WARRENSBURG, Mo.—The race season at Central Missouri Speedway is quickly winding down with track championships in the weekly racing divisions on the line.

Jim Moody of Odessa claimed his second USRA Modified feature in a row and fourth of the year and now becomes one of the favorites for the $3,000-to-win Labor Day special event on Sunday, Sept. 4.

This week in the always competitive USRA Modified heat races, the fans were entertained once again to intense racing as 19 drivers attempted to maximize passing points with their heat race finishes. Lewis Jackson crossed the line ahead of Moody and Kyle Covert in heat one. Kevin Blackburn edged out Dean Wille and Travis Ruff for his best heat finish in the second heat. The final heat of the night had Gunner Martin grabbing the checkers ahead of Dwight Niehoff and Sam Florence.

The USRA Modifieds once again showed their skills and patience early on with Gunner Martin grabbing the early lead just ahead of Blackburn and Moody. Moody stalked Martin and Blackburn and took the lead on a restart out of turn four, diving down to the middle to grab the lead.

Behind Moody, Blackburn and Martin had an intense battle for the second spot. Both drivers at one point held second and then swapped it back and forth several times. Wille ran his best USRA Modified race this year in the top four as Covert and Niehoff looked strong just behind Wille attempting to move up.

Over the course of the mid-point of the race, Moody and Martin swapped the lead in another classic CMS showdown between arguably the best drivers in the MO-KAN region. Blackburn stayed close to the lane-swapping duo looking for a chance to pounce.

After another late caution, Moody took back control of the event and pulled away ever so slightly in lapped traffic, leaving Martin and Blackburn to resume their battle for second. As the race drew to a close, both Martin and Blackburn reeled in Moody, setting up a final two-lap showdown that whipped the crowd into a frenzy. As the final checkers of the night flew, Moody narrowly edged Blackburn, who had a strong run on the low side of turn four to claim his fourth feature of the year and second in a row. Blackburn was second with Martin in third in the closest three-way battle of the season. Wille hung on for his best finish this year in fourth while Covert had his best finish of the year in fifth while Danny Scrogham finishing in sixth.

Next week’s Labor Day weekend events mark the final two nights of racing at CMS in the 2016 season and features multiple car classes with track championships on the line on Saturday for Pure Stocks and Street Stocks. Saturday’s events also feature USRA Modifieds and the Allstar Midget Series. The night will be headlined by USRA B-Mods with their annual $1,500-to-Win track special event. The night will then be capped off by a full-on fireworks show, previously postponed from the soggy Independence Day weekend. For complete details about the Labor Day weekend visit www.centralmissourispeedway.net and click on the “Labor Day Weekend at CMS” tab on the main page.

On Sunday, September 4th, USRA Modifieds return for their $3,000 annual Labor Day weekend special event with Matt Dotson going for a $2,500 bonus if he can win the main event after claiming the Memorial Day special event earlier this season. B-Mod drivers have a chance to earn USRA national B-Mod points as they return for another night of action along with the Allstar Midgets and the ULMA Late Models. The year will officially close out with the CMS Party Barn coming to life one more time as Karaoke with Char closes out the night. Drivers and fans are invited to hang out and relax at the end of another successful CMS season. A special BBQ sandwich menu will be available throughout the weekend until its gone.

Shad Badder will also be raising money for Homes for Our Troops as he will be giving 2-seater Modified rides throughout the weekend as the program flow and track conditions permit. Rides are $50 each for approximately 3 to 5 laps at speed around the track.

Both "Track" and "Sanctioning" body points nights remaining at CMS are as follows:  Saturday, September 3rd. Track points will be awarded for USRA Modified, Street Stock, and Pure Stocks. Allstar Midgets will earn their sanction points. There will be no points awarded of any kind for B-Mods, this is the B-Mod annual track special. USRA Modifieds will earn USRA National Points. September 3rd is the final "Track" points night for Street Stocks and Pure Stocks.

Sunday, September 4th - Track points will be awarded to USRA Modifieds only. USRA Modifieds will also earn National USRA Points. ULMA Late Models will earn their sanction points. Allstar Midgets will earn their sanction points. USRA B-Mods will earn USRA National points only (track points will NOT be awarded to B-mods).

CMS recently released its race dates for the 2017 season, which may be found on the track’s website at www.centralmissourispeedway.net. In addition to a preview of next season, the website also includes information for visiting drivers and several bits of information regarding the upcoming Labor Day weekend of special events racing.

For next Saturday, September 3rd, Pit Gates open at 4:30, Grandstands at 5, Driver’s Pill Draw Cutoff 6:15 (no passing points for late drivers), Pit Meeting 6:30, Hot Laps at 7, and Racing at 7:30. Adult Admission is $12, Military w/I.D. $10, Seniors 65 and up $10 and College Students with student I.D. $10, Kids 6 to 12 years $5, children five and under and senior citizens 75 and over free, all pit passes are $30. There are no registration fees for any classes at CMS next Saturday or Sunday.

CMS is located 3.5-miles north of Warrensburg, MO from the junction of Highways 50 and 13 in Warrensburg just north of the new Hwy 13 by-pass round-a-bout, or from the Higginsville exit off I-70, head south on Highway 13 for twelve and half miles.

Find CMS on Twitter @CMSgoing_green. Keep up with CMS news and information by pointing your browser to www.centralmissourispeedway.net. Join our email group at info@centralmissourispeedway.net. Find us on YouTube at CMS Going Green! Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Missouri-Speedway.

CMS and Lakeside Speedway are once again teaming up for their end-of-season banquets for a single night of awards, camaraderie and bench-racing, food, music, and fun on November 5th at the Blue Springs Elk’s Lodge. Stay tuned for further details in the coming weeks as the race season nears completion in September.

CMS wishes to thank its 2016 primary sponsors for their support this season! Cliff Harris Warrensburg Ford, Budweiser, KMZU 100.7 FM, Sunoco Race Fuels, KMMO FM 102.9, Midwest Coatings, Better Country KIX 105.7, KSDL, and KSIS FM, Comfort Inn Warrensburg Station, KRLI FM 103.9 & KAOL 101.3 FM The Grenade, Pepsi, 610 Sports Radio Kansas City, Heartland Waste, and 'Today's New Hit Country' 95.3 FM KDKD.

This list of 2016 outstanding business partners includes: Victory Trophies & Plaques, Joslins Jewelry, Batliner Recycling, DQ Grill & Chill of Warrensburg, Economy Lumber, Kleinschmidt's Western Store, OK Tire Stores, Eickleberry Concrete & Construction, LJS Graphics, Finish Line Performance, Wolf Tire Service, JA Performance and Outdoor Services, RockAuto.com, and Seeburg Mufflers.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Racing Association
USRA Weekly Racing Series
Central Missouri Speedway, Warrensburg, Mo.
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016

USRA MODIFIEDS
1. (4) 00M Jim Moody, Odessa
2. (2) 26K Kevin Blackburn, Fulton
3. (3) 75 Gunner Martin, Independence
4. (6) 68 Dean Wille, Warrensburg
5. (7) 7D7 Kyle Covert, Topeka, Kan.
6. (15) 92 Danny Scrogham, Peculiar
7. (14) 12V Nathan Vaughn, Sedalia
8. (12) 1K Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan.
9. (11) 5K Colson Kirk, Urbana
10. (1) 3J Lewis Jackson, Wellsville, Kan.
11. (10) 19K Eddie Bray Jr., Archie
12. (9) 32P Nick Pence, Raymore
13. (16) 00 Justin Plumb, Peculiar
14. (8) X25 Travis Ruff, Belton
15. (17) 24JR James Dean Eaton, Bates City
16. (5) 9D Dwight Niehoff, Neosho
17. (13) 209 Josiah Stephens, Grain Valley
DNS - 42 Sam Florence, Kansas City
DNS - 97K Brian Johnson, Independence