—The opening night of the North Star Nationals at Mississippi Thunder Speedway brought drama, rain delays, and championship tension as “Smoke” Joe Chisholm raced to his third USRA Kevko Racing Northern Lights Modified Series victory of the season.

Series points leader Brandon Davis started on the pole after setting fast time in Deatherage Opticians Qualifying and picking up a heat race win, quickly paced the opening lap before Chisholm made his move just two laps in.

A broken Jake Timm brought out the first caution, and as the field slowed, the drizzle that had begun before the green flag intensified into a light rain. Track crews and drivers worked together to keep the moisture worked into the surface before the green flag waved again.

Chisholm continued to lead while Davis fought off challenges from Jim Chisholm and Rodney Sanders. Behind them, second-place points man Jacob Bleess began working forward, knowing every position mattered in the championship hunt.

The race took a dramatic turn on a lap-14 restart when contact between Joe Chisholm and Davis sent the points leader spinning into the fence, collecting Lucas Schott in the process. Had Davis finished ahead of Bleess, he would have locked up the series championship before even signing in on Saturday night. Instead, Bleess used a third-place finish to cut Davis’ points lead from 56 down to just 18 entering Saturday’s season finale.

Jim Chisholm challenged brother Joe throughout the remaining laps, but “Smoke” held firm to capture the win in front of a packed Mississippi Thunder Speedway crowd.

“We definitely had a good car tonight,” said Joe Chisholm. “When you’re leading and it’s raining, and the track is changing like that, you really don’t know what to do. I kept waiting for someone to peek their nose in there and make a move, but it was a lot of fun.”

On the track crew’s efforts, he added: “Hats off to the track crew, it was still really racy for what they had to deal with. It was tricky because under green the track would clean off and change lanes, then under caution the moisture would cause it to slick back up. You had to be smart and look ahead, especially in traffic.”

The USRA Northern Lights Modified Series season concludes Saturday, September 6, at Mississippi Thunder Speedway with the second night of the North Star Nationals. Front gates open at 4:30 p.m., hot laps at 5:30 p.m., and opening ceremonies at 6:00 p.m.

To follow along with all things USRA Northern Lights Modified Series, you can find us on social media or go to our website at www.northernlightsmodifiedseries.com.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Deatherage Opticians Qualifying 1: 1. Brandon Davis 2. Zach Brom 3. Jim Chisholm 4. Rodney Sanders 5. Parker Hale 6. Alex Williamson 7. Harley Dais 8. Blake Arndt 9. Brandon Duellman 10. Ben Nading 11. Darwin Karau 12. Mason McEvers 13. Kylie Kath 14. Avery Alms 15. Dave Schoenberger 16. Blake Adams 17. Parker Foster.

Deatherage Opticians Qualifying 2: 1. Joe Chisholm 2. Jacob Bleess 3. Lucas Schott 4. Dylan Goettl 5. Josh Angst 6. Keith Foss 7. Jake Timm 8. Shaun Walski 9. Cole Bennerotte 10. Joe Horgdal 11. Joe Ludemann 12. John Doelle 13. Taton Hansen 14. Darrell Nelson 15. Brad Waits 16. Landon Volkman 17. Taylor Ausrud.

S&S Fishing & Rental Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Brandon Davis 2. Jim Chisholm 3. Parker Hale 4. Harley Dais 5. Brandon Duellman 6. Kylie Kath 7. Dave Schoenberger 8. Darwin Karau 9. Parker Foster.

Rick Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Rodney Sanders 2. Zach Brom 3. Alex Williamson 4. Ben Nading 5. Blake Arndt 6. Mason McEvers 7. Blake Adams 8. Avery Alms.

Kevko Racing Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. Joe Chisholm 2. Lucas Schott 3. Jake Timm 4. Josh Angst 5. Taton Hansen 6. Joe Ludemann 7. Cole Bennerotte 8. Brad Waits 9. Taylor Ausrud.

Bryke Racing Heat 4 (8 laps): 1. Jacob Bleess 2. Keith Foss 3. Dylan Goettl 4. Shaun Walski 5. Joe Horgdal 6. Darrell Nelson 7. Landon Volkman 8. John Doelle.

Real Racing Wheels B Feature (12 laps): 1. Darrell Nelson 2. Cole Bennerotte 3. Landon Volkman 4. Joe Ludemann 5. Mason McEvers 6. Dave Schoenberger 7. Blake Adams 8. Avery Alms 9. Parker Foster 10. Kylie Kath 11. Darwin Karau 12. John Doelle 13. Taylor Ausrud 14. Brad Waits.

Wehrs Machine A Feature (30 laps): 1. Joe Chisholm 2. Jim Chisholm 3. Jacob Bleess 4. Rodney Sanders 5. Parker Hale 6. Josh Angst 7. Zach Brom 8. Harley Dais 9. Keith Foss 10. Joe Horgdal 11. Blake Arndt 12. Taton Hansen 13. Cole Bennerotte 14. Dylan Goettl 15. Landon Volkman 16. Ben Nading 17. Darwin Karau 18. Joe Ludemann 19. Brandon Duellman 20. Lucas Schott 21. Brandon Davis 22. Alex Williamson 23. Shaun Walski 24. Mason McEvers 25. Jake Timm 26. Darrell Nelson.

2025 Point Funds (ARMS, HMT, NLMS)
1. $7,500
2. $4,500
3. $3,500
4. $3,000
5. $2,500
6. $2,400
7. $2,300
8. $2,200
9. $2,100
10. $2,000

80 Percent attendance required to remain point fund eligible