Willis bags $5k in Brandon Mitchell Memorial
HARRISBURG, Ark. (Sept.12, 2026)—Talan Willis made his first trip to Old No. 1 Speedway one he won't soon forget Saturday night, holding off hometown-track veteran Lucas Lee through lapped traffic to capture the Brandon Mitchell Memorial “Heavy Duty 35” with the USRA American Racer Modified Series presented by Day Motor Sports.
For the Elizabeth, Louisiana, rookie, the 35-lap victory marked the biggest Modified win of his career to date and came at a track Willis had never seen before arriving for the weekend.
Willis started from the pole and quickly established himself at the front of the field, but Lee was never far away.
While Willis was learning Old No. 1 on the fly, Lee brought plenty of experience around the Harrisburg oval and spent much of the feature stalking the leader through traffic. As the race wore on and the leaders began working deeper into lapped traffic, Lee steadily chipped away at Willis' advantage.
With fewer than five laps remaining, Lee had closed to within just a few car lengths and appeared poised to take his best shot at the leader.
Then Willis noticed something.
Several cars directly ahead of him that he was attempting to put a lap down began pulling away from him on corner exit while using a lower groove. Unsure exactly where Lee was behind him, Willis took the hint and moved his No. 10M to the bottom.
It happened to be the same line Lee had been using to close the gap.
The adjustment effectively stopped Lee's charge. Once Willis committed to the lower groove, he began stretching the advantage back out and drove away over the final laps to secure the Brandon Mitchell Memorial victory.
“I wasn't real sure where to be for a lot of the race there, and I kept thinking I could hear someone around me,” Willis said in victory lane. “I just kept trying different lines and I felt fast everywhere I tried. So it was really tough to know where to be, and then I saw those lapped cars pull away from me there at the end, so I went to the bottom to protect just in case and it all worked out.
“The racetrack was phenomenal tonight. You could race anywhere on it, which as a driver is all you can ask for.”
Lee's late pursuit earned him the runner-up finish, while Friday night's Brandon Mitchell Memorial opener winner Reece Solander completed an impressive weekend with a third-place finish. Stormy Scott advanced from ninth to fourth and Tyler Stevens rounded out the top five.
Drake Findley finished sixth, followed by Jeff Taylor, Rusty Trevathan Jr., Keith Hammett and Ryan Gillmore in the top 10.
Saturday's program began with Gillmore earning the Deatherage Opticians Overall Quick Time Award, turning a 15.459-second lap during the first qualifying session. Jason Hughes paced the second qualifying group with a 15.751.
Four different drivers collected heat race victories. Findley captured the Rick Bebee Heating & Air Conditioning Heat Race No. 1, Friday winner Solander won the Smith Equipment Company Heat Race No. 2, Lee claimed the Kevko Racing Heat Race No. 3, and eventual feature winner Willis took the Swift Springs Heat Race No. 4.
Hunter Alls raced to victory in the 12-lap Day Motor Sports B Feature, while Willis capped the night with the victory in the 35-lap Pannell Chipping A Feature.
The win also strengthened Willis' position atop the USRA American Racer Modified Series standings. The rookie leaves the Brandon Mitchell Memorial weekend with 596 points through seven events, extending his advantage to 59 points over second-place Stormy Scott.
Drake Findley sits third, 103 points behind Willis, with Rusty Trevathan Jr. fourth at 451 and Jason Hughes fifth at 448. With Willis, Scott, Findley, Trevathan and Hughes each having competed in all seven ARMS events, the championship picture continues to take shape as the series heads into the closing portion of the 2026 season.
For Willis, however, Saturday night provided a milestone all its own — a first visit to Old No. 1 Speedway, the biggest Modified victory of his career and a Brandon Mitchell Memorial championship earned by successfully solving both a multi-groove racetrack and the late-race pressure of one of its most experienced competitors.
UPDATED USRA AMERICAN RACER MODIFIED SERIES POINTS
After 7 events – September 12, 2026
Talan Willis (R), Elizabeth, LA — 596
Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, NM — 537 (-59)
Drake Findley, Bryant, AR — 493 (-103)
Rusty Trevathan Jr., Nevada, TX — 451 (-145)
Jason Hughes, Salina, OK — 448 (-148)
Kale Westover, Altus, OK — 413 (-183)
Bo Day, Greenville, TX — 403 (-193)
Sam Osman, Spiro, OK — 340 (-256)
Cody Duke, Montgomery, TX — 306 (-290)
Reece Solander, Emporia, KS — 296 (-300)
MEDIA RESULTS
USRA American Racer Modified Series — 37 Entries
A Feature 1 – 35 Laps – Pannell Chipping: 1. Talan Willis; 2. Lucas Lee; 3. Reece Solander; 4. Stormy Scott; 5. Tyler Stevens; 6. Drake Findley; 7. Jeff Taylor; 8. Rusty Trevathan Jr.; 9. Keith Hammett; 10. Ryan Gillmore; 11. Hunter Breland; 12. Devon Andrews; 13. Landon Meilke; 14. Carson Wyatt; 15. Chad Williams; 16. Dennis Kimbrough; 17. Justin Jarrett; 18. Travis Agee; 19. Hunter Alls; 20. Grayson Moore; 21. Jason Hughes; 22. Charles Caldwell; 23. Geoff Lary; 24. Robert Billington.
B Feature 1 – 12 Laps – Day Motor Sports: 1. Hunter Alls; 2. Carson Wyatt; 3. Dennis Kimbrough; 4. Robert Billington; 5. Cody Calhoun; 6. Douglas Moore; 7. Levi Pillow; 8. Colby Richardson; 9. Travis Mosley; 10. Shelbie Leonard; 11. Johnny Brown; 12. Cayden Mitchell; 13. Dakota Skudlark; 14. Troy Dow; 15. Pappie Leonard; 16. Tyler Vaughn; 17. Brian Alls.
Heat 1 – 8 Laps – Rick Bebee Heating & Air Conditioning: 1. Drake Findley; 2. Ryan Gillmore; 3. Stormy Scott; 4. Rusty Trevathan Jr.; 5. Chad Williams; 6. Dennis Kimbrough; 7. Cayden Mitchell; 8. Colby Richardson; 9. Carson Wyatt; 10. Brian Alls.
Heat 2 – 8 Laps – Smith Equipment Company: 1. Reece Solander; 2. Tyler Stevens; 3. Jeff Taylor; 4. Grayson Moore; 5. Travis Agee; 6. Douglas Moore; 7. Dakota Skudlark; 8. Travis Mosley; 9. Pappie Leonard.
Heat 3 – 8 Laps – Kevko Racing: 1. Lucas Lee; 2. Jason Hughes; 3. Devon Andrews; 4. Hunter Breland; 5. Justin Jarrett; 6. Hunter Alls; 7. Levi Pillow; 8. Cody Calhoun; 9. Troy Dow.
Heat 4 – 8 Laps – Swift Springs: 1. Talan Willis; 2. Keith Hammett; 3. Landon Meilke; 4. Geoff Lary; 5. Charles Caldwell; 6. Robert Billington; 7. Shelbie Leonard; 8. Johnny Brown; 9. Tyler Vaughn.
Qualifying 1 – Deatherage Opticians: 1. Ryan Gillmore, 15.459; 2. Reece Solander, 15.530; 3. Drake Findley, 15.531; 4. Tyler Stevens, 15.542; 5. Stormy Scott, 15.625; 6. Jeff Taylor, 15.961; 7. Chad Williams, 15.963; 8. Travis Mosley, 16.192; 9. Rusty Trevathan Jr., 16.219; 10. Grayson Moore, 16.278; 11. Dennis Kimbrough, 16.557; 12. Travis Agee, 16.568; 13. Cayden Mitchell, 16.788; 14. Douglas Moore, 16.914; 15. Colby Richardson, 16.987; 16. Dakota Skudlark, 17.483; 17. Brian Alls; 18. Pappie Leonard; 19. Carson Wyatt.
Qualifying 2 – Deatherage Opticians: 1. Jason Hughes, 15.751; 2. Keith Hammett, 15.769; 3. Lucas Lee, 15.826; 4. Talan Willis, 15.887; 5. Hunter Breland, 15.991; 6. Landon Meilke, 16.128; 7. Devon Andrews, 16.292; 8. Geoff Lary, 16.296; 9. Levi Pillow, 16.358; 10. Charles Caldwell, 16.424; 11. Justin Jarrett, 16.547; 12. Tyler Vaughn, 16.612; 13. Hunter Alls, 16.697; 14. Robert Billington, 17.340; 15. Cody Calhoun, 18.181; 16. Shelbie Leonard, 18.535; 17. Troy Dow, 20.661; 18. Johnny Brown, DQ.
For updated schedules, championship standings, event details, and breaking series news, visit AmericanRacerModifiedSeries.com. Fans unable to attend in person can catch every remaining race of the 2026 season live and on demand exclusively on RacinDirt.tv
The USRA American Racer Modified Series presented by Day Motorsports would like to recognize and thank our 2026 season long partners. Please thank them, with your patronage for their support.
Gold Partners - Central Spray Foam & Cement Lifting, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Dirt Track Specialist, Dylan Scott Entertainment, Hochatown Saloon, Kevko Racing, Midwest Sheet Metal, Mel Hambelton Ford Racing, Pannell Chipping, RacinDirt.com, Real Racing Wheels, Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning, Smith Equipment Company, Swift Springs, VP Racing Fuels Heartland, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products
Silver Partners – American Racer Tires, Buck Monson Photos, Bulletproof Tees and Racewear, Duvall Electric, Integra Shocks, JRT Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Automation, Photos By Boyd, Scotty Dogg's Hideout
Bronze Partners – Bryke Racing, Fast Shafts, Freight Logistics Inc., KS Engineering, Maxima Racing Oil, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, PEM Racing, Premier Lubricants, Schoenfeld Headers, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Transmissions Unlimited, Wagdog Spices, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Yeoman Race Engines
2026 Point Funds (ARMS, HMT, NLMS)
1. $7,500
2. $4,500
3. $3,500
4. $3,000
5. $2,500
6. $2,400
7. $2,300
8. $2,200
9. $2,100
10. $2,000
*80 Percent attendance required to remain point fund eligible