From the outside of the front row, Chris Brown muscled his way past polesitter Shane Hebert at the drop of the green flag and proceeded to lead the first nine laps of the contest.

Defending USMTS National Champion Jason Hughes moved into the second spot to challenge for the lead, but he and Brown made contact while fighting for the top spot. Brown spun, but both drivers were sent to the rear of the field for having a hand in the caution..

Randy Timms would have set the pace for the restart, but a flat tire forced him to the pits and handed the lead to Whittington, who was running in the fourth spot when the incident occurred.

Taking advantage of a prime opportunity, the 29-year-old from nearby Vidor went unchallenged over the remaining 26 caution-free laps to secure the $2,000 win and his first since recording his only other USMTS victory at the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Oct. 23, 2009.

Shryock claimed the runner-up spot, with Cody Smith, Bumper Jones and Bobby Malchus finishing third, fourth and fifth. Sixth through tenth were Thursday night winner Ryan Gustin, Clyde Dunn Jr., 14-year-old Lucas Schott, Mark Dotson and Howard Willis.

After their excursion earlier in the race, Hughes and Brown were able to salvage 13th- and 14th-place finishes, respectively.

Dunn’s run to finish seventh from 21st on the starting grid earned him the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award.

Coupled with a fourth-place finish Thursday, Whittington leads the Southwest Region standings by three points (187 to 184) over Gustin, followed by Shryock (179), Hughes (162), Jones (159), Brown (155), Smith (141), T.J. Herndon (138), Dotson (136) and Dereck Ramirez (135).

Herndon came up one spot short of qualifying for the “A” Main in the third Real Racing Wheels “B” Main, but used the first provisional starting spot awarded this season to garner a 12th-place finish and secure his spot atop the Rookie of the Year standings after two events.

Friday night’s racing program was postponed due to heavy fog that settled in over the former Houston Raceway Park. The plan on Saturday was to rework the racing surface following the make-up program, and then stage another complete show.

A field of 80 USMTS Modifieds was on hand Saturday, including all 73 that were in attendance on Thursday plus seven new faces.

But once again, the fog rolled in and began to hamper visibility during Saturday’s early program and force officials to postpone the second half of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The $3,000-to-win finale of the inaugural Texas Spring Nationals will now be held on Sunday, March 20. The event will cap a three-race weekend in the Houston area that begins on Friday, March 18, at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, followed by a show on Saturday, March 19, at the Gator Motorplex in Willis.

Up next for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy will be a two-day excursion into the Cornhusker State on Friday and Saturday, March 4-5, for the 8th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw at the Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb.

Friday’s feature winner will garner $2,000 while a top prize of $3,000 is set aside for the driver visiting victory lane on Saturday.

In addition to the usual stars and cars of the USMTS and the Dirt Knights television series, NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader has announced that he will be competing both days for the third straight year. Race fans will also be treated to the Iron Man Challenge for USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars along with two-man Cruisers both days..

OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy
Inaugural Texas Spring Nationals – Night 2 of 2
Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas
Saturday, February 19, 2011

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed, reason out (if any) and money won. The top 14 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
2. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (12) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
4. (11) 88xx Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
5. (5) 2 Kenny Gaddis, Hallsville, Texas.
6. (7) 66x Mike Dillard, Allen, Texas.
7. (10) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas.
8. (1) 9n Brent Nicholas, Baytown, Texas.
9. (14) 5m Joe Mayhew, Highlands, Texas.
10. (6) 99 Landon Anderson (R), Richmond, Texas.
11. (13) 148 Russell Moore (R), Conroe, Texas.
12. (4) E26 Dallas Everett (R), Beebe, Ark.
13. (9) 56 David Horner, Houston, Texas.
14. (8) 51 Jeff Wood, Willis, Texas.

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (4) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo.
3. (2) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
4. (9) 717 George Egbert IV, Salado, Texas.
5. (1) 00 Darrel Dawson, Midlothian, Texas.
6. (12) L1 Larry Clevenger, Greenwood, La.
7. (7) 71 Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas.
8. (13) 74 Topper Dugas (R), Denham Springs, La.
9. (3) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas.
10. (5) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas.
11. (10) 955 Robert Metz Jr., Lumberton, Texas.
12. (8) 25 Donny Wyble, Beaumont, Texas.
13. (11) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.
14. (14) 22y Randy Keith, Shawnee, Kan.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
2. (13) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
3. (2) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla.
4. (3) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
5. (8) 29d Brad Dierks (R), Clarence, Iowa.
6. (10) 10 Aaron Jorden (R), Benton, La.
7. (12) 1 T.J. Herndon (R), Atwood, Tenn.
8. (4) 360 Jason Boyd (R), Tomball, Texas.
9. (5) 95 Kevin Pratt, Houston, Texas.
10. (7) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla.
11. (6) 71 Robert Baker (R), Benton, Ark.
12. (9) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
13. (11) 25 Ron Keith, Shawnee, Kan.

PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (8) 3c Chris Brown, Spring, Texas.
2. (2) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.
3. (11) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
4. (10) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
5. (4) 12t Tyler Townsend, Longview, Texas.
6. (3) 41 Joe Bob Veach, Crosby, Texas.
7. (13) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
8. (9) 10 Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D.
9. (1) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, Okla.
10. (7) 69b Tim Boudreaux, Cleveland, Texas.
11. (5) 94 Nick Hardcastle (R), Corpus Christi, Texas.
12. (6) 211 Richie Ginn (R), Baton Rouge, La.
13. (12) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (3) 95 Keith Foss (R), Winona, Minn.
2. (5) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M.
3. (7) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
4. (9) 69 Lucas Schott (R), Chatfield, Minn.
5. (10) 78 Trevor Egbert, Salado, Texas.
6. (4) 76 Jesse Manning (R), Brazoria, Texas.
7. (11) 34 Ben Stephens, Hattiesburg, MS.
8. (1) 21 Troy Seidl, Magnolia, Texas.
9. (2) 2 Jerry Standifer, Howe, Okla.
10. (13) 4b Danny Booth (R), Paris, Texas.
11. (8) 15g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas.
12. (6) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
13. (12) 101 Tanner Whitmire, Taft, Texas.

HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
2. (2) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.
3. (4) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
4. (7) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyville, Texas.
5. (1) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
6. (9) 707 P.J. Egbert, Copperas Cove, Texas.
7. (8) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
8. (5) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo.
9. (11) C27 Chase Del Rio (R), West Monroe, La.
10. (10) 37w Scott Ward, Watertown, S.D.
11. (12) 19 Doug Begnaud (R), Cypress, Texas.
12. (6) 22 Tracy Denby Sr., Vidor, Texas.
13. (13) 156 Steve Pugh, Anderson, Texas.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
2. (5) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (3) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyville, Texas.
4. (2) 717 George Egbert IV, Salado, Texas.
5. (9) 41 Joe Bob Veach, Crosby, Texas, $60.
6. (22) 156 Steve Pugh, Anderson, Texas, $80..
7. (18) 15g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas, $60.
8. (21) 25 Ron Keith, Shawnee, Kan., $60.
9. (20) 22 Tracy Denby Sr., Vidor, Texas, $60.
10. (11) 10 Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D., $60.
11.. (15) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas, $80.
12. (16) 37w Scott Ward, Watertown, S.D., $80.
13. (4) 78 Trevor Egbert, Salado, Texas, $80.
14. (8) 34 Ben Stephens, Hattiesburg, MS, $80.
15. (7) 12t Tyler Townsend, Longview, Texas, $80.
16. (10) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, $80.
17. (14) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, Okla., $80.
18. (6) 707 P.J. Egbert, Copperas Cove, Texas, $80.
19. (17) 955 Robert Metz Jr., Lumberton, Texas, $80.
20. (13) 4b Danny Booth (R), Paris, Texas, $80.
21. (19) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M., $80.
22. (12) 21 Troy Seidl, Magnolia, Texas, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.
2. (2) 69 Lucas Schott (R), Chatfield, Minn.
3. (3) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
4. (21) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
5. (7) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, $80.
6. (17) 71 Robert Baker (R), Benton, Ark., $80.
7. (4) L1 Larry Clevenger, Greenwood, La., $80.
8. (15) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla., $80.
9. (11) 9n Brent Nicholas, Baytown, Texas, $80.
10. (10) 71 Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas, $80.
11. (9) 76 Jesse Manning (R), Brazoria, Texas, $80.
12. (12) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo., $80.
13. (22) 51 Jeff Wood, Willis, Texas, $60.
14. (19) 211 Richie Ginn (R), Baton Rouge, La., $80.
15. (5) 10 Aaron Jorden (R), Benton, La., $80.
16. (8) 66x Mike Dillard, Allen, Texas, $80.
17. (20) 56 David Horner, Houston, Texas, $80.
18. (14) 2 Jerry Standifer, Howe, Okla., $80.
19. (6) 2 Kenny Gaddis, Hallsville, Texas, $80.
20. (13) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas, $80.
21. (16) 148 Russell Moore (R), Conroe, Texas, $80.
22. (18) E26 Dallas Everett (R), Beebe, Ark., $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
2. (3) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla.
3. (1) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.
4. (5) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
5. (7) 1 T.J. Herndon (R), Atwood, Tenn., $80.
6. (11) 360 Jason Boyd (R), Tomball, Texas, $80.
7. (8) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas, $60.
8. (4) 29d Brad Dierks (R), Clarence, Iowa, $80.
9. (10) 5m Joe Mayhew, Highlands, Texas, $60.
10. (19) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., $80.
11. (14) 99 Landon Anderson (R), Richmond, Texas, $80.
12. (15) 69b Tim Boudreaux, Cleveland, Texas, $60.
13. (12) C27 Chase Del Rio (R), West Monroe, La., $80.
14. (20) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., $80.
15. (13) 95 Kevin Pratt, Houston, Texas, $60.
16. (9) 74 Topper Dugas (R), Denham Springs, La., $80.
17. (17) 94 Nick Hardcastle (R), Corpus Christi, Texas, $80.
18. (18) 25 Donny Wyble, Beaumont, Texas, $60.
19. (21) 101 Tanner Whitmire, Taft, Texas, $60.
20. (16) 19 Doug Begnaud (R), Cypress, Texas, $80.
21. (6) 00 Darrel Dawson, Midlothian, Texas, $80.
22. (22) 22y Randy Keith, Shawnee, Kan., $60.

“A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. (10) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, $2000.
2. (8) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/, $1500.
3. (13) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, Hughes/Chase, $1000.
4. (9) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M., GRT/Sputs, $900.
5. (12) 88xx Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Hughes/Wells, $800.
6. (18) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, $700.
7. (21) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyville, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $750.
8. (19) 69 Lucas Schott (R), Chatfield, Minn., Hughes/Action, $600.
9. (11) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo., GRT/KSE, $550.
10. (5) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, Evolution/CB, $500.
11. (22) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas, Fast1/, $450.
12. (27) 1 T.J. Herndon (R), Atwood, Tenn., GRT/KMF, $190.
13. (4) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $375.
14. (2) 3c Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Skyrocket/ProPower, $350.
15. (26) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., Hughes/, $325.
16. (17) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, CAM/Allard, $300.
17. (23) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa, BC/Mullins, $300.
18. (25) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn., GRT/Sputs, $300.
19. (24) 717 George Egbert IV, Salado, Texas, DirtWorks/Centex, $300.
20. (14) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Ramirez/, $300.
21. (3) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $300.
22. (15) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/, $300.
23. (20) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $300.
24. (1) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Hughes/ASI, $300.
25. (16) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn., Hughes/Sputs, $300.
26. (6) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, $300.
27. (7) 95 Keith Foss (R), Winona, Minn., DirtDueller/Brink, $300.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Lap Leaders: Brown 1-9, Whittington 10-35.
Total Laps Led: Whittington 26, Brown 9.
Margin of Victory: 0.504 second.
Pole Winner: Shryock.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: Dunn (started 21st, finished 7th)..
Next Race: Friday-Saturday, March 4-5, Junction Motor Speedway, McCool Junction, Neb.
Southeast Region Points: Whittington 187, Gustin 184, Shryock 179, Hughes 162, Jones 159, Brown 155, Smith 141, Herndon 138, Dotson 136, Ramirez 135.
Rookie of the Year Points: Herndon 138, Schott 131, Dierks 105, Houston 97, Baker 95, Foss 95.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: CB 18, ProPower 18, Mullins 15, Sputs 14, Chase 9.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 18, Pierce 18, Skyrocket 18, GRT 13, Evolution 9.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – not awarded.
Eibach Springs – Whittington.
Forty9Designs.com – Jones, Dotson.
Hooker Harness – Herndon.
ISKY Racing Cams – Hebert.
KSE Racing Products – Shryock.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Foss.
New Vision Graphics – Hughes.
Nitroquest – Seidl, Everett, Randy Keith.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Dunn.
PBM Performance Products – Brown.
Real Racing Wheels – Pugh, Denby Jr., Boyd.
Ruter Farms – not awarded.

LIMITED MODS

HEAT #1
1. (3) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
2. (9) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
3. (2) 64 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas.
4. (1) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas..
5. (6) 84 Stacy Tyler, Crosby, Texas.
6. (4) 11jr Johnny Brown, Lumberton, Texas.
7. (5) 90 Dustin Butcher, Corpus Christi, Texas.
8. (7) 99 Donald Hebert, Scott, La.
9. (8) R69 Roy January, Port Lavaca, Texas.

HEAT #2:
1. (2) 94 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas.
2. (1) 12m Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
3. (4) 1b Grant Brown, Silsbee, Texas.
4. (5) 29 Mike Walling, Crosby, Texas.
5. (9) 26g J.J. Jennings, Corpus Christi, Texas.
6. (7) 260 Erik Thorne, Baytown, Texas.
7. (6) 27 Randy Lewis, Huble, Texas.
8. (8) 44 Neal Manchester, Spring, Texas.
9. (3) 123 Kenneth Montgomery, Huntsville, Texas.

HEAT #3:
1. (2) 78 Kamron Campbell, Breaux, La.
2. (3) 3j Kevin DuPont, Carencro, La.
3. (4) 24b Brent Broussard, Carencro, La.
4. (8) 9b Danny Hebert, Duson, La.
5. (1) 48p John Paul Talkington, Denham Springs, La.
6. (9) 211 Chad Fitzgerald, Baytown, Texas.
7. (6) 148 Tommy Moore, Conroe, Texas.
8. (5) 46 Randy Bridges, Marvel, Texas.
9. (7) X Jerry Dugas, Denham Springs, La.

HEAT #4:
1. (4) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
2. (7) 33 Bobby Fehring, Mountain View, Texas..
3. (8) 17 Frankie Rash, Houston, Texas.
4. (6) 24 Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
5. (9) 21 Paul White, Temple, Texas.
6. (3) 188 Derek Rashall, Dayton, Texas.
7. (2) 25 Brian Brooks, Inez, Texas.
8. (5) 147 G.W. Hessong, Edna, Texas.
9. (1) 13md Brandon Buhler, Livingston, La.

B MAIN:
1. (5) 90 Dustin Butcher, Corpus Christi, Texas.
2. (3) 211 Chad Fitzgerald, Baytown, Texas.
3. (11) 46 Randy Bridges, Marvel, Texas.
4. (1) 11jr Johnny Brown, Lumberton, Texas.
5. (10) 44 Neal Manchester, Spring, Texas.
6. (2) 260 Erik Thorne, Baytown, Texas.
7. (7) 148 Tommy Moore, Conroe, Texas.
8. (8) 25 Brian Brooks, Inez, Texas.
9. (12) 147 G.W. Hessong, Edna, Texas.
10. (16) 13md Brandon Buhler, Livingston, La.
11. (13) R69 Roy January, Port Lavaca, Texas.
12. (14) 123 Kenneth Montgomery, Huntsville, Texas.
13. (15) X Jerry Dugas, Denham Springs, La.
14. (4) 188 Derek Rashall, Dayton, Texas..
15. (6) 27 Randy Lewis, Huble, Texas.
16. (9) 99 Donald Hebert, Scott, La.

A MAIN:
1. (3) 64 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas, $700.
2. (4) 12m Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, $400.
3. (7) 3j Kevin DuPont, Carencro, La., $300.
4. (1) 17 Frankie Rash, Houston, Texas, $200.
5. (10) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., $170.
6. (5) 1b Grant Brown, Silsbee, Texas, $140.
7. (12) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, $120.
8. (20) 21 Paul White, Temple, Texas, $100.
9. (8) 33 Bobby Fehring, Mountain View, Texas, $90.
10. (15) 9b Danny Hebert, Duson, La., $80.
11. (2) 24b Brent Broussard, Carencro, La., $75.
12. (16) 24 Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, $70.
13. (22) 211 Chad Fitzgerald, Baytown, Texas, $65.
14. (19) 48p John Paul Talkington, Denham Springs, La., $60.
15. (11) 94 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas, $60.
16. (13) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas, $60.
17. (23) 46 Randy Bridges, Marvel, Texas, $60.
18. (14) 29 Mike Walling, Crosby, Texas, $60.
19. (17) 84 Stacy Tyler, Crosby, Texas, $60.
20. (6) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., $60.
21. (18) 26g J.J. Jennings, Corpus Christi, Texas, $60.
22. (24) 11jr Johnny Brown, Lumberton, Texas, $60.
23. (9) 78 Kamron Campbell, Breaux, La., $60.
24. (21) 90 Dustin Butcher, Corpus Christi, Texas, $60

“The management team at Houston Raceway Park is second to no one in the motorsports business and they know how to put on one heck of a show for our racers, sponsors, and fans,” said Todd Staley, USMTS president and race director. “We can’t wait to kick the season off their February 18-20th.”

“The USMTS has clearly established itself as a motorsports property every Speedway should have and we are grateful they continue to choose Houston Raceway Park year after year,” said Seth Angel, HRP general manager.” “I encourage all of our race fans to mark their calendars for these two must see events.”

The Speedway at Houston Raceway Park is one of the fastest 1/4 mile high-banked dirt ovals in Southeast Texas. The facility was constructed in the year 2000 and has a main grand stand seating capacity of 7,500, includes 14 VIP Luxury Suites, and boosts a state of-the-art Musco Lighting system for TV quality productions.

Houston Raceway Park is located 25 miles east of downtown Houston off Interstate-10. Take Exit #799 (SH 99 Grand Parkway) and go South to FM 565 (1st exit). Take a right at FM 565 and Houston Raceway Park is located on your right side. The Speedway entrance is located at Gate 3.

For more information about Houston Raceway Park or to purchase event tickets visit their official website at www.houstonraceway.com.

With many returning events as well as exciting new venues, 30 dates are currently reserved at 14 top-notch dirt track facilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

The season will start with some unfinished business from the 2009 season with the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18-20. Due to snow and bitter cold in the Houston area during the first weekend in December, the remaining two nights of the event were canceled after the completion of Thursday night’s action. The event was postponed to become the kick-off event for the 2010 season and a true winter-time tilt.

One month later, action moves north into the Sooner State at the Outlaw Motor Speedway near Muskogee, Okla., on Friday, March 19, and the West Siloam Speedway in West Siloam Springs, Okla., on Saturday, March 20. This will be the first visit to the Outlaw Motor Speedway since a two-race weekend on May 8-9, 2003., that saw Jason Hughes and Tommy Myer walk away victorious. Both events are expected to attract a powerful field of entries as both USMTS National Tour and USMTS Southern Series points will be awarded.

A return trip into the Lone Star State happens on Friday, April 16, when the USMTS Southern Series heads to the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, then onto the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Saturday, April 17, and the 105 Speedway in Cleveland on Sunday, April 18.

The stars and cars of the USMTS Southern Series head for the Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Miss., on Friday, April 30, with an accompanying $2,000-to-win event at a venue to be determined soon.

Grand Prairie Speedway in Grand Prairie, Texas, will welcome the touring titans for the first time ever on Friday, May 7, to kick off a tripleheader weekend in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Saturday, May 8, is set for a return trip to the Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas, followed by the third $2,000-to-win event of the weekend at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway near Waco on Sunday, May 9.

The 3rd Annual Southern Speedweek kicks off on Thursday, June 10, at the Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. Friday’s venue is yet to be announced, but Saturday, June 12, will feature a return to the Texarkana 67 Speedway in Texarkana, Ark. The week wraps up at Gene Boyter’s Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., on Sunday, June 13. More than $60,000 in prize money will be up for grabs during the four-race swing, with a possible $8,000 to win.

At this point, the top-10 drivers in USMTS Southern Series points, along with all other drivers that have perfect attendance at USMTS Southern Series through June 13, will be qualified to compete in the Hunt for the USMTS National Championship, which begins Aug. 13 in Humboldt, Kan., and ends at the 12th Annual Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

After a summer break, the action heats back up again with three events in and around the Houston area in October. The Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont hosts their second USMTS Southern Series event of the season on Friday, Oct. 8, as does the 105 Speedway in Cleveland on Sunday, Oct. 10. The weekend’s third $2,000-to-win show will be sandwiched between these two at a location to be determined.

The Gator Motorplex in Willis hosts the USMTS Southern Series for a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-23, with $2,000 to win on Friday and a top prize of $3,000 up for grabs on Saturday night.
Last month, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver Sam Hafertepe Jr. competed in his first USMTS-sanctioned event at the Houston Raceway Park, leading several laps early in the main event. In 2010 the USMTS Southern Series invades his family’s half-mile oval in Kilgore, Texas, for the inaugural event at the Lonestar Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30, with a possible $5,000 to win over the two action-packed nights.

The 2010 season will wrap up back where it started with the 4th Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. The three-day show on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-20, will feature a possible $9,000 to win over the three nights. Thursday’s show will be worth $2,000 to the winner, while Friday’s main event carries a $3,000 top prize and Saturday’s winner takes home $4,000.

The Houston Raceway Park finale will also serve as the setting for the crowning of the 2010 USMTS Southern Series champion.

USMTS SOUTHERN SERIES 2010 SCHEDULE
Thu Feb 18 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Feb 19 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3000 to win)
Sat Feb 20 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($5000 to win)
Fri Mar 19 Outlaw Motor Speedway, Muskogee, OK ($2000 to win)
Sat Mar 20 West Siloam Speedway, West Siloam Springs, OK ($2000 to win)
Fri Apr 16 Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Apr 17 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2000 to win)
Sun Apr 18 105 Motor Speedway, Cleveland, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Apr 30 Greenville Speedway, Greenville, MS ($2000 to win)
Sat May 1 TBA
Fri May 7 Grand Prairie Speedway, Grand Prairie, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat May 8 Cowtown Speedway, Kennedale, TX ($2000 to win)
Sun May 9 Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Waco, TX ($2000 to win)
Thu Jun 10 Tri-State Speedway, Pocola, OK ($2000 to win)
Fri Jun 11 TBA
Sat Jun 12 Texarkana 67 Speedway, Texarkana, AR ($2000 to win)
Sun Jun 13 Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Vivian, LA ($2000 to win)
Fri Oct 8 Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 9 TBA
Sun Oct 10 105 Motor Speedway, Cleveland, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Oct 22 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 23 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($3000 to win)
Fri Oct 29 Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 30 Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, TX ($3000 to win)
Thu Nov 11 TBA
Fri Nov 12 TBA
Sat Nov 13 TBA
Thu Nov 18 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Nov 19 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3000 to win)
Sat Nov 20 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($4000 to win)

Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla. was the most dominant USMTS Southern Series driver in 2009, and he capped off a personal-best record-setting season with his second straight title. Hughes garnered 10 USMTS Southern Series wins during the season plus an additional nine wins in the USMTS National Tour.

Nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock finished second behind Hughes in the standings. Shryock was the first USMTS Southern Series champion in 2007.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Dirthead.com.
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Racewear, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, COMP Cams, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, PBM Performance Products, Sunoco Race Fuels.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Diamond Oil Company, Farm Boy BBQ, Gressel Oil Field Service, Just Say Yes, Ramirez Race Cars, Lone Star Super Gas, Olympic Fire Protection, Ruter Farms, WatchModsLive.com, Yeager Machine.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, SuperFlow, US Brake.

Hebert, who started fourth, passed polesitter Derek Ross early in the contest, then sailed to the $500 victory in the first of three events comprising the tripleheader weekend at the 3/8-mile clay oval.

A pair of Lone Star State veterans waged a great battle throughout the 20-lap feature race with Howard Willis holding off Paul White for the runner-up spot.

Tom Hameka finished fourth and Phil Dixon was fifth. Sixth through tenth, respectively, went to Dean Hollier, Glen Grant, William Sellier, Randy Bridges and Brian Eddins.

UPDATE: Due to snow falling in the Houston area on Friday morning, the event slated for Friday night has been canceled and turns the weekend tripleheader into a doubleheader.

Action continues on Saturday with $1,500 earmarked for the winner of Saturday’s main event.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m. on Saturday, grandstands open at 4 and the first heat race hits the track at 6 p.m. Hot laps will begin approximately one half-hour before race time.

The Houston Raceway Park is a state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SR 99 (Grand Parkway), then 0.3 mile west on FM 565. Speedway entrance located at Gate 3. For more information, call the track office at 281-383-RACE or visit www.houstonraceway.com online.

Free grandstand tickets for Friday and Saturday night are available at Marshall Mobile Homes in Marshall, Day Motorsports in Tyler and at dozens of O’Reilly Auto Parts locations throughout Texas and Louisiana.

For more information about the United States Racing Association (USRA), call 515-832-6000 or visit www.usraracing.com online.

RESULTS

OFFICIAL RESULTS
American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series
3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals presented by Express Race Cars
Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas
Thursday, December 3, 2009

USRA SOUTHERN LIMITED MODIFIEDS

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses.

QUICKTIME PERFORMANCE RACE PARTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):1. 9 – Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (3)
2. 69r – Derick Grigsby — Marshall, TX (1)
3. 3 – Glen Grant — Houston, TX (2)
4. 33 – Bobby Fehring — Mt. View, TX (5)
5. 14 – Tom Hameka — Dickson, TX (6)
6. 88 – R.J. Stroman — New Boston, TX (8)
7. 22x – Ronald Pilkington — Marshall, TX (7)
8. 420 – Eric Cegielski — Houston, TX (9)
9. 4 – William Sellier — Richmond, TX (10)
10. 90 – Casey Harten — Baytown, TX (4)

AMERICAN RACER HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):1. 4e – Travis Evans — Bullard, TX (3)
2. 461 – Howard Willis — Crosby, TX (8)
3. 2 – Kevin Sellers — Dayton, TX (4)
4. 211 – Dean Hollier — Groves, TX (6)
5. 12 – Brian Eddins — New Caney, TX (7)
6. 260 – Erik Thorne — Baytown, TX (10)
7. 188 – Derek Rashall — Dayton, TX (1)
8. 22 – Darrell Thompson — Ada, OK (5)
9. 29 – Mike Walling — Baytown, TX (2)
10. 19h – Joel Hueske — Brenham, TX (9)

KEVKO OIL PANS & COMPONENTS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 216 – Paul White — Temple, TX (6)
2. 38 – Edward Fowler — Dayton, TX (1)
3. A1 – Phil Dixon — Crosby, TX (2)
4. 6v – Cody Harger — West Monroe, LA (9)
5. 39 – John Matt — Crosby, TX (3)
6. 46 – Randy Bridges — Rosharon, TX (4)
7. 25 – Brian Brooks — Inez, TX (5)
8. 31t – Tyler King — Port Neches, TX (8)
9. 61 – Brandon Buhler — Livingston, LA (7)
10. 84 – Scott Maust — Alvin, TX (10)

MARSH RACING WHEELS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 24 – Derek Ross — Crosby, TX (2)
2. 9w – John O Whittington — Vidor, TX (4)
3. 93 – Mark Greiner — Crosby, TX (3)
4. 46t – Tom Earl — Midlothian, TX (9)
5. 63 – Shane Hoefling — Meyersville, TX (1)
6. 19 – Kevin Sitton — Baytown, TX (8)
7. 47 – James Myers — Corpus Christi, TX (6)
8. 17m – Jesse McNorton — Spring, TX (7)
9. 5p – Brian Poulter — Cleveland, TX (10)
10. 65f – Shannon Fox — Pasadena, TX (5)

REAL RACING WHEELS ‘B’ MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 4 advance):
1. 4 – William Sellier — Richmond, TX (7)
2. 46 – Randy Bridges — Rosharon, TX (2)
3. 420 – Eric Cegielski — Houston, TX (5)
4. 31t – Tyler King — Port Neches, TX (6)
5. 88 – R.J. Stroman — New Boston, TX (1)
6. 22x – Ronald Pilkington — Marshall, TX (3)
7. 61 – Brandon Buhler — Livingston, LA (8)
8. 84 – Scott Maust — Alvin, TX (10)
9. 25 – Brian Brooks — Inez, TX (4)
10. 90 – Casey Harten — Baytown, TX (9)

REAL RACING WHEELS ‘B’ MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 4 advance):
1. 19h – Joel Hueske — Brenham, TX (9)
2. 47 – James Myers — Corpus Christi, TX (4)
3. 29 – Mike Walling — Baytown, TX (7)
4. 17m – Jesse McNorton — Spring, TX (6)
5. 5p – Brian Poulter — Cleveland, TX (8)
6. 260 – Erik Thorne — Baytown, TX (1)
7. 19 – Kevin Sitton — Baytown, TX (2)
8. 188 – Derek Rashall — Dayton, TX (3)
9. 22 – Darrell Thompson — Ada, OK (5)
10. 65f – Shannon Fox — Pasadena, TX (10)

EXPRESSRACECARS.COM ‘A’ MAIN (20 laps):
1. 9 – Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (4)
2. 461 – Howard Willis — Crosby, TX (5)
3. 216 – Paul White — Temple, TX (3)
4. 14 – Tom Hameka — Dickson, TX (17)
5. A1 – Phil Dixon — Crosby, TX (11)
6. 211 – Dean Hollier — Groves, TX (14)
7. 3 – Glen Grant — Houston, TX (9)
8. 4 – William Sellier — Richmond, TX (21)
9. 46 – Randy Bridges — Rosharon, TX (23)
10. 12 – Brian Eddins — New Caney, TX (18)
11. 93 – Mark Greiner — Crosby, TX (12)
12. 38 – Edward Fowler — Dayton, TX (7)
13. 24 – Derek Ross — Crosby, TX (1)
14. 2 – Kevin Sellers — Dayton, TX (10)
15. 19h – Joel Hueske — Brenham, TX (22)
16. 46t – Tom Earl — Midlothian, TX (16)
17. 6v – Cody Harger — West Monroe, LA (15)
18. 33 – Bobby Fehring — Mt. View, TX (13)
19. 63 – Shane Hoefling — Meyersville, TX (20)
20. 9w – John O Whittington — Vidor, TX (6)
21. 47 – James Myers — Corpus Christi, TX (24)
22. 39 – John Matt — Crosby, TX (19)
23. 69r – Derick Grigsby — Marshall, TX (8)
24. 4e – Travis Evans — Bullard, TX (2)

Edna, Tx., For the second race of the South Texas Modified Championship Series, drivers had to contend with the tricky 1/4 mile semi-banked paper-clip shaped track in Edna. After the first series race at Corpus’ South Texas Speedway, Danny Brown led the Modified points chasers into the night’s action at Texana Raceway Park.

Due to some issues on differing tires, only the Modifieds were competing for series points, though the limited Modifieds had an addition increase in purse. Both the Modified classes would be running for $1,000 to win. The local Super Stocks, Hot Stock Trucks, Bombers and Mini Stocks were also scheduled for action.

White Double Dips Again

Earlier in the season Temple’s Paul White held a stranglehold almost wherever he raced. White, the former USAC Silver Crown Champion, scored double feature wins at Battleground Speedway, Houston Raceway Park and dominated Texana Raceway Park to the point that track owner, Bruce Tesch put a bounty out on him in both the Modified and Limited Modified classes. The bounties brought out stiff competition and were both finally claimed.

White, who didn’t race in round one of the STMCS, flexed his muscle once again taking a double dip win, though neither came easy.
In the Limited Modifieds White chased race-long leader Shane Hoefling until the final lap when he snuck by on the high side, leading the last ten feet and winning by about three feet.
White, who lead wire to wire in the Modified feature, was challenged throughout the event by Steve Whiteaker jr. who was still riding his high after scoring his first USMTS victory the previous week. This time White hugged the bottom, while Whiteaker kept trying to charge by up top. Whiteaker got along side White after a late race restart, but the veteran was able to hold off the young gun for the win.

As the 17-car, (scheduled)20-lap Modified A-main roared to life, the two heat winners charged towards turn 1, with White getting in first. Whiteaker held second, with series points leader Danny Brown, Dale Flanagan and Lawrence Mikulencak filling out the top five. Art Rodriguez saw his night end early when he expired a motor on lap 2. Vince Kacir, who had nowhere to go, tagged A. Rodriguez before spinning in turn 2.
On the restart, Whiteaker tried the high side, but White held steady on the bottom while Mikulencak got fourth from Flanagan. Mikulencak was just looking under Brown for third when Wesley Anderson spun in turn 3 to bring out the yellow. Once back to green, Whiteaker chose the top again and would get along side White in the corners. White would power off the corners better on the bottom to hold the lead.
As the battle up front calmed, Jesse Manning was pressuring Flanagan for fifth. James Jennings brought out a yellow on lap 8 when he spun in turn 2. Whiteaker again jumped up top on the restart, but White continued to pull him off the bottom. Coming to the crossed flags it was White, Whiteaker, Brown, Mikulencak and Flanagan, who was still being hounded by Manning. Whiteaker tried changing his line trying to run with White on the bottom, but after losing a little ground went back up top.
Chris Carroll and Foster Ellison had separate spins in turns 1 and 2 to bing out the yellow on lap 14. Whiteaker tried the high side power move one more time to no avail as White held the point. Jeremy Davenport and Jason Borlace spun on lap 16 bringing out a yellow. After one aborted attempt at green, Carroll spun on the next restart.
This gave Whiteaker one final shot at White for the win. Whiteaker sailed it into turn 1 on the top and got along side White. White again was able to find bite on the bottom and inch out from Whiteaker coming out of turn 2. Whiteaker tried to drive it in harder in turn 3, but White still held the point. As the white flag waved, White was still cat-fishing the low side, with Whiteaker high. At the checkers it was White by a car length in the Bridwell Motorsports, Engines by Adan & Jeff, Dust Devil chassis taking the victory.
Brown’s third place finish was enough for him to hang on to the series points lead. Mikulencak took over second from Manning, with Whiteaker, unofficially taking over fourth in points.

“I could hear him(Steve Whiteaker) out there and saw him the turns a couple times.” commented White. “But I really didn’t feel that it made any difference as long as I didn’t mess up on my entrance and getting through the middle. As long as I hit my spots there was no way, no matter who it was, anyone was going to pass me.”
“After the bigger motors got on the track it polished the off on top. I felt after I came in from the Limited Modified feature that we needed to put all the bite in it we could to get it off the turns and not worry about blasting around the top. I didn’t think anybody had anything for me if I didn’t mess up on the bottom. That’s just what we elected to go with and it paid off.”
“When we had those cautions, and we had a few tonight, I’d try to buzz it on the top. Since there was a little up there with my Limited, I thought that’s how he was making it work. I felt that if I didn’t miss my marks, here was rally no way he as going to pass me up there.”
“I think Bruce(Tesch) needs to pay me the extra money on this bounty deal. That bounty thing kind of marks you, but it’s a lot of fun. I think it brought some more cars and made everyone try a little harder. It made it exciting for everybody.”

Modifieds

2w Paul White
89 Steve Whiteaker jr.
55 Danny Brown
87 Lawrence Mikulencak
57 Dale Flanagan
82 Josh Majek
76 Jesse Manning
74 Max Helms
96 Foster Ellison
125 Jason Borlace
95 Jeremy Davenport
12 Rolie Rodriguez
15 Chris Carroll
55x Wesley Anderson
16 James Jennings
22 Art Rodriguez
155 Vince Kacir

Modified heat winners, 2W Paul White, 89 Steve Whiteaker jr

Polesitter Victor Lindsey beat Hoefling into turn 1 at the start of the 15-car, 20-lap Limited Modified main. Lindsey slipped up in turn 2 with Hoefling getting by to lead lap 1, and White getting past Lindsey for second. White had just gotten along side Hoefling when Lindsey bounced off Bill Pittaway and spun collecting Mickey Helms. On he restart the top three got away clean, but Helms was quickly on Pittaway challenging for third, taking the spot on lap 4.

White was turning up the heat on Hoefling on lap 6, while Vince Louden got past Pittaway for fourth. White tried the high side of Hoefling and got to the door post, but Hoefling held on. White continued to work the top but Hoefling held tough on the low side. White then changed his line and stuck the nose under Hoefling coming out of turn 2. Hoefling squeezed him off and White went back to the top.

White was able to sneak the nose by on lap 9, but Hoefling quickly reestablished the position coming to halfway with the lead back. White, Helms, Louden and Pittaway rounded out the top five. Kevin Parker spun on lap 10 almost catching up White, but all continued on without caution. The lead duo caught traffic on lap 11, giving Hoefling the edge by three car lengths.

By lap 15, Hoefling was inching ahead even further holding a five-car advantage. The cagey veteran White was just cooling the tires and began his late race charge. With two to go, White had cut the lead in half and as the white flag waved, White made his move. White dove hard into turn 1 on the bottom getting to Hoefling’s bumper.

White then went up top in turns 3-4 with the two coming out wheel to wheel. White got the bumper out front with ten feet to go, eking out the hard earned win by about three feet in the Bridwell Motorsports, Engines by Adan & Jeff, Dust Devil chassis. Lost in the action up front was Derrick Flora working his way from dead last to fifth at the checkers.

“I tried that move a couple of times earlier,” replied White. “When I got the right run on him we were in lapped traffic and that messed it up. I set that up a whole lap before and made sure I had all the ground to make it up. I got up under him a little and he blocked me down so I went outside as quick as I could to have a nice entry into turn 3. That’s really what made it work. It gave me enough momentum to get through the middle.”
I watched him a bit running back there and he slipped a couple times. The right rear kept stepping out on him. I thought if I sat back a little, cooled my tires I could get back up there at the end.”

“It was driver error,” exclaimed Hoefling. “When Paul White is on your tail, you don’t make a driver error. I slipped up a little bit and he got around me on the top side. I knew he was there. I saw him in turns 1-2 on the last lap and again in turns 3-4.”
“As for the tire issue, I’ll run whatever they let me run. I think we should just have one tire. It doesn’t matter which one. Personally I like the American Racer’s because they’re about $60 a set cheaper. I race at several different tracks, and try to make the USMTS Limited Modified races if they’re close. I race to have fun, because I enjoy it.”

Limited Modifieds

216 Paul White
63 Shane Hoefling
175 Mickey Helms
6 Vince Louden
00 Derrick Flora
37 Bill Pittaway
34 Michael Walker
27 Johnny Lewellan
888 Aaron Lunsford
10D Don Painter
15 Andy Van Blarcum
04 Jacob Burnett
7K Kevin Parker
47m Ruben Montez
21 Victor Lindsey

Limited Modified heat winners, 21 Victor Lindsay, 63 Shane Hoefling

The Super Stock feature was for the most past over at the drop of the green when Randy Stephenson got out front. Sonny Hammond then battled his way past GW Hessong for second. Up front Stephenson was able to pull away as the four car field strung out. Lucky Gilbert, wasn’t so lucky as his car trouble and fell out. Stephenson cruised on for the relatively easy victory.

Super Stocks
83 Randy Stephenson
67 Sonny Hammond
47 GW Hessong
36 Lucky Gilbert
70 Mike Davenport—DNS

Super Stock heat winner, 83 Randy Stephenson

Perennial favorite, Bob Ort got the early lead of the Hot Stock Truck feature, while Russell Bloom tried to push Greg Turner forward. Justin Bloom took advantage of that battle sneaking by both to second. Ort slid too high on lap 3 giving J. Bloom a look down low, cutting in front of R. Bloom. The top three pulled way from Gordon Boehm who held a big advantage over Lary Paris and Turner.

J. Bloom kept the pressure on Ort until he got loose off turn four falling back to R. Bloom. A spin by Paris on lap 8 rebunched the field an erased Ort’s margin. R. Bloom got a good run on the the outside getting the lead on lap 11, but Ort battled back with the two side by side until R. Bloom spun in turn 2 loosing spots to J. Bloom, Turner and Paris.

Ort now held a good margin over Turner, Paris and J. Bloom, with J. Bloom retaking third on lap 13. J. Bloom then began to fight with Turner for second while R. Bloom worked his way back to fifth getting around Boehm. As J. Bloom and Turner battled Ort ran off to win by a huge margin.

Hot Stock Trucks

43 Bob Ort

13 Greg Turner

4 Justin Bloom

8 Lary Paris

55 Russell Bloom

15 Gordon Boehm

39 Nathan Kildair

Hot Stock Truck heat winner, 43 Bob Ort

Brian King beat Chris Shafer to turn 1 for lead of the 20-lap Bomber feature. Shafer fell in line second with Nic Priem, David McBride and Randy Kacir in tow. Shafer wasted little time asserting himself getting the top spot on lap 3, with Priem trying to follow through. Jason Fox brought out the yellow on lap 5 with a spin and a flat in urn 2. Back to green, King and Priem were door to door for second, while Adam Perks got by Janet Perks and Kacir for fifth, after starting at the back.

Kacir and J. Perks made contact on lap 6 out of turn 2, then again in turn 4 before J. Perks spun with a flat, just as King was looking inside Shafer for the lead. Shafer got away clean on he restart, leaving King and Priem side by side again for second. After trying high, Priem then looked on bottom, but King held him off. The top three finally sorted out and it looked like Shafer would easily take the win. But nothing is ever easy in racing. On the final lap Shafer lost a tire/wheel in turns 3-4 but he had enough power and a large enough gap to limp across the line for the win on three wheels.

Bombers

77 Chris Shafer

31 Brian King

71 Nic Priem

33 Adam Perks

76 Gary Wright

58 James Hoss

81 Aaron Ivory

26 David McBride

36 Randy Kacir

12 Janet Perks

21x Jason Fox

01 GW Hessong

Bomber heat winners, 31 Brian King, 77 Chris Shafer

Jason Bloom and Zack Tesch put on a show throughout the Mini Stock feature as the duo swapped the lead from flag to flag. Tesch got the jump on green, but Bloom got back along side on lap 1. Bloom was able to lead back to the line on lap 2, when Ashley Perks and Garrett Hayes tangled with the front stretch wall. On the restart Travis Manning spun and collected Sarah Konvicka. Once back under green, Lauren Chamberlain got past Chase Sanchez for third, while Manning and Roger Churan made contact sending Churan bouncing off the back stretch wall.

Up front Tesch got back by Bloom to lead lap 4, with Chamberlain and Sanchez getting together, but Sanchez backed off allowing Chamberlain to continue. Bloom then got outside Tesch wrestling the lead back on lap 7. Tesch battled back retaking the point on lap 8. Churan spun on lap 8 in turn 4 slowing the action. Tesch got away on the restart, but Bloom quickly ran him back down. Coming to the white flag Tesch got loose coming off turn 4, giving Bloom the opening to get back to the lead on lap 11. Tesch’s troubles continued with Chamberlain getting second as Bloom was taking the checkers.

Mini Stock

49 Jason Bloom

55 Lauren Chamberlain

72 Zack Tesch

63 Chase Sanchez

76 Travis Manning

14 Roger Churan

12 Ashley Perks

24 Sarah Konvicka

9 Garrett Hayes

Mini Stock heat winner, 49 Jason Bloom

Corpus Christi, Tx.,(May 23rd, 2009) Despite threatening weather and a brief down pour just before the heat races, Corpus’ South Texas Speedway kicked off the big Memorial Day weekend doubleheader Saturday night on the semi-banked 1/4 mile dirt oval. Headlining the regular weekly program, sponsored tonight by Tecate Light, were the Outlaw Modifieds, along with the Limited Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Pure Stocks, Bombers and Go-Karts as nearly 100 Stock Cars and 40 Go-Karts signed in for the night’s action.

Sunday’s program caps off the weekend with the Steve Tomlinson Memorial race featuring $1,000 to win for the Topless Outlaw Modifieds and Topless Limited Modifieds. The special race, a tribute to Tomlinson who took his final checkered flag at the track in 2006. Also on Sunday’s racing card are the Pure Stocks, Bombers and Go-Karts.

Mikulencak out-muscles field for Modified main win
Hometown veteran, Lawrence Mikulencak used patience and persistence in capturing the Outlaw 25-lap main event. Mikulencak took the point early but surrendered it to Adan Arambula throughout the middle stages. The crafty ace retook the top spot after a late race restart and stretched out his lead over the final laps on his way to the checkers.

As green waved on the 17-car field Arambula was first into turn 1, but it was Mikulencak on the high side taking the lead out of turn 2 getting out front. Arambula fought back hard and got inside Mikulencak. The two were wheel to wheel with Arambula inching ahead to lead lap 3. Steve Whiteaker jr. then began to put pressure on Mikulencak, while Nick Hardcastle and David Schury rounded out the top five.

Doug Cameron brought out the yellow on lap 4 when he rolled to a stop in turn 4. Once back to green, Mikulencak held off a charge from Whiteaker jr. and got a run on Arambula for the lead. A slip by Mikulencak in turn 2 was all Whiteaker jr. needed to get by for second on lap 6. In the pack, Darin Leonard was dueling side by side with Eddy Ross for sixth, with Leonard getting the spot on lap 7.

Coming to the crossed flags it was Arambula, Whiteaker jr. Mikulencak, Hardcastle and Schury still holding the top five spots. Whiteaker jr. was challenging Arambula as the top thee pulled away from Hardcastle. The lead group came up on the back of the pack, with Whiteaker jr. trying the high side of Arambula. As they made their way around Bill Pittaway, Whiteaker jr. made contact sending Pittaway spinning and collecting Hardcastle, and himself to the tail.

On the restart, Mikulencak tried high on Arambula in turn 1, then dove low out of turn 2. Mikulencak got along side Arambula on lap 8, while Leonard was trying Schury low for third. Mikulencak got by Arambula retaking the lead on lap 19. Whiteaker jr. and Ken Hobbs tangled on lap 20 to bring out the caution. Arambula took a peek inside Mikulencak as green waved again, with Josh Majek getting by Leonard for fourth.

Yellow was out again quickly on lap 21 when Steve Whiteaker sr. spun in turn 1 collecting Bruce Barber and Neal Flanagan. On the restart Barber would loop it with N. Flanagan and Hobbs spinning behind him. Finally back under green, Mikulencak got a good jump on Arambula, with Leonard trying to get fourth back from Majek. In the waning laps Mikulencak in the Ace Transmisions, Young’s Auto Repair, Young’s Automotive Race Engines, homemade “Frankenstein” chassis motored away to the victory, adding another trophy to his case.

“I think the track finally slowed down” replied Mikulencak. “I didn’t drop off as much as some of the other cars. The car was pretty good so we didn’t have to make a whole lot of changes between the heats, on a heavy track, and the feature on a drier track. You can’t do anything about it once the race starts so you hope you’ve got it right at the beginning.”

“Even as a teammate I don’t race Adan(Arambula) any different. We both try to race to win. I think my car came on at the and and his started falling off. It looked like during the first part of that race that he had us covered. I tried the high side there for a while, but once I got the lead I went back to the bottom. On the top I was turning this motor more than I wanted to. This is one of those IMCA bullets,” added Mikulencak jokingly.

“I hope the track dries out even more tomorrow. I wished we started racing earlier and the track would get dry, and slick, and slow.”

Outlaw Modifieds
87 Lawrence Mikulencak
1A Adan Arambula
38 David Schury
82 Josh Majek
26 Darin Leonard
35 Eddy Ross
89 Steve Whiteaker jr
44 Joey Heinaman
57 Neal Flanagan
15 Chris Carroll
13 Ken Hobbs
17b Bruce Barber
88 Steve Whiteaker sr
94 Nick Hardcastle
37 Bill Pittaway
55 Danny Brown
721 Doug Cameron
58 Rowdy Flanagan–DNS

Outlaw Modified heat winners, 26 Darin Leonard, Lawrence Mikulencak

Jennings takes Limited Modified joust
One of the Corpus young guns, JJ Jennings showed the Limited Modified field nothing but his rear bumper in the 20-lap feature. Jennings led from flag to flag, surviving three initial starts and three restarts on his way to the win over the stacked 23-car field.

On the first try at a start, Jennings got out quickly with Bill Pittaway, Steve Grantz and Lawrence Mikulencak three wide for second. In the middle of the pack, James Starry and Dwayne Norvell ended up in the infield bringing out the yellow. Again as green waved, Jennings got the jump on Pittaway, with three wide in the pack. Dustin Butcher got turned and collected Monte Nichols III, with Ken Hobbs spinning to miss the two.

Jennings repeated his jump on the field as the third time was the charm. Yellow was quickly back out on lap 1 as a multi-car tangle in turns 1-2 brought the action to halt again. Finally under some green flag racing, Jennings headed the pack, with Pittaway, Mikulencak, Michael Walker and Grantz in tow. As Jennings inched away, Mikulencak put some heat on Pittaway for second, while Norvell got by Grantz for fifth.

Grantz lost another spot on lap 3 giving up sixth to James Myers. Walker was now pressuring Mikulencak for third grabbing the spot on lap 5. Thomas Rye brought the yellow with a spin in turn 2. On the restart, Walker made his pass on Mikulencak stick in the fight for third. Brian Rye got turned he wrong direction on lap 6, with James Lee and Bill Stephens going around as well.

On the restart Walker got inside Pittaway for second, taking the spot, as Jennings built a quick advantage. Coming to halfway it was Jennings, Walker, Mikulencak, Pittaway and Norvell rounding out the top five. Pittaway was trying to grab third back from Mikulencak on lap 12. With five to go, Jennings was increasing his margin over Walker who held a gap back to Mikulencak, Pittaway and Norvell’s battle for third.

Pittaway got inside Mikulencak on lap 16, and using a lapped car as a pick, retook the third position. As the white flag waved, Jennings held an eight car advantage over Walker and was able to hold that margin taking the checkers in the G&M Oilfield Services, Bud Light, Ross Stafford, Olsen Race Engines, Rush Chassis.

“We really didn’t change anything tonight,” said Jennings. “We really thought the track was going to be the same in the heats and feature. It sure dried up, more than that I thought it would, so we left it alone. It’s all about the draw here. We got lucky and drew the #2 for the feature. If you’re in the top 6 you have a good chance, if you start further back, it’s going to be a tough time with all these cars. It’s tough to win in this class anytime.”

“It’s all about staying of trouble. With these cars being so equal it’s tough to win. Every week you try to stay on top of the game. We haven’t changed anything on the car all year except, tires and oil. These are even old tires we have on.”

“We’ve run a couple other tracks this year, Edna(Texana Raceway Park) and Goliad(Shady Oaks Speedway). We don’t go to Pleasanton(I-37 Raceway) because we don’t have the right headers for IMCA. We’ll try to do some big year end shows, but will have to get some different tires. They run American Racers and all we have is the Hoosiers. I don’t want to run these against them, it isn’t even close. We’ll probably go back to Edna and hope to make Battleground Speedway and Baytown(Houston Raceway Park).

Limited Modifieds
26g JJ Jennings
34 Michael Walker
37 Bill Pittaway
87 Lawrence Mikulencak
20/22 Dwayne Norvell
47 James Myers
74 James Starry
83 Monte Nichols III
4R Brian Rye
56 James Lee
5R Carl Reusser
1C Keith Cockrell
T5 Ricky Long
0 Thomas Rye
44 Gene Hyde
13 Bill Stephens
10 Travis Penny
21g Steve Grantz
2 Robbie Adams
4$ Chris Rye
75 Flint Brown
115 Chuck Perry
90 Dustin Butcher
21 EJ Gilpin—DNS
8 Ken Hobbs—DNS
16 Eric Madden—DNS

Limited Modified heat winners, 34 Michael Walker, 26g JJ Jennings, 21g Steve Grantz

The 15-lap Limited Late Model feature saw Mark Gavlik get the lead into turn 1, with teammate Leo Hinojosa, Tom Carlisle, Barry Major and Andy Anderson in pursuit. Major spun on lap 2 in turn 1 giving up his top five spot. Gavlik and Hinojosa pulled away from Carlisle on the restart, while Joby Palsey got by Anderson for fourth.

By halfway the field had spread out, but the leaders were running up on the back of the pack. Hinojosa closed to Gavlik’s rear bumper, but Gavlik got through the slower cars with a big lead. Palsy caught Carlisle as they hit the slower pack going three wide around a lapped car before Palsey spun and collected Jerry Neal. Hinojosa took his best shot on the restart, but Gavlik in the All American Car Wash, Clear Vision Windshield, Valvoline Express Care, Quality Power Wash sponsored car held on for the win.

Limited Late Model

07 Mark Gavlik
7 Leo Hinojosa
28 Tom Carlisle
86 Andy Anderson
33 Barry Major
70 Joby Palsey
20 Michael Stastney
4R Jimmy Ragan
50 Jerry Neal
23 Dwayne Witzsche–DNS

Limited Late Model heat winner, 7 Leo Hinojosa

As green waved on the 20-lap Pure Stock feature, heat winners Paul Vogt and Curtis King stayed side by side for the lead. King was able to get the bumper ahead on lap 1, but Vogt got the advantage on lap 2. King crossed over to the bottom and got under Vogt to wrestle the lead back on lap 3. Behind the lead duo were Hector Aguirre, James Park jr and Miguel Mendoza. As Park jr and Mendoza traded a little paint, Scott Deim, Marcus Casteneda and Bobby Jack closed in.

Park slowed and pulled off, with a caution waving on lap 5. Once back to green King, Vogt and Aguirre pulled away from the fourth place battle between Mendoza, Jack, Deim and Casteneda. TJ Sullivan brought out the yellow on lap 6 when he rolled to stop in turn 4. As green waved again Jack started making his charge getting by Mendoza on lap 11 for fourth.

Jack then picked off third from Aguirre on lap 13, while Deim got fifth from Mendoza. Vogt was Jack’s next victim as he got second on lap 15. Jack then slowly reeled in King, with Vogt losing spots to Aguirre and Deim. Jack almost caught King on the final lap, but it King in the Kuhn Crane Service, Ace Transmission car going unchallenged to the checkers.

Pure Stock
42 Curtis King
88 Bobby Jack
6 Hector Aguirre
2 Scott Diem
49 Paul Vogt
39m Miguel Mendoza
1 Marcus Casteneda
25 Shane Turner
00 David Royal
17g Jeff Gavlik
34 Thomas Breland
7 Richard Valdez
8 TJ Sullivan
82jp James Park jr
74x Steve Mireles jr
33 James Parks sr
4 David McGuire—DNS

Pure Stock heat winners, 49 Paul Vogt, 42 Curtis King

Kyle Jackson took the point at the start of the 15-lap Bomber feature with Justin Jackson and Dean Brown door to door for second. J. Jackson secured the spot over Brown, with Karen Jack and John Henderson rounding out the top five. J. Jackson caught brother Kyle in traffic and as they diced through slower cars, K. Jackson tapped the wall, while J. Jackson was forced to thread the needle between two lapper’s.

K. Jack brought out the caution on lap 7 after she spun down the front straightaway while battling through traffic. On the restart the Jackson brothers, who had several lapped cars over Brown, Brandon Skinner and Henderson got out to big lead. Daryl Miller got around Henderson on lap 8 for fifth. By lap 12 the Jackson’s had a full straightaway edge over Brown and Skinner.

Corey Collier was making his way forward as he and Michael Jack went four wide around Henderson and lapped car. In that pack several cars made contact coming to white flag, and changed positions. J. Jackson saw his chance to take family bragging rights end on the final lap as his car slowed on the back stretch. K. Jackson was left with comfortable margin easily taking the victory in the Glen Willows Apartments, IONES, Stephens Racing Ford.

Bombers
113 Kyle Jackson
17 Dean Brown
2 Brandon Skinner
93 Corey Collier
28 Michael Jack
11 John Henderson
52 Tom Thrower
28L Brandy Leonard
13 Justin Jackson
38 Karen Jack
26 Ewebio Garcia
37 Daryl Miller
97 Chris Berryman
27 Sylvia Mills
0 Kim Royal
29 Jordyn VanBlarcum
54 Tommy Miller
77 Sean Feely
74 Julian Villarreal
55 Brancen Pittman
9m Marcus Mikulencak

Bomber heat winners, 17 Dean Brown, 113 Kyle Jackson, 13 Justin Jackson

Go Karts
Youth Class
100 Waylon Schiedt
17g Isiah Garcia
9 Caitlin Leonard
7 James Parker
21 Colin Carroll

Junior
99K Austin Kennemer
14 Dylan Whitehead
8R Ryan Carlucci
6 Ciara Smith
777 Nathan Corpus
28 Dylan DelaGarza
10 Caleb Johnson
3 Dillon Mosely
8 Brennan Riley
17 Julie Brown
37 Aaron Trevino
22 Zachary Calhoun
1 Mason Casteneda
36 Amelia Perez

Senior
19 Jarrett Barber
8 Cody Leonard
4 Dennis Cox
89 Justin Hoffstadt
01 Devon Phelps
1 Trey Heald
13 David Jackson
7 Derrick Gonzalez
29 Wayde McNew
33 Mereda Major
33j Jacob Franke
97 Michael Villarreal

Alcohol Karts
66 John McKinney
88 Wesley Varm
71x Mike Stevenson
50 Kevin Donagan
8 William Hoffstadt

Yard Karts
34 James Park jr
6 Erica Six
9 Bill Six
4 Zylac Bryant

HOUSTON, Texas (April 21) – Officials from the United States Racing Association (USRA) and the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) announced today that the USRA will sanction a new series for Limited Modifieds that will join the full-blown, mud-slinging outlaw-style Modifieds of the USMTS Southern Series as they travel throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

Licensed drivers competing in the USRA Southern Limited Modified Series will battle for a separate points fund that will pay the top-10 spots at season’s end, including $1,000 to the series champion, $600 for second, $400 for third, $300 for fourth, $250 for fifth, $200 for sixth, $175 for seventh, $150 for eighth, $125 for ninth and $100 for tenth.

Furthermore, those same drivers will also earn national points for the USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mod class in the American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series, which also pays 10 positions and awards $1,000 to the champion.

A license will not be required to compete in the USRA Southern Limited Modified Series, but drivers must have a valid USRA license in order to earn points and be eligible for points funds. The cost of a license is $90 and is good for all events.

Each event will pay a minimum of $500 to win. A $25 entry fee at each event will go directly into the points fund for the USRA Southern Limited Modified Series.

The first race for the USRA Southern Limited Modified Series will happen on Friday, April 24, when the USMTS Southern Series invades the Texarkana 67 Speedway in Texarkana, Ark.

The season finale for both groups will be the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-5.

Rules are available online at www.usraracing.com.

USRA SOUTHERN LIMITED MODIFIED SERIES 2009 SCHEDULE

Fri Apr 24 … Texarkana 67 Speedway, Texarkana, AR ($500 to win)
Sat Apr 25 … Champion Park Speedway, Haughton, LA ($500 to win)
Sun Apr 26 … Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, LA ($500 to win)
Fri May 1 … Lake Country Speedway, Ardmore, OK ($500 to win)
Sat May 2 … Cowtown Speedway, Kennedale, TX ($500 to win)
Sun May 3 … Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Elm Mott, TX ($500 to win)
Thu May 7 … Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($500 to win)
Fri May 8 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($500 to win)
Sat May 9 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($500 to win)
Sun May 10 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($500 to win)
Tue Jun 9 … Tri-State Speedway, Pocola, OK ($500 to win)
Wed Jun 10 … I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, AR ($500 to win)
Thu Jun 11 … Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Vivian, LA ($500 to win)
Fri Jun 12 … Fast Trax Speedway, Chatham, LA ($500 to win)
Sat Jun 13 … Drew County Speedway, Monticello, AR ($500 to win)
Sun Jun 14 … Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, LA ($500 to win)
Thu Oct 1 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($1,000 to win)
Fri Oct 2 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($500 to win)
Sat Oct 3 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($500 to win)
Fri Oct 23 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($500 to win)
Sat Oct 24 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($500 to win)
Fri Nov 27 … Texana Raceway Park, Edna, TX ($500 to win)
Sat Nov 28 … Texana Raceway Park, Edna, TX ($500 to win)
Sun Nov 29 … Texana Raceway Park, Edna, TX ($500 to win)
Thu Dec 3 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($500 to win)
Fri Dec 4 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($500 to win)
Sat Dec 5 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($500 to win)

For more information about the United States Racing Association, call 515-832-6000 or visit www.usraracing.com online. More information about the USMTS can be found at www.usmts.com.

Edna, Tx., (March 28th, 2009) Texana Raceway Park kicked off it’s 2009 racing with a salute to last year’s track champions and a big benefit race for veteran south Texas racer, Aaron Hudgeons, from Cuero, who has battled cancer over the off season. Last year’s titlists, rookies and favorites were honored on the front stretch, followed by a parade lap, lead by Hudgeons around the ¼ mile semi-banked, paper-clip shaped track.

Hudgeons, as long time area favorite and Limited Modified chassis builder(Rush Chassis) went through surgery and chemotherapy treatment throughout the winter break. As is the case at many tracks around the nation, when one of their own is in need, the rest of the extended racing family rises to the occasion. Hudgeons, whose therapy finishes up in the coming weeks, felt good enough to jump into the Texana Limited Modified, house car.

Track owner/promoter Bruce Tesch was first to put $500 in the pot at the drivers meeting, with other drivers and crew donating to the cause. Corpus racer, Bill Pittaway pitched in a few hundred pounds of shrimp with sales of dinner plates going to Hudgeons. The Hudgeons family raffled and sold items, with drivers passing the helmet through the crowd as well. By nights end, over $5,000 was collected to help the Hudgeons family defer medical costs.

White “dusts” the Modified field
To say that Temple hotshoe Paul White is on a hot streak would probably be an understatement. White pocketed four wins the previous weekend taking both the Modified and Limited Modified wins at Battleground Speedway Friday night, and Houston Raceway Park the following night. Could White do the unthinkable, and win six races in three nights?

If the Limited was any indication, the word ‘probable’ came to mind. White jumped out to a big lead at the drop of the green, sliced his way through lapped traffic, taking the victory by a comfortable margin over the 24-car field.

White and Jeff Mueller stayed wheel to wheel up until turn 3 were White gained the advantage. In the pack it was three and almost four wide for position. As the top three sorted out Hudgeons and Shane Hoefling ran side by side for fourth. Hudgeons then fell into the clutches of Dustin Butcher who got along side on lap 4 for sixth, while Brad Ball and Micky Helms ran side by side for eighth.

White was increasing his lead on Mueller, who was now being chased down by JJ Jennings on lap 7. White had just caught slower traffic on lap 8 when Randy Bridges spun to bring out the caution. On the restart White got a good jump, while Jennings got past Mueller for second and Butcher moving up to fourth.

At the crossed flags it was White, with a healthy lead, Jennings, Mueller, Butcher and Helms holding the top five spots. White was quickly back into traffic but never missed a beat picking his way through. Mueller used slower cars to get back by Jennings for second with five to go. As White continued to cut a path out front, Mueller put some distance on Jennings and Butcher. White easily took the checkers in the Bridwell Motorsports, Motors by Adan, Dust Devil Chassis.

Limited Modifieds
216 Paul White
43 Jeff Mueller
26g J J Jennings
90x Dustin Butcher
175 Mickey Helms
66 Hunt Harrison
90 Barry Moody
33 Jason Zarbock
00x Dustin Brandl
10D Don Painter
47 James Myers
88 Mark McGahey
37 Bill Pittaway
46 Randy Bridges
888 Aaron Lunsford
36 Cody Hildebrandt
69 Aaron Hudgeons
42 Ricky Konvicka
63 Shane Hoefling
78 Brad Ball
89 Doug Livingston

Limited Modified heat winners, 216 Paul White, 43 Jeff Mueller, 26g J J Jennings

White whips ‘em one more time
In the Modified 20-lap main event White took the lead from the pole and led every lap capping off the third straight ‘Daily Double.’ The win didn’t come easy as he first had to fend off Houston area veteran, Howard Willis in the early laps, then Corpus young gun, Steve Whiteaker jr. after a late race caution rebunched the field.

As green waved on the 20-car Modified field, White from the pole was first into turn 1, with Willis getting by Jesse Manning for second, and Greg Dinsmore falling in line fourth. Manning would spin on lap 1, with Dinsmore and Whiteaker barely missing him as the yellow waved. Bill Pittaway and Perry Johnson tangled in the back up. Once back to green Dinsmore had his ride die and spin in turn 3 after the wire fell off the MSD box.

On the restart, Willis tried the high side to get by White, while Whiteaker took the low line trying to get second. White, Willis and Whiteaker began to put some distance on Ben Ketteman and Lawrence Mikulencak as they battled for fourth. Mikulencak took a side trip through the infield losing a couple spots to defending track champ, Nick Hardcastle and Mike McCarthy.

Mikulencak fought back retaking sixth from Hardcastle on lap 7 and was along side McCarthy for fifth. Ketteman looped it in turn 1 wth Mikulencak and Hardcastle sliding to a halt on lap 9. White eased away from Willis when green waved again and at halfway it was White, Willis, Whiteaker, Mikulencak and Hardcastle, who had gotten their spots back. Johnson, Pittaway and Josh Majek got together on lap 10 to bring the yellow out.

When the race resumed, Whiteaker began putting pressure on Willis for second. After running side by side for three laps, youth and exuberance beat out old age and experience, as Whiteaker got the spot. Mikulencak brought out the final caution when spun from fourth on lap 16 erasing the lead that White had built.

On the restart, Hardcastle got sideways with McCarthy getting a piece of the action, and Danny Brown sneaking by both for fourth. Whiteaker kept the pressure on White, who finally got a slight lead of three car lengths as the white flag waved. At the checkers it was White in the Bridwell Motorsports, Motors by Adan, Dust Devil Chassis taking the second win of the night.

Modifieds
2W Paul White
88 Steve Whiteaker jr.
E Howard Willis
55 Danny Brown
94 Nick Hardcastle
20 Mike McCarthy
51 Benny Perry
26 Darin Leonard
82 Josh Majek
371 Ben Ketteman
122 Perry Johnson
87 Lawrence Mikulencak
66 Johnny Torres
37 Bill Pittaway
76 Jesse Manning
155 Vince Kacir
44 Markus Berndt
8g Greg Dinsmore

Modified heat winners, 2w Paul White, 76 Jesse Manning, E Howard Willis

Justin Bloom got the big jump at the start of the 20-lap Hot Stock Truck feature, with Russel Bloom getting by Bob Ort for second. Lary Paris got by Ort on lap 4 to take over third. Paris then ran down the Bloom’s and got past R. Bloom on lap 8 for second. R. Bloom and Ort then battled for fourth, with Ort getting squeezed into the wall on the back stretch, but soldiering on for a few laps before puling off.

Paris was able to run down J. Bloom for the lead and was putting the pressure on. In the field, Gregory Turner and Gordon Boehm scrapped it out for fourth as J. Bloom and Paris pulled away. Turner got by Boehm in the waning laps, while J. Bloom was holding off Paris to snag the win.

Hot Stock Truck
84 Justin Bloom
8 Lary Paris
55 Russell Bloom
13 Gregory Turner
15 Gordon Boehm
39 Nathan Kildair
43 Bob Ort
24 John Lieta—DNS

Heat winner, 24 John Lieta

Chris Shafer beat Janet Perks into turn 1 for the lead of the 20-lap Bomber feature, with Monty Chamberlain second, Perks, David McBride and Brian King falling line. Chamberlain spun on his own from second on lap 1, but kept going to avoid a caution. Gary Wright and James Hoss had separate spins on lap 3 to bring a yellow, giving Chamberlain the chance to catch back up to the field. Shafer got a good jump on green with Nick Moore, McBride and King three wide for third.

King emerged from that scrap with the spot and moved past Perks on lap 5 for second. Perks lost several more spots near halfway when she got sideways and got passed by McBride, Randy Kacir and Chamberlain working his way back up. Shafer and King began to check out, while Chamberlain got around McBride for third. McBride and Kacir then battled for fourth in the final laps. At the checkers it was Shafer with comfortable margin taking the win over King.

Bombers
77 Chris Shafer
31 Brian King
55 Monty Chamberlain
36 Randy Kacir
26 David McBride
12 Janet Perks
76 Gary Wright
81 Aaron Ivory
71 Nic Priem
1 Nick Moore
58 James Hoss
63 Chase Sanchez

Bomber heat winners, 12 Janet Perks, 77 Chris Shafer

On the start of the Jr. Mini Stock 12-lap feature, Jason Bloom and Zack Tesch stayed side by side into turn 1. Hunter Lisano got turned the wrong way and was drilled head-on by Roger Churan. Both youngsters were alright, but done for the night. Bloom got a good jump on the next start for the lead on lap 1. Justin Sickle and Stanley Kraly hooked bumpers on lap 1 sending Sickle around for a quick caution.

Once back to racing, Kraly wasted little time working his way up to challenge Bloom for the lead. Kraly got the top spot on lap 4 and was beginning to pull away until he ended up on the infield berm between turns 1-2. This handed the lead back to Bloom on lap 8. Bloom, Lauren Chamberlain and Tesch pulled away on the restart. In the final laps Bloom put some distance on Chamberlain and Tesch, while Ashley Perks and Sickle swapped fourth. Bloom completed the heat/feature sweep taking the checkers by several car lengths over Chamberlain.

Jr. Mini Stock
49 Jason Bloom
55 Lauren Chamberlain
72 Zack Tesch
12 Ashley Perks
03 Justin Sickle
22 Patricia Lucas
14k Stanley Kraly
7 Hunter Lisano
14 Roger Churan

Jr Mini Stock heat winner, 49 Jason Bloom

On the first start for the Texana Classic Dwarf Cars Dave Tedford got the jump on Gary Faris going into turn 1, but Douglas Schmidt spun and collected Brice Baros to bring out the caution. Tedford repeated the feat on the next start, but Willy Veach got by in turns 3-4 to lead lap 1. W. Veach drifted too high on lap 1, allowing Tedford to retake the point on lap 2 followed by Faris. Buck McFarlin then got by Veach on lap 3 for third. McFarlin and Veach both took a spot from Faris on lap 4.

Yellow waved on lap 6 for a spin by Brian Breaux in turn 2. In wasn’t long after the restart that John Armstrong found himself looking at the turn 3 wall. When green waved again, W. Veach used the high side to get the lead from Cline on lap 8. After a series on spins on consecutive laps, Frank Fruia had worked his way up to fourth. In the final laps Cline made one last charge on W. Veach who held on for the victory.

Texana Classic Dwarf Cars
41 Willy Veach
19 Andrew Cline
65 Buck McFarlin
3x Frank Fruia
25t Dave Tedford
01s Joseph Snow
24 Victor Vargas
13 Mike Christians
54 Gary Hansen
30 Ronny Fikes
36 Greg Sexton
1 Brad Wright
2ez Easy Casey
82 Brandon Dorsey
7 Steven Gilbert
55 Bryan Heady
97 Brian Breaux
99 Brice Baros
4 Karl Veach
15 Gary Faris
21 John Armstrong
8 Donnie Hunt
79 Douglas Schmidt
12 Robert Smith

Dwarf heat winners, 19 Andrew Cline, 65 Buck McFarlin, 25t Dave Tedford

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 16, 2009

REGIONS FORMED AS TEXARKANA 67, HEART O’ TEXAS SPEEDWAYS COMPLETE 2009 USMTS SOUTHERN SERIES SCHEDULE

HOUSTON, Texas (Feb. 16) – The 2009 schedule of events is now set for the USMTS Southern Series with the addition of two new venues to the campaign.

On April 24, the Texarkana 67 Speedway in Texarkana, Ark., will play host to a $2,000-to-win event while the Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Elm Mott (Waco), Texas, will see the USMTS Southern Series invade on May 3.

Both facilities are first-time stops for the mud-slinging USMTS Modifieds, and brings the total number of USMTS Southern Series dates to 33. The line-up includes 18 top-notch dirt ovals throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

One other change was made to the 2009 slate as the May 10 rendezvous at the 105 Speedway in Cleveland, Texas, has been moved to April 19.

USMTS officials have also released regional alignments for the USMTS Southern Series.

The USMTS Southern Series will be divided into two geographical regions with 11 races in each. Then, just like the USMTS National Tour has done for the past three seasons, the season will end with an 11-race “playoff” to determine the 2009 USMTS Southern Series champion.

“This will be the third season for the USMTS Southern Series, and the popularity of the series among drivers, fans and racetrack operators alike has exploded,” said USMTS president and promoter Todd Staley. “With 33 races penciled in, it makes sense for us to regionalize the schedule.

“We’re confident that this will lessen the burden on some drivers, while at the same time encouraging others to commit to running a particular region, then racing for the championship at season’s end.”

The East Region will kick things off with the GRT Race Cars Topless Modified Nationals, March 20-21 at the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. A tripleheader scheduled for the weekend of April 24-26 and the 3rd Annual Southern Speedweek, June 9-14, will make up the remainder of the East Region events.

EAST REGION (11 events):Fri Mar 20 … I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, AR ($2,000 to win)
Sat Mar 21 … I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, AR ($5,000 to win)
Fri Apr 24 … Texarkana 67 Speedway, Texarkana, AR ($2,000 to win)
Sat Apr 25 … Champion Park Speedway, Haughton, LA ($2,000 to win)
Sun Apr 26 … Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, LA ($2,000 to win)
Tue Jun 9 … Tri-State Speedway, Pocola, OK ($2,000 to win)
Wed Jun 10 … I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, AR ($2,000 to win)
Thu Jun 11 … Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Vivian, LA ($2,000 to win)
Fri Jun 12 … Drew County Speedway, Monticello, AR ($2,000 to win)
Sat Jun 13 … Fast Trax Speedway, Chatham, LA ($2,000 to win)
Sun Jun 14 … Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, LA ($2,000 to win)

Action in the West Region will start April 3 at the West Siloam Speedway in West Siloam Springs, Okla., before wrapping up May 9 at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

WEST REGION (11 events):Fri Apr 3 … West Siloam Speedway, West Siloam Springs, OK ($2,000 to win)
Sat Apr 4 … West Siloam Speedway, West Siloam Springs, OK ($3,000 to win)
Fri Apr 17 … Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($2,000 to win)
Sat Apr 18 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2,000 to win)
Sun Apr 19 … 105 Speedway, Cleveland, TX ($2,000 to win)
Fri May 1 … Lake Country Speedway, Ardmore, OK ($2,000 to win)
Sat May 2 … Cowtown Speedway, Kennedale, TX ($2,000 to win)
Sun May 3 … Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Elm Mott, TX ($2,000 to win)
Fri May 8 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($2,000 to win)
Sat May 9 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2,000 to win)

All events in both regions will be part of a swing comprised of two, three or more shows in a row. Regional battles will end with the June 14 event at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La.

At this point, all drivers qualified for The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship are also qualified to compete in The Hunt for the Casey’s General Stores USMTS National Championship. The 18-race campaign will begin Aug. 11 at the LA Raceway in La Monte, Mo., and end with the 11th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Sept. 24-26.

The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship will be comprised of 11 events at four racetracks in the Lone Star State. The kickoff for the title chase will begin with a tripleheader at the Battleground Speedway in Highland, Texas, Oct. 1-3, and will wrap up with the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals, Dec. 3-5, at the Houston Raceway Park. Thursday’s show will be worth $2,000 to the winner, while Friday’s main event carries a $3,000 top prize and Saturday’s winner takes home $4,000.

THE HUNT FOR THE USMTS SOUTHERN SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP (11 events):
Thu Oct 1 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($1,000 to win)
Fri Oct 2 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($2,000 to win)
Sat Oct 3 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($3,000 to win)
Fri Oct 23 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2,000 to win)
Sat Oct 24 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($3,000 to win)
Fri Nov 27 … Texana Raceway Park, Edna, TX ($1,000 to win)
Sat Nov 28 … Texana Raceway Park, Edna, TX ($2,000 to win)
Sun Nov 29 … Texana Raceway Park, Edna, TX ($3,000 to win)
Thu Dec 3 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2,000 to win)
Fri Dec 4 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3,000 to win)
Sat Dec 5 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($4,000 to win)

The USMTS points system will be used at all regional events, with the top-10 in the final standings for each of the two regions earning a spot in The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship. Furthermore, any driver who has perfect attendance in either region will also be qualified. Regional champions will earn 20 points to begin The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series, with 18 points for second and so forth, descending to 2 points for the tenth-place finisher in the region. In addition, each driver who competed at all events within a region will also earn 5 bonus points. The total points earned in both regions (maximum 50 points) will serve as the base points that each driver will have to begin The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship. The USMTS points system will be used at the remaining events to determine the 2009 USMTS Southern Series champion.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS.

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PRESENTING SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.