Tanner Mullens earned the title of King of America following the fifteenth annual running of the King of America USMTS race at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland Missouri on Saturday night, March 28th. Also winning titles were Cody King in the USRA B Mods and Jeffrey Abbey in the USRA Stock Cars.
A twenty nine car field of Modifieds took the green flag for the sixty lap feature race that would crown the King of America champion with Tyler Stevens taking the early lead. Stevens led early over Reece Solander and Tyler Davis with Mullens, who started ninth, moving forward and taking over the second spot by the halfway point of the race.
Mullens moved in quickly at this point on the leader and five laps later grabbed the top spot from Stevens and would not be challenged after that.
Two late yellows would bunch the field but each time Mullens would pull away from the pack and his lead was not to be challenged. He crossed the line with a comfortable margin over runner up Solander to earn fifteen thousand dollars for his win. Gabe Hodges, Rodney Sanders and Brandon Davis completed the top five in the running order. Only two drivers failed to complete the contest and all were on the lead lap at the finish.
In a two car battle from start to finish, King would out maneuver Jon Sheets to claim the three thousand dollar top prize in the B Mod thirty lap feature race. King started on the pole but it was Sheets who used the outside line in the three wide starting formation to take the initial lead. Sheets and King pulled away from the field but just at the halfway point of the race, ,King would drive past Sheets and take over the lead.
They continued their battle right down to the end of the race but King was fast on the cushion, made no mistakes and drove home for the win while Sheets settled for second. Mike Striegel made a strong run as he came from eleventh, moving up strongly in the second half of the race to come home third. Chad Clancy and Waylon Dimmitt rounded out the top five.
Abbey won a wild Stock Car feature that saw him cross the finish line second but he was elevated to the win after apparent winner Shayne Bailey failed post race technical inspection.
Johnny Fennewald was actually scored the race leader of every lap but the final one in the wild race that would not be decided until the final corner, or so we all thought. Fennewald had Bailey and Abbey battling right behind him for most of the race but earlier had to fight off a strong challenge from William Garner who was ready to pass him until a yellow ended his effort with him fading back after that.
Fennewald continued to lead as Bailey and Abbey continued their war that got physical from time to time. Finally, Bailey moved Abbey out of the way to take second and then came after Fennewald. Twice in the final five laps Bailey tried the high side of Fennewald for the lead but got squeezed off.
Then, on the final tour of the track on lap thirty, Bailey found on opening on the inside down the back chute and the two leaders went side by side into turn three with no one backing off. Bailey ran Fennewald all the way up to the wall and Johnny lost his position while Bailey then steered back down the track and drove on for the win, edging out Abbey for the three thousand dollar top prize.
At least that's what we thought. Later, the official finish told a different tale as apparent winner Bailey was disqualified in post race inspection, the specifics of which I do not know.
Abbey was then elevated to race winner with Jaylen Wettengel, Fennewald, Mason Martin and Tyler Cadwallader the official top five.
(This abbreviated version of this race report was redone after the original version was lost in the "The Cloud" just as it was being completed and I am too disheartened to try and recreate it.) My apologies.
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