The Left Turn
By: Ron Burt
Dirt UMP Late Model fans, the 2025 Summer Nationals are getting ready to wrap up the series tour. 30 tracks in 33 days but they’ve already had a couple of rainouts, not to be made up. This year to make the tour more interesting, the teams went head-to-head with the World of Outlaw Late Models at I-55 Raceway in Pevely MO., June 20th and 21st. You can see the Summer Nationals in our area Montpelier Indiana July 9th, Butler Michigan Motor Speedway July 10th, Crystal Michigan Motor Speedway July 11th, Oakshade in Wauseon July 12th and the 30 race series wraps up at Wayne County Speedway July 13th in Orrville Ohio.
It’s been a long time since the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship made their way to Ohio’s Fremont Speedway and Millstream Speedway. Saturday, June 28, USAC National Sprint Cars visited Fremont’s 1/3-mile for the first time in 22 years, to a packed house. Fremont Speedway brought in the USAC Thunder Midgets and 305 winged sprints to add to the racing program. It was a great night of open wheel racing at the “Track Action Built”. Justin Grant kept his USAC Sprint win streak alive, getting his 3rd win in a row. Finishing behind Grant was 2nd Logan Seavey and 3rd Kyle Cummins. The USAC Thunder Midget feature win went to Bryce Massingill, who was able to get the lead from Zach Wigal. The two battled side by side the entire race. Fremont’s own Paul Weaver won the non-wing 305 Sprint feature. Zeth Sabo and Bryan Sebetto rounded out the top 3.
On Sunday the USAC AMSOIL National Sprints traveled south to Findlay and the historic Millstream Speedway. The first visit in 37 years. Because of the high temperatures both USAC and the track moved the start time to 7:00PM, for the drivers and fans. Many drivers and fans praised the track owners for a good racing surface that made for excellent racing. Kyle Cummins took the checked flag in the feature. Throughout the 2025 season, Cummins hadn’t gone more than four races without scoring a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory and he didn’t slip up at Millstream. He led all 30 laps and became the first USAC Sprint winner at the track since Brad Doty in 1988. This was Cummins’ 7th win in 2025 and the 27th of his career. Mitchel Moles and Robert Ballou finished 2nd and 3rd in the feature. Mitchel Moles also set a new Millstream track record recording a lap of 16.331. In the 305 winged sprint class Jamie Miller won the feature. The AFCS 305 drivers raced 3 nights in a row.
Last weekend was open wheel racing for pavement cars. The USAC Silver Crown Cars were at the world’s fastest half mile, Winchester Speedway on Friday night going 100 laps around the high blanked oval. Kody Swanson jumped out into the lead on lap one and stayed there for the win and his 4th straight Rich Vogler Classic. Justin Grant was 2nd and Dakoda Armstrong 3rd. Ryan Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner qualified 7th in the feature and advanced to 5th. It was the first time in 25 years he raced at Winchester Speedway. Sunday, many of these same drivers raced in the Tom Bigelow Showdown at Winchester in pavement sprint cars, part of the 500 Sprint Car Tour. Kody Swanson, drove the Nick Bohanon owned car to victory lane. Taylor Ferns and Dakoda Armstrong made the podium. It’s the first time the 500 Sprint Car Tour raced at Winchester.
Montpelier Speedway in Indiana, hosted their biggest race of the year bringing the American Late Model Iron Series to the track. 63 year old Rod Conlely set fast time 13.981 but at the end of the feature waving the checkered flag was McClure Ohio’s Rusty Schlenk. Conlely would settle for 3rd because of a hard charging run by Colten Burdette getting 2nd. Until next week, keep your wheels down, Ron out!
