Twenty-Two Grand on the Line This Weekend!
Photo by Track owner and current USRA Modified competitor Royal Jones won the Rancho Milagro USRA Fall Nationals in 2002.
The 22nd annual Rancho Milagro USRA Fall Nationals is set on go this weekend, October 21st, 22nd and 23rd, at the state-of-the-art Vado Speedway Park in Vado, NM with the largest winner’s paycheck of the season on the line come Sunday evening. One lucky USRA Modified racer will pocket an event-record $22,000 for his or her efforts during the late season event.
The event, title sponsored by Taos, NM Rancho Milagro, has seen thirteen different winners during the 21 previous running’s of the event, with Tucson, Arizona’s Jake O’Neil topping the field one year ago.
Princeton, Minnesota’s Ron Jones won the inaugural event back in 2000 and backed it up with his second victory in 2001 and raced to his third in 2004. Royal Jones won the event in 2002, with Monte Bolton taking the checkered flag in 2003. Eddie Martin ripped off three straight victories from 2005, 2006 and 2007 before Jason Hughes won the event in 2008. Johnny Scott won his first Fall Nationals title in 2009 before Rodney Sanders won his first in 2010. Jason Cummins picked up the win in 2011 before Terry Phillips won back-to-back Fall Nationals in 2012 and 2013. Stormy Scott then went back-to-back in 2014 and 2015 before Ryan Gustin won the title in 2016. Sanders raced to his second victory in 2017 before Johnny Scott got his second in 2018. Cade Dillard won the event in 2019 before the event was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19 and Jake O’Neil bested the field last year.
The three-day event always showcases some of the best racing anywhere in the country and should provide some excellent racing action yet again this year. The Vado Speedway Park has held 24 Modified events so far during the 2022 season with nine different drivers emerging victorious thus far throughout the season.
Who to watch:
Defending champion Jake O’Neil will unload the same car that propelled him to the $21,000 payday one year ago and try to defend his title with an event-record $22,000 on the line during the event’s 22nd annual showcase. O’Neil has had a great 2022 season, winning a series-leading 8 USMTS features this year and will be a threat to become the event’s first back-to-back winner since Stormy Scott in 2014 and 2015.
Rodney Sanders, who is the 2010 and 2017 Fall Nationals champ, has 14 wins to his credit this season, including 6 of the 8 starts that he has made at Vado this season. Sanders, who won the final four nights of the Wild West Shootout in January and both nights of the Winter Meltdown in March at the New Mexico oval is primed to better his fifth-place finish from last year’s Fall Nationals.
2019 Fall Nationals Cade Dillard has only entered a total of eight Modified events during the 2022 season, but has won his last three starts. He has not entered the Fall Nationals since his victory in 2019.
2012 and 2013 Fall Nationals Champion Terry Phillips has visited victory lane 4 times this season, including three in his #75 Modified. He is looking for his third Fall Nationals title this weekend.
Johnny Scott, who won his only Modified start at Vado earlier this month, is a 2 time Fall Nationals Champ, winning the event in 2009 and 2018. He is primed to chase his third title this weekend.
Current Vado Speedway Park track point leader Fito Gallardo has won 6 Modified features at Vado this season and is geared up to keep the $22k in town.
Jake Gallardo, who sits second in the current track point standings, has also visited Vado victory lane 6 times this season and would love nothing more than to battle his dad for their biggest career payday.
Defending USMTS National Champion Dereck Ramirez, along with 2021 Fall Nationals Runner Up Tanner Mullens each won a Modified feature during the Wild West Shootout back in January, and Royal Jones, Carlos Ahumada Jr and current Vado Speedway Park track record holder Tim Tharp have each picked up a feature win during the 2022 campaign at Vado as well.
It should be a great weekend all around with the largest paying USRA Modified feature on tap on Sunday night.
USRA B-Mods and USRA Stock Cars will be on the card all three nights as well, with a $2,200 top prize for each division on Sunday night.
After a Thursday night practice, racing action will take place at 7:30pm on Friday night, at 5:30pm on Saturday night and at 3:30pm on Sunday afternoon.
Event information and ticket information can be found at www.VadoSpeedwayPark.com.
For fans not able to be at the track in person, every lap will be livestreamed at www.WatchFYE.tv all weekend long.