HUMBOLDT, Kansas — Friday night’s Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s event was the 55th at the Humboldt Speedway in the 23-year history of the series and a 23rd different name was added to the winner’s list.
Although it was his first win at the quarter-mile semi-banked clay oval, Friday’s 15th annual USMTS Summer Fling was the sixth of the season for Jake O’Neil, as he bagged another $10,000 check and narrowed the points lead to just five markers behind Dereck Ramirez who settled for the runner-up finish behind O’Neil.
Four-time USMTS national champion Jason Hughes joined the lead duo in a battle at the front for most of the race but faded while O’Neil and Ramirez drove off and hid from the field until the third caution of the 50-lapper occurred with 12 laps to go.
Hughes again was in the mix but so were Tanner Mullens, Rodney Sanders and Dustin Sorensen as the laps ticked off quickly.
While the racing behind the top two was intense until the end, O’Neil shrugged off a challenge from Ramirez with eight to go and then pulled out to a 1.487-second margin of victory when he reached the checkered flag.
The win was the 16th of O’Neil’s USMTS career which tied him with Ramirez for 15th on the all-time wins list.
Meanwhile, Mullens was a man on a mission after heat race troubles put hm behind the eight-ball all night. Nevertheless, Mullens nearly ran the table as he raced from 10th to fourth in the second Real Racing Wheels “B” Main and then clawed his way from 20th on the starting grid to grab the third step on the podium.
Still desperately seeking to end a nearly four-year winless drought, Hughes was a top performer with his fourth-place finish but was unable to add to his series-best 13 career wins here.
Sorensen bested Sanders for the final spot in the top five.
The finish:
Jake O’Neil, Dereck Ramirez, Tanner Mullens, Jason Hughes, Dustin Sorensen, Rodney Sanders, Tyler Wolff, Cole Traugott, Lucas Schott, Brooks Strength, Tyler Davis, Darron Fuqua, Jacob Bleess, Kale Westover, Curt Myers, Zack VanderBeek, Dan Ebert, Landon Atkinson, Carlos Ahumada Jr., Jesse Stovall, Jake Gallardo, Chris Clark, Dillon McCowan, Dustin Hodges, Fito Gallardo, Terry Phillips.