Sunday night’s 9th Annual USMTS War in West Union presented by RHRSwag.com lived up to its name with a nail-biting main event performed by the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s for the elbow-to-elbow fans at the fabulous Fayette County Speedway in West Union, Iowa.

After chasing polesitter Dan Ebert for the first three laps, Jake O’Neil powered past Ebert to lead lap four and began to run away and hide from the pack.

Meanwhile, Ebert had his hands full with Dereck Ramirez as they swapped the second and third spots throughout the first half of the 40-lapper but even two caution flags offered no hope to O’Neil’s pursuers as he distanced himself from the field with each restart.

Except for two of the top three competitors, the rest of the field finally caught a break with eight laps to when Ebert slowed on the front-stretch after losing a tire and wheel.

While under caution for the third and final time, O’Neil ducked into the pits to change a flat tire which left Ramirez at the front to lead the field back to the green flag and O’Neil at the opposite end of the remaining competitors.

Jake Timm, Tyler Wolff, Rodney Sanders and 18th-starting Jason Hughes following Ramirez back to the starting line. Entering the third turn, Wolff—who was running fifth when the yellow flag waved—went for broke and slid up in front of Ramirez.

Wheel to wheel at the flagstand, Wolff led the 33rd lap but Ramirez returned the favor in the first turn and then sailed unchallenged from there to the checkered flag.

“I don’t know if Jake ran over something on the track or not but I saw him with a flat tire there on that caution,” Ramirez said in victory lane. “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good but we put ourselves in position to win the race and sometimes that happens.”

As his Cornett-powered Hughes Racing Chassis cooled down, the 34-year-old winner had nothing but praise for Wolff’s attempted winning move.

“On those restarts there’s so many holes down there you kind of get into a rhythm and it's pretty easy to get through them, but on that restart there I kind of went in a little tentative—it’s my own fault. He slid me and took advantage of it but I got him back again. He raced me clean and that’s all we ask for here.”

Wolff followed Ramirez to the checkered flag with Sanders, Hughes and Jake Timm completing the top five. Sixth through tenth were Zack VanderBeek, Tanner Mullens, Lucas Schott, O'Neil and Alex Williamson.

Four more to score $30,000: After a 48-hour pause, the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s returns to the battlefield this Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 8-11, at four fantastic facilities in three states.

Action gets underway Wednesday with a $5,000-to-win clash at the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., followed by another five grand up for grabs Thursday at the RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas.

From there, the series makes up a pair of $10,000-to-win events that were washed out in April. On Friday, it’s the 9th Annual USMTS Cajun Clash presented by S&S Fishing & Rental at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., and the four-night swing wraps up Saturday with the series debut at The Rev (Revolution Park) in Monroe, La.

Taking dirt to a new level: The 2021 campaign for the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s currently features 34 nights of racing with the winners set to take home over $300,000 in earnings from more than $1 million in prize money earmarked for those shows.

Most main events will pay at least $10,000 to win while others carry a minimum $5,000 top prize. And if that weren’t enough, more than $230,000 is committed to the top 10 finishers in the 2021 points standings with a record $70,000 reserved for the 2021 USMTS National Champion.

Visit usmts.com for schedules, points, photos, souvenirs, videos and more. Follow our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Click here to get USMTS news delivered to your inbox.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s
9th Annual USMTS War in West Union presented by RHRSwag.com
Fayette County Speedway, West Union, Iowa
Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, laps completed and money won. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Casey’s “A” Main.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
2. (3) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
4. (1) 94JR John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis.
5. (6) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa.
6. (8) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
7. (5) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
8. (7) 21X Jake Smith (R), Chippewa Falls, Wis.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
2. (3) 444 Brooks Strength (R), Raymond, Miss.
3. (1) 8S Tony Schill, Oakdale, Minn.
4. (5) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (6) 85 Jayson Good (R), Watertown, S.D.
6. (4) 18A Landon Atkinson, Little Falls, Minn.
7. (8) 23B Brett Bumgardner, Hawkeye, Iowa.
8. (7) 369 Bart Taylor (R), Sheridan, Wyo.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
2. (2) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
3. (3) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
4. (4) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis.
5. (5) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
6. (7) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan.
7. (6) 20JR Chase Rudolf (R), Norwalk, Iowa.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
2. (6) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis.
3. (3) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas.
4. (2) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
5. (4) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
6. (7) 1 Blake Arndt, Brownsdale, Minn.
7. (5) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.

VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (2) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (4) 49JR Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
3. (1) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (3) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (6) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
6. (5) 30 Matt Leer, Bruce, Wis.
7. (7) 7J Corey Jones (R), Zimmerman, Minn.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (4) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
3. (3) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
4. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
5. (7) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
6. (8) 18A Landon Atkinson, Little Falls, Minn.
7. (6) 85 Jayson Good (R), Watertown, S.D.
8. (10) 23B Brett Bumgardner, Hawkeye, Iowa, Hughes/Midnight, $125.
9. (11) 20JR Chase Rudolf (R), Norwalk, Iowa, Rage/KSE, $125.
10. (12) 7J Corey Jones (R), Zimmerman, Minn., VanderBuilt/Tim's, $125.
11. (13) 369 Bart Taylor (R), Sheridan, Wyo., VanderBuilt/Tim's, $125.
12. (9) 1 Blake Arndt, Brownsdale, Minn., Shaw/KSE, $125.
13. (1) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas, Hughes/BMS, $125.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (3) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
2. (7) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
3. (6) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
4. (8) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan.
5. (11) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
6. (1) 8S Tony Schill, Oakdale, Minn., SSR/KSE, $125.
7. (10) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
8. (9) 30 Matt Leer, Bruce, Wis., MBCustoms/Stoen, $125.
9. (2) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis., MBCustoms/OFI, $125.
10. (5) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, Rage/Chevrolet, $125.
11. (4) 94JR John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis., Rocket/Stoen, $125.

CASEY’S “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (5) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 40, $10,000.
2. (4) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/ECE, 40, $5000.
3. (11) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, 40, $3000.
4. (19) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $2000.
5. (6) 49JR Jake Timm, Winona, Minn., MBCustoms/OFI, 40, $1700.
6. (8) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen, 40, $1500.
7. (7) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan., Mullens/Mullens, 40, $1200.
8. (14) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn., MBCustoms/Stoen, 40, $1000.
9. (2) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, 40, $900.
10. (16) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn., SSR/KSE, 40, $850.
11. (9) 444 Brooks Strength (R), Raymond, Miss., MBCustoms/Stoen, 40, $800.
12. (13) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 40, $775.
13. (20) 2G Brandon Givens (R), Wichita, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $750.
14. (23) 18A Landon Atkinson, Little Falls, Minn., Lethal/Sower, 40, $740.
15. (17) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE, 40, $735.
16. (22) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan., Lethal/Mullins, 40, $730.
17. (24) 85 Jayson Good (R), Watertown, S.D., MBCustoms/Tim's, 40, $725.
18. (25) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo., Hughes/Cornett, 40, $720.
19. (1) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn., Lethal/Ebert, 32, $715.
20. (3) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis., Rage/Sput's, 32, $710.
21. (18) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif., MRT/Yeoman, 26, $705.
22. (21) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn., MBCustoms/Stoen, 21, $700.
23. (12) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., MBCustoms/Stoen, 19, $700.
24. (10) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, 17, $700.
25. (15) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., MBCustoms/Driskell, 17, $700.

(R) = Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender

Lap Leaders: Ebert 1-3, O’Neil 4-32, Wolff 33, Ramirez 34-40.
Total Laps Led: O’Neil 29, Ramirez 7, Ebert 3, Wolff 1.
Margin of Victory: 1.408 seconds.
Time of Race: 23 minutes, 15.222 seconds (3 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Atkinson, Good.
Emergency Provisional: Clark.
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Hughes (started 19th, finished 4th).
Entries: 37.
Next Race: Sept. 8, 81 Speedway, Park City, Kan.
Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s Points: Ramirez 2053, O'Neil 2037, Sanders 1996, Mullens 1902, Schott 1822, Wolff 1785, Sorensen 1750, Ebert 1692, Phillips 1683, Hughes 1683.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Strength 1368, Good 1094, Givens 1044, Jesse Glenz 877, Lucas Lee 713.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 206, Hughes 189, LG2 181, Mullens 147, Lethal 142.
Compstar USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Cornett 205, Hatfield 155, Stoen 143, Mullens 125, Mullins 115.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – Ramirez.
Beyea Custom Headers – Hughes.
BigDeal Car Care – Ramirez, Hughes.
Bryke Racing – Bleess.
BSB Manufacturing – Mari.
Champ Pans – Timm.
Deatherage Opticians – Atkinson.
Edelbrock – Wolff.
Eibach – Hughes.
Fast Shafts – Ebert.
FK Rod Ends – Hughes.
Hooker Harness – Phillips.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Ebert.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts – Clark.
K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports – Schill.
Keyser Manufacturing – Williamson.
KS Engineering – Strength.
KSE Racing Products – O’Neil.
Maxima Racing Oils – Ramirez.
Penske Racing Shocks – Givens.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Hejna.
QA1 – Sanders.
Race Ranch – Marco Costa (Ramirez).
RacerWebsite.com – Atkinson.
Simpson Performance Products – VanderBeek.
Summit Racing Equipment – Arndt, Hensel, Rudolf, VanderBeek.
Super Clean – Ramirez.
Swift Springs – Ramirez, Hejna.
Sybesma Graphics – Ebert.
Tire Demon – Ahumada.
VP Racing Fuels – Ramirez.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Bumgardner.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Mullens.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS:  American Racer Racing Tires, Beyea Headers, Casey’s, Chevrolet Performance, Compstar, Dirt Draft, Eibach, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts, K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports, KS Engineering, KSE Racing Products, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, MSD Performance, MTN DEW RISE ENERGY, MyRacePass, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt.com, Summit Racing Equipment, Super Clean, The Chunky Poodle, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco Industries.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS:  ARMI Contractors, Boomtest Well Service, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, Hacienda Mechanical, Mel Hambelton Ford Racing, Midwest Wrap Co., Miller Welders, PBM Performance Products, Race Ranch, Rancho Milagro Racing, RHRSwag.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS:  AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, BigDeal Car Care, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Deatherage Opticians, Edelbrock, Forty9 Designs, Hooker Harness, Integra Racing Shocks and Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, Maxima Racing Oils, Penske Racing Shocks, QA1, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Tire Demon, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Racing.

USMTS RACETRACKS: 81 Speedway, Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Casino Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Dallas County Speedway, Deer Creek Speedway, Fayette County Speedway, Hamilton County Speedway, Humboldt Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Lucas Oil Speedway, Mason City Motor Speedway, Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Ogilvie Raceway, Park Jefferson Speedway, Rapid Speedway, Revolution Park, RPM Speedway, Tri-State Speedway, Upper Iowa Speedway.