Grabouski on front row for $25,000-to-win WMDTC finale after wire-to-wire win Friday at Deer Creek Speedway

Jason Durst Photo

Friday night at the Deer Creek Speedway, Grabouski joined 54 other drivers using their “mulligan” to qualify for a second night and battle for one of six spots in Saturday’s 75-lap, $25,000-to-win main event at the World Modified Dirt Track Championship presented by Hanson Tire Service.

Not only did the 23-year-old they call ‘Grabo’ make the big dance, he delivered a flawless performance from beginning to end. After turning in the best single-lap qualifying time during his group’s time trials, he went out and won his heat from the sixth position, putting him on the pole for the 35-lap “A” Main.

Early on in the feature race, Grabouski glided through the middle lane on the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval while Johnny Scott threatened on the high side. With four laps complete, Jason Miller joined in and made it a three-wide fight for the lead.

Following a brief caution on the fourth lap, defending USMTS National Champion Ryan Gustin squirted past Mike Steensma and Jason Krohn to move into fourth and then muscled his way around the outside of Miller to secure the third spot with seven laps complete.

Over the next ten laps, Gustin made several failed attempts to grab second away from Scott while Grabouski stretched his lead to about four car-lengths. Meanwhile, Miller continued to follow closely behind Gustin as the top four separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

Grabouski caught the rear of the field on lap 18. With heavy lapped traffic to navigate, Scott and Gustin closed the gap on the leader. Gustin found an opening on lap 21 to grab second place, but Scott was able to shut the door on Miller to hold onto third.

The yellow flag waved with 25 laps in the books, giving the lead group a clear track ahead but also bunching the rest of the field up close behind. The restart would find Krohn riding in fifth with Brandon Davis up to sixth from his 16th starting spot.

The final ten laps saw a trio of two-car battles with Grabouski and Gustin racing side by side for the lead while Scott, Miller, Krohn and Davis fought in double-wide formations behind them.

With Grabouski remaining faithful to the high side cushion just inches from the concrete wall, Gustin continued to dive low into every turn before sliding up just enough to give Grabouski enough room to hold his line and race back by as they came out of the corners.

Despite the best efforts by Gustin, Grabouski did not fear ‘The Reaper’ and would not be rattled. Gustin gave one final slide-job in the final corner but, again, allowed enough room for Grabouski to streak ahead to take the checkered flag first after a good, clean fight.

Miller held on for a solid third-place finish and Krohn emerged victorious over Davis after a furious, fender-wrinkling final five laps between the two. Scott finished sixth.

Each of the top 6 finishers also earned the most overall points for the evening to lock themselves into Saturday’s championship race. Grabouski, who matched the perfect score by Joey Jensen on Wednesday night, guaranteed himself the middle of the front row in the finale.

Josh Angst came from 17th to finish seventh, with veteran Eddie Martin wheeling a new Geddes Racing Engines powerplant to an eighth-place finish. Chris Brown was ninth and Steensma rounded out the top 10.

Eighteen drivers are now locked into Saturday’s “A” Main, which will start three wide with 31 drivers going 75 laps:

Row 1 – Joey Jensen, Jordan Grabouski, Mike Sorensen
Row 2 – Ryan Gustin, Jason Hughes, Jason Cummins
Row 3 – Jason Krohn, Jason Miller, Lucas Schott
Row 4 – Dereck Ramirez, Stormy Scott, Randy Timms
Row 5 – Jon Tesch, Johnny Scott, Brandon Davis
Row 6 – Bryan Rowland, Rodney Sanders, Josh Angst

The next 12 will come from the “B” Main, and the 31st starting spot will be auctioned off prior to the start of the race.

Saturday’s program will feature an “alphabet soup” of main events, beginning with an “F” Main and culminating with the richest open-wheel dirt modified race on the planet.

Prior to the start of Friday night’s feature race, it was announced that nine incredible sponsors have stepped forward to add an addition $30,000 to Saturday night’s main event payoff. Thanks to support from A & A Electric and Underground, Boom-Test, Buddy’s Rig Lounge, Camp Houston Country Store, Ingvalson Farms, Randy & Patty Eastvold, RoadRunner Crane, Swan Energy and United Cellular Services, the WMDTC main event payout will be more than $120,000.

Second place in Saturday’s main event will now pay $13,500 and every position behind that will share in $25,000 of the added money. On top of that, two drivers will have a 50/50 chance at the other $5,000. At the conclusion of the race, two drivers from two connected finishing positions (16th and 17th, for instance) will stop on the racetrack after the checkered flag waves. The higher finisher will call “heads” or “tails” on the flip of a coin. If he’s right he gets the $5,000. If not, the cash goes to the other driver.

Grandstand gates open at 3 p.m. on Saturday with hot laps at 5:30. Tickets are $35 for adults and @10 for kids 12 and under.

Wissota Midwest Mods will also join the action for the second straight night with an $800 top prize up for grabs.

PAYOUTS

• “A” Main: 1. $25,000, 2. $13,500, 3. $8700, 4. $6700, 5. $5500, 6. $5200, 7. $3500, 8. $3300, 9. $2650, 10. $2500, 11. $2500, 12. $2400, 13. $2350, 14. $2300, 15. $2250, 16. $2200, 17. $2150, 18. $2100, 19. $2000, 20. $1925, 21. $1850, 22. $1775, 23. $1650, 24. $1600, 25. $1550, 26-31. $1500.
• “B” Main: 1-12. transfer, 13. $1,000, 14. $800, 15. $700, 16. $650, 17-24. $600.
• “C” Main: 1-10. transfer, 11. $600, 12. $575, 13. $550, 14. $525, 15-24. $500.
• “D” Main: 1-6. transfer, 7-24. $475.
• “E” Main: 1-6. transfer, 7-24. $450.
• “F” Main: 1-6. transfer, 7-24. $425.
• “G” Main: 1-6. transfer, 7-24. $400.
• “H” Main: 1-6. transfer, 7-24. $375.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – SATURDAY, JULY 28

Featuring USMTS Modifieds and Wissota Midwest Mods
• Adult tickets $35, kids 12 & under $10.
• Breakfast: 8-11 a.m. in the grandstand area.
• Pit gate opens at 2 p.m. – $40 pit pass.
• Grandstands open at 3 p.m.
• Drivers meeting at 5 p.m.
• Hot laps at 5:30 p.m.
• National Anthem and invocation.
• Last chance qualifiers for Modifieds – Top 6 transfer to next main event; Top 10 transfer from “C” Main to “B” Main; Top 12 transfer from “B” Main to “A” Main. The “alphabet soup” main events may be staggered between Midwest Mod heat races and A-Main.
• Midwest Mod heat races – 8 laps each.
• Midwest Mod “A” Main – 20 laps ($800 to win).
• Modified driver introduction.
• Modified “A” Main – 50 laps ($25,000 to win).

The Deer Creek Speedway sits on 60 acres of scenic rural rolling hills with one of America’s most popular state-of-the-art racing complexes and a busy modern campground. The 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval is located 11.3 miles south of I-90 (exit 209) on US 63 (0.7 mile north of SR 16) in Spring Valley, Minn. For more info, call toll-free 877-DCS-RACE or 507-346-2342 on raceday or visit www.deercreekspeedway.com online.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ustmts and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
2nd Annual World Modified Dirt Track Championship presented by Hanson Tire Service – Night 3 of 4
Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Friday, July 27, 2012

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, reason out (if any) and laps completed. The top 15 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the “A” Main.

HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (4) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (3) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas.
3. (6) 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla.
4. (5) 5 Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn.
5. (7) 0 Les Duellman, Winona, Minn.
6. (1) 23k Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn.
7. (8) 61 Bruce Hanford, Davenport, Iowa.
8. (10) 49 Ben Anderson, Winona, Minn.
9. (2) 1L Brad Loveday, Fort Frances, Ont., Canada.
10. (9) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Blaine, Minn.

HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (6) 75g Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb.
2. (1) 26 Dan Fetters, Montour, Iowa.
3. (5) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La.
4. (3) 40 Paul Knauf, Marshfield, Wis.
5. (8) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
6. (7) 96 Greg Jensen, Albert Lea, Minn.
7. (9) 6m Ted Marrs, Bethel, Minn.
8. (4) 24 Jeff Lien, Mora, Minn.
9. (2) J17 Jake Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.

HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 10 Mike Steensma, Luverne, Minn.
2. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (5) 50iii Brandon Davis, Medford, Minn.
4. (3) 00 Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford, Wis.
5. (4) 61 Timothy Culp, West Monroe, La.
6. (1) 89 Eric Pember, Pittsville, Wis.
7. (7) 24 Brad Waits, Rochester, Minn.
8. (8) E26 Dallas Everett, Beebe, Ark.
9. (9) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo.

HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 51 Eddie Martin, Stillwell, Okla.
2. (3) 05 Jake Hartung, Elmwood, Wis.
3. (5) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
4. (4) 7x Chris Dawson, Lubbock, Texas.
5. (7) 01 Brandon Aggen, Rushmore, Minn.
6. (8) 76x Troy Hovey, Castalia, Iowa.
7. (9) 72 Doug Hillson, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
8. (2) 1k Pat Graham, Ames, Iowa.
9. (6) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (4) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.
2. (1) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Waukee, Iowa.
3. (5) 52 Jason Thoennes, Garfield, Minn.
4. (3) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa.
5. (6) 49jr Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
6. (2) 60 Kurt Krauskopf, Decorah, Iowa.
7. (9) 26 Bob Gierke, Westport, Minn.
8. (7) 43 Luke Schilling, Granton, Wis.
9. (8) 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla.

HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (3) 12m Jason Miller, Osceola, Wis.
2. (2) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
3. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
4. (5) 68 J.J. Wise, Manly, Iowa.
5. (8) 56h Brandon Hare, Elma, Iowa.
6. (4) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa.
7. (1) 7s John Schulke, LaPorte, Minn.
8. (7) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
9. (9) 83 Billy Steinberg, Kasson, Minn.

“B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 50iii Brandon Davis, Medford, Minn.
2. (3) 56h Brandon Hare, Elma, Iowa.
3. (2) 5 Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn.
4. (4) 7x Chris Dawson, Lubbock, Texas.
5. (9) 61 Bruce Hanford, Davenport, Iowa.
6. (5) 01 Brandon Aggen, Rushmore, Minn., Skyrocket/Sput’s.
7. (10) 49 Ben Anderson, Winona, Minn., GRT/BuckBuilt.
8. (11) 1k Pat Graham, Ames, Iowa, Victory/JRM.
9. (13) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Hughes/ASi.
10. (7) 89 Eric Pember, Pittsville, Wis., LG2/Mullins.
11. (6) 76x Troy Hovey, Castalia, Iowa, Rage/Brunner.
12. (14) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Blaine, Minn., Wheeler/Wagamon.
13. (8) 6m Ted Marrs, Bethel, Minn., Frederick/Homerun.
14. (12) 1L Brad Loveday, Fort Frances, Ont., Canada, GRT/Mullins.

“B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
2. (2) 68 J.J. Wise, Manly, Iowa.
3. (5) 49jr Jake Timm, Winona, Minn.
4. (8) 72 Doug Hillson, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
5. (7) 60 Kurt Krauskopf, Decorah, Iowa.
6. (10) 24 Jeff Lien, Mora, Minn., Matrix/Mullins.
7. (12) J17 Jake Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M., GRC/BMS.
8. (6) 96 Greg Jensen, Albert Lea, Minn., Skyrocket/KSE.
9. (11) 43 Luke Schilling, Granton, Wis., J-Car/B&B.
10. (4) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, BC/JRM.
11. (3) 40 Paul Knauf, Marshfield, Wis., Allen/Licciardi.
12. (9) 24 Brad Waits, Rochester, Minn., Waits/ASi.
13. (13) 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla., Shaw/BMS.

“B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 52 Jason Thoennes, Garfield, Minn.
2. (2) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
3. (3) 00 Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford, Wis.
4. (11) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
5. (7) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa.
6. (5) 61 Timothy Culp, West Monroe, La., Skyrocket/Sput’s.
7. (4) 0 Les Duellman, Winona, Minn., DirtDueler/KSE.
8. (6) 23k Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn., Killer/Flyin’J.
9. (9) 7s John Schulke, LaPorte, Minn., Jones/Adams.
10. (13) 83 Billy Steinberg, Kasson, Minn., Wheeler/Flyin’J.
11. (8) 26 Bob Gierke, Westport, Minn., GRT/RoushYates.
12. (10) E26 Dallas Everett, Beebe, Ark., Shaw/Kuntz.
13. (12) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo., Hughes/Geddes.

“A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. (1) 75g Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb., GRT/Hatfield, 35.
2. (5) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 35.
3. (4) 12m Jason Miller, Osceola, Wis., Matrix/Mullins, 35.
4. (3) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn., Hughes/Sput’s, 35.
5. (16) 50iii Brandon Davis, Medford, Minn., BC/KSE, 35.
6. (2) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 35.
7. (17) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn., Skyrocket/Sput’s, 35.
8. (7) 51 Eddie Martin, Stillwell, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, 35.
9. (8) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Skyrocket/RoushYates, 35.
10. (6) 10 Mike Steensma, Luverne, Minn., Hughes/Sput’s, 35.
11. (10) 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, 35.
12. (11) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 35.
13. (9) 05 Jake Hartung, Elmwood, Wis., SSR/MAS, 35.
14. (12) 26 Dan Fetters, Montour, Iowa, Sidebiter/KSE, 35.
15. (14) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, 35.
16. (23) 49jr Jake Timm, Winona, Minn., GRT/BuckBuilt, 35.
17. (20) 68 J.J. Wise, Manly, Iowa, Skyrocket/KSE, 35.
18. (21) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M., GRC/BMS, 35.
19. (13) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Waukee, Iowa, GRT/Mullins, 35.
20. (18) 52 Jason Thoennes, Garfield, Minn., MasterSbilt/Sower, 35.
21. (22) 5 Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., Skyrocket/Sput’s, 35.
22. (27) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn., Ramirez/Sput’s, 35.
23. (28) 61 Bruce Hanford, Davenport, Iowa, Skyrocket/AutoRon’s, 35.
24. (26) 72 Doug Hillson, Blooming Prairie, Minn., Skyrocket/Sput’s, 35.
26. (30) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa, Razor/HarryHeads, 35.
27. (29) 60 Kurt Krauskopf, Decorah, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 35.
27. (24) 00 Robby Bunkelman, Abbotsford, Wis., Skyrocket/Tim’s, 35.
28. (19) 56h Brandon Hare, Elma, Iowa, Skyrocket/Action, 35.
29. (25) 7x Chris Dawson, Lubbock, Texas, Shaw/ASi, 25.
30. (15) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La., DirtWorks/Sput’s, 35.

Lap Leader: Grabouski 1-35.
Total Laps Led: Grabouski 35.
Margin of Victory: 0.722 second.
Hard Charger: Davis (started 16th, finished 5th).
Next Race: Saturday, July 28, Deer Creek Speedway.

Points Standings:
1. V2 Joey Jensen … 666.5
2. 75g Jordan Grabouski … 666.5
3. 19 Mike Sorensen … 641
4. 19r Ryan Gustin … 641
5. 12 Jason Hughes … 635
6. 71 Jason Cummins … 625
7. 7k Jason Krohn … 613.5
8. 12m Jason Miller … 612
9. 69 Lucas Schott … 611
10. 4r Dereck Ramirez … 609
11. 20s Stormy Scott … 597
12. 5t Randy Timms … 596.5
13. 14 Jon Tesch … 595.5
14. 1st Johnny Scott … 593.5
15. 50iii Brandon Davis … 584
16. 20r Bryan Rowland … 582
17. 20 Rodney Sanders … 579
18. 99 Josh Angst … 564
19. 186 Jeremy Payne … 561
20. 3 Kelly Shryock … 560
21. 20z Zack VanderBeek … 556.5
22. 12 Tommy Weder Jr. … 553.5
23. 555 Ryan Ruter … 551.5
24. 21m Dean Mahlstedt … 546.5
25. 51 Eddie Martin … 539
26. 21 Chris Brown … 536.5
27. 85 Thomas Tillison Jr. … 535.5
28. 10 Mike Steensma … 530.5
29. 75 Terry Phillips … 530.5
30. 52w Nate Wasmund … 516.5
31. 41 Mark Teske … 514
32. 66 Dan Bohr … 514
33. 5 Jake Hartung … 506.5
34. 1 T.J. Herndon … 505
35. 31 Corey Dripps … 504
36. 0 Richie Gustin … 494
37. 4a Joel Alberts … 491
38. 33x Adam Hensel … 485
39. 89 Steve Whiteaker … 485
40. 52 Jason Thoennes … 482
41. 26 Dan Fetters … 480
42. 49Jr Jake Timm … 479.5
43. 96x Jay Ihrke … 478.5
44. 68 J.J. Wise … 478.5
45. 7 Eric Dailey … 478
46. 5 Brandon Beckendorf … 462.5
47. 22d Daniel Hilsabeck … 457
48. 77 Brian Craighead … 447
49. 8 Bobby Swanson … 434
50. 11 Lance Hofer … 431
51. 11 Ryan Peckham … 430
52. 39 Luke Driskell … 428
53. 29h Joe Horgdahl … 426
54. 20 Cole Queensland … 424
55. 0 Robbie Bunkelman … 419
56. 18 Mick Glenn … 415.5
57. 88x Jimmy Broszeit … 413
58. 27 Don Gerritsen … 409
59. 7x Chris Dawson … 408
60. G17 Fito Gallardo … 403.5
61. 61 Timothy Culp … 403
62. 7 Al Hejna … 399
63. 40 Paul Knauf … 397
64. 431 Mike Gibson … 393.5
65. 60 Kurt Krauskopf … 393
66. 9 Shane Hebert … 381
67. 24 Jeff Lien … 376
68. 56h Brandon Hare … 366.5
69. 1 Brandon Aggen … 366
70. 65 Tommy Myer … 366
71. 0 Les Duellman … 364
72. 61 Bruce Hanford … 363.5
73. 23k Darwin Karau … 360
74. 89 Eric Pember … 356
75. 1k Pat Graham … 352
76. 96 Greg Jensen … 351.5
77. 72 Doug Hillson … 351
78. 7s John Schulke … 349
79. 16s Dave Schoenberger … 348.5
80. J17 Jacob Gallardo … 345
81. 50w Andrew Wiste … 343
82. 76x Troy Hovey … 337
83. 24 Brad Waits … 333
84. 1L Brad Loveday … 331
85. 43 Luke Schilling … 330
86. 26 Bob Gierke … 318
87. 6m Ted Marrs … 314
88. E26 Dallas Everett … 314
89. 49 Ben Anderson … 307
90. 60 William Gould … 303
91. 83 Billy Steinberg … 299
92. 86 David McClain … 297
93. 88t Terry Timmerman … 293
94. 23 Brandon Davis … 293
95. 14w Clayton Wagamon … 286
96. 29d Brad Dierks … 284

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Swan Energy.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Race Suits, Cheetos, Dominator Race Products, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver, SLAP Energy, Snickers.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arbor Masters, Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, Erson Cams, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Mesilla Valley Transportation, O’Brien Enterprises, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Motorsports, Road Runner Trucking, Ruter Farms, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Harness, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Tiger Rear Ends.

##

Contact Info:
Jeff Nun
Communications Director
United States Modified Touring Series, Inc. (USMTS)
1715 W. 2nd St., P.O. Box 905
Webster City, IA 50595
Tel: 515-297-3835
Email: media@usmts.com
Web: www.usmts.com