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Mullens takes USMTS checkered flag at 81 Speedway

Tanner Mullens claimed a $3,000 United States Touring Modified Series (USMTS) victory in the opening round of the Ed Gressel Memorial on Thursday night aboard his Mel Hambelton Ford / Sandlian Iron & Metal Auto Salvage No. 02 Bergman Tax & Accounting / Fuqua Trucking / Mullens Race Car Modified.

Mullens had the option to race for a bigger top prize after finishing second in the Kansasland Dash 4 Cash, but given his recent luck opted to forgo the chance at an added bonus.

“The luck we’ve been having I didn’t want to put ourselves any further behind,” Mullens said in 81 Speedway’s Victory Lane on Thursday night. “Obviously, (you’ve) got to keep your right rear under you and when I got to lapped traffic I just kind of left a gap there in case somebody got beside me, but I just didn't want to push it and get tangled up in there.”

“He kind of gave me my first taste to running USMTS and I’ll forever be grateful for that,” Mullens said of Ed Gressel who passed away last May and was a fixture at the 81 Speedway. “He was a really good guy and we’re all going to miss him.”

Summit United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) ace Tanner Mullens opened the first night of the inaugural Ed Gressel Memorial at 81 Speedway in Victory Lane.

Thursday found Mullens dominating the opening round of the three-day event, which brought 53 Summit USMTS Dirt Modified competitors to the 3/8-mile, semi-banked oval in Park City, Kansas. Mullens drove his Mel Hambelton Ford No. 02 to quick time in his qualifying group and turned in a sixth-to-third place effort in his heat race, along with a runner-up finish in the Dash 4 Cash.

Mullens started the 30-lap feature from the second spot and jumped out to an early lead, with the Wichita, Kansas, native ultimately pacing all 30 circuits en route to a $3,000 payday. Mullens took the win by more than two seconds, with Jake Timm and Will Krup following Mullens under the checkered flag. The win was his third of the season and first of the year with USMTS.

Mullens turned in another strong performance on Friday evening, with a third-place effort in his qualifying group, backed up by wins in his heat race and dash. He started the 35-lap feature from the pole position, but just missed out on his second top five in two nights, coming home sixth on a night which boasted a total of 53 entries.

With 50 entrants on hand for Saturday’s finale, Mullens again turned in a top-five qualifying effort and took both heat race and dash wins for the second night in a row. Mullens, who once drove for Ed Gressel, accepted $6,000 to give up the pole position and start 12th in the weekend’s $10,000-to-win, 50-lap finale. However, transmission problems relegated him to a 19th-place finish.

Full results from the Ed Gressel Memorial are available at www.usmts.com.

Summit USMTS competition roars on this Thursday – Saturday with the 13th annual Spring Classic tripleheader at Hamilton County Speedway (Webster City, Iowa).

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