Gabe Hodges Rules Night One At King Of America XV

First-time Summit United States Modified Touring Series winner celebrates victory at Lucas Oil Speedway

Mar. 27, 2026 at 11:04am

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Gabe Hodges, a 23-year-old from Lebo, Kansas, won the opening night of the King of America XV event at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. Hodges regained the lead with eight laps remaining and held on to take the $3,000 victory in the Summit United States Modified Touring Series race, which featured 66 drivers checking into the pits.

Why it matters

The King of America XV is a prestigious dirt modified racing event, and Hodges' win marks his first career victory on the Summit United States Modified Touring Series. The top nine drivers from the two-night event will lock into the Saturday night championship finale, which will pay $15,000 to win.

The details

Hodges started outside of row two and was able to catch and pass pole-starting Tyler Davis for the lead on lap four. He led by nearly a second when the first caution came out on lap nine. Reece Solander moved into second by lap 13, and Tanner Mullens advanced to third from his 11th starting position. Mullens briefly took the lead on lap 18, but Hodges rallied to regain the top spot on lap 22 and held on for the victory, beating Solander by 0.282 seconds.

  • Hodges took the lead on lap 4.
  • The first caution came out on lap 9.
  • Mullens took the lead on lap 18, but Hodges regained it on lap 22.
  • Hodges held on to win the $3,000 prize on the opening night of the King of America XV event.

The players

Gabe Hodges

A 23-year-old driver from Lebo, Kansas who won his first career Summit United States Modified Touring Series race.

Reece Solander

Hodges' teammate who finished second in the race.

Tanner Mullens

A driver who briefly took the lead from Hodges before finishing third.

Tyler Davis

The pole-starting driver who led early before Hodges passed him for the lead.

Lucas Oil Speedway

The racetrack in Wheatland, Missouri that hosted the King of America XV event.

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What they’re saying

“I've really struggled these last few weeks. We put together some good finishes at the beginning of the year and made some changes to the car. We were pretty good in practice (Wednesday) night. I'm glad we figured something out here.”

— Gabe Hodges

“At the beginning the top was really good and I had something to lean on. Later in the race, with 10 or 12 to go, I seen Tanner's nose down here on the start and on the other end he kind of got around me. I thought I beat him back to the line and I didn't drive it down deep enough to slide him.”

— Gabe Hodges

“On that restart, I knew he couldn't run the top down here and I tried to take advantage there. It got too dirty up there and there was nothing to lean on. I kind of got down in that black groove and it cleaned up real good. We have a really good race car and really good engine under the hood.”

— Gabe Hodges

What’s next

The top nine USMTS drivers will take their best of the two preliminary nights and will be locked directly into Saturday night's three-wide start championship finale, which will pay $15,000 to win and $1,500 to start.

The takeaway

Gabe Hodges' first career Summit United States Modified Touring Series victory at the prestigious King of America XV event showcases his driving talent and the strength of his race team. This win could be a springboard for Hodges to contend for the series championship this season.