Labor Day Weekend highlighted by Deer Creek runner-up finish

Zack VanderBeek and the Casey's General Stores 33z Racing team had a busy Labor Day Weekend with five races in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental.

The weekend kicked off Wednesday in Webster City, Iowa, at the Hamilton County Speedway. After a tough heat race on a fast racing surface, VanderBeek started 14th in the main event but dropped out six laps short of the checkers and finished 16th.

Thursday found 'The Z-Man' at the half-mile Fairmont Raceway in Fairmont, Minn. Again the competitors were met with a wet, sticky-fast treacherous racetrack that took its toll on drivers and equipment alike. VanderBeek finished third in his heat race and started 11th in the feature race, but once again mechanical problems sidelined the No. 33z LG2 by Owens five laps from the finish and a 16th-place paycheck.

The team headed to the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minn., on Friday to a relief from the hammer-down tracks the previous two nights. Enjoying the ride, VanderBeek raced from fourth to second in his heat and then finished sixth in the main event after drawing the seventh starting spot.

Saturday's action took place at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., for another barn-burner at the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval. The night started off on the right foot with VanderBeek leading wire to wire in his heat race and then, once again, drawing the seventh starting spot for the 40-lap "A" Main. He moved up the ranks quickly and battled for the lead late in the race with Jason Hughes and Jason Krohn, but Krohn ended up getting his second win in three days while VanderBeek took home a solid runner-up finish.

The Labor Day Weekend of events wrapped up at the Cresco Speedway in Cresco, Iowa. Drawing the worst number of the 21 entrants, VanderBeek started seventh in the final heat race and was able to muster a fifth-place finish. He started 13th in the feature, but mechanical gremlins attacked again and knocked the machine powered by Sput's Racing Engines out of the race just 11 laps into it. He finished 20th.

For complete results from each event, log on to www.usmts.com.

The last race in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental comes down to the first night of the 17th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 24. VanderBeek fifth in the standings--54 points behind Jesse Sobbing and 15 markers ahead of Dereck Ramirez.

Zack VanderBeek and 33z Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, American Building Components, Beyea Custom Headers, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Driven Racing Oil, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Grandpa & Grandma Garrison, Hooker Custom Harness, LG2 by Jimmy Owens, McGriff's of New Sharon, Murty Farms, Old World Meats, Out-Pace Racing Products, Precision Performance, Pro-Line Buildings, QuickCar Racing Products, Right Foot Performance Products, Sput's Racing Engines, Sunoco Racing Fuels, Tulip City Insurance Agency, Waterman Racing Components, Wayne Dalton Doors, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products and Wilwood Disc Brakes for their support during the 2015 racing season.

Please visit www.zackvanderbeek.com to keep up with all the latest news and information about Zack VanderBeek and 33zRacing. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zackvanderbeekracing, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zackvanderbeek and subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/zackvanderbeekracing.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com. You can also like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts or check out their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.