The second season of the Kevko Racing USRA Northern Lights Modified Series presented by Real Racing Wheels will reach its conclusion this Friday and Saturday, September 11-12, with two championship-deciding nights during the North Star Nationals at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wisconsin.

After a season that has carried competitors across Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, the tour returns to the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval where its 2026 campaign began, and where Joe Chisholm has been nearly untouchable.

Chisholm swept all three Northern Lights features contested during the Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in late April and early May. Combined with his sweep of the 2025 North Star Nationals, the Osage, Iowa, driver has won five consecutive NLMS features at the Fountain City facility.

Those victories helped launch a dominant sophomore campaign for the driver known as “Smoke.”

Chisholm enters the finale with six victories through the first 10 completed events and a commanding 149-point advantage. His season has included the opening three-race sweep at Mississippi Thunder, a victory in the Dick Johanneck King of Dirt at I-94 EMR Speedway, a late-race triumph over Rodney Sanders at Dodge County Speedway and a charge from fifth to first in only two laps at Mason City Motor Speedway.

With 899 points, Chisholm is positioned to complete his pursuit of the championship one year after sweeping the North Star Nationals while Brandon Davis secured the inaugural series title.

While Chisholm holds a sizeable advantage at the top, nearly every position behind him remains up for grabs.

Rookie Harley Dais occupies second with 750 points, but just 58 markers separate second through sixth entering the final two races. Dais leads Rodney Sanders by 17 points, while Alex Williamson sits only one point behind Sanders. Parker Hale trails Williamson by 18, with Zach Brom another 22 points back in sixth.

That tightly packed group will have two complete nights of racing to settle the final order and determine how the season-ending point fund is distributed. The top 10 eligible competitors will share a $31,000 point fund, including $7,500 for the 2026 series champion.

Dais has yet to collect his first NLMS victory, but four top-five finishes and eight top-10 results have placed the Winona, Minnesota, rookie in position to finish second in the championship. Sanders remains within striking distance following a remarkably consistent season that has produced nine top-10 finishes in nine starts.

Williamson, Hale and Brom have also remained fixtures near the front throughout the tour’s second season. Only 41 points separate Sanders in third from Brom in sixth, leaving plenty capable of changing over the final two nights.

Darwin Karau enters the weekend seventh with 567 points, followed by Joe Horgdal with 540. Hamilton County Speedway winner Kyle Brown sits ninth, while Joe Ludemann completes the current top 10.

The North Star Nationals will also give the field two final opportunities to add its name to a diverse 2026 winners list. Although Chisholm has claimed six of the first 10 features, Dustin Bitzan, Jacob Bleess, Brown and Jake Timm have each found Victory Lane during the season.

Brown led every lap at Hamilton County Speedway to earn his breakthrough series victory. Timm then completed a clean sweep at Winneshiek Raceway, earning quick-time honors, winning his heat race and leading all 25 laps of the feature while holding off challenges from Sanders and Chisholm.

Thursday’s practice session will open the weekend from 6-9 p.m. Friday’s program begins with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7. Saturday’s finale moves forward one hour, with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 6.

Adult general admission is $20 Friday and $25 Saturday. Students ages 13-17 are admitted for $5 each night, while children 12 and younger are free. Adult pit passes are $40 each night. Both nights will be streamed live on RacinDirt.tv. Complete event information is available through the Mississippi Thunder Speedway schedule.

Current Northern Lights Modified Series Points

1. Joe Chisholm, Osage, Iowa — 899 points

2. Harley Dais (R), Winona, Minn. — 750 points (-149)

3. Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas — 733 points (-166)

4. Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn. — 732 points (-167)

5. Parker Hale, Grand Meadow, Minn. — 714 points (-185)

6. Zach Brom, Winona, Minn. — 692 points (-207)

7. Darwin Karau, Kasson, Minn. — 567 points (-332)

8. Joe Horgdal, Mantorville, Minn. — 540 points (-359)

9. Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa — 431 points (-468)

10. Joe Ludemann, Grand Meadow, Minn. — 418 points (-481)

The Kevko Racing USRA Northern Lights Modified Series presented by Real Racing Wheels would like to recognize and thank our 2026 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, Integra Shocks, JRT Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Automation, Photos By Boyd, Scotty Dogg’s Hideout

Bronze Partners – Bryke Racing, Fast Shafts, Freight Logistics Inc., KS Engineering, Maxima Racing Oil, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, PEM Racing, Premier Lubricants, Schoenfeld Headers, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Transmissions Unlimited, Wagdog Spices, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Yeoman Race Engines

2026 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

NEXT: James Trantina Bans Joe Chisholm From North Central Speedway, Granite City Motor Park, And I-94 EMR Speedway