Photo: Gary Cornelison

Surviving several Midwest Sheet Metal cautions, Brendon Gemmill bested a field of 32 cars to score his first USRA Heartland Modified Tour win Friday night at Salina Speedway in Salina, KS. Gemmill passed three cars in his heat to finish second, which placed him in the last spot for the Wehrs Machine A  Feature redraw. His fellow competitors left him the number one chip and he rolled from the pole.

“I was just trying to stay as smooth as I could and not let the car push, said Gemmill. “This is definitely not my forte of a race track, never has been. Man it feels good to get this one out of the way against such stiff competition that  run this Heartland Mod Tour. I was getting a little nervous with the lapped traffic there. There was a couple of those cautions I was really glad to see and a couple I really hated to see.”

The win for Gemmill comes at a place where he has relatively limited experience, even though it's close to home for him. He estimated less than ten total times he has raced at Salina Speedway.

Tanner Mullens moved up six positions during the 30 lap Wehrs Machine feature to finish as the runner up. A late race restart bunched the field back up, and he had a shot to unseat Gemmill, but was just short.

Sixteen year old Henry Chambers continues turn heads every night out, and knocked down his best series finish of the season in third. He also remains at the top of the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year points.  

Chad Wheeler had was fourth and cut 31 points off of Tyler Wolff's lead in the overall series standings. Brandon Givens completed the balance of the top five. He moved forward 13 positions during the race.

Saturday night the show moves just over an our down the road to the Sartain's house of power at the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas. It will be the second stop of the season there for the HMT. Fans unable to attend, can watch at RacinDirt.tv.

Wehrs Machine & Racing Products A Feature (30 Laps): 1. Brendon Gemmill 2. Tanner Mullens 3. Henry Chambers 4. Chad Wheeler 5. Brandon Givens 6. Lucas Gibbs 7. Gary Christian 8. Tyler Davis 9. Gunner Martin 10. Randal Schiffelbein Jr 11. Kenton Allen 12. Nic Bidinger 13. Dakota Dale 14. Brody Robe 15. Chevy Coleman 16. Jason Pursley 17. Cecil Dymond 18. Tyler Wolff 19. Rickey Bonham 20. Troy Gemmill 21. Tad Davis 22. Colton Eck 23. Lance Mari 24. Corey Lagroon

Real Racing Wheels B Feature (15 Laps):1. Lucas Gibbs 2. Dakota Dale 3. Chevy Coleman 4. Cecil Dymond 5. Rickey Bonham 6. Colton Eck 7. Austen Huehl 8. Dillon Moler 9. James Weve 10. Cooper Weis 11. Casey Brown

ARMI Contractors Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. Gunner Martin 2. Tyler Wolff 3. Tanner Mullens 4. Kenton Allen 5. Corey Lagroon 6. Austen Huehl 7. Cooper Weis 8. Dean Wille

Kenny's Tile Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. Chad Wheeler 2. Lance Mari 3. Brody Robe 4. Jason Pursley 5. Dakota Dale 6. Rickey Bonham 7. Kirby Robe 8. Casey Brown

S&S Fishing and Rental Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. Henry Chambers 2.Brendon Gemmill 3. Tyler Davis 4. Randal Schiffelbein Jr 5. Brandon Givens 6. Cecil Dymond 7. Ethyn Hafner 8. Dillon Moler

Fast Shafts Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. Gary Christian 2. Chevy Coleman 3. Tad Davis 4. Troy Gemmill 5. Nic Bidinger 6. Lucas Gibbs 7. Colton Eck 8. James Weve

USRA Heartland Modified Tour Presented by Real Racing Wheels photos are available for viewing and purchase from our Official Series Photographer, Todd Boyd. You can view his work by clicking here. You can also follow his racing adventures on social media by clicking here.

The Heartland Modified Tour Presented by Real Racing Wheels would like to thank their 2024 season long partners.

Gold Partners - ARMI Contractors, Day Motorsports, Hochatown Saloon, Kenny's Tile, Midwest Sheet Metal, RacinDirt.com, Real Racing Wheels, S&S Fishing and Rental, VP Racing Fuels Heartland, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products

Silver Partners - American Racer Tires, Central Spray Foam & Cement Lifting, Duvall Electric, Fast Shafts, Freight Logistics Inc., Integra Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, Milburn Property LLC, One4 Motorsports, Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning

Bronze Partners - Charlie Williams Painting, Fowler Locomotive Sales and Leasing, Lassiter Construction, Photos by Boyd, Transmissions Unlimited, Victory Vault

2024 HMT Point Fund

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*