LANSING, Minn.—The tale of the tape was tires, and Lucas Schott had just a little more left than Zack VanderBeek Friday night at the Chateau Raceway.

The racing surface began to take rubber in the United States Modified Touring Series main event, and right rear tires began to feel the strain around lap 30 in the 42-lapper.

Front-runners Cade Dillard and Jesse Sobbing lost theirs on laps 31 and 35, respectively, but the biggest bang came with just two laps remaining when race-long leader Zack VanderBeek saw his hopes shredded less than a mile from the finish line.

Lucas Schott, who shadowed VanderBeek throughout the race, inherited the top spot for the final restart and held on over the final two trips around the 1/3-mile oval to score his first win of the 2016 campaign and pocket the $3,000 winner’s paycheck.

Ninth-starting Jason Hughes came home second with Brandon Davis, Steve Wetzstein and Clayton Wagamon finishing third, fourth and fifth.

Masen Big Eagle was slated to start on the pole but mechanical issues forced him to miss the parade lap and start the race from the tail of the field but the Canadian worked his way back up to sixth by the end.

Dillard rebounded in the final dozen laps to take seventh, Jason Cummins was eighth, Greg Pfeifer claimed the ninth spot and Mark Motl rounded out the top 10.,

With his runner-up finish, Hughes simply needs to see the green flag in his heat race on Saturday night to claim the RealTruck.com Northern Region points title, and thus sweep all three regions this year.

On Saturday, the USMTS Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental invades the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., for the 14th Annual A&A Electric & Underground Southern Minnesota Spring Challenge.

Although this will be the 93rd feature race held at the popular high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval since Kelly Shryock won the first-ever race on May 25, 2002, this is the series’ first visit of the 2016 campaign.

Defending USMTS national champion Jason Hughes swept last year’s Featherlite Fall Jamboree and has won four of last five contests with a series-best 14 career victories at ‘The Creek.’

Kelly Shryock is second on the all-time list with 10 wins here while Rodney Sanders has collected seven checkered flags. Tim Donlinger and Terry Phillips have five wins each; Ryan Gustin, Jason Cummins and Brad Waits have four apiece; and Zack VanderBeek, Joey Jensen and Brandon Davis have each won three times.

Two-time winners include Corey Dripps, Jason Krohn, Ryan Ruter and Stormy Scott. Drivers who have visited Widow Wax Victory Lane at the Deer Creek Speedway once include Mark Noble, Steve Wetzstein, Darin Walker, Tony Fraise, Dan Daniels, Chad Kinder, Mark Burgtorf, Brad McEwan, Randy Timms, Dean Mahlstedt, Tommy Myer, Mike Sorensen, Mike Spaulding, Dan Chapman, Les Duellman, Mike Hejna, Steve Arpin, Jon Tesch, Jordan Grabouski, Jeremy Payne, Craig Thatcher and Lucas Schott.

Gates open at 4 p.m. for Saturday’s blockbuster with racing at 6 p.m. Wissota Midwest Mods, Wissota Street Stocks and Out-Pace USRA B-Mods will round out the four-division program.

The Deer Creek Speedway is located of off I-90 at exit 209, then 11.3 miles south on US 63 (0.7 mile north of SR 16). For more information, call toll-free 877-327-7223 and check out 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/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts and Instagram at www.instagram.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
USMTS Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental – RealTruck.com Northern Region presented by Day Motor Sports
19th Annual Mike Guttormson Memorial
Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn.
Friday, July 29, 2016

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won.

MSD HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (5) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
2. (4) 00 Masen Big Eagle, Manor, Sask., Canada.
3. (2) 73jr Greg Pfeifer, Brownsdale, Minn.
4. (1) 23k Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn.
5. (3) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Blaine, Minn.
6. (8) 96 Greg Jensen, Albert Lea, Minn.
7. (7) 77 Jacob Stark, Austin, Minn.
8. (6) 99 Jett Big Eagle (R), Manor, Sask., Canada.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
2. (2) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
3. (7) 99 Jesse Sobbing, Malvern, Iowa.
4. (3) 6 Brock Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill.
5. (6) 4 Cody Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill.
6. (5) 19 Dustin Sorensen (R), Rochester, Minn.
7. (4) 20m Mark Motl, Owatonna, Minn.

EDELCROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn.
2. (3) 21 Jacob Bleess (R), Chatfield, Minn.
3. (5) 50iii Brandon Davis, Medford, Minn.
4. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
5. (1) N81 Mike Densberger (R), Lincoln, Neb.
6. (6) 90 Steve Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn.
7. (4) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN (10 laps, all advance):
1. (2) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Blaine, Minn.
2. (6) 90 Steve Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn.
3. (1) 4 Cody Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill.
4. (9) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
5. (3) N81 Mike Densberger (R), Lincoln, Neb.
6. (10) 99 Jett Big Eagle (R), Manor, Sask., Canada.
7. (8) 20m Mark Motl, Owatonna, Minn.
8. (5) 19 Dustin Sorensen (R), Rochester, Minn.
9. (4) 96 Greg Jensen, Albert Lea, Minn.
10. (7) 77 Jacob Stark, Austin, Minn.

CASEY'S GENERAL STORES "A" MAIN (42 laps):
1. (7) 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn., MBCustom/Sput’s, 42, $3000.
2. (9) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 42, $1700.
3. (4) 50iii Brandon Davis, Medford, Minn., Tri-Built/KSE, 42, $1200.
4. (14) 90 Steve Wetzstein, West Concord, Minn., Skyrocket/Sput’s, 42, $1000.
5. (13) 14w Clayton Wagamon, Blaine, Minn., Hughes/Wagamon, 42, $900.
6. (1) 00 Masen Big Eagle, Manor, Sask., Canada, GRT/Tim’s, 42, $800.
7. (5) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., MBCustom/ASI, 42, $700.
8. (16) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn., LG2/Sput’s, 42, $650.
9. (10) 73jr. Greg Pfeifer, Brownsdale, Minn., Hughes/KSE, 42, $500.
10. (19) 20m Mark Motl, Owatonna, Minn., GRT/Sput’s, 42, $450.
11. (2) 99 Jesse Sobbing, Malvern, Iowa, Harris/GMPP, 42, $500.
12. (8) 21 Jacob Bleess (R), Chatfield, Minn., MBCustom/BK, 42, $450.
13. (18) 99 Jett Big Eagle (R), Manor, Sask., Canada, MBCustom/ProPower, 42, $425.
14. (15) 4 Cody Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill., GRT/Mullins, 42, $400.
15. (3) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, LG2/Sput’s, 40, $375.
16. (17) N81 Mike Densberger (R), Lincoln, Neb., Jet/Speedway, 40, $350.
17. (12) 6 Brock Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill., GRT/Mullins, 38, $325.
18. (20) 19 Dustin Sorensen (R), Rochester, Minn., Hughes/Action, 35, $300.
19. (6) 07 Cory Crapser, Chippewa Falls, Wis., MBCustom/Tim’s, 32, $300.
20. (21) 96 Greg Jensen, Albert Lea, Minn., BC/KSE, 31, $300.
21. (11) 23k Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn., Killer/Flyin’J, 27, $300.
22. (22) 77 Jacob Stark, Austin, Minn., /, 15, $250.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Lap Leaders: VanderBeek 1-40, Schott 41-42.
Total Laps Led: VanderBeek 2, Schott 2.
Margin of Victory: 1.715 seconds.
Time of Race: 22 minutes, 46.392 seconds (3 cautions).
Provisional Starters: none.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Wetzstein (started 14th, finished 4th).
Sybesma Graphics Pole Award: Dillard.
Entries: 22.
Next Race: Saturday, July 30, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
RealTruck.com Northern Region Points: Hughes 921, Dillard 860, Bleess 764, Sobbing 718, Johnny Scott 692, M. Big Eagle 639, Schott 609, Rodney Sanders 603, C. Bauman 579, VanderBeek 541.
Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year Points: B. Bauman 1382, C. Bauman 1354, J. Big Eagle 1231, Tyler Wolff 1092, Mike Jergens 911.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 312, Sput’s 209, Geddes 204, Durham 204, ASI 199.
Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 314, MBCustoms 302, LG2 241, Harris 206, GRT 202.

Contingency Awards:
Allstar Performance – Cummins.
American Racer – Dillard.
Bell Helmets – B. Bauman.
Beyea Custom Headers – Wagamon.
BSB Manufacturing – Karau.
Day Motor Sports – not awarded.
Deatherage Opticians – Karau.
Edelbrock – Schott.
Eibach Springs – Bleess.
Fast Shafts – VanderBeek.
FK Rod Ends – VanderBeek.
Forty9Designs.com – C. Bauman, Crapser.
Fuel Safe – M. Big Eagle.
GRT Race Cars – Motl.
Hooker Harness – J. Big Eagle.
Integra Shocks & Springs – Sorensen.
Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service – Densberger.
Kevko Oil Pans & Components – Pfeifer.
Keyser Manufacturing – Motl.
KSE Racing Products – Wetzstein.
Midwest Sheet Metal – VanderBeek.
MSD – Dillard, Schott.
Out-Pace Racing Products – Densberger.
PBM Performance Products – Davis.
QA1 – Dillard.
Real Racing Wheels – all non-qualifiers.
Sybesma Graphics – Dillard.
VP Racing Fuels – Schott.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Sobbing.
Wilwood Engineering – Dillard.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: Alpinestars, American Racer Racing Tires, Argo Manufacturing, Casey’s General Stores, Chix Gear Racewear, COMP Cams, CP-Carrillo, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Fast Shafts, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, Kevko Oil Pans & Components, KSE Racing Products, Leaf Racewear & Safety Equipment, Malvern Trust & Savings Bank, MSD, RacerWebsite.com, RacinDirt.com, RealTruck.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, The Joie of Seating, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: AMP Energy Drink, Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, ElbowsUp.com, Erson Cams, I-29 Trailer Sales, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Oreo, Production Jars, Rivers Edge Scrap Management, Snickers, Sour Patch Kids, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, BSB Manufacturing, Driven Racing Oil, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Holley Performance Products, Hooker Custom Harness, Integra Shocks & Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Sheet Metal, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, QA1 Precision Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Sybesma Graphics, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Engineering.