7/24/2019
Sanders extends Silver Dollar Nationals reign of dominance
GREENWOOD, Neb. --The deed to the venue may show that the Kosiski family has possession of the land and buildings, but two-time USMTS National Champion Rodney Sanders simply owns I-80 Speedway.
Since 2005 when Tommy Myer won the first USMTS feature held here, the United States Modified Touring Series has staged 17 more main events at the popular 25-year-old 4/10-mile clay oval in Greenwood, Neb.
Sanders has won 10 of those.
In fact, since his first win here in 2013, he has been absent from victory lane just three times.
His latest came on Saturday night in a dominating wire-to-wire performance before a standing-room-only packed house.
The win was worth $8,000 and the 90th of his USMTS career.
After winning Friday's night's preliminary feature, Sanders redrew the pole for Saturday night's 40-lap finale and, except for a possible game-changing caution flag with just three laps to go, the 29-year-old from Happy, Texas, was never seriously challenged.
The late yellow flag was for Terry Phillips, who was running second when mechanical failure struck. Phillips was the Silver Dollar Nationals champion in 2012-one year prior to Sanders' first at the track.
With 2017 Silver Dollar Nationals winner Ryan Gustin and four-time USMTS National Champion Jason Hughes on his rear bumper for the restart and three-lap dash to the finish, Sanders might have been considered a sitting duck but sped away from the pack when the green flag reappeared.
Hughes, who won a Casey's General Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship event here in August 2013, snuck past Gustin the closing laps to finish second while 'The Reaper' kept Jake Timm at bay for third-place money.
Zack VanderBeek, who gave Sanders his toughest challenge in the opening laps of the feature race, rounded out the top five finishers while 17th-starting Jake O'Neil, 19th-starting R.C. Whitwell, Hunter Marriott, 18th-starting Dustin Sorensen and Dereck Ramirez completed the top 10.
One position at the end turned out to be huge for Ramirez as Sanders edged him for the MSD Performance USMTS Mid-American Series points title by a single point (826 to 825). O'Neil, Marriott and Gustin rounded out the top five finishers in the final regional standings.
The race was also the final points contest in the Spike Hardcore Energy USMTS Northern Lights Series, and Sanders claimed that title too with a bit more breathing room (712 to 646) over VanderBeek. Gustin, O'Neil and Ramirez filled out the rest of the top five positions.
And Sanders continues to lead the Casey's General Stores USMTS National Championship points with 24 points races left on the 2019 campaign. Ramirez, Gustin, Marriott and O'Neil fill out the top five in the national standings.
Saturday night's 9th Annual Imperial Tile Silver Dollar Nationals once again produced a stellar racing program over the course of 48 hours, all the while making fans forget about basking in near 100-degree heat.
The season's fourth regional series-the Casey's General Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship-begins Thursday, Aug. 1, at the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., and wraps up Saturday, Sept. 21, on the third day of the 21st Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.
But it will be more than a full month after that before we know who will emerge as the 2019 USMTS National Champion. The final national points race happens during the 2nd Annual Summit USMTS Southern Nationals at the Kennedale Speedway Park in Kennedale, Texas, Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2. This will also be the final points race in the Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series.
One final blockbuster remains with a special two-day, non-points event on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16, back at the 81 Speedway just outside of Wichita. Friday will be the 3rd Annual Park City Chisholm Trail Showdown with a $3,000-to-win feature race, followed by the final crown jewel and season finale as the track hosts the 4th Annual Grant Junghans Memorial with a $10,000 top prize up for grabs on Saturday, Nov. 16-one day before Grant's birthday.
Here's the remaining dates on the 2019 USMTS calendar:
Aug. 1 ... 81 Speedway, Park City, Kan.
Aug. 2 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Aug. 3 ... Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo.
Aug. 4 ... Monett Motor Speedway, Monett, Mo.
Aug. 9 ... I-94 Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Aug. 10 ... Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie, Minn.
Aug. 11 ... Mason City Motor Speedway, Mason City, Iowa
Aug. 14 ... I-35 Speedway, Winston, Mo.
Aug. 15 ... Salina Speedway, Salina, Kan.
Aug. 16 ... Lake Ozark Speedway, Eldon, Mo.
Aug. 17 ... Salina Highbanks, Pryor Creek, Okla.
Aug. 22 ... Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa
Aug. 23 ... Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa
Aug. 24 ... Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, Minn.
Aug. 25 ... Casino Speedway, Watertown, S.D.
Aug. 30 ... Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis.
Aug. 31 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Sept. 1 ... Fayette County Speedway, West Union, Iowa
Sept. 19-21 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 ... Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas
Nov. 15-16 ... 81 Speedway, Park City, Kan.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit USMTS.com. You can also like the USMTS on Facebook, visit us on Instagram, follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn and watch us on YouTube. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS and subscribe to the USMTS e-Newsletter.
Article Credit: Jeff Nunn
