Bad luck hit Brandon Davis at last year's Featherlite Fall Jamboree.
He made his own good luck last week at one the biggest event in the country for Wissota-sanctioned race car drivers, and he'll come into this year's Fall Jamboree on a high note.
Davis raced his way onto the pole for the Midwest Modifieds A Main at the Wissota 100 last weekend at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.D. He lost the lead to Matt Leer of Bruce, Wis., early in the race and nearly tracked Leer down on more than one occasion, but Leer held him off, giving Davis a runner-up finish at one of the biggest Midwest Modified races in the country.
Davis earned the Wissota 100 pole by winning his 10-car heat race, then topping Leer in a qualifying feature. There were 76 cars in the Midwest Modified field, with only 30 drivers racing their way into the Wissota 100.
Davis looks to carry that momentum into this weekend's Fall jamboree, where 50-60 of the top Midwest Modified drivers from the region will compete in three full shows, Thursday-Saturday at Deer Creek Speedway. The Midwest Modifieds will accompany the main show, the USMTS Modifieds, who are completihg The Hunt for the National Championship.
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Davis was on his way to winning the $1,000-to-win A Main at last year's Jamboree when his car broke down on the backstretch seven laps into the 20-lap feature.
Jerry Young of Blooming Prairie won last year's Midwest Modifieds Jamboree championship, the second of his career. Young also won in 2002.
Gustin not giving in
Ryan Gustin is 75 points behind Jason Hughes in the battle to win the USMTS national championship. But with three races left, the 19-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, shows no signs that he's conceding the title to Hughes.
While Gustin has not been in the top 10 as consistently as Hughes during The Hunt (Gustin has nine top-10 finishes in 15 races; Hughes has 14), he is tied with Jon Tesch for the series lead with three feature victories in 15 Hunt races.
Gustin will come to Deer Creek with the momentum, though, as he won Monday's Hunt race at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. Gustin traded the lead multiple times with Colt Mather of Webster, Iowa, over the first 11 laps, but then he pulled away from the field over the final nine laps to win the $3,000 top prize.
Though Hughes finished second, Gustin still trimmed 10 points off his deficit in The Hunt standings. He now trails Hughes by 75 points coming into this weekend's Featherlite Fall Jamboree at Deer Creek. The national champion will be crowned Saturday night.
Gustin will have to outscore Hughes by 25 points per night at the Jamboree to claim his first national championship.
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Notes …
Deer Creek officials said ticket sales, as of Tuesday afternoon, are on par, if not slightly ahead, of last year's pace. Reserved seating is still available. … As of Tuesday, 96 drivers had pre-registered for the USMTS portion of the Jamboree. Race officials said that is the largest number of pre-registered drivers the Jamboree has had at Deer Creek. … A practice session is scheduled for tonight, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Admission to the grandstand is free; pit passes are $20. … Tuesday's scheduled Hunt race at Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa, was canceled due to rain. … Drivers from 14 states have pre-registered: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
