldwin City, Kan.
10. (11) 29H Joe Horgdal, Mantorville, Minn.
11. (10) 16B Kaylin Lopez, Chowchilla, Calif.
12. (14) 17B Lee Beemer, Fairmont, Minn.
13. (3) 71S Dustin Strand, East Grand Forks, Minn.
14. (16) E85 Jason Strand, Portland, N.D.
15. (20) 98M Mitchel Madery, Kasson, Minn.
16. (21) 99T Dalton Teel, Fulton, Mo.
17. (15) 73B Shad Badder, Bates City, Mo.
18. (18) 64 Casey Fowler, Grand Saline, Texas
19. (1) 88S Nathan Smith, Anthony, N.M.
20. (17) 0J Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
21. (19) 18L Chad Lyle, Lone Jack, Mo.

LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER #3 (20 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 91 Joe Duvall, Justice, Okla.
2. (6) 25 Joe Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
3. (2) 88 Chad Wheeler, Muskogee, Okla.
4. (7) 10B Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan.
5. (4) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
6. (11) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls , Wis.
7. (9) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
8. (8) 127 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.
9. (18) 26 Shawn Fletcher, Brainerd, Minn.
10. (3) 38C Jason Pursley, Hermitage, Mo.
11. (15) J17 Jacob Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
12. (16) 68 Dean Wille, Warrensburg, Mo.
13. (10) 92 Tyler Grooms, Trenton, Mo.
14. (19) 91M Hoyt Miller, Cross Timbers, Mo.
15. (21) 0 Blake Wimmer, Wellsville, Mo.
16. (5) 15WG Wyatt Gaggero, Wichita, Kan.
17. (12) 98 Kenton Allen, Chanute, Kan.
18. (14) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
19. (17) 18 Brad Johnson, Cameron, Mo.
20. (20) 2G Troy Girolamo, Williston, N.D.
21. (13) 29S Chris Spalding, Montgomery City, Mo.

NON-QUALIFIERS RACE (20 laps):
1. (2) 22H Dustin Hodges, Centralia, Mo.
2. (6) 90W Ryan Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn.
3. (4) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
4. (1) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
5. (5) 71 Chad Melton, Mineral Wells, Texas
6. (3) 4TW Tim Ward, Mesa, Ariz.
7. (7) 127 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.
8. (10) 38C Jason Pursley, Hermitage, Mo.
9. (9) 29H Joe Horgdal, Mantorville, Minn.
10. (8) 26 Shawn Fletcher, Brainerd, Minn.
11. (11) 56 Shadren Turner, St. Joseph, Mo.
12. (15) 68 Dean Wille, Warrensburg, Mo.
13. (12) 16B Kaylin Lopez, Chowchilla, Calif.
14. (16) 98C Jeff Cutshaw, Bolivar, Mo.
15. (14) 17B Lee Beemer, Fairmont, Minn.
16. (17) 71S Dustin Strand, East Grand Forks, Minn.
17. (18) 92 Tyler Grooms, Trenton, Mo.
18. (19) 91M Hoyt Miller, Cross Timbers, Mo.
19. (13) 11X Kyle Slader, Muskogee, Okla.
DNS - 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
DNS - 32 Mitchell Clement, Bonham, Texas
DNS - J17 Jacob Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT “A” MAIN (60 laps):
1. (7) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
2. (3) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
3. (4) 1B Bobby Williams, Hermitage, Mo.
4. (12) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
5. (1) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
6. (10) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
7. (6) 2S Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
8. (16) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
9. (11) 25 Joe Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
10. (5) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
11. (20) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
12. (19) 712 Trevor Hughes, Westville, Okla.
13. (13) 15WX Kale Westover, Altus, Okla.
14. (8) 2SS Mark Smith, Anthony, N.M.
15. (22) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
16. (2) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
17. (21) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
18. (24) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
19. (17) 10B Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan.
20. (18) 5 Reece Solander, Emporia, Kan.
21. (15) 8 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C.
22. (14) 88 Chad Wheeler, Muskogee, Okla.
23. (27) 17 Henry Chambers, Baldwin City, Kan.
24. (25) 91 Joe Duvall, Justice, Okla.
25. (26) 0J Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
26. (23) 99L Steve Lavasseur, River Falls, Wis.
27. (9) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.

Lap Leaders: Mullens 1-44, Dillard 45-60.
Total Laps Led: Mullens 44, Dillard 16.
Margin of Victory: 0.456 second.
Time of Race: 26 minutes, 25.435 seconds (3 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Brown, Chambers, Duvall, O'Neil.
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Bleess (started 20th, finished 11th).
Entries: 71.
Next Race: Friday, April 4, Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, La.
Summit USMTS National Championship Points: Jim Chisholm 528, Mullens 511, Sanders 495, Joe Chisholm 455, Strickler 452, Phillips 451, Williamson 448, T. Hughes 419, Solander 386, Brown 381.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Joe Chisholm 379, T. Hughes 347, Solander 336, M. Smith 299, Chambers 295.
FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Points: Jim Chisholm 31, Sanders 28, T. Hughes 28, Phillips 24, Joe Chisholm 21, Ahumada 21.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: Skyrocket 52, CDR 49, MBCustoms 46, Mullens 41, SSR 30.
Callies/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: KSE 53, ECE 46, Hatfield 41, Mullins 38, Durham 32.

Contingency Awards:
Aero Race Wheels – Karau.
American Racer – Lopez.
Bear Graphix – Wheeler.
Beyea Custom Headers – Sorensen.
Bryke Racing – J. Hughes.
BSB Manufacturing – Solander.
Champ Pans – Mullens.
Danny Crane Racing Engines – Sanders.
Dynamic Drivelines – Christian.
Featherlite Trailers – Dillard, Jim Chisholm, Williams.
FK Rod Ends – Bleess.
Gorsuch Performance Solutions – Dillard.
Harris Auto Racing – Strickler.
Hooker Harness – T. Hughes.
Hyperco – Westover.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Brown.
Keyser Manufacturing – Phillips.
KSE Racing Products – Bleess.
MD3 – Mullens.
MSD Performance – Sorensen.
Penske Racing Shocks – Westover.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – O'Neil.
QA1 – Foss.
Quarter Master – Joe Chisholm.
RaceQuip – Chambers.
RacerWebsite.com – Wimmer.
Real Racing Wheels – Hammett.
Sweet Manufacturing – Williamson.
Swift Springs – Dillard, Phillips, Williams.
Sybesma Graphics – Mullens.
Total Power – Bleess.
VP Racing – Dillard.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Spalding.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Scott.

Don't be afraid of the fast: The Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt is the ultimate proving ground where only the fiercest, most skilled dirt slingers in North America dare to tread. This is where legends are forged, battles are won and the roar of engines drowns out the weak.

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Get ready for the toughest, grittiest arenas in the land as they host the relentless, heart-pounding action of the USMTS. This is where the real racers of dirt modified racing come to show their mettle. This is where legends are made, the dirt flies and the engines roar. Get ready for the Best of the Best.

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