The 12th Annual War in West Union will be held at the Fayette County Speedway in West Union, Iowa, this Wednesday as part of the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt. This event has become a staple on the USMTS schedule, attracting top-tier drivers and enthusiastic fans to the 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located at the Fayette County Fairgrounds.

Usually a key event during the Memorial Day Weekend swing, this year's show was postponed to this Wednesday, June 11, due to weather issues. This week, it will be a prelude to the 26th Masters, which takes place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 12-14.

The first USMTS event in West Union was actually held at the Echo Valley Speedway, a different track in the same town, which is now closed. Jason Krohn won this inaugural race, marking the beginning of USMTS's presence in West Union.

The 2008 event officially became known as the War in West Union and shifted to the Fayette County Speedway. However, it was postponed due to tornados and flooding but rescheduled as a prelude to the Featherlite Fall Jamboree. Nine-time series champ Kelly Shryock was a noted contender during this period.

Two of the youngest drivers to ever win their first USMTS race, Jake Neal of Omaha, Neb., won the first War in West Union while the 2009 title went to Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown.

After a six-year hiatus from the 3/8 mile track Jerry Blue built, Zack VanderBeek won the War in West Union in 2016 and thus began a nine-year run for the event. This week's 'War' will be the 10th in a row and 12th overall at the track.

Gustin went on to be the first two-time winner of the event in 2017, followed by five straight first-time winners—Lucas Schott, Rodney Sanders, Terry Phillips and Dereck Ramirez—before Phillips broke through as a two-time winner in 2022 after a fierce contest with VanderBeek.

VanderBeek bounced back to get his second War in West Union trophy in 2023, and Jim Chisholm of Osage nabbed his first en route to the Summit USMTS National Championship in 2024. Chisholm dominated the 40-lap feature, leading every lap to win $3,000 as the 21-year-old's victory was his ninth career USMTS win.

In addition to the Summit USMTS Modifieds, this Wednesday's War in West Union at the Fayette County Speedway will also see the Karl Chevrolet PRO Late Model Tour presented by Aikey Auto Salvage in action, along with the Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series featuring USRA Stock Cars and USRA Hobby Stocks.

Check out the FAST FACTS for complete event information.

The Fayette County Speedway is one of the oldest, continuously running racetracks in Iowa. In 1947, the present grandstand was completed. The present pit area took the place of the backstretch for the half-mile oval. In 1964, the half-mile was reshaped to a quarter-mile, and in 1991, promoter Jerry Blue built the 3/8 mile track that is raced on today.

A majority of the improvements that are seen at the track today, including the two crow's nests and the backstretch fence, are still there. Today, the track is operated by the Fayette County Ag Society Race Committee. Their goal is to provide the best racing show possible with 50/50 ticket proceeds going back into facility improvements and amentities.

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