LETSON WINS
SNOW BALL MOD 75
BT MATT KENTFIELD
12-04-05
Pensacola, FL

Jeff Letson in his famed 131 racer took the lead from arch rival Billy Melvin on lap 46 and checked out on the field to take his third Snow Ball Mod 75 win. The win looked easy for Letson, but inside the cockpit the driver was sweating it out.
“When we had that caution come out with a few laps to go, I told the guys on the radio that we lost one a few years back with a flat tire late in the race, so I knew It was not ours until the end!” said Letson. “We changed a lot of things over the past few weeks and we were able to pull it off in the end.”
Melvin held the lead early in the race and looked to be on his way to an easy victory. Many mid-race cautions kept Letson and the rest of the field close to his bumper, but about halfway through the event it was Letson who made the charge underneath Melvin low in the first turn to take the lead that he would not relinquish. The two ran bumper to bumper for the rest of the race, but Letson would not be denied.
“I’ve raced with Billy for 15 years and he’s a tough driver. He was getting a little loose up there and I was able to get under him and that’s what I needed to do to get the lead and it all worked out!”
USA Mod racers Steve Christman and Chad Poorman made the trip to Pensacola Florida, driving the Gearhart Timber red 44 &45 cars. Both qualified in the top five, however in the race Chrisman retired with engine trouble, while Poorman ran fifth from the tail after being a few pounds light after Qualifying.

LEEDY WINS!
$15,000

MR. GASKET SUPER NATIONALS
09.17.05
Mansfield, OH

Matt Leedy from Bellville, OH. captured the biggest asphalt Modified race ever, the Mr. Gasket Asphalt Super Nationals, held at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, Mansfield, Ohio. Leedy took home $15,000 of the record $75,000 purse that saw over 80 Modifieds, from as far away as Texas, battle for their share of the prize money.
Matt driving the NCI, Jamison, KC Steak & Ribs, Pirate Print, Shade Engines, ‘05 Ellis Race Cars modified, started the week with fast time a 16:606, Friday during qualifying, to lock him into the show. The rest of the field would be set by qualifying heats, with the top two to transfer. Winners included Dick Dunlevy, Mike Osgar, Dave Stacy, Jeff Lane, Doug Neel, Shawn Stroble, Ross Klingenhofer, Mike Carroll, Don Skaggs, and Mike Stacy. Consi winners included Jeff Smith, Jimmy Lockwood, Brad Springer, and Tony Dager. With the field set, all that was left was the invert. Matt Leedy would get to draw his own fate from the pill bag….. a 10 invert.
Steve Christman from Fort Wayne IN. inherited the pole on the ten pill invert with New Castle, Indiana’s Rodney Scott outside. Struble in the “Green Machine” would push off third, T.J. Stienman fourth, Chad Poorman fifth, Enon, Ohio’s Dave Stacey sixth. One of the local favorites, Mike Ozgar seventh, Kilkare Speedway’s Dick Dunlevy Jr. would start eighth, “Baldy Baker” ninth, and Matt Leedy in the tenth spot.
After an impressive line up of all thirty six starting cars, autograph session, and driver introductions on the front stretch, modified drivers buckled in for what would be the riches race in modified history, the “Mr. Gasket Modified Super Nationals”. In another showmanship move the drivers would parade four wide on the pace lap in a salute to the great crowd on hand to see history in the making.
Steve Christman and Rodney Scott brought the thirty six car field to the green and Scott raced Christman hard for two laps to take the lead, with Christman falling into second. The massive field of un-limited horse power Modifieds roared around the track side by side jockeying for position. Trouble just inches away, side by side, nose to tail…..! Then it happen, on lap fifteen of the scheduled one hundred, a slip by an un-known, mid pack driver down the front stretch, left a cloud of smoke and mods dodging each other. In the end leader Rodney Scott and company were able to slow and avoid the wreck. Those who couldn’t were left with disappointment and wrecked race cars. Mike Stacy, Jason Dietsch, Jeff Lane, and local racers Buddy Camp, and Jeff Amsdell, were involved, all with some kind of damage. Some would continue ….. Others would not.
As the race resumed it would be Rodney Scott and Steve Christman with a comfortable lead, followed by Struble in the “Green Machine”, Poorman and Stacy. Struble would start to fade as Poorman and Stacy got around. Most racers had settled in content to race, stay out of trouble and burn some laps up. Eventual winner, Matt Leedy was behind TJ Stienman, Mike Ozgar, Legends “Baldy Baker” and Dick Dunlevy Jr. just riding for now. As lap traffic was now starting to make things real interesting. Struble, still fading, would make contact with Mike Ozgar, sending Ozgar hard into the turn one wall, ending his hopes at a victory.
Shortly after this crash, as racing started again, Poorman would get around Christman. Two laps later Christman would hit pit road with a flat tire. Poorman pressured Scott for a few laps, and then just settled in, as they again pulled away from the field four to five car lengths. The final caution flew on lap 76 as Dave Stacy, running third at the time, dropped off the pace drastically and came to stop on the front stretch.
Following a quick track inspection, by the great track crew at Mansfield Speedway, racing would resume. Rodney Scott still held the point with Chad Poorman hot on his tail. Fast time, Matt Leedy, had managed to race around Baldy Baker and Dick Dunlevy, but the margin Poorman and Scott had, looked to be un-attainable. Leedy would drive his heart out to reach Poorman with ten to go. Poorman would not go down easy, but finally Leedy got by and started on Scott. With a few laps to go, the battle for the front was taking shape. Leedy would try several times to get by, … high,…. low, ….finally he drove to the outside and made it stick, Scott raced him clean and Matt Leedy went on to win $15,000 and the First Annual “Mr. Gasket Modified Super Nationals” Chad Poorman was able to get by Scott to finish second, Scott was third, T J Stienman was fourth and Baldy Baker was fifth.
“I had a good very good car all weekend and I was just being patient,” stated Leedy. “As soon as I saw twenty laps to go I started putting the heat to the tires. It was a little nerve racking going high…but it definitely panned out”
The next USA Modified Series race will be September 24-25 at Calhoun County Speedway. For more info go to www.racersrumble.com or www.usamodifieds.com

Photos by Bob Milner

HARRISON WINS TITAN INSURANCE
USA MODIFIED 50
07-02-05
Anderson, IN

Mark Harrison driving his own Ed Martin Auto Group, Pace Trailer, J&K Auto Color, Renegade modified, held off Brad Springer to capture the Titan Insurance 50 held at Anderson Speedway July 2nd.
The night started off with Jeff Weston of Noblesville, Indiana, setting fast time with a 12:779 followed by Harrison with a 12:828. In the dash it was Weston taking the early lead until engine woes ended his run for the night. Mark Harrison of Indianapolis went on to win the dash. Heat race action saw a major crash in turn 3 leaving Gary Bedell, Damon Breedlove, Danny Williams, and Michigan drivers Brent Hook, Dan Logan out of competition, with Williams the only one not able to make the Titan Insurance feature event. Kalamazoo winner Bud Gray III went on to the win in heat one. Mike Thurman would masterfully out do the mod racers in his heat to take the victory in heat two.
At the start of the Titan Insurance 50, Mark Harrison took the lead from his pole position and would never look back. But there was no lack of racing action behind as Brad Springer kept the pressure on through out the entire event. As the race progressed the yellow first flew on lap 35 when Dave Cumbee slammed the turn two wall after cutting down a right front tire. This would bunch the field and layout what seemed to be an exciting end. The race resumed on lap 36 and with14laps to go, Harrison, Brad Springer, Lincoln Rookies Chris Neuschwander, Scotty Tomasik, point leader Harold Scott, and Gary Bedell were ready to make their moves. At the drop of the green young Scotty Tomasik started working on Neuschwander on the bottom, when coming off of turn two they made contact. Neuschwander turned broad side to the rest of the field, with everyone checking up Harold Scott was knocked into the outside wall…an instant later Brian Lombough tried to squeeze between Scott and the wall, but would not fit until he was rammed from the rear by Jack Black and Dan Logan. Lombough catapulted over Scott landing on his nose and violently slamming back to the ground roof up. The race was red flagged for the incident, which found Lombough only dazed, bruised and with a destroyed racer.
On the final restart Gary Bedell was able to get buy a crippled Neuschwander, for third, Brad Springer was second, and Mark Harrison marched home the winner of the Titan Insurance USA 50. In other notes from the evening Cory Setser had a great run to finish fifth. The USA Modified Series next race is July 16th at Angola Speedway. For more info contact www.angolaspeedway.com or www.usamodifieds.com.

“BIG DADDY” SCORES BIG AT IRP
05-28-05
Indianapolis, IN

Harold “BIG DADDY” Scott scored a big win Saturday night at Indianapolis Raceway Park in front of a huge “Night Before The 500” crowd. “Big Daddy” held off his son “Rocket Rodney Scott”, the Stacey brothers, ”Dangerous Dave” and “Marvelous Mike” along with the “X-man” Steve Christman to capture his first win on the ’05 USA Modified Series schedule.
The afternoon started out with the Zoo’s (Kalamazoo, Mi.) Brent “Captain” Hook setting fast time over 40 other drivers with a 23.515. Steve “X-Man” Christman won the dash and Doug Myers from Canton, OH, won the heat.
Ft. Wayne Indiana’s Bud Adams won the B-main to earn his starting spot over Brad Springer and Dan Parker. In all 30 cars took the green in the “Night Before The 500” spectacular.
After the draw for starting positions it looks like a good night for the Stacey brothers as they were on the front row followed by Bud Gray, Harold Scott, Steve Christman, Doug Myer, Rodney Scott, and Brent Hook.
At the drop of the green “Marvelous Mike” out dulled his brother “Dangerous Dave” to lead the first of several laps with the rest of the field in hot pursuit. On lap 15 of 50 “Big Daddy Harold Scott” got motivated….were not sure why….but started to run down the Stacey brothers. On lap 20 Harold diced with Dave until finally getting by and 2 laps later done the same thing with Brother Mike to take the lead. 10 laps later Rodney would start the same march to the front first putting Steve Christman back one and continuing on to the Stacey brothers. By lap 40 it was the Scott’s in front with the Stacey’s in close chase followed by Christman and Gary Bedell.
It would be lap 46 before the first and only yellow would fly from Flagman “Chicken Little” for a blown engine in the Dave Parker #85. An oiled down turn 3 devoured Scott Coe, Greg Stapleton, Brad Springer, and Jim Begley, along with Parker.
This set up a four lap dash to the end with “Marvelous Mike Stacey” making countless low slide charges at the Scott’s while brother Dave tried the high side. In the end “Big Daddy Harold” would not be denied for the win followed by son, Rodney, Dave Stacey, Steve Christman, and Mike Stacey.
The USA Modified Series continues its championship run at Anderson Speedway, Anderson, Indiana Saturday June 4th. For more info contact www.usamodifieds.com or www.andersonspeedway.com.