PARK CITY, Kan. – Another star-studded field of USRA Modified and USRA B-Mod racers gathered at 81 Speedway Saturday for the second night of the three-round Modster Mash and the inaugural Mel Hambelton Ford Spooktacular presented by Park City.
Johnny Scott did his best to show he hasn’t missed a beat since his last dirt modified race more than two years ago, as he drew the pole position and then jumped out to a big lead in the 40-lap feature race.
Digging into the cushion around the high side of the three-eighths-mile oval, the 2018 USMTS national champion extended his lead over the field to a full straightaway by the race’s halfway point.
Meanwhile, the fans in the jam-packed grandstand enjoyed some wild battles throughout the field, including a back-and-forth fight for second between Tanner Mullens and Terry Phillips with Zack VanderBeek and Rodney Sanders also grappling for position.
A mid-race caution slowed the action, but Scott was able to pull away again on the ensuing restart. Behind him, seventh-starting Jake O’Neil rebounded after back-sliding as far as ninth in the early going and stole fourth from Sanders on lap 26.
As the laps wound down, Scott remained comfortably out front, but his pursuers were cutting into his advantage.
Staying faithful to the shortest route around the 81 Speedway, O’Neil edged Phillips at the flagstand on lap 37 to seize the third spot when the yellow flag waved for one last time.
With Scott setting the pace, Mullens chose to start on the outside of O’Neil for the restart, and that was the undoing for he and Scott when the green flag returned.
Scott led the pack into the first turn, but O’Neil pulled ahead as they exited turn two with Mullens sticking his nose in the middle to make it a three-wide battle for the top spot.
By the time they completed the 38th lap, O’Neil had the lead, while Scott was in a dogfight with Mullens for second place.
O’Neil crossed the finish line first to collect the $10,031 top prize and ruin Scott’s “Welcome Home” party. Mullens piled on by nipping Scott at the line for second.
“Hey, I was fighting that car there,” an elated O’Neil said in victory lane. “We were honestly pretty terrible but everybody was kind of married to that top, and we found that little goat trail down there on that bottom. In and out (of the turns) I was good but if I missed it I wasn’t very good. I definitely didn’t have nothing up top, so I figured I might as well just roll around this bottom.
“We got really lucky with that caution late there. I wouldn’t have had nothing for him (Scott) there at the end, but it kind of played off in our favor.”
For his efforts, Mullens earned a $5,000 runner-up paycheck while Scott settled for $3,000 for finishing third.
“I probably should have restarted on the bottom there on that last restart,” Mullens admitted. “I was hoping to get a run on the top but it was a little different than the first time.”
“It’s just unfortunate to lead that many laps and come up short there at the end,” Scott said. “We were right there. I probably should have kept my tires a little hotter under that yellow. I think I sealed them up a little bit and on the restart I just couldn’t get going again. That’s the way it is sometimes — it don’t fall the way you want it to.”
Sanders held off Phillips for fourth, with Cole Traugott, Tyler Wolff, VanderBeek, 23rd-starting Dustin Sorensen and Brandon Sheppard rounding out the top 10.
Each of the 24 main event starters earned at least $700 in the big-money super-show.
USRA B-Mods were also running for some serious cash, with $1,031 earmarked for the winner.
One of the hottest B-Mod pilots in the twilight of the 2020 campaign, Jeremy Chambers set the pace for the start of the 20-lap feature and led the first four laps before USRA B-Mod national points leader Jim Chisholm blasted into the lead after starting eighth.
Like the USRA Modifieds, late-race cautions emerged to play havoc with the leaders but Chisholm was unfazed and held off two-time defending USRA B-Mod national champion Kris Jackson to earn a possible title-clinching victory.
Jackson’s last-lap surge came up short and he settled for second, with Chambers hanging on to claim the third spot in front of 11th-starting Jake Richards and 10th-starting Dillon McCowan.
Ryan Phillips finished sixth, seventh went to 15th-starting Mike Striegel, Friday’s feature winner Patrick Royalty earned an eighth-place paycheck, Brett Berry nabbed ninth and Dan Wheeler completed the top 10.
The finish:
1. (7) 0 Jake O’Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (5) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
3. (1) 1ST Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
4. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas
5. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
6. (4) 9 Cole Traugott, Woodward, Okla.
7. (9) 4W Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
8. (2) 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa
9. (23) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
10. (8) B5 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, Ill.
11. (19) K19 Will Krup, Mount Carmel, Ill.
12. (10) 20 Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn.
13. (16) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
14. (13) J17 Jake Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
15. (15) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
16. (14) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
17. (18) 19SB Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.
18. (11) 4R Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
19. (20) 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn.
20. (17) 444 Brooks Strength, Raymond, Miss.
21. (24) 75G Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb.
22. (22) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
23. (12) 49JR Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
24. (21) G3 Brendon Gemmill, Wichita, Kan.