6/18/2023
Rodney Sanders
Pair of top-10 USMTS finishes at Cedar Lake, runner-up at Mason City for Sanders
Four-time United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) champion Rodney Sanders took part in four consecutive days of racing from Thursday to Sunday, beginning with the three-day USMTS Masters at New Richmond, Wisconsin’s Cedar Lake Speedway.
Sanders entered the 24th annual event on the 3/8-mile, high-banked clay oval as the series points leader. He opened the 45-car Thursday program with a heat-race victory and started his No. 20 from the eighth spot in the 40-lap, $3,000-to-win A-Main. He advanced two spots to secure a sixth-place finish.
On Friday, 45 USMTS Modifieds again filled the pit area looking to earn the $5,000 on the line for the night’s victory. Sanders finished third in his heat, but transferred to the 45-lap feature via a B-Main win. He started 16th and finished 11th in the main event.
The USMTS Masters finale on Saturday brought 46 Modifieds to the track, where Sanders set the quickest time in his group qualifying, but finished fifth in his heat. He was once again relegated to a B-Main, finishing third to earn the 20th starting spot in the 50-lap, $11,000-to-win feature race. He gained an impressive 11 positions to finish inside the top 10 in ninth.
With three finishes of 11th or better, Sanders maintained his hold on the USMTS points lead.
On Sunday evening, Sanders closed out the weekend by competing in the United States Racing Association (USRA) Modified portion of the Jerry Hejna Memorial at Mason City Motor Speedway (Mason City, Iowa).
With 22 USRA entries on hand at the 1/3-mile, semi-banked oval, Sanders finished second in his heat race and began the 25-lap, $2,777-to-win A-Main from fourth. He moved into the runner-up spot with three laps remaining and finished in that position, 1.396 seconds behind winner Cory Crasper. Third place went to Dan Ebert, with Josh Angst fourth and Al Hejna finishing fifth.
Full results can be found at www.usmts.com and www.masoncitymotorspeedway.com.
Article Credit: Liquid Nitro Racing image