TUCSON, Ariz.—Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Rodney Sanders of Happy, Texas, picked up their first wins of 2014 on Sunday, but the USMTS campaign hasn't even started yet.

Gustin, the 2011-12 USMTS National Champion and defending King of America Modified Nationals winner, dominated Sunday’s Winter Extreme dirt late model main event, leading every lap to earn a career-high $10,000 victory in the final round of at Tucson International Raceway’s six-race miniseries while defending USMTS National Champion Rodney Sanders wired the field in the dirt modified feature.

Starting from the outside of the front row, Gustin grabbed the lead over polesitter Chris Simpson of Oxford, Iowa, on the start of the race and was never seriously challenged in his Ed and Cinde Gressel-owned Rocket Chassis. After struggling with engine problems the first three nights, 'The Reaper' added a fourth-place finish and runner-up the two previous nights to close out the event strong.

Other notable finishers in the main event sanctioned by the NDRL "Kings of Dirt" Late Model Series were R.C. Whitwell (6th), Chase Junghans (7th), Morgan Bagley (9th) and Terry Phillips (20th), all of whom compete or have competed with the USMTS.

Sanders overcame a rocky start at the Winter Extreme to claim his first win of the season in the $1,000-to-win finale. With 35 entries on hand, Sanders started his night by racing to a convincing win in his heat race and then led all 20 laps of the main event lap to register his first win of the 2014 season.

Other USMTS drivers making their mark in the main event Sunday include Jake O'Neil (3rd), Fito Gallardo (4th), Stormy Scott (6th), Bryan Rowland (7th), Trevor Hunt (8th), Christy Georges (11th), Jimmy Ray (12th), Lance Town (17th), Jacob Gallardo (20th), Dereck Ramirez (21st), Johnny Scott (23rd) and Brad Dierks (24th). 2012 USMTS Rookie of the Year Stormy Scott captured three of the previous five Winter Extreme features in the event which was sanctioned by Championship Dirt Motorsports, which utilizes USRA Modified rules.

The 16th season for the United States Modified Touring Series and quest for the 2014 USMTS National Championship kicks off at the South Texas Speedway in Corpus Christi on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-8, for the first of four straight weekends along America’s warm southern border.

The series then moves to the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, for the 5th Annual Texas Spring Nationals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-15.

From there, the series treks to the El Paso Speedway Park for two nights on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, before heading a few minutes up the road to the Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M., on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28 and March 1.

Each of the three-day shows will by $2,000 to win Thursday, $3,000 to win Friday and $4,000 to win Saturday. The two-day clash in El Paso will pay $2,000 and $3,000 to win, respectively.

The USMTS has visited the Royal Purple Raceway at least once in each of the last seven seasons. The series’ lone journey to the South Texas Speedway came in 2007 with Jason Hughes and David Horner taking the wins on the first two nights before rain thwarted the finale of the tripleheader.

This will be the first-ever visit by the USMTS to El Paso and Las Cruces, but tracks host the similar USRA Modifieds during their weekly Friday and Saturday night programs throughout the year, as well as some well-attended special events that routinely draw the best dirt modified aces on the planet.

The February swing of races will also serve as one of four USMTS regions for 2014 with its own lucrative points fund, so by the end of the night on March 1 the USMTS Gulf Coast Border Region champion will be crowned and the first group of drivers will be qualified for the 2014 Hunt for the USMTS National Championship.

2014 USMTS Gulf Coast Border Region Schedule:
Thu Feb 6 ... South Texas Speedway, Corpus Christi, Texas ($2,000 to win)
Fri Feb 7 ... South Texas Speedway, Corpus Christi, Texas ($3,000 to win)
Sat Feb 8 ... South Texas Speedway, Corpus Christi, Texas ($4,000 to win)
Thu Feb 13 ... Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas ($2,000 to win)
Fri Feb 14 ... Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas ($3,000 to win)
Sat Feb 15 ... Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas ($4,000 to win)
Fri Feb 21 ... El Paso Speedway Park, El Paso, Texas ($2,000 to win)
Sat Feb 22 ... El Paso Speedway Park, El Paso, Texas ($3,000 to win)
Thu Feb 27 ... Southern New Mexico Speedway, Las Cruces, N.M. ($2,000 to win)
Fri Feb 28 ... Southern New Mexico Speedway, Las Cruces, N.M. ($3,000 to win)
Sat Mar 1 ... Southern New Mexico Speedway, Las Cruces, N.M. ($4,000 to win)

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts or check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, AMP Energy, Casey’s General Stores, COMP Cams, Day Motor Sports, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, MSD Ignition, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver, RacinDirt.com, Snickers, SpiderWeb Modular Storage Solutions, Swan Energy.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Double H Bands, ElbowsUp.com, Erson Cams, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, Major League Bowhunter, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Olympic Fire Protection, Penn Transport, S & S Fishing, United Cellular Services.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Bell Racing Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Brass Monkey Racing Products, BSB Manufacturing, C & R Racing, CPD Racing Tools, Crane Cams, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Hooker Harness, JRi Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Power Lift Racing Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Sybesma Graphics, Tiger Rear Ends, VP Racing Fuels.