Zeitner survives for USRA Heartland Modified Tour victory
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 18, 2026)—Justin Zeitner weathered a late challenge from Tanner Mullens and capitalized on Henry Chambers’s misfortune Thursday night to capture the main event for the USRA Heartland Modified Tour presented by Real Racing Wheels at the Lakeside Speedway.
Chambers appeared poised to secure his first career HMT victory after controlling the opening 15 laps from the outside of the front row. His bid ended abruptly when a flat tire forced him from contention, handing the lead to Zeitner with 10 laps remaining.
A restart one lap later gave Mullens an opportunity to challenge for the top spot. The Wichita, Kansas, driver applied pressure, but Zeitner was up to the task. The Malvern, Iowa, racer maintained control through the final nine laps to secure the 25-lap Pannell Chipping A-Feature victory.
Mullens finished second after starting seventh, keeping the championship battle tight with three events remaining. Nic Bidinger advanced from eighth to complete the podium.
Shadren Turner delivered one of the night’s strongest recovery efforts. After suffering a cut tire during his heat race, Turner started 22nd in the feature and charged through the field to finish fourth.
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Championship leader Tyler Davis also overcame adversity to secure a fifth-place finish. Davis was forced to change engines between his heat race and the feature, with his crew completing the swap just in time for him to make the starting lineup.
Chevy Coleman’s night began with a faulty MSD box during qualifying. The issue caused Coleman to miss his heat race and relegated him to the 24th starting position in the feature, but he rallied to finish sixth.
Mark Dotson finished seventh, followed by Troy Gudmonson, Lucas Gibbs and Chad Lyle.
Paden Phillips was another early contender whose promising night ended prematurely. Phillips started fifth and was running inside the top five before mechanical trouble forced him out of the race.
Turner opened the program by earning the Deatherage Opticians Overall Quick Time Award with a lap of 18.230 seconds. Dotson won the Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning Heat Race 1, Zeitner claimed the Smith Equipment Company Heat Race 2, and Chambers captured the Kevko Racing Heat Race 3.
Davis maintains the championship lead after 15 events, but Mullens has closed the deficit to just 32 points. Trevor Hughes sits third, 51 points behind Davis, while Coleman and Wyatt Gaggero complete the top five.
For updated schedules, championship standings, event details and breaking series news, visit HeartlandModifiedTour.com. Fans unable to attend can watch both nights live and on demand exclusively on RacinDirt.tv.
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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USRA Heartland Modified Tour presented by Real Racing Wheels
Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Friday, Sept. 18, 2026
USRA MODIFIEDS
DEATHERAGE OPTICIANS QUALIFYING (25 entries): 1. Shadren Turner, 2. Justin Zeitner, 3. Henry Chambers, 4. Tanner Mullens, 5. Wyatt Gaggero, 6. Trevor Hughes, 7. Mark Dotson, 8. Lance Town, 9. Cole Campbell, 10. Tyler Hibner, 11. Paden Phillips, 12. Dean Wille, 13. Troy Gudmonson, 14. Lucas Gibbs, 15. Chad Lyle, 16. Rick Beebe, 17. Nic Bidinger, 18. Mark Schafman, 19. Jason Pursley, 20. Brad Johnson, 21. Jake Richards, 22. Tyler Davis, 23. Michael Taylor III, 24. Tom Davis, 25. Chevy Coleman.
RICK BEEBE HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING HEAT 1 (8 laps): 1. Mark Dotson, 2. Tyler Davis, 3. Tanner Mullens, 4. Rick Beebe, 5. Troy Gudmonson, 6. Tyler Hibner, 7. Jason Pursley, 8. Shadren Turner, 9. Tom Davis.
SMITH EQUIPMENT COMPANY HEAT 2 (8 laps): 1. Justin Zeitner, 2. Paden Phillips, 3. Nic Bidinger, 4. Wyatt Gaggero, 5. Lance Town, 6. Lucas Gibbs, 7. Brad Johnson, 8. Michael Taylor III.
KEVKO RACING HEAT 3 (8 laps): 1. Henry Chambers, 2. Cole Campbell, 3. Trevor Hughes, 4. Mark Schafman, 5. Dean Wille, 6. Jake Richards, 7. Chad Lyle, 8. Chevy Coleman.
PANNELL CHIPPING FEATURE (25 laps): 1. Justin Zeitner, 2. Tanner Mullens, 3. Nic Bidinger, 4. Shadren Turner, 5. Tyler Davis, 6. Chevy Coleman, 7. Mark Dotson, 8. Troy Gudmonson, 9. Lucas Gibbs, 10. Chad Lyle, 11. Trevor Hughes, 12. Dean Wille, 13. Jason Pursley, 14. Rick Beebe, 15. Henry Chambers, 16. Paden Phillips, 17. Brad Johnson, 18. Michael Taylor III, 19. Lance Town, 20. Mark Schafman, 21. Tyler Hibner, 22. Cole Campbell, 23. Wyatt Gaggero, 24. Jake Richards, 25. Tom Davis.
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Points Standings (top 10): Tyler Davis 1255, Tanner Mullens 1223, Trevor Hughes 1204, Chevy Coleman 1127, Wyatt Gaggero 1095, Shadren Turner 1066, Henry Chambers 1026, Dean Wille 981, Cole Campbell (R) 860, Rick Beebe 845.
The USRA Heartland Modified Tour presented by Real Racing Wheels is in year three in 2026, and we would like to recognize and thank our 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, Fast Shafts, Integra Racing Shocks, JRT Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Automation, Photos By Boyd, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Scotty Dogg's Hideout
Bronze Partners – Bryke Racing, Freight Logistics Inc., KS Engineering, Maxima Racing Oil, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, PEM Racing, Premier Lubricants, Schoenfeld Headers, Transmissions Unlimited, Wagdog Spices, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Yeoman Race Engines
2026 Points Funds (ARMS, HMT, NLMS) 1. $7500, 2. $4500, 3. $3500, 4. $3000, 5. $2500, 6. $2400, 7. $2300, 8. $2200, 9. $2100, 10. $2000; 80% attendance required to remain point fund eligible)