Strickler Tickles the Nickels at Britt

New wrap on the car, new powerplant under the hood, same old Kyle Strickler at Britt.

Night 2 of the USMTS Memorial Day Swing
𝗛𝗼𝗯𝗼 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗸 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀
Hancock County Speedway Britt, Iowa

Weather conditions via NWS Des Moines, Iowa
63 Degrees
Fair conditions with a chance of light showers later in the night
NE winds around 5-10 MPH at the start of hot laps

Car counts via MRP live timing and scoring:
USMTS: 50
USRA Iron Man Stock Cars: 46
USRA B-Mods: 35
USRA Hobby Stocks: 31

𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: $100 winner from Hodges Farming and Dredging:
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐀: Rodney Sanders 17.824 (Quick Time)
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐁: Jim Chisholm 18.237
𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭: 4, This was pre-determined before qualifying began. No reason was given during the broadcast unless I missed it.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐁-𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: B-Main 1: Rodney Sanders. B-Main 2: Zack VanderBeek - Apparently being quick time doesn't give you a free ride into the A-main anymore. Again, no reason given during the broadcast unless I missed it. I'll follow up this weekend.
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬: Joe Chisholm, Kyle Brown, Trevor Hughes, Jason Langford
𝐃𝐍𝐐: 24 cars didn't make the A-main. 26 car starting field.

Next Race:
21st Annual Southern Minnesota Spring Nationals
Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minnesota

**SUMMIT USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt.com Points Standings after 5-23-2025 Post Tech**

*Denotes Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year contenders
** Points are how I read the USMTS rulebook. If and when I get a hold of someone, I'll check on why a couple drivers didn't get the points I thought they should have received

𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩:
1. Kyle Strickler: Took advantage of the "spring break" to regroup. This included a fresh wrap on the car. Thanks to Hunter Marriott Racing, the 8 team switched to Kevin Stoa Engineering engines. Kyle noticed instant difference, compared to his last race in Webster City. He'll really like it when the cars and stars invade Deer Creek.

2. Tanner Mullens: After getting the new Mullens Gen 3.1 (As I like to call it), warmed up on the Heartland Tour, it was time to see how it was run back on the USMTS tour. A heat race win and a runner up finish in the A-main shows he's got something positive to work with heading into a busy two months of racing and big money opportunities.

3. Reese Solander: Another driver who took advantage of the "spring break". His Hodges Brothers Racing team switched over to a Skyrocket by Balanced Speed in the past week. Similar to his podium mates, a heat race win and a 3rd place was a great debut. This was also Reese's second podium finish of the early season. A USMTS post on Facebook asked who was likely to get his/her first win. Many people said his name. Switching to this program may make those people correct.

4. Brandon Davis: A good top 5 night with the USMTS after car problems caused him to load up early from Webster City last month. Next up is Deer Creek. You don't need me to say what the combination of Deer Creek and Brandon Davis often provides for the fans. The PA Posse and the WoO Sprint Cars have their spirited rivalry, the Deer Creek Posse vs USMTS is the same thing with the 50 to the 3rd leading the way.

5. Rodney Sanders: Hard earned 5th place finish. Started off with quick time overall. Invert started him 4th only able to move up a place. Apparently quick time no longer gets you a free ride into the A-main. Rodney won his b-main and passed 8 cars in the A-main. Next up is Deer Creek, if Brandon is the leader for the Deer Creek cars, Rodney's success at Deer Creek makes him a no brainer for leading the USMTS calvary. As of now, Rodney broke the tie with Jim Chisholm and will take over the points lead again by 6 markers by my scoring.

6. Jacob Bleess: After picking up the win recently at the big 1/3 mile Mississippi Thunder Speedway in a weekly show, Jacob rolled into Memorial Day swing with confidence. A steady night with his Longhorn by Sorensen chassis resulted in a top 10 run. As with Brandon, Jacob and Deer Creek usually provide a good night for the 21 team.

7. Jim Chisholm: A good qualifying night and heat win put Jim in good position leading into the redraw. However, after drawing a 7, he was unable to advance from his starting spot. It wasn't without some valid attempts to get into the top 5 before finishing 7th. Team looks to rebound at Deer Creek to retake the points lead from Rodney.

8. Ryan Wetzstein: A newcomer to the Top 10 recap. Son of Steve Wetzstein who's ran with USMTS in the past along with the Southern Minnesota, Wisconsin weekly tracks. Ryan picked up the hard charger award (provisional starters aren't eligible) after struggling at the beginning of the year. Like many drivers in this top 10 recap, Ryan is another driver who isn't afraid to run the high side at the Creek and give the fans something to watch.

9. Terry Phillips: Ran locally with his mod and dusted off his late model during the break. Returned on tour with a good heat win. Stayed around the top 10 most of the night. Terry's past results and wins at Deer Creek have the 75 team looking forward to a return visit.

10. Zack VanderBeek: I mentioned in my last top 10 recap; I was hoping to see the Zman on the Memorial Day swing based on previous years. He didn't make me look too bad rolling into the Hancock County Speedway, showing off a flashy new wrap on the car with colors I haven't seen him run in his USMTS career. That car is an eye-catcher in a positive way. Another veteran of Deer Creek, the team looks to continue moving forward in the development of the VanderBuilt Race Cars

Honorable Mentions: Lance Mari and the 19sb Family
Between Lance and I, we'd likely be the two tallest people in the pits if we were side by side. Lance lost his Dad late last year and this was his first race of the season. I've been a quiet follower of the team's Facebook page for several years. It was good to see him get that first USMTS win at Chateau Speedway a couple season ago. Between the long tows from California, if he's not parked at his "second homes" in Iowa and Oklahoma, it's usually just Lance and his crew guy Blaise doing this on their own. He builds his own chassis as well. His 22nd place finish may have not been what the team wanted. Getting back to a racetrack and his racing family can only help continue in the healing process.

Honorable Mention 1.2: Braxton Flattery
Braxton was the "lead announcer" at Britt. You will hear his voice around many of the USRA tracks in the area. (Webster City, Mason City more often) His progression as an announcer has been noteworthy starting from calling smaller classes to now a USMTS event. He threw him some little nuggets and stats which I always enjoy. As I've said in the past, when an announcer does their homework before the race it produces a good program. Braxton was just that, handling about 95% of the announcing duties and he wasn't lost and didn't struggle on this stage. A tip of the hat to Braxton.

Follow Along:
DirtInfo.com | Dirt Racing Analysis & Opinions: My writings can be found here. As they say, things are "in the works" for some other projects. Right now, I'll recap all the USMTS events, either in person, or thanks to the fine folks at RacinDirt | USMTS, Dirt Modifieds & Live Racing Streams. The nights I'm at the track and in the pits, I'll have a race recap similar to my Mason City USMTS fair race article. A modified version of the Recliner Reactions those nights will still be available.

DirtInfo - YouTube: I have a voice and face for writing, so you won't see me here :). A weekly podcast my discord friends put on with a buffet of racing topics, series, schedules and other topics of interest. I will toss them a USMTS nugget or two when asked. More importantly, they'll always leave you with "One for the Road."