WEBSTER CITY, Iowa – Friday’s second round of the seventh annual Summit USRA Nationals powered by MyRacePass brought another night of hard, fast racing to the historic half-mile Hamilton County Speedway and five new faces to Integrity Trucking Victory Lane.
Jake Gallardo led the first 11 laps of the USRA Modified main event, but could not hold back the pressure from Rodney Sanders as the 30-year-old slipped by and led the final eight laps.
Thursday’s winner, Lucas Schott, claimed runner-up honors while fellow Jacob Bleess was third. Josh Angst finished fourth and Gallardo rounded out the top five.
In addition to $500 for the win, Sanders pocketed an additional $140 ($10 for each of his 14 USRA starts during the season). A $10 bonus for each of his nine starts was also awarded to Mark Elliott via random draw by the feature winner.
After finishing second in Thursday night’s opener, Mitch Hovden inched closer to his unprecedented with USRA national title with a late-race pass of Dillion Anderson.
Hovden, who clinched the Christie Door Company Iron Man Challenge championship with his effort, slipped by Anderson with four laps remaining in the 20-lap American Racer USRA Stock Car feature.
Two-time and defending Iron Man champ Derek Green worked his way into a second-place finish with Bill Crimmins and Kyle Falck following in third, fourth and fifth.
Bonus money equal to $10 per start this season was also awarded to Hovden, giving him an additional $280 in earnings. As somewhat of a consolation prize, Hovden then drew a random finishing position from the A Main and selected the No. 4 pill, giving Anderson a $200 bonus of his own.
Dillon McCowan struggled to a 15th-place finish in his opening night effort, but the 16-year-old from Urbana, Mo., rebounded Friday and garnered his 16th USRA B-Mod win of the campaign.
McCowan, who started fourth on the grid, passed 2013 USRA B-Mod national champion Troy Hovey with 14 laps in the books and then paced the final six circuits to score a $400 paycheck plus a $510 bonus for his 51 starts this year.
Seventh-starting Jim Chisholm, 17, leads the current USRA B-Mod national points race and followed McCowan into second one lap later, but the Osage racer had to settle for second with Hovey following him to the checkered flag.
Ben Moudry and Dan Hovden completed the top five.
Chosen via random draw by the feature winner, Dave Kennedy finished 21st but won $320 in bonus money for his 32 USRA starts in 2020.
In the Mensink Racing Products USRA Hobby Stocks, veteran racer Steve Larson sped to his fourth feature win of the season after a 16-lap thriller where he outdueled Chris Hovden and Eric Carlisle.
While the 33-year-old Larson earned $300 for the win, 13th-starting Zack Smidt finishing fourth ahead of Josh Ludeking.
Larson also got an extra $150 for his 15 starts this year and drew the No. 7 pill for a random main event finisher. Levi Vander Weide finished seventh, and got $10 for each of his Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series starts this season which added $340 to his paycheck.
Devin Jones bested Jade Lange in a feisty 12-lap USRA Tuner main event. His earnings were $200 plus $60 for his six starts this year.
Polesitter Josh Hills held on for third place, Justin Anderson finished fourth and Jeremiah Anderson took the fifth spot.
The random driver bonus of $10 per start went to 10th-place finisher Ben Horsfall of Cresco who got an extra $90.