Rodney Sanders and Jason Hughes delivered a finish worthy of the Funkadelic name Friday night at Springfield Raceway, trading the lead late before Sanders held off Hughes at the checkered flag to win the Pannell Chipping A-Feature in the Heartland Modified Tour’s first visit to the southwest Missouri oval.

The opening night of the eighth annual Joe Duvall’s Funkadelic Dirt Track & Honky Tonk Extravaganza presented by AmeriFlex Hose and Accessories brought 36 entries to Springfield and left the USRA Heartland Modified Tour presented by Real Racing Wheels championship hanging on just nine points with two races remaining.

While Sanders celebrated the 32-lap victory, Tanner Mullens’ fourth-place finish tightened the championship fight considerably. Points leader Tyler Davis finished 10th, leaving Davis with 1,414 points to Mullens’ 1,405 heading into Saturday’s $5,000-to-win showdown at Salina Highbanks Speedway.

Mullens began the night’s main event from the pole and immediately established himself out front. An early caution for Ryan Murphy, who slowed on the front straightaway with two laps complete, briefly interrupted his escape, but Mullens returned to the point on the restart.

Sanders, who started fourth, used a strong restart to charge into second two laps later. He quickly drew alongside Mullens, and the pair raced side by side before Sanders took command with six laps complete.

Another caution followed after seven laps for Roy Long and Chevy Coleman. Sanders opened a comfortable advantage when racing resumed as the fight continued behind him among Mullens, Hughes and Jim Chisholm.

Traffic brought the leaders back together near halfway, with Sanders, Mullens and Hughes briefly racing three wide before another caution reset the field. Reece Solander had stopped inside turn one with steam coming from beneath the hood of his No. 5, ending the overall fast qualifier’s bid.

The closing laps became a duel between Sanders and Hughes. Hughes gathered enough momentum to take the lead with six laps remaining, but Sanders answered two laps later, edging back ahead by just .001 second at the scoring line with four to go.

A final caution set up a four-lap, single-file restart and one more opportunity for Hughes. Working the bottom against Sanders’ high line, Hughes mounted a final charge as the pair came off turn four nearly side by side. Sanders held on at the stripe to claim the victory over Hughes, with Chisholm third, Mullens fourth and Dustin Hodges fifth.

For Sanders, racing Hughes for the win brought back memories of their earlier battles.

“I feel like that’s some vintage stuff, maybe like ten years ago or something,” Sanders said.

Sanders credited Hughes as a respected competitor and said navigating traffic complicated his commitment to the top groove. Debris scattered across the racing surface by slower cars prompted him to consider moving down, but returning to the bottom after finding his rhythm upstairs proved difficult.

He also praised Springfield’s racing surface, which developed into a track that allowed the leaders to battle across multiple lanes.

“The track was awesome tonight,” Sanders said.

Terry Phillips advanced from 15th to sixth to earn the Transmissions Unlimited Hard Charger award. With an additional $91 from Bulletproof Tees, Phillips collected a $391 hard charger bonus. Dean Wille finished seventh, followed by Bobby Williams, Wyatt Gaggero and Davis.

Championship Fight Heads to Oklahoma

Davis still holds the championship lead, but Mullens has reduced his cushion to single digits as the Funkadelic heads into its final two nights.

Davis’ 12 top-five finishes and 15 top-10 runs through 17 events have kept him atop the standings. Mullens, meanwhile, has piled up six victories, 14 top-five finishes and 15 top-10 finishes in his 15 appearances, positioning himself just nine points back.

Trevor Hughes remains third with 1,326 points after a difficult Springfield feature ended in a 22nd-place finish. Coleman sits fourth with 1,265, while Gaggero rounds out the top five with 1,237.

The weekend continues Saturday, October 24, at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, Oklahoma, with $5,000 awaiting the winner. Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, Oklahoma, hosts the Sunday, October 25, finale. Both nights feature ARMS versus HMT competition and award points toward both series championships.

Preliminary Winners and Funkadelic Bonuses

Solander topped Deatherage Opticians Group B Qualifying and the overall qualifying order with a lap of 13.062 seconds. Sanders paced Deatherage Opticians Group A Qualifying at 13.225 seconds.

Heat victories went to Sanders in Rick Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning Heat 1, Jason Hughes in Smith Equipment Company Heat 2, Mullens in Kevko Racing Heat 3 and Chisholm in Swift Springs Heat 4. Paden Phillips won the Real Racing Wheels B-Feature.

Sanders added the $191 Pettyjohn Plastering and Construction Race Winner bonus to his feature winnings. Solander earned a combined $191 quick-time bonus from Deatherage Opticians ($100) and Bulletproof Tees ($91).

Transmissions Unlimited also awarded $100 apiece to the first three B-Feature nontransfer finishers—Shane Hartline, Rick Beebe and Mark Dotson—with Tyler Hibner receiving the additional $50 nontransfer bonus. Beebe subsequently joined the A-Feature field and finished 15th.

USRA Heartland Modified Tour Points

Through October 23, 2026 — 17 events

Tyler Davis — 1,414

Tanner Mullens — 1,405 (–9)

Trevor Hughes — 1,326 (–88)

Chevy Coleman — 1,265 (–149)

Wyatt Gaggero — 1,237 (–177)

Henry Chambers — 1,155 (–259)

Dean Wille — 1,131 (–283)

Shadren Turner — 1,119 (–295)

Cole Campbell (R) — 998 (–416)

Rick Beebe — 967 (–447)

Springfield Raceway — October 23, 2026

USRA Heartland Modified Tour — 36 entries

A Feature 1 32 Laps | 00:24:49.545 | Pannell Chipping

Rodney Sanders; 2. Jason Hughes; 3. Jim Chisholm; 4. Tanner Mullens; 5. Dustin Hodges; 6. Terry Phillips; 7. Dean Wille; 8. Bobby Williams; 9. Wyatt Gaggero; 10. Tyler Davis; 11. James Thompson; 12. Paden Phillips; 13. David Tanner; 14. Jason Pursley; 15. Rick Beebe; 16. Chevy Coleman; 17. Treyton Gann; 18. Dayton Pursley; 19. Brent Holman; 20. Cole Campbell; 21. Henry Chambers; 22. Trevor Hughes; 23. Reece Solander; 24. Roy Long; 25. Ryan Murphy.

B Feature 1 12 Laps | 00:05:57.100 | Real Racing Wheels

Paden Phillips; 2. Ryan Murphy; 3. Dayton Pursley; 4. Brent Holman; 5. Shane Hartline; 6. Rick Beebe; 7. Mark Dotson; 8. Tyler Hibner; 9. Jarret Dotson; 10. Donnie Fellers; 11. Dustin Walker; 12. Jake Carter; 13. Craig Yeoman; 14. Ho Dean; 15. Cecil Dymond; 16. Troy Gudmonson.

Heat 1 8 Laps | 00:04:07.592 | Rick Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning

Rodney Sanders; 2. Dean Wille; 3. Dustin Hodges; 4. Roy Long; 5. David Tanner; 6. Paden Phillips; 7. Dayton Pursley; 8. Ho Dean; 9. Mark Dotson.

Heat 2 8 Laps | 00:01:51.548 | Smith Equipment Company

Jason Hughes; 2. Cole Campbell; 3. Trevor Hughes; 4. Terry Phillips; 5. Treyton Gann; 6. Ryan Murphy; 7. Shane Hartline; 8. Tyler Hibner; 9. Cecil Dymond.

Heat 3 8 Laps | 00:01:49.679 | Kevko Racing

Tanner Mullens; 2. Reece Solander; 3. Wyatt Gaggero; 4. Henry Chambers; 5. Jason Pursley; 6. Brent Holman; 7. Donnie Fellers; 8. Craig Yeoman; 9. Dustin Walker.

Heat 4 8 Laps | 00:02:34.059 | Swift Springs

Jim Chisholm; 2. Tyler Davis; 3. Bobby Williams; 4. Chevy Coleman; 5. James Thompson; 6. Jarret Dotson; 7. Rick Beebe; 8. Jake Carter; 9. Troy Gudmonson.

GROUP A Qualifying | 00:00:26.785 | Deatherage Opticians

Rodney Sanders; 2. Jason Hughes; 3. Dean Wille; 4. Cole Campbell; 5. Paden Phillips; 6. Trevor Hughes; 7. Dustin Hodges; 8. Ryan Murphy; 9. Dayton Pursley; 10. Terry Phillips; 11. Roy Long; 12. Treyton Gann; 13. David Tanner; 14. Shane Hartline; 15. Mark Dotson; 16. Tyler Hibner; 17. Ho Dean; 18. Cecil Dymond.

GROUP B Qualifying | 00:00:26.340 | Deatherage Opticians

Reece Solander; 2. Jim Chisholm; 3. Tanner Mullens; 4. Tyler Davis; 5. Wyatt Gaggero; 6. Bobby Williams; 7. Brent Holman; 8. Rick Beebe; 9. Henry Chambers; 10. James Thompson; 11. Jason Pursley; 12. Troy Gudmonson; 13. Craig Yeoman; 14. Jarret Dotson; 15. Donnie Fellers; 16. Chevy Coleman; 17. Dustin Walker; 18. Jake Carter.

The USRA Heartland Modified Tour Presented by Real Racing Wheels is in year three in 2026, and we would like to recognize and thank our 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, Fast Shafts, Integra Racing Shocks, JRT Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Automation, Photos By Boyd, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Scotty Dogg’s Hideout

Bronze Partners – Bryke Racing, Freight Logistics Inc., KS Engineering, Maxima Racing Oil, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, PEM Racing, Premier Lubricants, Schoenfeld Headers, 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: 2 For 2! Jake Swanson Strums His Way To Second Straight Western World USAC Prelim Win