Fall is in full swing, but racing has remained fierce at 81 Speedway as the conclusion to the 2020 race season quickly approaches. On Saturday, the Alternative Pest Management USRA Modifieds headlined the night's action.

The 2020 race season has been fruitful for Wichita driver Tanner Mullens who has picked up up four feature wins and the USMTS Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year honors during the Summit USMTS National Championship fuel by Casey’s, as well as a handful of wins at miscellaneous events and tracks throughout the Midwest.

Saturday night proved no different as Mullens made a rare weekly racing series action start at this hometown track and drove his No. 02 machine to the win.

Beating pole sitter Jon Herring Jr. into turn one at the drop of the green, Mullens brought fellow USMTS competitor and local favorite Tyler Davis with him, Davis pacing Mullens through the races opening laps.

Woodward, Oklahoma’s Cole Traugott also proved to be fast from his fifth place starting spot immediately challenging for a place inside the top 3, battling hard with Herring in the No. 96.

Five laps in the top four started to create some distance on the field, while 10th-starting Jake Nightingale had worked his way into the top 5.

Cautions began to play a factor in the race, with restarts resulting in hard-nosed racing and mishaps in the top 5.

A mid-race restart saw Traugott and Davis squabble off turn two.

Traugott’s No. 9 machine drifted up the racetrack underneath the No. 65 of Davis, pinching the USMTS Rookie contender into the outside retaining wall off turn 4.

Traugott streaked away from Davis while Nightingale, who had driven by Herring on the restart, took his turn battling the No. 65 machine driving to the inside at the entry of turn three, before problems for Ross Shipman slowed the field once again.

On the ensuing restart Mullens and Traugott paced the field, Davis and Nightingale continued to race for third and Herring ran fifth. A lap later, Herring slowed off turn four with apparent mechanical issues. Herring kept his car rolling while the field drove by and exited the speedway at the inside of turn one, keeping the green lights on.

The next lap by Davis and Nightingale continued their battle over the third spot, Davis entering turn one on the Speedway’s cushion and turning the car down the racetrack attempting to diamond the corner and pull away from the No. 3J machine.

At the same time Nightingale had entered turn one on the bottom, his machine drifting up the track making contact with Davis’ left rear sending both drivers around.

After both drivers exited the speedway to the hot pit area, neither driver returned when the race continued.

The final portion of the race saw Mullens and Traugott hold serve at the front, while track points leader Brendon Gemmill polished off his hard charge of the night driving from 14th to third,

Seventh-starting Lewis Jackson finished fourth and T.J. Tolan completed the top 5.

Halstead driver Brian Franz won the "B" feature and the evening’s four heat race wins were claimed by Kenny Sweet,  Davis, Brandon Massey and Herring.

Racing action returns this weekend with season championship finale’s for Alternative Pest Management USRA Modifieds plus Late Models, Mini Stocks and HeyGlassman.com Stock Cars.

Tickets are $12, children 10 and under are free.

For more information visit race81speedway.com or find us on the MyRacePass app. You can also find us on social media at facebook.com/race81Speedway or twitter.com/81_speedway.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Racing Association
Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series
81 Speedway, Park City, Kan.
Saturday, October 10, 2020

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver and hometown.

USRA MODIFIEDS

Heat #1:
1. (2) 87 Kenny Sweet, Wichita, Kan.
2. (8) 9 Cole Traugott, Woodward, Okla.
3. (1) 74 Rodney Schweizer, Kansas City, Kan.
4. (4) 2W Richard Wilson, Wichita, Kan.
5. (7) G3 Brendon Gemmill, Wichita, Kan.
6. (5) 747 Colton Eck, Goddard, Kan.
7. (6) 15 Jason Park, Kansas City, Kan.
8. (3) 1T Ryan Taylor, Muldrow, Okla.

Heat #2:
1. (6) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
2. (8) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
3. (2) 22N Kevin Newell, Wichita, Kan.
4. (7) 3J Jake Nightingale, Hutchinson, Kan.
5. (4) 9D8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.
6. (3) 44 Braden Stoner, Wichita, Kan.
7. (5) 32R Daniel Richey, Wichita, Kan.
8. (1) 69 Cecil Dymond, Goddard, Kan.

Heat #3:
1. (2) 93 Brandon Massey, Valley Center, Kan.
2. (3) 3 Lewis Jackson, Wellsville, Kan.
3. (4) 99T TJ Tolan, Valley Center, Kan.
4. (5) 86 Brian Franz, Halstead, Kan.
5. (1) 429 Shelby Stucky, Hutchinson, Kan.
6. (6) 7 Treyton Gann, Ponca City, Okla.
7. (8) 96 Jon Herring Sr, Woodward, Okla.
8. (7) 91 Ross Shipman, Belle Plaine, Kan.

Heat #4:
1. (1) 96JR Jon Herring Jr., Woodward, Okla.
2. (2) 71 Patrick McManus, Derby, Kan.
3. (3) M5 Harley Peery, Goddard, Kan.
4. (6) 32B Bob Bills, Wichita, Kan.
5. (4) A2 Randy Wilson, Wichita, Kan.
6. (5) 52 Ryan McAninch, Hutchinson, Kan.
DNS – (7) 5* Jason McGehee, Wichita, Kan.

B Feature:
1. (3) 86 Brian Franz, Halstead, Kan.
2. (5) G3 Brendon Gemmill, Wichita, Kan.
3. (1) M5 Harley Peery, Goddard, Kan.
4. (6) 9D8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.
5. (10) 44 Braden Stoner, Wichita, Kan.
6. (9) 747 Colton Eck, Goddard, Kan.
7. (11) 7 Treyton Gann, Ponca City, Okla.
8. (7) 429 Shelby Stucky, Hutchinson, Kan.
9. (4) 2W Richard Wilson, Wichita, Kan.
10. (13) 15 Jason Park, Kansas City, Kan.
11. (16) 69 Cecil Dymond, Goddard, Kan.
12. (17) 91 Ross Shipman, Belle Plaine, Kan.
13. (8) A2 Randy Wilson, Wichita, Kan.
14. (14) 32R Daniel Richey, Wichita, Kan.
15. (18) 52 Ryan McAninch, Hutchinson, Kan.
16. (2) 32B Bob Bills, Wichita, Kan.
17. (12) 96 Jon Herring Sr, Woodward, Okla.
DNS – (19) 5* Jason McGehee, Wichita, Kan.
DNS – (15) 1T Ryan Taylor, Muldrow, Okla.

A Feature:
1. (2) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan.
2. (5) 9 Cole Traugott, Woodward, Okla.
3. (14) G3 Brendon Gemmill, Wichita, Kan.
4. (7) 3 Lewis Jackson, Wellsville, Kan.
5. (9) 99T TJ Tolan, Valley Center, Kan.
6. (6) 93 Brandon Massey, Valley Center, Kan.
7. (17) 44 Braden Stoner, Wichita, Kan.
8. (16) 9D8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.
9. (11) 74 Rodney Schweizer, Kansas City, Kan.
10. (19) 7 Treyton Gann, Ponca City, Okla.
11. (13) 86 Brian Franz, Halstead, Kan.
12. (23) 69 Cecil Dymond, Goddard, Kan.
13. (8) 71 Patrick McManus, Derby, Kan.
14. (24) 91 Ross Shipman, Belle Plaine, Kan.
15. (20) 429 Shelby Stucky, Hutchinson, Kan.
16. (4) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan.
17. (10) 3J Jake Nightingale, Hutchinson, Kan.
18. (18) 747 Colton Eck, Goddard, Kan.
19. (1) 96JR Jon Herring Jr., Woodward, Okla.
20. (12) 22N Kevin Newell, Wichita, Kan.
21. (22) 15 Jason Park, Kansas City, Kan.
22. (15) M5 Harley Peery, Goddard, Kan.
23. (3) 87 Kenny Sweet, Wichita, Kan.
24. (21) 2W Richard Wilson, Wichita, Kan.