Grain Valley, MO (November 26, 2025) - As the final trophies are handed out and engines fall silent for the winter, Heartland Promotions reflects on a 2025 season defined by depth, determination, and three very different championship paths. Across the USRA Heartland Modified Tour (HMT), USRA American Racer Modified Series (ARMS), and the inaugural USRA Northern Lights Modified Series (NLMS), champions were crowned through consistency, resilience, and clutch performances when the pressure was at its highest.

Those efforts were celebrated together as the year officially came to a close at the Heartland Promotions Awards Banquet, bringing the 2025 chapter to a fitting close.

 

USRA Heartland Modified Tour Champion

Bobby Williams – Hermitage, Missouri

Bobby Williams’ 2025 Heartland Modified Tour championship was a lesson in consistency and perseverance across a challenging 22 race schedule for year two of the young series. In his rookie season with the tour, Williams made all 22 scheduled A Feature starts, finishing with eight top-five runs and 13 top-ten finishes, while becoming one of just two drivers to start every A-Feature during the season.

The championship fight came down to the wire at I-35 Speedway, where Williams entered the final points race holding a slim advantage over Brandon Givens and Shadren Turner, both of whom remained firmly in title contention entering the night. Turner’s five-win season and Givens’ pressure-packed consistency kept the championship undecided until the last event.

Williams answered the challenge, doing exactly what had carried him all season long—running solidly inside the top three and avoiding mistakes—ultimately clinching the title by 16 points over Turner, with Givens finishing just 33 points back. The championship marked a rare accomplishment as Williams paired the series Rookie of the Year award with the overall championship title, sealing his first full HMT campaign in storybook fashion.

 

USRA American Racer Modified Series Champion

Kale Westover – Altus, Oklahoma

The USRA American Racer Modified Series presented one of its most dramatic championship scripts in 2025, and at the heart of it stood Kale Westover, who earned his first career ARMS championship through composure under immense late-season pressure.

Westover completed 11 events and made 11 A Feature starts, recording five top-five finishes and seven top-tens, while entering the season finale weekend holding a 76-point cushion over a tightly packed battle for second place among Manuel Williams II, Sean Gaddis, and Joe Duvall, who were separated by just nine points heading into the finale.

The title was clinched under the bright lights of Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track during Night One of the Deuces Wild Championships, but not without adversity. An expired engine in Westover’s heat race forced a motor change and required him to take a series provisional starting spot for the A-Main. Compounding the drama, Williams II also needed a provisional to make the feature, while both Gaddis and Duvall saw opportunities to close the points gap.

Despite the setback, Westover charged forward and delivered a confident run into the top ten. With Gaddis and Williams II finishing behind him—and Duvall suffering an engine failure during A-Feature action—the championship was officially secured before Westover even signed in for the final night of competition. He went on to end the season with 808 points, finishing 88 points clear of Gaddis and firmly stamping his name into the ARMS record books.

 

USRA Northern Lights Modified Series Champion

Brandon Davis – Hayfield, Minnesota

The inaugural season of the USRA Northern Lights Modified Series set a high bar, and Brandon Davis ensured the first championship would belong to one of Modified racing’s most well-established yet regionally focused talents.

Long regarded as one of the premier Modified drivers to never pursue full-time national USMTS competition—despite double-digit USMTS victories—Davis committed early to the newly formed NLMS. That commitment paid off in dominant fashion. Across 13 events and 13 A Feature starts, Davis amassed five wins, 11 top-five finishes, and 11 top-ten results, with just one finish outside the top five prior to championship weekend.

That lone blemish came at Cresco Speedway, where a faulty power steering pressure line caused a DNF. Even so, Davis entered the final weekend at Mississippi Thunder Speedway holding a 56-point lead. A mid-race incident on night one of the North Star Nationals involving Jim Chisholm tightened the margin, trimming the advantage to just 18 points over Jacob Bleess entering the finale.

With the pressure mounting, Davis delivered one final statement—charging to a third-place finish on night two to secure the first ever Northern Lights Modified Series championship. He capped the season with 1,163 points, edging Bleess by 25 points, and cementing his place as the inaugural titleholder of the growing regional tou

 

Celebrating the Season: 2025 Awards Banquet

The 2025 season officially came to a close at the Heartland Promotions Awards Banquet, held Saturday, November 22, at Hochatown Saloon in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The weekend opened Friday night with a comedy show by the Copenhagen Bandit at nearby Scotty Dog's Hideout, before approximately 70 attendees filled the Hochatown Saloon on Saturday evening.

Drivers, teams, sponsors, and staff enjoyed dinner followed by an awards ceremony honoring series staff, sponsors, special contributors, and the top ten finishers from both the HMT and ARMS tours. The night culminated with championship recognition for Bobby Williams and Kale Westover, before country music standout Josh Ward brought the evening to a memorable close.

Heartland Promotions extends its sincere thanks to the entire staff at Hochatown Saloon for their hospitality, as well as Ashley Berry for her work coordinating the event with facility staff and ensuring the evening ran smoothly.

Due to the long travel distance for many Northern Lights Modified Series competitors, a separate NLMS awards ceremony is being planned, likely in conjunction with an early-season 2026 event, to properly recognize the inaugural season and its champions.

 

Looking Ahead

With the achievements of 2025 now etched into the record books, Heartland Promotions turns its focus toward 2026. If this past season proved anything, it’s that winning a championship under the Heartland banner requires resilience, consistency, and the ability to rise when the spotlight is brightest—traits every one of this year’s champions possessed.

 

Heartland Promotions would like to thank all of our season partners who help sponsor all of the regional modified tours under the Heartland Promotions banner in 2025.

Gold Partners - Central Spray Foam & Cement Lifting, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Dylan Scott Entertainment, Hochatown Saloon, Kevko Racing, Midwest Sheet Metal, RacinDirt.com, Real Racing Wheels, Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning, S&S Fishing and Rental, VP Racing Fuels Heartland, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products

Silver Partners - American Racer Tires, Bryke Racing, Buck Monson Photos, Duvall Electric, Fast Shafts, Integra Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, Outlaw Kids Racing Tours, Photos By Boyd, Scotty Dogg’s Hideout, Swift Springs, Victory Vault

Bronze Partners - Freight Logistics Inc., Mars Race Cars, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Transmissions Unlimited, Yeoman Race Engines, Zac's Sales and Service

2025 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*