King of America XIV takes place March 27-29, at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., featuring the Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt.
It will be the fourth, fifth and sixth races of the young 2025 season for the Summit USMTS Modifieds, with USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods joining the show all three nights. Opening night on Thursday will serve as the season-opener for the KS Engineering Iron Man USRA Stock Car Series driven by Terminator Chassis.
This will be the first time the crown jewel event will be hosted by the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks” after a 13-year run at the Humboldt Speedway.
The excitement begins on Thursday with a $3,000 prize for the Summit USMTS Modified feature winner. On Friday, the stakes rise with $5,000 for the victory, and the grand finale on Saturday will see the champion taking home a hefty $20,000.
An open practice for all racers happens Wednesday, March 26, from 6-9 p.m.
Real Racing Wheels will be rewarding their customers with some great prizes in all three divisions on Saturday.
For the Summit USMTS Modifieds, $2,000 will go to the highest-finishing driver utilizing Real Racing Wheels on all four corners in the A-Main.
For the USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods, $500 will go to the highest-finishing driver utilizing Real Racing Wheels on all four corners that crosses the finish line in the top-5 in each A-Main.
Eleven different drivers have claimed victory in the previous dozen KioA contests with last year’s event unfinished without Mother Nature getting the nod. The list of passt champions is a who’s-who of dirt modified racing.
Dan Ebert is the reigning King of America. Jake O’Neil added the crown to his trophy case in 2022 while Brooks Strength captured his first and only career USMTS feature win in 2021 en route to garnering the Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year title.
Prior to an off-year for the COVID-19 hysteria in 2020, Ricky Thornton Jr. captured the crown in 2019 and Lucas Schott was the 2018 winner. Ryan Gustin won in 2017 to become the first and only repeat winner of this event, also winning the race in 2013.
Zack VanderBeek captured the title in 2016 after a thrilling late-race battle with Rodney Sanders—the 2014 winner. Jason Hughes was the 2015 winner; Stormy Scott topped the 2012 event and Kelly Shryock claimed the inaugural crown in 2011 in October that year.
Seeking his sixth USMTS National Championship in 13 seasons, Sanders enters the event as the series points leader with a slim nine-point cushion over defending USMTS national titlest Jim Chisholm who, along with younger brother Joe Chisholm, already has one win so far in 2025.
Kyle Strickler won the most recent event, triumphing in the Summit Texas Spring Nationals at the Rocket Raceway Park two weeks ago. It was his second career USMTS win. His first came during the first night at King of America VIII in 2018.
Summit USMTS National Championship presented by RacinDirt
Top 10 as of March 21, 2025
1. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, 277
2. 24C Jim Chisholm, Osage, Iowa, 268
3. 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan., 263
4. 25 Joe Chisholm, Osage, Iowa, 260
5. 8 Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, N.C., 255
6. 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., 239
7. 15W Alex Williamson, Rushford, Minn., 231
8. 58X Gary Christian, Broken Bow, Okla., 227
9. 21K Kyle Brown, Madrid, Iowa, 215
10. 712 Trevor Hughes, Westville, Okla., 213
USMTS National Championship | Photo: USMTS
