Dereck Ramirez notched his first win of 2022 with the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt on Saturday night by leading every lap of the 19th Annual Southern MN Spring Challenge at the Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.

For the defending USMTS national champ from Woodward, Okla., it was an emotional post-race celebration following his first win since the passing of his father Leon Ramirez in February after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer.

“I still got my family and they all love me and I know that my dad is smiling down and he's happy,” Ramirez told RacinDirt's Trenton Berry following the race.

Shortly thereafter, the USMTS announced that this year's champ will earn the richest paycheck in series history as $100,000 is going to the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt points champion.

In addition, the USMTS will begin a new annual tradition of awarding a one-of-a-kind trophy to the USMTS National Champion which will be named the Leon Ramirez Trophy from now until the USMTS sees its final checkered flag.

It was a display of domination from the drop of the first green flag. Ramirez led every lap of his heat race, earned the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award and then led all 40 laps of the main event to pocket $10,000 and score his 20th career USMTS triumph.

Four-time USMTS National Champion Rodney Sanders chased Ramirez around the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval for most of the race but settled for the runner-up paycheck at the finish. His last USMTS victory was at this event one year ago.

Points leader Dustin Sorensen registered a solid third-place finish with Jacob Bleess holding off Terry Phillips for fourth. The rest of the top 10 were Jake Timm, 18th-starting Zack VanderBeek, Dan Ebert, Jim Chisholm and Brandon Davis.

Two down, two to go: The Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt makes tracks to the reanimated Winneshiek Raceway in Decorah, Iowa, on Sunday. The four-night Memorial Day Weekend wraps up Monday at the Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa.

For times, tickets and all the information you need, read all about it at usmts.com/memorialday2022 https://usmts.com/news/news_article.asp?NewsID=81219.

If you can't be there in person, witness all the action from anywhere with your RacinDirt subscription. In addition to RacinDirt.TV, you can access exclusive content on your desktop and laptop computers, as well as a suite of apps for added convenience including Roku, Amazon Fire, iOS, Apple TVGoogle Play.

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.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt
19th Annual USMTS Southern MN Spring Challenge
Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Saturday, May 28, 2022

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver and hometown. Heat race lineups are determined via group qualifying. The top 12 in heat race passing points advance to the Summit Racing Equipment “A” Main.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (3) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (4) 90 Ryan Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn.
3. (2) 25C Cody Thompson, Sioux City, Iowa
4. (5) 24B Aaron Benson, Clear Lake, Iowa
5. (6) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
6. (1) 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn.
7. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
8. (9) 2G Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan.
9. (8) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
2. (3) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
3. (4) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
4. (5) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
5. (1) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
6. (6) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.
7. (7) 38T Dylan Thornton, Santa Maria, Calif.
8. (8) 35JR Garitt Wytaske, Austin, Minn.
9. (9) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
2. (4) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
3. (1) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
4. (3) 44S Shane DeVolder, Pacifica, Calif.
5. (6) 28 Parker Hale, Grand Meadow, Minn.
6. (5) 56 Colton Horner, Houston, Texas
7. (7) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
8. (9) 10 Daniel Bargender, Menomonie, Wis.
9. (8) 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (1) 77T Tripp Gaylord, Lakewood, Colo.
3. (2) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
4. (4) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
5. (6) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
6. (5) 45 Chase Holland, Saucier, Miss.
7. (9) 83 Kylie Kath, Claremont, Minn.
8. (8) 23K Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn.
9. (7) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn.

VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (2) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
2. (4) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
3. (3) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
4. (6) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis.
5. (5) 4A Joel Alberts, Mantorville, Minn.
6. (8) 17 Jon Plowman, Woodbine, Iowa
7. (1) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
8. (7) 24 Charlie Steinberg, Kasson, Minn.

WRISCO HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (1) 50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn.
2. (4) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
3. (2) 85 Jayson Good, Watertown, S.D.
4. (7) 96 Taton Hansen, Spicer, Minn.
5. (3) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
6. (8) 65D Dustin Brown, Thornton, Iowa
7. (6) 11N Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
8. (5) 33 Joe Ludemann, Grand Meadow, Minn.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
2. (5) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
3. (4) 24B Aaron Benson, Clear Lake, Iowa
4. (1) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
5. (8) 95 Keith Foss, Winona, Minn.
6. (10) 38T Dylan Thornton, Santa Maria, Calif.
7. (3) 96 Taton Hansen, Spicer, Minn.
8. (13) 1M Curt Myers, Cameron, Wis.
9. (12) 23K Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn.
10. (11) 2G Brandon Givens, Wichita, Kan.
11. (14) 51W J.T. Wasmund, Pine Island, Minn.
12. (9) 83 Kylie Kath, Claremont, Minn.
13. (6) 55H A.J. Hoff, Mantorville, Minn.
14. (7) 17 Jon Plowman, Woodbine, Iowa

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
2. (3) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis.
3. (6) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
4. (4) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
5. (2) 85 Jayson Good, Watertown, S.D.
6. (11) 10 Daniel Bargender, Menomonie, Wis.
7. (10) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
8. (9) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
9. (8) 56 Colton Horner, Houston, Texas
10. (7) 65D Dustin Brown, Thornton, Iowa
11. (13) 8C Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
12. (12) 24 Charlie Steinberg, Kasson, Minn.
13. (5) 28 Parker Hale, Grand Meadow, Minn.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
2. (3) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
3. (1) 25C Cody Thompson, Sioux City, Iowa
4. (9) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
5. (6) 4A Joel Alberts, Mantorville, Minn.
6. (4) 44S Shane DeVolder, Pacifica, Calif.
7. (8) 45 Chase Holland, Saucier, Miss.
8. (11) 35JR Garitt Wytaske, Austin, Minn.
9. (12) 33 Joe Ludemann, Grand Meadow, Minn.
10. (5) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
11. (10) 11N Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
12. (7) 4 Jeremy Nelson, Alexandria, Minn.
13. (13) 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (1) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
3. (6) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
4. (4) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (8) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
6. (9) 49 Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
7. (18) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
8. (7) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn.
9. (2) 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa
10. (10) 50III Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minn.
11. (16) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
12. (15) 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa
13. (13) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
14. (14) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
15. (12) 77T Tripp Gaylord, Lakewood, Colo.
16. (5) 90 Ryan Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn.
17. (23) 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa
18. (28) 44S Shane DeVolder, Pacifica, Calif.
19. (21) 25C Cody Thompson, Sioux City, Iowa
20. (24) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
21. (20) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan.
22. (22) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
23. (25) 65X Carlos Ahumada Jr., El Paso, Texas
24. (30) 56 Colton Horner, Houston, Texas
25. (29) 85 Jayson Good, Watertown, S.D.
26. (17) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis.
27. (19) 24B Aaron Benson, Clear Lake, Iowa
28. (11) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
29. (26) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
30. (27) 38T Dylan Thornton, Santa Maria, Calif.

Lap Leader: Ramirez 1-40.
Total Laps Led: Ramirez 40.
Margin of Victory: 1.330 seconds.
Time of Race: 16 minutes, 28.783 seconds (1 caution).
Provisional Starters: Ahumada, Mari.
Emergency Provisionals: Thornton, DeVolder, Good, Horner.
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: VanderBeek (started 18th, finished 7th).
Entries: 52.
Next Race: Sunday, May 29, Winneshiek Raceway, Decorah, Iowa.
Summit USMTS National Championship Points: Sorensen 938, Mullens 864, Sanders 829, VanderBeek 827, Ramirez 825, Timm 804, Phillips 797, Hughes 792, Schott 788, Bleess 756.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Carter 666, Thornton 604, Brown 604, DeVolder 581, Horner 552.
Miller Welders USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 94, Mullens 76, Hughes 74, VanderBuilt 68, GRT 51.
Compstar/JE Pistons USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Action 75, Cornett 69, Stoen 64, Hatfield 57, Durham 52.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – Hejna.
Beyea Custom Headers – Bleess.
BigDeal Car Care – Ramirez, K. Brown.
Bryke Racing – Gaylord.
BSB Manufacturing – Fuqua.
Champ Pans – Phillips.
Deatherage Opticians – Mullens.
Edelbrock – Chisholm.
Fast Shafts – Sanders.
FK Rod Ends – VanderBeek.
Hooker Harness – Carter.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Thompson.
Keyser Manufacturing – Davis.
KS Engineering – Schott.
KSE Racing Products – Chisholm.
Mel Hambelton Ford Racing – Sanders.
Midwest Wrap Co. – Crapser.
MSD Performance – Phillips.
Penske Racing Shocks – Wolff.
PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain – Sanders.
QA1 – Sorensen.
RacerWebsite.com – Wolff.
Simpson Performance Products – Ramirez.
Summit Racing Equipment – Crapser, Hejna, Nicholas, Thompson.
Super Clean – Ramirez.
Swift Springs – R. Wetzstein, Ramirez, Chisholm.
Sybesma Graphics – Ramirez.
Tire Demon – Plowman.
VP Racing Fuels – Ramirez.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Hale.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – O'Neil.

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

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Beyea Headers, Chevrolet Performance, Compstar, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, Intercomp, K1 RaceGear by Ryan Bowers Motorsports, KS Engineering, KSE Racing Products, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, MSD Performance, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt, Summit Racing Equipment, Super Clean, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco Industries.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ARMI Contractors, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, DAY Motorsports, Hacienda Mechanical, Mel Hambelton Racing, Midwest Wrap Co., Miller Welders, PBM Performance Products, Rancho Milagro Racing, RHRSwag.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, Salty's BBQ & Catering, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, BigDeal Car Care, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Deatherage Opticians, Edelbrock, Hooker Harness, Integra Racing Shocks and Springs, JE Pistons, Keyser Manufacturing, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies & Parts, 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, Arrowhead Speedway, Belleville High Banks, Casino Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Chateau Speedway, Dallas County Speedway, Deer Creek Speedway, Fayette County Speedway, Humboldt Speedway, I-70 Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Lucas Oil Speedway, Mason City Motor Speedway, Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Ogilvie Raceway, Red Dirt Raceway, Rocket Raceway Park, Tri-State Speedway, Winneshiek Raceway.