Embarking on their sixth season of celebrating USMTS passing masters, FK Rod Ends will again reward competitors $100 at each main event during the 2023 Summit USMTS National Championship powered by RacinDirt.

The FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Award recognizes the highest-finishing driver who advances the most positions from his or her starting spot until the checkered flag.

One point is awarded to each eligible competitor for each car passed from original starting spot to finishing position during each "A" Main. Provisional starters are not eligible for the FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Award and earn no hard charger points at that event.

Although Dustin Sorensen held off Tanner Mullens to become the 2022 USMTS National Champion, Mullens nipped Sorensen for the year-end FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Award. The driver with the most points at season’s end will earn a record $2,500 in 2023.

The nation’s premier manufacturer of precision rod ends and spherical bearings with American-made quality and dependability, the Official Rod Ends of the USMTS came onto the scene nearly four decades ago and quickly won over their customers with fair pricing and plenty of inventory.

While the industrial market struggled to get product from the old standbys, the racing market embraced a supplier that would maintain inventory throughout the limited season.

Over the years, the FK Rod Ends product line has grown to encompass many different industries. From the wilds of Baja Mexico to the touring titans of the USMTS, from mowers to care for your lawn to fitness equipment to groom your body, you'll find FK Rod Ends.

To learn more about FK Rod Ends, call 800-662-4003 or visit them online at fkrodends.com. You can also like FK Rod Ends on Facebook, visit them on Instagram, connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter.

FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Award
Final 2022 Standings
1. 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan. ... 165
2. 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn. ... 148
3. 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. ... 122
4. 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo. ... 120
4. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas ... 120
6. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. ... 116
7. 65X Carlos Ahumada, El Paso, Texas ... 112
8. 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa ... 97
9. 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan. ... 92
10. 10C Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa ... 81
See More

Previous FK Rod Ends USMTS Hard Charger Award winners:
2021 – 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2020 – 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
2019 – 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
2018 – 1ST Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2017 – 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2016 – 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
2015 – 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
2014 – 2S Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2013 – 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2012 – 19R Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa
2011 – 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2008 – 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2007 – 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
2006 – 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa
2005 – 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
Note: The award was first handed out in 2005. There was no award in 2009 or 2010.

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The Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt currently features 47 nights of racing at America's premier dirt track racing venues. Just the winners of those events are set to earn more than $300,000 with nearly $2 million in purses and prize money earmarked for the 2023 campaign.

The Silver Anniversary season for the USMTS blasts off with the 13th Annual Summit Spring Nationals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 2-4, at the Rocket Raceway Park in Petty, Texas.

If you can’t be there in person, witness all the action from anywhere on any device with RacinDirt. Watch live and get exclusive content on your desktop, laptop tablet or a suite of apps like 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.

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, Gunshepherd.com, 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, Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Arrowhead Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Deer Creek Speedway, Fayette County Speedway, Hamilton County Speedway, Humboldt Speedway, I-70 Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Lucas Oil Speedway, Mason City Motor Speedway, Ogilvie Raceway, Rocket Raceway Park.