8/6/2019
Sanders scrambles to USMTS Slick Mist Show-Me Shootout triumph at Lucas Oil Speedway
WHEATLAND, Mo. --Rodney Sanders took command midway through Saturday night's 40-lap feature and went on to win the 10th Annual USMTS Slick Mist Show-Me Shootout presented by Foley Equipment.
Sanders, of Happy, Texas, held off Dereck Ramirez and Terry Phillips in a two-lap shootout after a pair of late cautions wiped out his big lead.
It was the two-time series champ's 91st career USMTS win, but his first triumph in a Modified at the Lucas Oil Speedway.
"We won a Late Model race here a couple of years ago, but I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this place," said Sanders, the Casey's General Stores USMTS National Championship points leader who picked up his fifth series win of 2019.
It was worth $3,000.
"You can go out and win one night and not make it out of the "B" Main the next," Sanders added. "But if you have a good car, you can come from deep in the field."
Which the 29-year-old had to do after being forced to come through a Real Racing Wheels "B" Main after a sixth-place heat race finish.
That left Sanders started outside of row seven in the main event with a lot of work to do.
Tyler Wolff of Fayetteville, Ark., got the jump from his outside front row starting position and roared to the lead, building a two-second cushion over Hunter Marriott by lap seven.
As Wolff began to encounter lapped traffic by lap 10, Marriott cut into his lead and was within a couple of car lengths when the first caution waved on lap 12.
Phillips, a two-time winner of this event, was running third and Sanders had moved all the way from 14th to fourth.
Sanders gained momentum after the restart and soon was in second, then used a high-side pass out of turn four to move past Wolff and into the lead to complete lap 20.
It looked as if the race would go green the rest of the way with Sanders checking out.
He was leading Phillips by more than three seconds when a caution with just two laps remaining wiped out that cushion and gave Phillips and third-running Ramirez a two-lap chance to steal the win.
Sanders was up for the challenge. He finished about three car-lengths clear of Ramirez with Phillips third, Marriott fourth and Jake O'Neil fifth.
"I was really tight down on the bottom and I had to really hit my marks to make it go down there," Sanders said of the late restarts. "I can't thank my crew enough. We struggled all night long. We were in a fire drill all night long."
The top three were the same as Thursday night's event with Sanders (center) and Phillips (right) swapping positions. Ramirez (left) finished second both nights.
Phillips, who won the Casey's Hunt for the USMTS National Championship opener on Thursday at the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., had to make a quick engine change after blowing a motor during hot laps.
His crew did so in time for him to earn a heat race win.
"We were fortunate to get where we're at," Phillips said of his night. "I wish we'd have had a little more time to work on the car, but that's the way it goes. We were fortunate to get up there and stay in Dereck's way in the heat race. The new motor wasn't running. It was just thrashing.
"But all in all, it was a pretty good night."
Jason Hughes came from 16th to finish sixth in the main event while local ace Jason Pursley of Hermitage nabbed a seventh-place paycheck.
Jared Russell, Chase Domer and R.C. Whitwell rounded out the top 10.
Movin' on to Monett: The series moves south to the Monett Motor Speedway in Monett, Mo., on Sunday for the 10th Annual Missouri Nationals and the first visit to the 'Grand Ol' Lady' since it's ownership change in 2017.
Sixteen USMTS events in all have been staged at the high-banked 3/8-mile red clay oval enjoying its 50th consecutive season of racing, but weather and scheduling conflicts have kept the series away for nearly four years.
Phillips garnered three of his 28 career wins at Monett, including the third ever in 2005. Ryan Gustin also has three wins which came consecutively in 2009, 2011 and 2012 while Hughes has a full set too. Johnny Bone Jr. and Kelly Shryock are two-time winners here while Sanders, Mark Noble and George White have one apiece.
Sunday's show will be rounded out with action in the Doug's Pro Lube USRA B-Mods, Legends Cars, Don's Auto Repair Midwest Modifieds and Pure Stocks. The pits open at 3 p.m., grandstand gates open at 5 and hot laps begin at 6:30 with racing to follow.
Race fans can get discount coupons good for $2 off adult general admission at Casey's General Stores locations in Aurora, Carthage, Cassville, Diamond, Miller, Monett, Mount Vernon, Neosho, Pierce City and Sarcoxie. Hunter Marriott and his No. 62 Snickers machine will be greeting fans at the Casey's located at 728 U.S. Hwy. 60 W in Monett from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Monett Motor Speedway is located 1.0 mile east of SR 37 on US 60, then north on Chapel Dr. For more information visit monettmotorspeedway.com.
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 our YouTube channel. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS and subscribe to our e-Newsletter.
Article Credit: Jeff Nunn
