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Ramirez, Deer Creek bury the hatchet in Featherlite Fall Jamboree lid-lifter

Dereck Ramirez watched the monkey on his back grow old, but the 32-year-old from Woodward, Okla., finally laid it to rest Thursday on opening night of the 21st Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree.

Ramirez started on the outside of the front row and followed polesitter Joel Alberts for the first six laps of Thursday’s main event before powering to the front.

Besides Alberts, Ramirez was also challenged by Adam Hensel, Zack VanderBeek and Rodney Sanders during the first half of the 40-lapper but eventually he checked out with Sanders to settle it among themselves.

It seemed fitting since the pair are ranked first and second in both the Casey’s General Stores USMTS National Championship points battle and USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup powered by Summit which wraps up with the conclusion of Saturday’s race.

Lapped traffic came into play during the final dozen laps, but despite his best efforts Sanders had to settle for the runner-up paycheck while Ramirez broke through for his third win of the season and eighth of his USMTS career.

In doing so, Ramirez also buried the hatchet with the Deer Creek Speedway.

“This is one of them places where in racing this is where you shine—Eldora for the Late Models; Deer Creek for the Modifieds—and it’s so great to actually do it,� an emotional Ramirez said in victory lane. “I’ve struggled and struggled here, and I finally got something figured out. I think we got something to work with.�

Thursday’s event was the 108th United States Modified Touring Series race at the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval near Spring Valley, Minn. For Ramirez, it was his 80th attempt but first trip to the winner’s circle here.

“It was good,� he said of his Cornett-powered No. 4r Hughes Chassis. “I’m so happy to run good here. You’ve got probably the greatest fans in dirt track racing for us, and I just never ran good here. I never showed my true talent to these people and I’m glad it shined tonight.

“I usually don’t drink, but I think tonight’s the night I probably get drunk.�

While Ramirez avoided a 13th second-place finish this season and instead picked up his eighth career USMTS win, Sanders held off 2019 track champion Brandon Davis who clawed his way from 12th on the grid to finish third.

It ended a streak of seven straight wins at the track for Davis, including the Labor Day Weekend event which gave him his eighth career USMTS victory.

Top three (from left to right): second-place finisher Rodney Sanders, winner Dereck Ramirez and third-place finisher Brandon Davis.

Hunter Marriott made a late-race pass to steal fourth away from VanderBeek while Dustin Sorensen, Jake Timm, Alberts, Jake O'Neil and Brad Waits rounded out the top ten.

The 21st Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree continues Friday and Saturday. Race fans will witness a complete program both nights with $5,000 going to the winner on Friday while Saturday’s champion will pocket $10,000.

New this year, Friday’s program will feature the Stoen Racing Engines “Dash 4 Cash.� The drivers with the fastest one-lap time in each heat race are eligible to compete in the 8-lap, $700-to-win sprint.

Saturday’s 30-car Non-Qualifiers Race will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum $250 to start. Thirty cars will start the main event each night, and Saturday’s championship feature will go three-wide for the green flag start.

County Line Drive will be performing live on Friday night immediately following the races in the hospitality area behind the grandstands. The show is free for all race attendees, plus fans can partake in the annual Halloween Costume Contest during the live concert. To say it gets a bit crazy at times may be the understatement of the century.

Bragging rights for this year’s Jamboree Bean Bag Tournament begins with sign-in at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday near the campground area. The battle begins at high noon.

On Friday, the pit gate opens and driver sign-in at the USMTS trailer begins at 2 p.m. Grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. The drivers meeting will be held under the hospitality tent in the pit area at 6 p.m. Opening ceremonies begin at 6:45 and racing gets underway at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults or $10 for kids ages 12 and under. A three-day reserved ticket is $80 for adults or $30 for kids. Pit passes are $40. Students ages 6-15 are $25 for a pit pass while kids 5 and under are free.

On Saturday, the pit gate opens and driver sign-in at the USMTS trailer begins at 3 p.m. Grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. The drivers meeting will be held under the hospitality tent in the pit area at 5 p.m. Opening ceremonies begin at 5:45 and racing gets underway at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults or $10 for kids ages 12 and under. A three-day reserved ticket is $80 for adults or $30 for kids. Pit passes are $40. Students ages 6-15 are $30 for a pit pass while kids 5 and under are free.

For fans unable to attend in person, all three nights of the 21st Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree will be broadcast live at RacinDirt.TV.

The Deer Creek Speedway is a high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval which sits on 60 acres with one of America’s most popular state-of-the-art racing complexes and an adjoining campground. The track is located 11.3 miles south of I-90 at exit 209 on US 63 (0.7 mile north of SR 16). The physical address for mapping is 25262 US Hwy 63, Spring Valley, MN 55975. For more information, call (507) 754-6107 or check out DeerCreekSpeedway.com online. Follow ‘The Creek’ on social media at facebook.com/DeerCreekSpeedway and twitter.com/DeerCreekSpeed.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS), visit USMTS.com online or call (515) 832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at facebook.com/USMTS, follow on Twitter at twitter.com/USMTS, check us out on Instagram at instagram.com/USMTS and subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/USMTSTV. Keep up to speed by joining our email list at USMTS.com/Subscribe.

R.C. Whitwell won Thursday night's Non-Qualifiers Race.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Casey’s General Stores USMTS National Championship
USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup powered by Summit
21st Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree – Night 1 of 3
Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won. The top 16 in heat race passing points plus the top 4 in the “Bâ€? Mains advanced to the “Aâ€? Main. Drivers finishing 5th through 12th in the “Bâ€? Mains advanced to the Non-Qualifiers Race.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (10 laps):

1. (1) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (4) 50III Brandon Davis, Medford, Minn.
3. (6) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz.
4. (2) 20m Mark Motl, Owatonna, Minn.
5. (5) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
6. (3) 21k Kyle Brown (R), Madrid, Iowa.
7. (10) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
8. (8) 2x Brady Gerdes, Villard, Minn.
9. (9) 24 Brad Waits, Rochester, Minn.
10. (7) 51 Chris Oertel, Marshfield, Wis.
11. (11) 35B David Baxter (R), Eau Clare, Wis.
    DNS – 00G Mark Gartner, Mapleton, Minn.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):

1. (4) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (8) 49jr Jake Timm, Minnesota City, Minn.
3. (7) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
4. (10) 8s Tony Schill, Oakdale, Minn.
5. (5) 24s Charlie Steinberg (R), Kasson, Minn.
6. (1) 78 Derrick Hicks (R), Ravenwood, Mo.
7. (2) 8c Chris Clark, Jackson, Wyo.
8. (11) 91s Greg Skaggs, Broken Arrow, Okla.
9. (6) 51a Blake Arndt (R), Brownsdale, Minn.
10. (9) 7j Cory Jones (R), Zimmerman, Minn.
11. (3) 21m Dean Mahlstedt, Clear Lake, Iowa.
    DNS – 17 Mike Striegel, Wheatland, Mo.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):

1. (3) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz.
2. (9) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo.
3. (11) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn.
4. (2) 1a Dwaine Hanson, Lakefield, Minn.
5. (8) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
6. (10) 2g Kenny Gaddis, Diana, Texas.
7. (7) 3c Chet Atkinson (R), North Hugo, Minn.
8. (5) 96 Greg Jensen, Albert Lea, Minn.
9. (1) 50 Brady Caul (R), Fort Frances, Ont., Can.
10. (4) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa.
11. (6) 94jr John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis.
    DNS – 30 Matt Leer, Bruce, Wis.

MSD PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #4 (10 laps):

1. (4) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis.
2. (9) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
3. (8) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
4. (7) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
5. (10) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
6. (6) 111jr Keith Tourville, Janesville, Minn.
7. (1) 77 Jacob Stark (R), Austin, Minn.
8. (11) 777 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa.
9. (5) 782 Miah Christensen (R), Sioux Falls, S.D.
10. (3) 98d Mitch Madery (R), Kasson, Minn.
11. (2) 15w Alex Williamson (R), Rushford, Minn.

VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #5 (10 laps):

1. (1) 71 Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif.
2. (4) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (2) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
4. (6) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
5. (5) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
6. (3) 23d Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn.
7. (11) 33f Jardin Fuller, Memphis, Mo.
8. (7) 33 Joe Ludemann, Grand Meadow, Minn.
9. (9) 29h Joe Horgdal, Kasson, Minn.
10. (8) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas.
11. (10) 51w Nate Wasmund, Rochester, Minn.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #6 (10 laps):

1. (2) 4a Joel Alberts, Kasson, Minn.
2. (4) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
3. (5) 23k Erik Kanz (R), Winona, Minn.
4. (3) 3a Taylor Ausrud (R), Hayfield, Minn.
5. (9) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
6. (8) 209 Ron Ver Beek, Oskaloosa, Iowa.
7. (6) 5d Devon Havlik (R), Iowa Falls, Iowa.
8. (11) 45 Levi Nielsen, Evansdale, Iowa.
9. (10) 13x McKenzie Gerdes (R), Villard, Minn.
10. (1) 59 Bob Sammann, Winona, Minn.
11. (7) 55w Jeffrey Wood, Chisholm, Minn.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B� MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 4 advance):

1. (2) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.
2. (12) 24 Brad Waits, Rochester, Minn.
3. (3) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.
4. (7) 21k Kyle Brown (R), Madrid, Iowa
5. (17) 52w Nate Wasmund, Rochester, Minn.
6. (5) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
7. (8) 23d Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn.
8. (10) 77 Jacob Stark (R), Austin, Minn.
9. (1) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz.
10. (6) 209 Ron Ver Beek, Oskaloosa, Iowa
11. (4) 1a Dwaine Hanson, Lakefield, Minn.
12. (15) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas
13. (9) 45 Levi Nielsen, Evansdale, Iowa, $50.
14. (16) 21m Dean Mahlstedt, Clear Lake, Iowa, $50.
15. (13) 782 Miah Christensen (R), Sioux Falls, S.D., $50.
16. (11) 96 Greg Jensen, Albert Lea, Minn., $50.
17. (14) 7j Corey Jones (R), Zimmerman, Minn., $50.
    DNS – 17 Mike Striegel, Wheatland, Mo., $0.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B� MAIN #2 (14 laps, top 4 advance):

1. (2) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
2. (3) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
3. (5) 24c Charlie Steinberg (R), Kasson, Minn.
4. (13) 29h Joe Horgdal, Kasson, Minn.
5. (11) 33 Joe Ludemann, Grand Meadow, Minn.
6. (14) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa
7. (10) 5d Devon Havlik (R), Iowa Falls, Iowa
8. (17) 55w Jeffrey Wood, Chisholm, Minn.
9. (6) 33f Jardin Fuller, Memphis, Mo.
10. (4) 3a Taylor Ausrud (R), Hayfield, Minn.
11. (15) 59 Bob Sammann, Winona, Minn.
12. (1) 23k Erik Kanz (R), Winona, Minn.
13. (7) 78 Derrick Hicks (R), Ravenwood, Mo., $50.
14. (9) 8c Chris Clark, Jackson Hole, Wyo., $50.
15. (8) 91s Greg Skaggs, Broken Arrow, Okla., $50.
16. (12) 51a Blake Arndt (R), Brownsdale, Minn., $50.
17. (16) 94jr John Doelle, Arcadia, Wis., $50.
    DNS – 30 Matt Leer, Bruce, Wis., $0.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B� MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 4 advance):

1. (2) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn.
2. (1) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
3. (6) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn.
4. (10) 2x Brady Gerdes, Villard, Minn.
5. (8) 777 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa
6. (4) 2g Kenny Gaddis, Diana, Texas
7. (5) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
8. (3) 20m Mark Motl, Owatonna, Minn.
9. (16) 15w Alex Williamson (R), Rushford, Minn.
10. (7) 111jr Keith Tourville, Janesville, Minn.
11. (15) 35b David Baxter (R), Eau Claire, Wis.
12. (13) 51 Chris Oertel, Marshfield, Wis.
13. (11) 13x McKenzie Gerdes (R), Alexandria, Minn.
14. (14) 98d Mitch Madery (R), Kasson, Minn., $50.
15. (12) 50 Brady Caul (R), Fort Frances, Ont., Can., $50.
16. (9) 3C Chet Atkinson (R), Hugo, Minn., $50.
    DNS – 00G Mark Gartner, Mapleton, Minn., $0.

NON-QUALIFIERS RACE (20 laps):

1. (11) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz., $700.
2. (4) 27 Don Gerritsen Jr., Rock Rapids, Iowa, $500.
3. (13) 15w Alex Williamson (R), Rushford, Minn., $400.
4. (3) 777 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, $350.
5. (2) 33 Joe Ludemann, Grand Meadow, Minn., $300.
6. (1) 52w Nate Wasmund, Rochester, Minn., $275.
7. (9) 55w Jeffrey Wood, Chisholm, Minn., $250.
8. (8) 77 Jacob Stark (R), Austin, Minn., $225.
9. (23) 13x McKenzie Gerdes (R), Alexandria, Minn., $200.
10. (6) 23d Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn., $175.
11. (15) 3a Taylor Ausrud (R), Hayfield, Minn., $150.
12. (21) 23k Erik Kanz (R), Winona, Minn., $140.
13. (20) D25 David Tanner, Wichita Falls, Texas, $130.
14. (19) 35b David Baxter (R), Eau Claire, Wis., $125.
15. (18) 59 Bob Sammann, Winona, Minn., $120.
16. (14) 209 Ron Ver Beek, Oskaloosa, Iowa, $115.
17. (12) 33f Jardin Fuller, Memphis, Mo., $110.
18. (17) 1a Dwaine Hanson, Lakefield, Minn., $105.
19. (7) 5d Devon Havlik, Iowa Falls, Iowa, $100.
20. (22) 51 Chris Oertel, Marshfield, Wis., $100.
21. (16) 111jr Keith Tourville, Janesville, Minn., $100.
22. (5) 2g Kenny Gaddis, Diana, Texas, $100.
23. (10) 20m Mark Motl, Owatonna, Minn., $100.

CASEY’S GENERAL STORES “A� MAIN (40 laps):

1. (2) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 40, $5000.
2. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, 40, $2500.
3. (12) 50iii Brandon Davis, Medford, Minn., Tri-Built/KSE, 40, $1800.
4. (6) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE, 40, $1300.
5. (11) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen, 40, $1000.
6. (17) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, 40, $850.
7. (8) 49jr Jake Timm, Minnesota City, Minn., MBCustoms/OFI, 40, $775.
8. (1) 4a Joel Alberts, Kasson, Minn., VanderBuilt/Action, 40, $700.
9. (7) 0 Jake O'Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, 40, $650.
10. (20) 24 Brad Waits, Rochester, Minn., VanderBuilt/Stoen, 40, $600.
11. (5) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn., MBCustoms/ChevPerf, 40, $575.
12. (9) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 40, $550.
13. (18) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, 40, $525.
14. (13) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $500.
15. (14) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis., VanderBuilt/OFI, 40, $475.
16. (25) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn., MBCustoms/Stoen, 40, $450.
17. (19) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE, 40, $425.
18. (27) 29h Joe Horgdal, Kasson, Minn., Killer/Baier’s, 40, $400.
19. (28) 2x Brady Gerdes, Villard, Minn., SSR/Stoen, 39, $350.
20. (22) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn., Rocket/Baier’s, 39, $350.
21. (23) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jet/Speedway, 39, $350.
22. (30) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo., MBCustoms/Durham, 39, $350.
23. (15) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/TriStar, 33, $350.
24. (3) 44 Adam Hensel, Baldwin, Wis., DirtDueler/OFI, 28, $350.
25. (26) 21k Kyle Brown (R), Madrid, Iowa, Harris/Tesar, 26, $350.
26. (10) 71 Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif., Longhorn/ChevPerf, 24, $350.
27. (24) 24s Charlie Steinberg (R), Kasson, Minn., Ramirez/Flyin’J, 17, $350.
28. (21) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., GRT/Hatfield, 14, $350.
29. (29) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/Hill, 12, $350.
30. (16) 8s Tony Schill (R), Oakdale, Minn., SSR/KSE, 5, $350.

(R) = Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender

Lap Leaders: Alberts 1-6, Ramirez 7-40.
Total Laps Led: Ramirez 34, Alberts 6.
Margin of Victory: 1.718 seconds.
Time of Race: 16 minutes, 40.388 seconds (1 caution).
Provisional Starters: Duvall, Siebert.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: Waits (advanced 20 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: Sorensen (started 17th, finished 6th).
Entries: 68.
Next Race: Friday-Saturday, Sept. 20-21, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Casey’s General Stores USMTS National Championship Points: Sanders 3427, Ramirez 3242, Marriott 3052, Phillips 2872, Gustin 2844, O'Neil 2737, Kates 2244, VanderBeek 2135, Mike Striegel 1878, Saurer 1573.
USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup Points: Sanders 1545, Ramirez 1537, Phillips 1421, Marriott 1421, O'Neil 1167, Gustin 1157, Saurer 1083, Kates 1080, VanderBeek 804, Mike Striegel 716.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Marriott 2099, Mike Striegel 1591, Dustin Hodges 584, Carlos Ahumada Jr. 549, Nathan Hagar 415.
USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: MBCustoms 311, Hughes 310, GRT 240, Rage 233, LG2 226.
USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Cornett 282, Hatfield 278, KSE 215, Durham 199, TriStar 165.

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