Jim Moody and his entire crew celebrate a hard-fought victory in the USRA Modified feature.

The green flag unfurled for the first time as the Central Missouri Speedway began its 2017 race program with 22 Out-Pace USRA B-Mods, 21 USRA Modifieds and a total of 90 cars in five classes on hand for competition.

Prior to the night’s events, USRA Modified driver Dwight Niehoff had a big question to ask his girlfriend Shelby Coe. Niehoff secretly stuck on a large cling-on vinyl sign to the side of his car just before practice laps that read, “Shelby, Will You Marry Me.” As he pulled onto the speedway the group sitting with Ms. Coe in the grandstand could see something looked different on the car and tried their best to read the wording as he went around the track, but when he came around to the back-stretch grandstands, Shelby herself finally got a good view of the question sign and gasped at first, then laughed for a while with a stunned look on her face, and then, she shook her head yes. At that point, a thumb’s up sign was flashed to the driver from the grandstand and the couple became happily engaged!

Opening night events then hit the track with a hearty crowd on hand to witness preliminary action. Out-Pace USRA B-Mods took to the track for their heats as Eddie Bray Jr., Jake Richards and Dean Wille claimed the wins. Ryan Middaugh, Matt Johnson and Tim Karrick closed out the heat races with wins in USRA Modifieds.

The first-ever “weekly” racing USRA-sanctioned B-Mod race then hit the track with a pair of veterans showing the way up front. Bray and Richards brought the field to green. Richards quickly grabbed the lead at the start with Bray close behind. Just before the halfway marker, Richards had the lead over Russ Niehoff in second and Bray third when a caution slowed the field. When racing resumed, Richards again distanced himself as Niehoff, Bray and Steven Clancy tried to find a line to gain ground on the leader.

With five laps remaining, Doug Wetzel had a scary moment in turn four as his car got upside down, thankfully, the driver was okay and racing resumed shortly thereafter. At the lap 15 point of the 20-lap event, Richards again gunned it and took off, leaving his pursuers to battle for runner-up honors. On this night, it was Richards, who claimed his first-ever CMS main event win to finally shake some bad luck. Behind Richards at the line were Niehoff, Clancy, Wille and defending champion Jacob Ebert.

Out-Pace USRA B-Mod feature winner Jake Richards (17j) on his way to a heat race victory over Steve Clancy (12c).

The final main event of the night was the USRA Modifieds and it was another thriller. Red-hot driver Middaugh was hot off a win on Friday at Callaway Raceway in Fulton, Mo., and he occupied the front row beside Johnson. An early race restart kept the field tight with Middaugh in control of the race with Gunner Martin and Karrick in pursuit. Lap after lap Middaugh was flawless through the first 10 laps. Just behind him, seventh-starting Jim Moody worked his way to the front in furious battle with Johnson, Karrick, and a surging Wille.

At the lap 11 point, Moody found the bottom line to his liking as Middaugh occupied the middle and high side. Moody eventually grabbed the lead with his new-born baby daughter on hand as Middaugh had his hands full with Karrick, Johnson and Wille in tight battle for second. A late-race caution regrouped the field one final time as drivers could race every inch of the track to gain positions. In the final push to the finish, it was Warrensburg driver Wille, who began the race side-by-side with Moody on row four, who came to life. Wille methodically made his way forward and eventually found a way around Karrick to lock into the runner-up position. However, it was Moody who outdistanced all pursuers to claim the win as laps ran out for Wille, Karrick, Johnson and Middaugh to close out a fantastic opening night at CMS.

In victory lane, a jubilant Moody said, “Ryan raced me clean, he’s been good so far in his new car and gave me plenty of room, you could race everywhere on the track tonight. We picked up right where we left off last year and put it in victory lane here tonight.”

Weekly racing resumes next Saturday evening at CMS with pits opening at 4:30, grandstands at 5 and racing at 7:30. General admission adults $12, Military w/I.D. and Seniors 65 to 74 $10, kids ages six to twelve $5, five years and under are free, seniors 75 and older are also free. Seniors 80 and older may receive free pit admission courtesy of promoter Earl Walls, who recently celebrated his own 80th birthday! All pit passes $30.

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.

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

CMS wishes to thank its 2017 primary sponsors for their support including Cliff Harris Warrensburg Ford, Budweiser, KMZU 100.7 FM, Sunoco Race Fuels, 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, College Town Apartments of Warrensburg, and Heartland Waste.

The list of 2017 business partners includes: Batliner Recycling, Kleinschmidt’s Western Store, OK Wheel Alignment, OK Tire Stores, Economy Lumber & Hardware, blue Springs Truck Line Inc., Brooks Auto LLC, Rick Darling Racing Engines/Head Porting, KMMO Radio, Sabre Solar LLC, KDKD Radio, LJS Graphics, Wilderness Ridge Tent & Canvas, DQ Grill & Chill of Warrensburg, Zaxby’s, Miller Lite, Victory Trophies & Plaques, Joslins Jewelry, Eickleberry Concrete & Construction, RockAuto.com, R & B Septic Services, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Wilderness Ridge Tent and Canvas, and Seeburg Mufflers. To join the CMS business partner team, call Susan Walls at (816) 229-1338. No calls after 8 p.m. please.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Racing Association
Summit Racing USRA Weekly Racing Series
Central Missouri Speedway, Warrensburg, Mo.
Saturday, April 15, 2017

OUT-PACE USRA B-MODS

Feature:
1. 17j Jake Richards, Lansing, Kan.
2. 10 Russell Niehoff, Lockwood
3. 12c Steve Clancy, Odessa
4. 68m Dean Wille, Warrensburg
5. 5 Jacob Ebert, Oak Grove
6. 19k Eddie Bray, Archie
7. 96 Cody Brill, Harrisonville
8. 28s Bill Small, Holden
9. 20 Michael Bixby, Harrisonville
10. 13k Chris Kitch, Columbia
11. 7b Bobby Russell, Smithville
12. 53 Monty Mitchell, Windsor
13. 92jk Jonathan Knotts, Blue Springs
14. 27 Jacob Callahan, Warrensburg
15. 10x Doug Wetzel, Leeton
16. 17k Jeremy Lile. Higginsville
17. 21p Darren Phillips, Clinton
18. 30 Rex Harris, Urbana
19. 21b Bob Nakoneczny, Warrensburg
20. 11s Chris Stout, Oak Grove
21. 73 Cody Frazon, LaMonte
DNS - 03 Chris Brockway, Warrensburg

USRA MODIFIEDS

Feature:
1. 00m Jim Moody, Odessa
2. 68 Dean Wille, Warrensburg
3. 1k Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan.
4. 1x Matt Johnson, Archie
5. 21 Ryan Middaugh, Fulton
6. 26k Kevin Blackburn, Fulton
7. 75 Gunner Martin, Blue Springs
8. 9d Dwight Niehoff, Lockwood
9. 16s Kerry Davis, Parkville
10. 85s Tyler Shaw, Mexico
11. 30 Dalton Kirk, Edgerton, Kan.
12. 12v Nathan Vaughn, Sedalia
13. 97k Brian Johnson, Independence
14. 19b Kaleb Bray, Archie
15. 8x Chad Thomsen, Louisburg, Kan.
16. 90 Terry Schultz. Sedalia
17. 10w Doug Wetzel, Leeton
18. 24jr Jimmy Eaton, Bates City
19. 3j Lewis Jackson, Wellsville, Kan.
20. 96 Danny Barker, Kansas City
21. 92 Danny Scrogham, Peculiar