NEWTON, Iowa - USMTS competitor Alan Mondus of Lakeville, Minn., tested his abilities on the pavement Saturday night in the Pride of Iowa 50 for the United States Super Truck Series at the Iowa Speedway.

Driving the #83 Jirik Racing entry, 21-year-old Mondus quickly adapted to the new surface and equipment by qualifying eighth, which earned him a starting spot on the outside of the third row.

Mondus quickly found an opening at the start of the race, making it three wide out of turn 2, and moving into the third position.

Patiently picking his spots, he over took the second spot a few laps later then grabbed the lead on the back-stretch before a caution flag moved him back to second for the restart.

After the clean up and a good restart by the two front trucks, Mondus took the lead at mid-race for two laps, only two give it back in lapped traffic as he slipped back to fourth for a short time.

However, as the race progressed, Mondus fought his way back up to the second spot at the finish despite battling an ill-handling truck.

Team owner Any Jirik praised Mondus’s drive to the front.

“I’ve seen and heard of this young man for some time, and I really enjoyed having him in one of my trucks. Unfortunately we gave him a little too loose of a set-up, but I can’t think of another driver I’d rather have behind the wheel of a loose truck. He drove one great race”

Crew Chief Conrad Jorgenson also praised the young dirt Modified pilot.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Alan on several occasions prior to this and I think this just proves the depth of his talent. Alan had less than 30 laps in the truck prior to Newton and hasn’t been on an asphalt surface for two years, but he looked right at home here.”

The team is still trying to secure sponsorship for the remaining USST Challenge events. Currently, the team is supported by Jirik Construction, Brothers Jorgenson Racing Products and Mondus Motorsports.

John Wood of Sun Prairie, Wis., won the event while Chris Sevey wound up third.

RESULTS:

1. 72 John Wood, Sun Prairie, Wis.
2. 83 Alan Mondus, Lakeville, Minn.
3. 77 Chris Sevey, Waterloo, Iowa
4. 55 Jesse Williams -- Hickory Flat, Miss.
5. 5 Ross Zumbach, Racine, Minn.
6. 73 Larry Fitzsimmons, Crystal, Minn.
7. 45 Trista Stevenson -- Pocahontas, Ill.
8. 5 Gary Cerny, Janesville, Wis.
9. 11 Jeremy Price, Independence, Mo.
10. 1 Mark Pinson -- Wichita Falls, Texas
11. 22 Steve Cooper, Tuttle, Okla.
12. 97 Ron Hartford, Raytown, Mo.
13. 74 Todd Lockington -- Mindoro, Wis.
14. 5 Martin Meyers -- Kansas City, Mo.
15. 77 Jeff Babb, Elgin, Ill.
16. 7 Eric Caudell, Piedmont, Okla.
17. 28 Bobby Yonkee, Machesney Park, Ill.
18. 55 Tim Anderson, Scandia, Minn.
19. 23g Gary Joslin, Overland Park, Kan.
20. 10 Thomas Roney, Crystal Lake, Ill.

About USST Super Trucks
USST Super Trucks is an asphalt oval and road course racing series one step below NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in truck racing hierarchy. USST travels in the central United States as far south as Texas and as far north as Wisconsin. The trucks produce about 500 horsepower from their 365-cubic-inch V-8 engines. Top speeds in races have exceeded 140 mph. The trucks are pure race vehicles; there are no street truck parts on them and they are not street legal. Trucks are often outfitted with in-car cameras.

About Iowa Speedway
The Iowa Speedway is a state-of-the-art 7/8-mile asphalt paved tri-oval race track and motorsports facility in Newton, Iowa, located 30 miles east of Des Moines. The track is owned and operated by U.S. Motorsport Corporation and designed by former NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace, now a TV anchor and analyst for ABC and ESPN. Iowa Speedway is designed for year-round use and includes 25,000 permanent grandstand seats. It was designed as the first track in the world to protect fans and drivers through the use of SAFER barrier technology surrounding the entire perimeter of the track.