BAYTOWN, Texas (Nov. 19) – After recording his 300th career start on Thursday, Dereck Ramirez tasted victory for the first time Friday night at the Royal Purple Raceway.

He must’ve liked the flavor because the 25-year-old from Woodward, Okla.., went back for seconds Saturday night and feasted on the $4,000 top prize in winning the 5th Annual USMTS Texas Winter Nationals – the final race of the season for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy.

Unlike Friday night when he started on the pole, Ramirez began Saturday’s 50-lap WIX Filters “A” Main from the ninth spot.

From the pole position, Rookie of the Year contender Jason Thoennes of Garfield, Minn., took the lead at the drop of the green flag with a trio of Texans – Dustin Hyde, Steven Whiteaker Jr. and Bobby Malchus – giving chase.

Despite his best starting position in a USMTS feature race, Thoennes was not rattled as he set a fast pace while leading the first 18 laps.

But Ramirez was faster and wrestled the lead away from Thoennes with 19 laps in the books.

From that point on, it was all Ramirez as he drove away from the field in the caution-free non-stop 50-lapper. He also finished fourth on Thursday night to bring his weekend take home pay to $7,800.

Removing all doubt about whether or not he could hang on to the Southeast Region points lead, Jason Hughes scored his best result of the weekend with a runner-up finish to secure his first regional title of the year.

Thoennes got his career-best USMTS finish with a third-place showing while Rodney Sanders came from 15th on the starting grid to finish fourth and earn the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award.

Thursday night’s winner, Chris Brown, grabbed fifth ahead of teammate Kelly Shryock. Seventh through tenth were 17th-starting Ryan Gustin, AFCO Pole Award winner Johnny Scott, Zack VanderBeek and Tommy Weder Jr.

Hughes emerged as the Southeast Region champion with a 39-point cushion over Gustin, who won four of the other five regional points battles en route to becoming the 2011 USMTS National Champion.

Shryock, who won the Farm Boy BBQ Sauce Great Plains Region, finished third in the final Southeast Region rankings while Ramirez long-jumped from eighth to fourth with his win on the final night.

Sanders wound up fifth, John O Whittington was sixth, Randy Timms earned seventh, Shane Hebert finished eighth, Johnny Scott nabbed the ninth position and Clyde Dunn Jr. rounded out the top 10 in the final rankings – just one point ahead of Tommy Weder Jr.

With the 2011 season complete, officials from the USMTS will be releasing a tentative 2011 schedule of events and rules in the coming weeks. Those and other information will be available at the International Motorsports Industry (IMIS) trade show, Dec. 8-10 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind.

Gustin’s #19R Gressel Racing USMTS Modified will be on display along with other champions from other elite auto racing series in the Hall of Champions at the IMIS event. Visit the USMTS in booth #534.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy – Southeast Region
5th Annual USMTS Texas Winter Nationals – Night 3 of 3
Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas
Saturday, November 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. (10) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (4) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
3. (9) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
4. (8) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo.
5. (6) 57 Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas.
6. (1) 86j Travis Johnson, Enid, Okla.
7. (12) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas.
8. (11) 95 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
9. (7) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas.
10. (3) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas.
11. (2) 99 Danny Hebert, Duson, La.
12. (5) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 52 Jason Thoennes (R), Garfield, Minn.
2. (5) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (4) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
4. (8) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
5. (11) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
6. (10) 15b Thomas Blackwell, Crandall, Texas.
7. (6) 46 Darryl Seals, Vidor, Texas.
8. (3) G8 George Gilbert, Diberville, Miss.
9. (9) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss.
10. (1) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas.
11. (7) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas.
12. (12) 96 Foster Ellison, Richwood, Texas.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (8) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla.
2. (6) 8J Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas.
3. (7) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
4. (2) 34dd Tim Boudreaux, Cleveland, Texas.
5. (11) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
6. (12) 88t Billy Turner (R), Yukon, Okla.
7. (1) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.
8. (10) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
9. (5) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
10. (3) 43f Marcus Frisch, Eros, La.
11. (9) 71h Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas.
12. (4) 81b Cody Simpson (R), Quinlan, Texas.

PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
2. (3) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
3. (1) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas.
4. (5) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas.
5. (10) 9 Jimmy Ray (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
6. (6) 14 David Ashley, Zachary, La.
7. (11) L1 Larry Clevenger (R), Greenwood, La.
8. (8) 303 Chase Jupe, Waco, Texas.
9. (9) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas.
10. (7) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
11. (4) 14m Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas.
12. (12) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (3) 3c Chris Brown, Spring, Texas.
2. (5) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
3. (7) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
4. (6) 19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La.
5. (2) 44 Marcus Berndt, Katy, Texas.
6. (11) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
7. (4) 3 Danny Womack, Muskogee, Okla.
8. (12) C3 Rob Litton, Alexandria, La.
9. (10) C27 Chase Delrio (R), West Monroe, La.
10. (8) 76 Jesse Manning (R), Brazoria, Texas.
11. (9) 36 Bryan Mewborn, Texarkana, Texas.
12. (1) 012 Patrick Petty, Baytown, Texas.

HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (3) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (2) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (1) 9 Shane Killingsworth, Dallas, Texas.
4. (9) 15g Bubba Gates (R), Santa Fe, Texas.
5. (5) C22 Grant Box (R), Monticello, Ark.
6. (7) 21 David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
7. (11) 715 Jeff Hoegh, New Caney, Texas.
8. (10) 45t Eric Tomlinson (R), Robinson, Texas.
9. (6) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La.
10. (4) 955 Robert Metz Jr. (R), Lumberton, Texas.
11. (8) 23 Randy Nolen, Shreveport, La.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
2. (1) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (4) 9 Jimmy Ray (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
4. (3) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
5. (7) C22 Grant Box (R), Monticello, Ark., Skyrocket/Mullins, $120..
6. (12) 303 Chase Jupe, Waco, Texas, Hughes/Centex, $100.
7. (9) 14 David Ashley, Zachary, La., /, $100.
8. (13) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss., Hughes/Mullins, $120.
9. (5) 88t Billy Turner (R), Yukon, Okla., Hughes/Allens, $120.
10. (6) 15b Thomas Blackwell, Crandall, Texas, /, $100.
11. (15) 43f Marcus Frisch, Eros, La., IRP/SMS, $100.
12. (8) 715 Jeff Hoegh, New Caney, Texas, Skyrocket/Graham, $100.
13. (14) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La., DirtWorks/Tanner, $100.
14. (19) 81b Cody Simpson (R), Quinlan, Texas, /Fletcher, $120.
15. (16) 955 Robert Metz Jr. (R), Lumberton, Texas, Pierce/CB, $120..
16. (18) 23 Randy Nolen, Shreveport, La., DirtWorks/, $100.
17. (10) 46 Darryl Seals, Vidor, Texas, /, $100.
18. (11) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/CAM.
19. (17) 71h Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas, SRP/JR, $120.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 4 advance
1. (2) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
2. (3) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas.
3. (4) 19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La.
4. (16) 99 Danny Hebert, Duson, La.
5. (14) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas, PCR/Brooks, $120.
6. (19) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Shoulders, $120.
7. (6) 57 Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas, TRE/Mullins, $120.
8. (15) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, CAM/Allard, $120.
9. (5) 34dd Tim Boudreaux, Cleveland, Texas, Skyrocket/, $100.
10. (9) C3 Rob Litton, Alexandria, La., /, $100.
11. (11) 45t Eric Tomlinson (R), Robinson, Texas, Hughes/, $120.
12. (1) 15g Bubba Gates (R), Santa Fe, Texas, DustDevil/Harris, $120.
13. (12) C27 Chase Delrio (R), West Monroe, La., Skyrocket/Mullins, $120.
14. (10) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Boyd’s, $120.
15. (17) 14m Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas, /, $100.
16. (13) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark., /, $100.
17. (8) 21 David Winslett, Bossier City, La., /, $100.
18. (7) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas, Hughes/Cantrill, $120.
19. (18) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Pierce/ASI, $120.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
2. (4) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas.
3. (5) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
4. (8) 86j Travis Johnson, Enid, Okla.
5. (13) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas, Kraft/Gaerte, $100.
6. (10) 3 Danny Womack, Muskogee, Okla., Hughes/BMS, $100.
7. (3) 9 Shane Killingsworth, Dallas, Texas, /, $100.
8. (6) 44 Marcus Berndt, Katy, Texas, DirtWorks/Graham, $100.
9. (17) 36 Bryan Mewborn, Texarkana, Texas, Ramirez/CRT, $100.
10. (12) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas, Hughes/PPE, $120.
11. (11) G8 George Gilbert, Diberville, Miss., GRT/Barker, $100.
12. (14) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas, Skyrocket/Craft, $120.
13. (7) L1 Larry Clevenger (R), Greenwood, La., Skyrocket/Best, $120.
14. (9) 95 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas, Fast1/Jackson, $120.
15. (15) 76 Jesse Manning (R), Brazoria, Texas, Evolution/Hall, $120.
16. (19) 012 Patrick Petty, Baytown, Texas, /, $100.
17. (16) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $120.
18. (1) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo., Hughes/Geddes, $100.
19. (18) 96 Foster Ellison, Richwood, Texas, /, $100.

WIX FILTERS “A” MAIN (50laps):
1. (9) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $4000.
2. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $3000.
3. (1) 52 Jason Thoennes (R), Garfield, Minn., MasterSbilt/Sower, $2000.
4. (15) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, $1875.
5. (5) 3c Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Skyrocket/ProPower, $1000.
6. (10) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, $1075.
7. (17) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, $975.
8. (8) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ASI, $600.
9. (18) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, $500.
10. (6) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $450.
11. (16) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, Skyrocket/Harris, $400.
12. (13) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $350.
13. (14) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, $350.
14. (3) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $350.
15. (25) 99 Danny Hebert, Duson, La., /, $300.
16. (11) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, Hughes/Chase, $350.
17. (24) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., GRT/GMPP, $350.
18. (23) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, $350.
19. (19) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $350.
20. (21) 9 Jimmy Ray (R), Las Cruces, N.M., AOS/GMPP, $350.
21. (26) 86j Travis Johnson, Enid, Okla., Hughes/, $300.
22. (20) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas, Kraft/Wells, $350.
23. (22) 19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La., IRP/PTS, $350.
24. (12) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, Evolution/CB, $350.
25. (27) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/CAM, $120.
26. (2) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas, CAM/Wells, $350.
27. (4) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Hughes/Wells, $350.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Integra Lap Leaders: Thoennes 1-18, Ramirez 19-50.
Total Laps Led: Ramirez 32, Thoennes 18.
Margin of Victory: 3.246 seconds.
AFCO Pole Winner: Scott.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: Sanders (started 15th, finished 4th).
Provisional Starter: Babbitt.
Southeast Region Points (final): Hughes 967, Gustin 928, Shryock 871, Ramirez 805, Sanders 804, Whittington 798, Timms 798, S. Hebert 767, Scott 728, Dunn 695.
Rookie of the Year Points (final): Jason Grimes 1708, Lucas Schott 1634, Keith Foss 1610, Ray 1169, Dunn 1155.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points (final): Mullins 615, ProPower 503, Sput’s 479, ASI 293, Geddes 292.
Tiger Rear Ends Manufacturers Championship Points (final): Hughes 657, Skyrocket 580, GRT 463, BC 269, Sidebiter 181.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – Manning.
CPD Racing Tools – not awarded.
Eibach Springs – Weder.
Forty9Designs.com – Sanders, VanderBeek.
Hooker Harness – B. Rowland.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Ramirez.
ISKY Racing Cams – Scott.
The Joie of Seating – Gustin, Denby Jr.
KSE Racing Products – Scott.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Malchus.
New Vision Graphics – Thoennes.
Nitroquest – Houston, S. Hebert, Jordan.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Sanders.
PBM Performance Products – Malchus.
Real Racing Wheels – Box, Jones, Heston.
Ruter Farms – not awarded.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Shryock.
WIX Filters – Ramirez.

LIMITED MODIFIEDS

Heat Race #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 2c Bradley Foster, Silsbee, Texas.
2. (4) 211 Dean Hollier, Groves, Texas.
3. (7) 53 Edward Oakes, Center, Texas.
4. (8) 115 Chuck Perry, Corpus Christi, Texas.
5. (2) 76 Jesse Manning, Brazoria, Texas.
6. (5) 16g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas.
7. (6) 3 Bradley Hellman, Pearland, Texas.
8. (3) 10a John Matt, Crosby, Texas.
9. (9) 24b Brent Broussard, Carencro, La.
10. (10) 26 Dean Abbey, Comanche, Texas.

Heat Race #2 (8 laps):
1. (3) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
2. (1) 17 Frankie Rash, Houston, Texas.
3. (7) 151 Adam Perks, El Campo, Texas.
4. (8) 64 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas.
5. (4) 22 Keith Wright, Conroe, Texas.
6. (9) 14d Derek Legg, Liberty, Texas.
7. (10) 5p Brian Poulter, Cleveland, Texas.
8. (2) 93 Mark Greiner, Crosby, Texas.
9. (5) 22t Darrell Thompson, Ada, Okla.
10. (6) 34 Cody Tankersley, Highlands, Texas.

Heat Race #3 (8 laps):
1. (4) 0 Fran Collins, Cleveland, Texas.
2. (5) 511 John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
3. (2) 46 Randy Bridges, Marvel, Texas.
4. (3) 84 Stacy Tyler, Crosby, Texas.
5. (6) 10d Don Painter, Buda, Texas.
6. (1) C28 Charlie Kruithof, Haughton, La.
7. (9) 2w Paul White, Temple, Texas.
8. (8) 9 David Lege, Magnolia, Texas.
9. (7) 88 Michael Stringer, Crosby, Texas.

Heat Race #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 955 Robert Metz, Lumberton, Texas.
2. (4) 41g Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
3. (2) 24 John Leita, Inez, Texas.
4. (8) 83 Monty Nichols, Corpus Christi, Texas.
5. (9) 6 Vince Louden, Shiner, Texas.
6. (3) 44 Todd Manchester, Spring, Texas.
7. (7) 4 Doug Manchester, Houston, Texas.
8. (6) 78 Kamron Campbell, Breaux, La.
9. (5) F1 Kyle Dixon, Crosby, Texas.

Heat Race #5 (8 laps):
1. (1) 77 Garrett Gregory, Tomball, Texas.
2. (9) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (2) 73 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
4. (7) 147 GW Hessong, Edna, Texas.
5. (3) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas.
6. (8) 17 Jesse McNorton, Cleveland, Texas.
7. (5) 39 Chad Cambron, Alvin, Texas.
8. (6) 91 Tyler Erb, Magnolia, Texas.
9. (4) 12b James Blaylock, Altus, Okla.

Heat Race #6 (8 laps):
1. (2) 9B Brandon Blaylock, Houston, Texas.
2. (9) 63 Shane Hoefling, Meyersville, Texas.
3. (3) 12m Randy Lovell, Sour Lake, Texas.
4. (5) 119 Eric Floyd, Edna, Texas.
5. (4) 47 James Myers, Sandia, Texas.
6. (7) 97 Buck Buchanan, Stephens, Ark.
7. (1) 39 Dusty Lout, Center, Texas.
8. (6) 26 Tim Moomau, Houston, Texas.
9. (8) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.

“B” Main #1 (12 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (3) 76 Jesse Manning, Brazoria, Texas.
2. (2) 83 Monty Nichols, Corpus Christi, Texas.
3. (5) 16g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas.
4. (9) 10a John Matt, Crosby, Texas.
5. (10) 78 Kamron Campbell, Breaux, La., $100.
6. (4) 6 Vince Louden, Shiner, Texas, $100.
7. (6) 44 Todd Manchester, Spring, Texas, $100.
8. (7) 3 Bradley Hellman, Pearland, Texas, $100.
9. (1) 115 Chuck Perry, Corpus Christi, Texas, $100.
10. (8) 4 Doug Manchester, Houston, Texas, $35.
11. (13) 26 Dean Abbey, Comanche, Texas, $100.
12. (12) F1 Kyle Dixon, Crosby, Texas, $100.
13. (11) 24b Brent Broussard, Carencro, La., $100.

“B” Main #2 (12 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (2) 147 G.W. Hessong, Edna, Texas.
2. (1) 64 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas.
3. (4) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas.
4. (3) 22 Keith Wright, Conroe, Texas.
5. (10) 91 Tyler Erb, Magnolia, Texas, $100.
6. (6) 17 Jesse McNorton, Cleveland, Texas, $100.
7. (9) 93 Mark Greiner, Crosby, Texas, $100.
8. (13) 34 Cody Tankersley, Highlands, Texas, $100.
9. (11) 22t Darrell Thompson, Ada, Okla., $100.
10. (7) 5p Brian Poulter, Cleveland, Texas, $100.
11. (5) 14d Derek Legg, Liberty, Texas, $100.
12. (12) 12b James Blaylock, Altus, Okla., $100.
13. (8) 39 Chad Cambron, Alvin, Texas, $100.

“B” Main #3 (12 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (3) 10d Don Painter, Buda, Texas.
2. (5) C28 Charlie Kruithof, Haughton, La.
3. (7) 2w Paul White, Temple, Texas.
4. (4) 47 James Myers, Sandia, Texas.
5. (6) 97 Buck Buchanan, Stephens, Ark., $100.
6. (1) 84 Stacy Tyler, Crosby, Texas, $100.
7. (11) 88 Michael Stringer, Crosby, Texas, $100.
8. (8) 39 Dusty Lout, Center, Texas, $100.
9. (2) 119 Eric Floyd, Edna, Texas, $100.
10. (10) 26 Tim Moomau, Houston, Texas, $100.
11. (9) 9 David Lege, Magnolia, Texas, $100.
12. (12) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., $100.

“A” Main (20 laps):
1. (7) 511 John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, $1000.
2. (6) 63 Shane Hoefling, Meyersville, Texas, $700.
3. (17) 73 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, $400.
4. (27) 2w Paul White, Temple, Texas, $200.
5. (1) 2c Bradley Foster, Silsbee, Texas, $175.
6. (20) 147 GW Hessong, Edna, Texas, $150.
7. (5) 77 Garrett Gregory, Tomball, Texas, $130.
8. (9) 955 Robert Metz, Lumberton, Texas, $120.
9. (3) 9b Brandon Blaylock, Houston, Texas, $110.
10. (16) 24 John Leita, Inez, Texas, $100.
11. (14) 151 Adam Perks, El Campo, Texas, $100.
12. (19) 76 Jesse Manning, Brazoria, Texas, $100.
13. (18) 12m Randy Lovell, Sour Lake, Texas, $100.
14. (23) 64 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas, $100.
15. (8) 0 Fran Collins, Cleveland, Texas, $100.
16. (28) 10a John Matt, Crosby, Texas, $100.
17. (26) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas, $100.
18. (15) 46 Randy Bridges, Marvel, Texas, $100.
19. (30) 47 James Myers, Sandia, Texas, $100.
20. (21) 10d Don Painter, Buda, Texas, $100.
21. (11) 211 Dean Hollier, Groves, Texas, $100.
22. (4) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, $100.
23. (22) 83 Monty Nichols, Corpus Christi, Texas, $100.
24. (29) 22 Keith Wright, Conroe, Texas, $100.
25. (10) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, $100.
26. (25) 16g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas, $100.
27. (24) C28 Charlie Kruithof, Haughton, La., $100.
28. (2) 17 Frankie Rash, Houston, Texas, $100.
29. (13) 53 Edward Oakes, Center, Texas, $100.
DQ – (12) 41g Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., $100.

But the milestone he shattered Friday night was much sweeter as the 25-year-old from Woodward, Okla., passed 2011 USMTS National Champion Ryan Gustin midway through the main event and then held off nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock in the closing laps to secure his first victory in his 301st start.

Ramirez started on the pole of the 40-lapper at the Royal Purple Raceway, but relinquished the top spot to Gustin after just one lap. Unshaken, Ramirez kept Gustin in his sights for the first 20 laps and regained the lead with 23 laps in the books.

After winning the third Real Racing Wheels “B” Main, Shryock started 17th on the grid but methodically clawed his way to the front of the pack. With a handful of laps remaining, ‘The King’ was shadowing Ramirez and looking to end his hopes of taking home his first trophy.

After following Ramirez around the bottom, Shryock moved to the high side of the 3/8-mile clay oval with the white flag in the air, but Ramirez was too strong and powered away to a 1.023-second margin of victory as the checkered flag waved.

Ramirez pocketed a $3,000 paycheck for his initial triumph with just one event left in his fifth full season of competing with the Best of the Best in dirt Modified racing.

Gustin held on for a third-place showing behind Shryock while Zack VanderBeek came from the 24th starting spot to finish fourth and earned the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award for the second straight night.

Defending USMTS Texas Winter Nationals champion Rodney Sanders completed the top 5 with Jason Hughes, Shane Hebert, Johnny Scott, Thursday night’s winner Chris Brown and Tracy Denby Jr. winding up sixth through tenth.

Gustin also pocketed $1,000 by winning the Limited Modified feature race Friday night.

Action continues tomorrow at the Royal Purple Raceway with Saturday night’s USMTS Texas Winter Nationals finale carrying a $4,000 top prize.

The racing card will also feature Limited Modifieds racing for $1,000 to win courtesy of Express Race Cars.

The pit gate opens at 2 p.m., grandstands open at 4 and the green flag flies at 6 p.m.

The Royal Purple Raceway is a state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.

Located in Baytown, Texas, the track is located east of Houston on I-10 to exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 99 (Grand Parkway), then 0.3 mile west on FM 565 (entrance located at Gate 3). For more information, call the track office at 281-383-RACE or visit www.royalpurpleraceway.com online.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy – Southeast Region
5th Annual USMTS Texas Winter Nationals – Night 2 of 3
Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas
Friday, November 18, 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 (10 laps):
1. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (10) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas.
3. (9) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
4. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
5. (1) 3 Danny Womack, Muskogee, Okla.
6. (2) 71h Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas.
7. (6) 22 Tracy Denby Sr., Vidor, Texas.
8. (8) 15g Bubba Gates (R), Santa Fe, Texas.
9. (11) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas.
10. (12) 955 Robert Metz Jr. (R), Lumberton, Texas.
11. (5) C22 Grant Box (R), Monticello, Ark.
12. (13) 96 Foster Ellison, Richwood, Texas.
13. (4) 23 Randy Nolen, Shreveport, La.

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):
1. (2) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
2. (8) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
3. (1) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.
4. (9) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla.
5. (4) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
6. (12) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas.
7. (6) 85 Thomas Tillison, Jr., Wellston, Okla.
8. (7) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
9. (3) 21 David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
10. (11) 81b Cody Simpson (R), Quinlan, Texas.
11. (5) 43f Marcus Frisch, Eros, La.
12. (13) 21 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, Texas.
13. (10) 88t Billy Turner (R), Yukon, Okla.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):
1. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
2. (5) 9 Jimmy Ray (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
3. (1) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo.
4. (4) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
5. (11) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
6. (8) 57 Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas.
7. (10) 1s Ronny Sigman, Seagoville, Texas.
8. (9) C3 Rob Litton, Alexandria, La.
9. (7) 19 Pete Sagmiller, Spring, Texas.
10. (2) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas.
11. (13) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
12. (3) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss.
13. (12) 45t Eric Tomlinson (R), Robinson, Texas.

PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (10 laps):
1. (1) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
2. (3) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
3. (2) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas.
4. (5) C27 Chase Delrio (R), West Monroe, La.
5. (6) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
6. (4) 9 Shane Killingsworth, Dallas, Texas.
7. (7) 14 David Ashley, Zachary, La.
8. (9) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
9. (8) 715 Jeff Hoegh, New Caney, Texas.
10. (10) 86j Travis Johnson, Enid, Okla.
11. (12) 303 Chase Jupe, Waco, Texas.
12. (11) 012 Patrick Petty, Baytown, Texas.

HEAT RACE #5 (10 laps):
1. (2) 99 Danny Hebert, Duson, La.
2. (5) 3c Chris Brown, Spring, Texas.
3. (9) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
4. (1) 14m Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas.
5. (3) L1 Larry Clevenger (R), Greenwood, La.
6. (10) 52 Jason Thoennes (R), Garfield, Minn.
7. (11) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
8. (8) 44 Marcus Berndt, Katy, Texas.
9. (7) 95 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
10. (12) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas.
11. (4) 2 Andy McClelland, Baytown, Texas.
12. (6) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas.

HEAT RACE #6 (10 laps):
1. (9) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (7) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
3. (2) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas.
4. (3) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas.
5. (12) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
6. (11) 36 Bryan Mewborn, Texarkana, Texas.
7. (5) 15b Thomas Blackwell, Crandall, Texas.
8. (6) G8 George Gilbert, Diberville, Miss.
9. (1) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.
10. (10) 02 Gary Corbin, Ennis, Texas.
11. (8) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La.
12. (4) 63 Joey Smith, Pomona, Mo.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (18 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
2. (1) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla.
3. (4) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyville, Texas.
4. (6) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
5. (7) L1 Larry Clevenger (R), Greenwood, La., Skyrocket/Best, $80.
6. (3) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas, Kraft/Wells, $60.
7. (15) 81b Cody Simpson (R), Quinlan, Texas, /Fletcher, $80.
8. (18) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La., DirtWorks/Tanner, $60..
9. (11) 15g Bubba Gates (R), Santa Fe, Texas, DustDevil/, $80.
10. (19) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss., Hughes/Mullins, $80.
11. (9) 22 Tracy Denby Sr., Vidor, Texas, /, $60.
12. (20) 63 Joey Smith, Pomona, Mo., /, $60.
13. (12) G8 George Gilbert, Diberville, Miss., GRT/Barker, $60.
14. (14) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Boyd’s, $80.
15. (5) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas, Kraft/Gaerte, $60.
16. (8) 1s Ronny Sigman, Seagoville, Texas, /, $60.
17. (16) 02 Gary Corbin, Ennis, Texas, Skyrocket/, $60.
18. (10) 15b Thomas Blackwell, Crandall, Texas, /, $60.
19. (17) C22 Grant Box (R), Monticello, Ark., Skyrocket/Mullins, $80.
20. (13) 19 Pete Sagmiller, Spring, Texas, /, $60.
21. (21) 45t Eric Tomlinson (R), Robinson, Texas, Hughes/, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (18 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (4) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
2. (3) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas.
3. (7) 57 Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas.
4. (6) 3 Danny Womack, Muskogee, Okla.
5. (11) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $80.
6. (8) 71h Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas, SRP/JR, $80.
7. (10) C3 Rob Litton, Alexandria, La., /, $60.
8. (14) 955 Robert Metz Jr. (R), Lumberton, Texas, Pierce/CB, $80.
9. (13) 715 Jeff Hoegh, New Caney, Texas, Skyrocket/Graham, $60.
10. (12) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas, Skyrocket/, $80.
11. (16) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark., /, $60.
12. (20) 23 Randy Nolen, Shreveport, La., DirtWorks/, $60.
13. (9) 85 Thomas Tillison, Jr., Wellston, Okla., /, $60.
14. (18) 96 Foster Ellison, Richwood, Texas, /, $60.
15. (17) 43f Marcus Frisch, Eros, La., IRP/, $60.
16. (5) 36 Bryan Mewborn, Texarkana, Texas, Ramirez/CRT, $60.
17. (2) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Shoulder’s, $80.
18. (15) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas, Hughes/PPE, $80.
19. (19) 012 Patrick Petty, Baytown, Texas, /, $60.
20. (1) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, CAM/Allard, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (18 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
2. (5) 52 Jason Thoennes (R), Garfield, Minn.
3. (7) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
4. (3) C27 Chase Delrio (R), West Monroe, La.
5. (19) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas, Hughes/Cantrill, $60.
6. (10) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, $80.
7. (2) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo., /, $60.
8. (6) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/CAM, $80.
9. (13) 95 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas, Fast1/Jackson, $80.
10. (20) 88t Billy Turner (R), Yukon, Okla., Hughes/Allen’s, $80.
11. (15) 86j Travis Johnson, Enid, Okla., Hughes/, $60.
12. (18) 21 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, Texas, Skyrocket/Hovis, $80.
13. (14) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $80.
14. (17) 2 Andy McClelland, Baytown, Texas, /, $60.
15. (4) 14m Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas, /, $60.
16. (9) 14 David Ashley, Zachary, La., /, $60.
17. (16) 303 Chase Jupe, Waco, Texas, Hughes/Centex, $60.
18. (12) 21 David Winslett, Bossier City, La., /, $60.
19. (8) 9 Shane Killingsworth, Dallas, Texas, /, $60.
20. (11) 44 Marcus Berndt, Katy, Texas, DirtWorks/Graham, $60.

WIX FILTERS “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (1) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $3000.
2. (17) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, $2000.
3. (2) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, $1500.
4. (24) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, $1100.
5. (15) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, $800.
6. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $700.
7. (7) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Pierce/ASI, $600.
8. (9) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ASI, $500.
9. (12) 3c Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Skyrocket/ProPower, $450.
10. (5) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, Skyrocket/Harris, $400.
11. (8) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas, CAM/Wells, $350.
12. (10) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, $400.
13. (11) 9 Jimmy Ray (R), Las Cruces, N.M., AOS/GMPP, $300.
14. (21) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $400.
15. (22) 57 Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas, TRE/Mullins, $300.
16. (18) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $300.
17. (20) 52 Jason Thoennes (R), Garfield, Minn., MasterSbilt/Sower, $300.
18. (16) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, Evolution/CB, $300.
19. (4) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, $400.
20. (25) 3 Danny Womack, Muskogee, Okla., Hughes/BMS, $275.
21. (26) C27 Chase Delrio (R), West Monroe, La., Skyrocket/Mullins, $300.
22. (27) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Shoulders, $300.
23. (14) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, Hughes/Chase, $300.
24. (19) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas, PCR/GMPP, $300.
25. (3) 99 Danny Hebert, Duson, La., /, $275.
26. (23) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Hughes/Wells, $300.
27. (13) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $300.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Integra Lap Leaders: Ramirez 1, Gustin 2-22, Ramirez 23-40.
Total Laps Led: Gustin 21, Ramirez 19.
Margin of Victory: 1.023 seconds.
AFCO Pole Winner: Hughes.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: VanderBeek (started 24th, finished 4th).
Provisional Starter: Webb.
Next Race: Saturday, Nov. 19, Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.
Southeast Region Points: Hughes 872, Gustin 850, Shryock 790, Whittington 742, Timms 732, Hebert 722, Sanders 717, Ramirez 702, Scott 652, Dunn 640.
Rookie of the Year Points: Jason Grimes 1708, Lucas Schott 1634, Keith Foss 1610, Ray 1115, Dunn 1100.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 606, ProPower 493, Sput’s 474, ASI 287, Geddes 285.
Tiger Rear Ends Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 647, Skyrocket 572, GRT 456, BC 269, Sidebiter 181.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – draw.
CPD Racing Tools – not awarded.
Eibach Springs – Gustin.
Forty9Designs.com – VanderBeek, Brown.
Hooker Harness – Timms.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Gustin.
ISKY Racing Cams – Ramirez.
The Joie of Seating – Hebert, Hyde.
KSE Racing Products – Hyde.
Marsh Racing Wheels – B. Rowland.
New Vision Graphics – Denby Jr.
Nitroquest – Tomlinson, Allen, Jordan.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – VanderBeek.
PBM Performance Products – B. Rowland.
Real Racing Wheels – Clevenger, Whiteaker, Miller.
Ruter Farms – not awarded.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Hughes.
WIX Filters – Ramirez.

LIMITED MODIFIEDS

Heat Race #1:
1. (4) 78 Kamron Campbell, Breaux, La.
2. (8) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
3. (2) 88 Joe Mayhew, Highlands, Texas.
4. (10) 955 Robert Metz Jr., Lumberton, Texas.
5. (1) 1b David Brown, Silsbee, Texas.
6. (7) 17 Jesse McNorton, Cleveland, Texas.
7. (11) 0 Fran Collins, Cleveland, Texas.
8. (5) 14k Stan Kraly, Crosby, Texas.
9. (9) 34 Cody Tankersley, Highlands, Texas.
10. (3) 93 Mark Greiner, Crosby, Texas.
11. (6) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.

Heat Race #2:
1. (6) 73 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
2. (2) 91 Tyler Erb, Magnolia, Texas.
3. (8) 53 Edward Oakes, Center, Texas.
4. (3) 148 Tommy Moore, Conroe, Texas.
5. (7) 41g Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
6. (1) 5p Brian Poulter, Cleveland, Texas.
7. (4) 97 Buck Buchanan, Stephens, Ark.
8. (5) 27 Randy Lewis, Humble, Texas.
9. (10) 6 Vince Louden, Shiner, Texas.
10. (9) 12b James Blaylock, Altus, Okla.
11. (11) 44 Todd Manchester, Spring, Texas.

Heat Race #3:
1. (2) 64 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas.
2. (4) 9b Brandon Blaylock, Houston, Texas.
3. (5) 10a John Matt, Crosby, Texas.
4. (6) 39 Chad Cambron, Alvin, Texas.
5. (9) 151 Adam Perks, El Campo, Texas.
6. (1) 2c Bradley Foster, Silsbee, Texas.
7. (3) 119 Eric Floyd, Edna, Texas.
8. (8) 1* Jason Troutman, Sunnyvale, Texas.
9. (7) 26 Tim Moomau, Houston, Texas.
10. (10) 11jr Johnny Brown, Lumberton, Texas.

Heat Race #4:
1. (4) 511 John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
2. (8) 83 Monty Nichols, Corpus Christi, Texas.
3. (3) 147 G.W. Hessong, Edna, Texas.
4. (1) 14d Derek Legg, Liberty, Texas.
5. (2) 26 Dean Abbey, Comanche, Texas.
6. (5) 16g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas.
7. (9) 39 Dusty Lout, Center, Texas.
8. (7) 91 Steve Bullock, Texas City, Texas.
9. (6) 22t Darrell Thompson, Ada, Okla.
10. (10) 17 Frankie Rash, Houston, Texas.

Heat Race #5:
1. (5) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
2. (1) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas.
3. (3) 77 Garrett Gregory, Tomball, Texas.
4. (10) 63 Shane Hoefling, Meyersville, Texas.
5. (6) F1 Kyle Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
6. (2) 48 Chris Swenson, Boerne, Texas.
7. (9) 24 John Leita, Inez, Texas.
8. (8) 22 Keith Wright, Conroe, Texas.
9. (4) 46 Randy Bridges, Marvel, Texas.
10. (7) C28 Charlie Kruithof, Haughton, La.

Heat Race #6:
1. (2) 2w Paul White, Temple, Texas.
2. (9) 24b Brent Broussard, Carencro, La.
3. (1) 47 James Myers, Sandia, Texas.
4. (3) 12m Randy Lovell, Sour Lake, Texas.
5. (4) 10d Don Painter, Buda, Texas.
6. (6) 115 Chuck Perry, Corpus Christi, Texas.
7. (7) 211 Chad Fitzgerald, Baytown, Texas.
8. (8) 3 Bradley Hellman, Pearland, Texas.
9. (10) 36 Steve Hoppe, Houston, Texas.
10. (5) 222t Chris Balthrop, Ada, Okla.

“B” Main #1 (top 3 advance):
1. (3) 63 Shane Hoefling, Meyersville, Texas.
2. (8) 2c Bradley Foster, Silsbee, Texas.
3. (22) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
4. (2) 39 Chad Cambron, Alvin, Texas.
5. (7) 17 Jesse McNorton, Cleveland, Texas.
6. (21) C28 Charlie Kruithof, Haughton, La.
7. (14) 1* Jason Troutman, Sunnyvale, Texas.
8. (13) 14k Stan Kraly, Crosby, Texas.
9. (20) 11jr Johnny Brown, Lumberton, Texas.
10. (16) 34 Cody Tankersley, Highlands, Texas.
11. (19) 93 Mark Greiner, Crosby, Texas.
12. (18) 46 Randy Bridges, Marvel, Texas.
13. (5) 151 Adam Perks, El Campo, Texas.
14. (1) 955 Robert Metz, Lumberton, Texas.
15. (17) 26 Tim Moomau, Houston, Texas.
16. (10) 0 Fran Collins, Cleveland, Texas.
17. (11) 119 Eric Floyd, Edna, Texas.
18. (15) 22 Keith Wright, Conroe, Texas.
19. (6) F1 Kyle Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
20. (12) 24 John Leita, Inez, Texas.
21. (4) 1b David Brown, Silsbee, Texas.
22. (9) 48 Chris Swenson, Boerne, Texas.

“B” Main #2 (top 3 advance):
1. (4) 41G Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
2. (1) 148 Tommy Moore, Conroe, Texas.
3. (12) 211 Chad Fitzgerald, Baytown, Texas.
4. (3) 12m Randy Lovell, Sour Lake, Texas.
5. (6) 10d Don Painter, Buda, Texas.
6. (14) 91 Steve Bullock, Texas City, Texas.
7. (9) 115 Chuck Perry, Corpus Christi, Texas.
8. (16) 6 Vince Louden, Shiner, Texas.
9. (19) 12b James Blaylock, Altus, Okla.
10. (10) 97 Buck Buchanan, Stephens, Ark.
11. (22) 44 Todd Manchester, Spring, Texas.
12. (13) 27 Randy Lewis, Humble, Texas.
13. (5) 26 Dean Abbey, Comanche, Texas.
14. (2) 14d Derek Legg, Liberty, Texas.
15. (15) 3 Bradley Hellman, Pearland, Texas.
16. (7) 5p Brian Poulter, Cleveland, Texas.
17. (11) 39 Dusty Lout, Center, Texas.
18. (17) 22t Darrell Thompson, Ada, Okla.
19. (8) 16g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas.
20. (18) 36 Steve Hoppe, Houston, Texas.
21. (20) 17 Frankie Rash, Houston, Texas.
22. (21) 222t Chris Balthrop, Ada, Okla.

“A” Main:
1. (4) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, $1000.
2. (6) 511 John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, $400.
3. (7) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, $300.
4. (8) 73 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, $200.
5. (20) 41g Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., $170.
6. (5) 78 Kamron Campbell, Breaux, La., $140.
7. (12) 2w Paul White, Temple, Texas, $120.
8. (11) 91 Tyler Erb, Magnolia, Texas, $100.
9. (19) 63 Shane Hoefling, Meyersville, Texas, $90.
10. (16) 147 G.W. Hessong, Edna, Texas, $80.
11. (3) 9b Brandon Blaylock, Houston, Texas, $75.
12. (9) 64 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas, $70.
13. (2) 83 Monty Nichols, Corpus Christi, Texas, $65.
14. (18) 47 James Myers, Sandia, Texas, $60.
15. (1) 24b Brent Broussard, Carencro, La., $60.
16. (21) 2c Bradley Foster, Silsbee, Texas, $60.
17. (10) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas, $60.
18. (22) 148 Tommy Moore, Conroe, Texas, $60.
19. (13) 88 Joe Mayhew, Highlands, Texas, $60.
20. (15) 10a John Matt, Crosby, Texas, $60.
21. (14) 53 Edward Oakes, Center, Texas, $60.
22. (17) 77 Garrett Gregory, Tomball, Texas, $60.
23. (24) 211 Chad Fitzgerald, Baytown, Texas, $60.
24. (23) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., $60.

After three days of racing at the Houston Raceway Park, it looks like Hughes will be the man to beat again in 2010.

As the weekend wore on and the stakes got higher and higher, the 35-year-old chassis builder from Westville, Okla., got better and better. He scored a fifth-place finish on Thursday, came home second on Friday, and then wrapped up the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals presented by Ed Rinehart for County Commissioner with an impressive $5,000 victory on Saturday night.

“That’ll help pay some of the bills,” Hughes said in victory lane. “We kept fighting, my crew has been working hard all weekend and the car kept getting better. This is how we wanted to start the season.

“This is by far the biggest crowd we’ve seen since we’ve started running here, and it’s nice to get the win in front of all these people.”

Prior to the drop of the green flag, Hughes had his work cut out for him as he sat tenth on the 26-car starting grid. On Thursday he started and finished fifth, then could only manage to climb one spot from third to second on Friday night.

Bumper Jones used his pole position to jump out to the early lead in Saturday’s “A” Main while drivers shuffled positions behind him.

Friday’s winner Jeremy Payne rocketed past three cars down the back-stretch two laps later to grab the runner-up spot while Hughes followed suit and quickly moved to fourth behind eighth-starting Steven Whiteaker Jr.

Jones, Payne and Whiteaker raced bumper to bumper for the next nine laps while Hughes trailed by four car-lengths. Racing side by side out of the fourth turn on lap 11, Whiteaker and Payne made contact with Payne holding on to the second spot.

One lap later, the race’s first yellow flag waved as Whiteaker came to a halt on the front-stretch with a flat tire.

After leaving the pit area with fresh rubber, Whiteaker tagged the rear of the field while Hughes inherited the third spot. Payne elected to start on the inside, leaving Hughes to his right for the double-file restart.

At the drop of the green flag, Hughes dove hard into the first turn and powered around Jones in turn two. Payne shadowed Hughes down the back-stretch and wrestled second place away from Jones in the next corner.

Within five laps, Hughes had extended his advantage to nearly a full straight-away over Payne and his teammate Terry Phillips. Phillips, however, nearly spun on lap 19 and gave up the position to Mike Hansen while Jones remained close behind in fifth.

Despite heavy lapped traffic throughout the second-half of the 40-lapper, Hughes remained flawless as he sailed to his 21st career USMTS Southern Series victory and 81st overall under the USMTS banner.

Payne, Hansen and Phillips held on for second, third and fourth, respectively, while John O Whittington nipped Jones for the fifth-place paycheck.

Morgan Bagley snagged seventh, Rodney Sanders earned an eight-place finish, Chris Henigan nabbed ninth and defending Texas Winter Nationals champion Zack VanderBeek raced from eighteenth to finish tenth.

The win also propelled Hughes into the points lead on the strength of his nine passing points and three lap leader bonus points in the main event. Phillips sits six points behind Hughes (292 to 286) in second with Payne just one more point back in third. Whittington is fourth with 276 markers, followed by Jones (259), Bagley (257), Kelly Shryock (227), Dereck Ramirez (201), Shane Hebert (191) and Steve Holzkamper (191).

Lee Patton leads the current crop of rookie contenders, followed by Tristan Dycus, Darrel Dawson, Shane Killingsworth and nine other drivers tied for fifth.

Up next for the USMTS Southern Series is a tripleheader in the Sooner State. The series makes its debut at the Creek County Speedway in Kellyville, Okla., on Thursday, March 18, then moves on to the Outlaw Motor Speedway near Muskogee on Friday, March 19. The weekend winds up at the West Siloam Speedway in West Siloam Springs on Saturday, March 20. All three events are expected to attract a powerful field of entries as points will be awarded for both the USMTS Southern Series and USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series
3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals presented by Ed Rinehart for County Commissioner – Event #3 of 3
Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010

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) 5r Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas.
2. (4) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
3. (5) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
4. (1) 15 Kevin Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas.
5. (10) E Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
6. (9) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
7. (7) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas.
8. (6) 9 Shane Killingsworth (R), Dallas, Texas.
9. (11) 7x Rory Jordan (R), Victoria, Texas.
10. (12) 51 Jeff Wood, Willis, Texas.
11. (8) 17 Brad Lasater, Garland, Texas.
12. (3) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas.

HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo.
2. (10) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
3. (4) 15h Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyville, Texas.
4. (1) 58 Nathan Bichsel (R), Amarillo, Texas.
5. (7) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
6. (11) 10 Kenny Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas.
7. (12) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo.
8. (8) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
9. (3) 18L Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
10. (9) R5 Hunter Rasdon (R), Jonesboro, Ark.
11. (6) 10 Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, Ark.
12. (5) 23 Brandon Davis (R), Castle Rock, Colo.

HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
2. (7) 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan.
3. (11) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas.
4. (8) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss.
5. (9) 8g Greg Dinsmore, Kerrville, Texas.
6. (5) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
7. (10) 14t Tristan Dycus (R), Midlothian, Texas.
8. (4) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas.
9. (1) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla.
10. (12) 20 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, Texas.
11. (3) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas.
12. (6) 17x Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (3) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M.
2. (2) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, La.
3. (1) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas.
4. (9) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
5. (7) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
6. (10) 190 Shawn Stephenson (R), Howe, Texas.
7. (11) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, Minn.
8. (4) 56 David Horner, Houston, Texas.
9. (12) 2 Jerry Standifer (R), Howe, Okla.
10. (8) 55 Kyle Anderson (R), Tomball, Texas.
11. (5) 25 John Allen, Chanute, Kan.
12. (6) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (3) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, Iowa.
2. (11) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
3. (2) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
4. (10) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
5. (1) 99 Derick Grigsby, Marshall, Texas.
6. (6) 98 Darryl Seals, Vidor, Texas.
7. (4) 56 Steve Pugh, Anderson, Texas.
8. (7) 9 Brent Nicholas (R), Baytown, Texas.
9. (5) 5a Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas.
10. (9) 96 Foster Ellison III, Richwood, Texas.
11. (8) 76 Jesse Manning, Brazoria, Texas.

HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (2) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla.
2. (3) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
3. (5) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
4. (1) 00 Darrel Dawson (R), Midlothian, Texas.
5. (10) 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark.
6. (11) 20 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla.
7. (8) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
8. (7) 64 Jay Sale (R), Edmond, Okla.
9. (4) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas.
10. (9) 186 Jeremy Gossett (R), Amarillo, Texas.
11. (6) 7g Mark Smith, Lufkin, Texas.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (7) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (8) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo.
4. (11) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
5. (15) R5 Hunter Rasdon (R), Jonesboro, Ark., $120.
6. (5) 00 Darrel Dawson (R), Midlothian, Texas, $120.
7. (3) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, $120.
8. (16) 186 Jeremy Gossett (R), Amarillo, Texas, $120.
9. (9) 98 Darryl Seals, Vidor, Texas, $100.
10. (19) 17x Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., $100.
11. (14) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas, $120.
12. (17) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas, $120.
13. (6) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., $120.
14. (4) 8g Greg Dinsmore, Kerrville, Texas, $100.
15. (2) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss., $120.
16. (10) 56 Steve Pugh, Anderson, Texas, $120.
17. (12) 9 Brent Nicholas (R), Baytown, Texas, $120.
18. (13) 18L Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., $120.
19. (18) 7g Mark Smith, Lufkin, Texas, $120.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (6) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
2. (2) 15h Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyville, Texas.
3. (1) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
4. (3) E Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
5. (5) 10 Kenny Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas, $120.
6. (9) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, $120.
7. (4) 15 Kevin Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas, $120.
8. (17) 25 John Allen, Chanute, Kan., $120.
9. (8) 14t Tristan Dycus (R), Midlothian, Texas, $120.
10. (15) 55 Kyle Anderson (R), Tomball, Texas, $120.
11. (19) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., $120.
12. (14) 51 Jeff Wood, Willis, Texas, $120.
13. (10) 2 Jerry Standifer (R), Howe, Okla., $120.
14. (12) 64 Jay Sale (R), Edmond, Okla., $120.
15. (18) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas, $120.
16. (13) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla., $100.
17. (16) 17 Brad Lasater, Garland, Texas, $120.
18. (7) 99 Derick Grigsby, Marshall, Texas, $120.
19. (11) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas, $120.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
2. (3) 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark.
3. (8) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
4. (2) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas.
5. (7) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, Minn., $120.
6. (6) 190 Shawn Stephenson (R), Howe, Texas, $120.
7. (16) 10 Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, Ark., $120.
8. (13) 5a Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas, $120.
9. (5) 20 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla., $120.
10. (12) 7x Rory Jordan (R), Victoria, Texas, $120.
11. (9) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas, $120.
12. (14) 20 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, Texas, $120.
13. (18) 23 Brandon Davis (R), Castle Rock, Colo., $120.
14. (10) 9 Shane Killingsworth (R), Dallas, Texas, $120.
15. (11) 56 David Horner, Houston, Texas, $120.
16. (15) 96 Foster Ellison III, Richwood, Texas, $100.
17. (4) 58 Nathan Bichsel (R), Amarillo, Texas, $120.
18. (17) 76 Jesse Manning, Brazoria, Texas, $100.

“A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (10) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $5,000.
2. (6) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 40, $3,000.
3. (4) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, Iowa, GRT/PerfOnly, 40, $2,000.
4. (12) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 40, $1,500.
5. (9) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, 40, $1,000.
6. (1) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M., TRE/ASI, 40, $800.
7. (3) 5r Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas, Shaw/Rowland, 40, $700.
8. (13) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Sanders, 40, $600.
9. (2) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, Kraft/PTS, 40, $500.
10. (18) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 40, $450.
11. (16) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $400.
12. (5) 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $350.
13. (20) 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark., TRE/Shinook, 40, $350.
14. (17) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn., Kraft/Craft, 40, $350.
15. (19) 15h Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyville, Texas, Kraft/Wells, 39, $300.
16. (11) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Skyrocket/ASI, 39, $350.
17. (25) E Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, Evolution/Fox, 39, $350.
18. (24) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/CAM, 39, $300.
19. (14) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, La., Harris/PTS, 39, $350.
20. (22) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, DirtWorks/Harris, 39, $350.
21. (26) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas, GRT/Ewell, 39, $350.
22. (23) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 32, flat tire, $350.
23. (7) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 28, throttle spring, $350.
24. (15) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Ramirez/Sput’s, mechanical, 27, $350.
25. (8) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Rowland, flat tire, 15, $350.
26. (21) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 10, transmission, $350.

Lap Leaders: Jones 1-12, Hughes 13-40.
Total Laps Led: Hughes 28, Jones 12.
AFCO Pole Winner: Whiteaker.
PBM Performance Products Hard Charger: Hughes (started 10th, finished 1st).
Next Race: Thursday, March 18, Creek County Speedway, Kellyville, Okla.
Points Standings: Hughes 292, Phillips 286, Payne 285, Whittington 276, Jones 259, Bagley 257, Shryock 227, Ramirez 201, Hebert 191, Holzkamper 191.
Rookie of the Year Points: Patton 175, Dycus 149, Dawson 141, Killingsworth 140, Stephenson 135, Battarbee 135, Sale 135, Gossett 135, Stephens 135, Jordan 135, Seidl 135, Standifer 135, Bischel 135, Battarbee 135, Anderson 135, Nicholas 135, Heston 135, Davis 135.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Hatfield 28, Mullins 25, CB 20, Rowland 19, PerfOnly 17.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: GRT 28, Hughes 25, Shaw 21, Pierce 21, Skyrocket 19.

Contingency Awards:
Ai-Racing – Phillips.
American Racer – not awarded.
Eibach Springs – Jones.
Isky Racing Cams – Bagley.
KSE Racing Products – Payne.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Fennewald.
Out-Pace Racing Products – Timms.
PBM Performance Products – Hughes.
Quarter Master – Hughes, Sanders.
QuickTime – Bagley.
Real Racing Wheels – Dawson, C. Smith, Stephenson.

Express Race Cars-Limited Mods
Heat Races 2/20/2010
Heat 1 Finish Driver
1 9 – Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (2)
2 12m – Howard Willis — Dayton, TX (8)
3 3 – Glen Grant — Houston, TX (7)
4 89 – Steve Whiteaker,Jr — Corpus Christi, TX
5 420 – Eric Cegielski — Houston, TX (4)
6 188 – Derek Rashall — Dayton, TX (6)
7 65 – Shannon Fox — Pasadena, Tx (5)
8 1 – Steve Hoppe — Houston, TX (3)
9 1b – Grant Brown — Silsbee, TX (9)
10 260 – Paul White — Temple, TX (1)

Heat 2 Finish Driver
1 10a – John Matt — Crosby, TX (2)
2 9 – Phil Dixon — Houston, TX (4)
3 111 – Lee Fincher — League City, TX (6)
4 211 – Dean Hollier — Groves, TX (3)
5 14 – Marcus Berndt — Katy, TX (7)
6 24 – Derek Ross — Crosby, TX (5)
7 11p – Luke Graves — Atlanta, LA (9)
8 5p – Brian Poulter — Cleveland, Tx (8)
9 43 – Jeff Mueller — Highlands, TX (10)
10 28 – Michael McDonald — Wallaceville, TX (1)

Heat 3 Finish Driver
1 93 – Mark Greiner — Crosby, TX (1)
2 33 – Bobby Fehring — Mt. Vieu, TX (6)
3 1 – Shannon Cox — Miliam, TX (2)
4 46 – Randy Bridges — Rosharon, TX (5)
5 x – Thomas Downey — , (8)
6 47 – James Myers — Corpus Christi, TX (7)
7 11jr – Johnny Brown — Lumberton, TX (3)
8 4 – Brad Dixon — Kattie, TX (4)
9 3j – Kevin Dupont — Carencro, LA (

B Main Finish 2/20/2010
Finish Driver
1 260 – Paul White — Temple, TX (10)
2 43 – Jeff Mueller — Highlands, TX (8)
3 1b – Grant Brown — Silsbee, TX (7)
4 4 – Brad Dixon — Kattie, TX (6)
5 11p – Luke Graves — Atlanta, LA (2)
6 5p – Brian Poulter — Cleveland, Tx (5)
7 28 – Michael McDonald — Wallaceville, TX (11)
8 11jr – Johnny Brown — Lumberton, TX (3)
9 65 – Shannon Fox — Pasadena, Tx (1)
10 1 – Steve Hoppe — Houston, TX (4)
11 3j – Kevin Dupont — Carencro, LA (9)

A Main Finish 2/20/2010
Finish Drive
1 9 – Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (7)
2 12m – Howard Willis — Dayton, TX (4)
3 111 – Lee Fincher — League City, TX (2)
4 89 – Steve Whiteaker,Jr — Corpus Christi, TX (10)
5 3 – Glen Grant — Houston, TX (1)
6 260 – Paul White — Temple, TX (19)
7 9 – Phil Dixon — Houston, TX (5)
8 33 – Bobby Fehring — Mt. Vieu, TX (6)
9 10a – John Matt — Crosby, TX (8)
10 24 – Derek Ross — Crosby, TX (17)
11 211 – Dean Hollier — Groves, TX (11)
12 x – Thomas Downey — , (15)
13 188 – Derek Rashall — Dayton, TX (16)
14 1b – Grant Brown — Silsbee, TX (21)
15 47 – James Myers — Corpus Christi, TX (18)
16 1 – Shannon Cox — Miliam, TX (3)
17 43 – Jeff Mueller — Highlands, TX (20)
18 420 – Eric Cegielski — Houston, TX (13)
19 11p – Luke Graves — Atlanta, LA (23)
20 5p – Brian Poulter — Cleveland, Tx (24)
21 46 – Randy Bridges — Rosharon, TX (12)
22 93 – Mark Greiner — Crosby, TX (9)
23 4 – Brad Dixon — Kattie, TX (22)
24 14 – Marcus Berndt — Katy, TX (14)

Payne started fourth on the grid and quickly moved into the second spot behind Darrell Nelson, who wrestled the lead away from polesitter Shane Killingsworth as the field crossed beneath the flagstand to complete the first lap.

Nelson held his own for 11 laps until Payne swept to his outside down the back-stretch before securing the top spot on lap 12.

Hughes got around Nelson six laps later and closed in on Payne while the top five runners of Payne, Hughes, Nelson, Morgan Bagley and John O Whittington pulled away from the rest of the pack.

Just as the leaders encountered lapped traffic for the first time, the caution flag waved on lap 16 to slow the action and bunch up the field.

On the restart, Payne shut the door on Hughes’ attempt to get by and the pair distanced themselves from the field en route to a nose-to-tail finish at the checkered flag.

“It’s nice to get a win under our belt tonight,” Payne said in victory lane. “Now we can take a little more risk tomorrow for the big money.”

Despite a second late-race yellow flag with ten laps to go, Hughes was never able to find a way around the 24-year-old from Springfield, Mo., and had to settle for the runner-up paycheck.

“After the last caution I knew he (Hughes) was behind us,” Payne revealed. “He’s a great racer and I knew I couldn’t make a single mistake or the race would be his.”

The win was the first for Payne since capturing a USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour main event at his hometown Springfield Raceway last August.

Whittington recoded his second top-5 finish in as many nights with a third-place showing, Nelson held on for a USMTS career-best fourth-place finish and Bagley, who captured the AFCO Pole Award earlier in the evening, rounded out the top-5 finishers.

Mike Hansen, Payne’s teammate Terry Phillips, Shane Hebert, Dereck Ramirez and Thursday night’s winner Kelly Shryock finished sixth through tenth, respectively.

Round 3 of the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals presented by Ed Rinehart for County Commissioner takes place on Saturday, with a top prize of $5,000 awaiting the “A” Main winner.

In addition to the touring titans of the USMTS Southern Series, the racing card will also feature Southern Limited Modifieds racing for $1,500 to win, courtesy of Express Racecars.

On Saturday, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., 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 oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.

The facility is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 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 are available by calling the track’s ticket office at 281-383-RACE and requesting free tickets by will-call for the USMTS race. Free event passes that were distributed for the weathered-out December event are still good for Saturday’s show too.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series
3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals presented by Ed Rinehart for County Commissioner – Event #2 of 3
Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas
Friday, Feb. 19, 2010

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) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, Minn.
2. (8) 5r Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas.
3. (4) R5 Hunter Rasdon (R), Jonesboro, Ark.
4. (5) 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark.
5. (10) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
6. (9) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss.
7. (6) 7g Mark Smith, Lufkin, Texas.
8. (3) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas.
9. (7) 64 Jay Sale (R), Edmond, Okla.
10. (11) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas.
11. (1) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla.
12. (12) E Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.

HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 9 Shane Killingsworth (R), Dallas, Texas.
2. (6) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo.
3. (3) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
4. (9) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas.
5. (5) 5a Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas.
6. (10) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
7. (7) 186 Jeremy Gossett, Amarillo, Texas.
8. (8) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
9. (4) 7x Rory Jordan (R), Victoria, Texas.
10. (12) 56 Steve Pugh, Anderson, Texas.
11. (11) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas.
12. (1) 25 John Allen, Chanute, Kan.

HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (4) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
2. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla.
3. (2) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
4. (6) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
5. (1) 99 Derick Grigsby, Marshall, Texas.
6. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
7. (9) 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan.
8. (3) 51 Jeff Wood, Willis, Texas.
9. (7) 18L Michael Long, Quincy, Ill.
10. (11) 15 Kevin Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas.
11. (10) 5m Joe Mayhew, Highlands, Texas.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
2. (8) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, Iowa.
3. (7) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
4. (11) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
5. (1) 17 Brad Lasater, Garland, Texas.
6. (10) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas.
7. (9) 82 Joshua Majek (R), Corpus Christi, Texas.
8. (3) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, La.
9. (4) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
10. (5) 23 Brandon Davis (R), Castle Rock, Colo.
11. (6) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (2) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
2. (1) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (5) 00 Darrel Dawson (R), Midlothian, Texas.
4. (7) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
5. (8) 20 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla.
6. (4) 10 Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, Ark.
7. (11) 14t Tristan Dycus (R), Midlothian, Texas.
8. (3) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas.
9. (10) 9 Brent Nicholas (R), Baytown, Texas.
10. (6) 55 Kyle Anderson (R), Tomball, Texas.
11. (9) 190 Shawn Stephenson (R), Howe, Texas.

HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (2) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
2. (3) 56 David Horner, Houston, Texas.
3. (5) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M.
4. (7) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
5. (6) 10 Kenny Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas.
6. (10) 15h Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyville, Texas.
7. (8) 58 Nathan Bischel (R), Amarillo, Texas.
8. (4) 9j Darrell Jones, Ashland, Mo.
9. (9) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas.
10. (1) 2 Jerry Standifer (R), Howe, Okla.
11. (11) 20 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, Texas.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (3) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (8) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
4. (2) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M.
5. (4) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, $100.
6. (5) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, $100.
7. (9) 82 Joshua Majek (R), Corpus Christi, Texas, $100.
8. (6) 10 Kenny Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas, $100.
9. (15) 15 Kevin Battarbee (R), Houston, Texas, $100.
10. (11) 51 Jeff Wood, Willis, Texas, $100.
11. (17) 5m Joe Mayhew, Highlands, Texas, $80.
12. (18) 20 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, Texas, $100.
13. (12) 9j Darrell Jones, Ashland, Mo., $80.
14. (13) 7x Rory Jordan (R), Victoria, Texas, $100.
15. (16) 2 Jerry Standifer (R), Howe, Okla., $100.
16. (14) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, Texas, $100.
17. (7) 99 Derick Grigsby, Marshall, Texas, $100.
18. (10) 186 Jeremy Gossett (R), Amarillo, Texas, $100.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas.
2. (2) R5 Hunter Rasdon (R), Jonesboro, Ark.
3. (11) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, La.
4. (3) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.
5. (9) 58 Nathan Bischel (R), Amarillo, Texas, $100.
6. (4) 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark., $100.
7. (17) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo., $100.
8. (12) 9 Brent Nicholas (R), Baytown, Texas, $100.
9. (14) 56 Steve Pugh, Anderson, Texas, $100.
10. (6) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, Miss., $100.
11. (5) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas, $100.
12. (7) 17 Brad Lasater, Garland, Texas, $100.
13. (13) 18L Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., $100.
14. (10) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas, $100.
15. (8) 10 Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, Ark., $100.
16. (15) 23 Brandon Davis (R), Castle Rock, Colo., $100.
17. (16) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla., $80.
18. (18) E Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, $100.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (12 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (1) 00 Darrel Dawson (R), Midlothian, Texas.
3. (8) 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan.
4. (18) 25 John Allen, Chanute, Kan.
5. (15) 55 Kyle Anderson (R), Tomball, Texas, $100.
6. (7) 14t Tristan Dycus (R), Midlothian, Texas, $100.
7. (11) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas, $100.
8. (13) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., $100.
9. (12) 64 Jay Sale (R), Edmond, Okla., $100.
10. (10) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, $100.
11. (14) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas, $100.
12. (17) 190 Shawn Stephenson (R), Howe, Texas, $100.
13. (4) 20 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla., $100.
14. (9) 7g Mark Smith, Lufkin, Texas, $100.
15. (5) 15h Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyville, Texas, $80.
16. (3) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn., $100.
17. (16) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, $100.
18. (6) 5a Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas, $100.

“A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. (4) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 35, $3,000.
2. (3) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $2,000.
3. (9) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, 35, $1,500.
4. (2) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, Minn., Shaw/Tim’s, 35, $1,000.
5. (6) 5r Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas, Shaw/Rowland, 35, $800.
6. (7) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, Iowa, GRT/PerfOnly, 35, $700.
7. (17) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 35, $600.
8. (11) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Hughes/Wall2Wall, 35, $500.
9. (15) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Ramirez/Sput’s, 35, $450.
10. (10) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 35, $400.
11. (14) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Rowland, 35, $350.
12. (24) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M., TRE/ASI, 35, $320.
13. (26) 25 John Allen, Chanute, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $300.
14. (19) R5 Hunter Rasdon (R), Jonesboro, Ark., GRT/Dickens, 35, $300.
15. (23) 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $300.
16. (25) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/Jeff, 35, $275.
17. (22) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, La., Harris/tbd, 35, $300.
18. (5) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 35, $300.
19. (16) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas, GRT/KHP, 35, $300.
20. (8) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., TRE/Sput’s, 35, $300.
21. (18) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 35, $300.
22. (13) 56 David Horner, Houston, Texas, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 35, $300.
23. (20) 00 Darrel Dawson (R), Midlothian, Texas, Hughes/Rowland, 35, $300.
24. (12) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 25, mechanical, $300.
25. (21) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Sanders, 16, mechanical, $300.
26. (1) 9 Shane Killingsworth (R), Dallas, Texas, KillerWorks/BK’s, 2, mechanical, $300.

(R) = “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year candidate.

Lap Leaders: Nelson 1-11, Payne 12-35.
Total Laps Led: Payne 24, Nelson 11.
AFCO Pole Winner: Bagley.
PBM Performance Products Hard Charger: J. Allen (started 26th, finished 13th).
Next Race: Saturday, Feb. 20, Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas.
Points Standings: Phillips 191, Whittington 188, Payne 186, Hughes 180, Bagley 179, Jones 177, Shryock 174, Ramirez 151, Hebert 146, J. Allen 124.
“Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: Patton 120, Dycus 104, Dawson 96, Killingsworth 95, Stephenson 90, Kevin Battarbee 90, Sale 90, Gossett 90, Stephens 90, Jordan 90, Seidl 90, Standifer 90, Bischel 90, Kenny Battarbee 90, Anderson 90, Nicholas 90, Heston 90, Davis 90.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Hatfield 19, Mullins 15, Rowland 14, Sput’s 13, CB 13.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: GRT 19, Skyrocket 15, Shaw 15, Hughes 15, Pierce 13.

Contingency Awards:Ai-Racing – Ramirez.
American Racer – not awarded.
Eibach Springs – Timms.
Isky Racing Cams – Nelson.
KSE Racing Products – Hughes.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Killingsworth.
Out-Pace Racing Products – Whiteaker.
PBM Performance Products – J. Allen.
Quarter Master – Payne, Hebert.
QuickTime – Phillips.
Real Racing Wheels – C. Smith, Holzkamper, Dycus.

Last year, Shryock struggled through a career-worst 55-race winless streak that began in August of 2008 and finally ended nearly 11 months later.

But that won’t be the case this year as he captured the 30-lap “A” Main at the Houston Raceway Park to kick start the USMTS Southern Series season and set the tone for the rest of the 2010 campaign.

Shryock drew the outside of the front row for the start of the main event, but it was polesitter Mark Dotson who led the first lap and third-starting Morgan Bagley who led the next 15 trips around the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval.

With two-time defending USMTS Southern Series champion Jason Hughes joining the fight at the front of the field, the leaders encountered heavy lapped traffic at the midway point of the race with Shryock able to edge in front of Bagley down the back-stretch as they split a lapped car.

Before the lap could be completed, however, the race’s first caution waved and Bagley retained the point for the restart. The yellow flag waved two more times over the next two laps with Bagley able to hold off Shryock on both occasions.

On the next attempt, Shryock elected to take the outside lane for the double-file restart. Back under green, Shryock was able to power around Bagley in the first turn and snag the top spot away from the 23-year-old Texan.

Shryock never relinquished the lead, but had to fend off several aggressive maneuvers from tenth-starting Terry Phillips over the final ten laps to secure the victory.

Bagley held on for a third-place finish, while Bumper Jones climbed to fourth from 14th on the starting grid to earn the PBM Performance Products Hard Charger Award.

Hughes, who had captured the last two checkered flags at the Baytown, Texas, speedplant, faded to fifth by the end of the contest.

John O Whittington won the second of three Real Racing Wheels “B” Mains, then advanced ten spots in the “A” Main to pocket a sixth-place paycheck.

Jeremy Payne, Mike Hansen, Johnny Fennewald and Steve Holzkamper rounded out the top-10 finishers.

Sixty-one USMTS Modified filled the pit area on Thursday, and officials expect that number climb even higher on Friday and Saturday as the prize money and forecasted temperatures rise throughout the weekend.

Friday’s main event winner will earn $3,000 while the victor on Saturday gets $5,000 courtesy of Ed Rinehart for County Commissioner.

In addition to the touring titans of the USMTS Southern Series, the racing card will feature Southern Limited Modifieds racing for $1,000 and $1,500 to win, respectively, courtesy of Express Race Cars.

On Friday, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 5 and racing begins at 7. On Saturday, pit gates open at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 4 and the first heat race hits the track at 6 p.m. Hot laps each day 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 oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.

The facility is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 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 several locations throughout the Houston area, or by calling the track’s ticket office at 281-383-RACE and requesting free tickets by will-call for the USMTS race. Free event passes that were distributed for the December event are still good for the Feb. 18-20 show this year.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series
3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals presented by Ed Rinehart for County Commissioner – Event #1 of 3
Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010

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. (4) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, TX.
2. (3) 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, AR.
3. (10) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, MO.
4. (5) 18 Michael Long, Quincy, IL.
5. (8) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, TX.
6. (7) 20 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, OK.
7. (2) 9 Brent Nicholas, Baytown, TX.
8. (11) 9 Shane Killingsworth, Dallas, TX.
9. (9) 17 Brad Lasater, Garland, TX.
10. (6) 186 Jeremy Gossett, Amarillo, TX.
11. (1) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, TX.

HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 25 Scott Green, Derby, KS.
2. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, OK.
3. (4) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, OK.
4. (8) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, TX.
5. (2) 12 Corey Babbitt, Channelview, TX.
6. (3) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, OK.
7. (9) 9j Darrell Jones, Ashland, MO.
8. (6) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, LA.
9. (7) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, KS.
10. (10) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, TX.

HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 5r Morgan Bagley, Longview, TX.
2. (2) 15h Sam Hafertepe, Sunnyville, TX.
3. (6) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, MO.
4. (7) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, MN.
5. (3) 5a Wes Armstrong, Marshall, TX.
6. (5) 55 Kyle Anderson (R), Tomball, TX.
7. (8) 15 Kevin Battarbee (R), Houston, TX.
8. (4) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, TX.
9. (9) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, MS.
10. (10) 56 David Horner, Houston, TX.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, IA.
2. (4) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, MO.
3. (3) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, LA.
4. (6) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, OK.
5. (9) 99 Derick Grigsby, Marshall, TX.
6. (5) 190 Shawn Stephenson (R), Howe, TX.
7. (10) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, TX.
8. (8) 20 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, TX.
9. (7) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, TX.
10. (2) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, CO.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (2) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, IA.
2. (1) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, NM.
3. (8) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, MO.
4. (3) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN.
5. (5) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, TX.
6. (6) 25 John Allen, Chanute, KS.
7. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, TX.
8. (4) 10 Kenny Battarbee (R), Houston, TX.
9. (10) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, IA.
10. (9) 22 Tracy Denby Sr., Vidor, TX.

HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (6) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, OK.
2. (2) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, TX.
3. (1) 00 Darrel Dawson (R), Midlothian, TX.
4. (5) 10 Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, AR.
5. (8) E Howard Willis, Dayton, TX.
6. (9) 58 Nathan Bischel, Amarillo, TX.
7. (7) 2 Jerry Standifer (R), Howe, OK.
8. (3) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, OK.
9. (4) 7g Mark Smith, Lufkin, TX.
10. (10) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, TX.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (2) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, MN.
2. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, OK.
3. (1) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, TX.
4. (5) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, MN.
5. (4) 10 Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, AR, $80.
6. (8) 190 Shawn Stephenson (R), Howe, TX, $80.
7. (7) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, TX, $80.
8. (6) 5a Wes Armstrong, Marshall, TX, $80.
9. (9) 15 Kevin Battarbee (R), Houston, TX, $80.
10. (14) 7g Mark Smith, Lufkin, TX, $80.
11. (12) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, OK, $80.
12. (11) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, TX, $80.
13. (13) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, KS, $80.
14. (10) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, TX, $80.
15. (16) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, TX, $80.
16. (15) 56 David Horner, Houston, TX, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (6) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, TX.
2. (2) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, LA.
3. (12) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, IA.
4. (4) 14t Tristan Dycus (R), Midlothian, TX.
5. (8) 25 John Allen, Chanute, KS, $80.
6. (14) 186 Jeremy Gossett (R), Amarillo, TX, $80.
7. (13) 34 Ben Stephens (R), Hattiesburg, MS, $60.
8. (7) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, OK, $60.
9. (16) 7x Rory Jordan (R), Victoria, TX, $80.
10. (11) 20 Troy Seidl (R), Magnolia, TX, $80.
11. (10) 2 Jerry Standifer (R), Howe, OK, $80.
12. (5) 58 Nathan Bischel, Amarillo, TX, $80.
13. (3) 99 Derick Grigsby, Marshall, TX, $80.
14. (1) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, TX, $80.
15. (9) 9 Shane Killingsworth (R), Dallas, TX, $80.
16. (15) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, CO, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (3) 18 Michael Long, Quincy, IL.
2. (1) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, OK.
3. (10) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, LA.
4. (5) 12 Corey Babbitt, Channelview, TX.
5. (2) 00 Darrel Dawson (R), Midlothian, TX, $80.
6. (6) 20 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, OK, $80.
7. (11) 10 Kenny Battarbee (R), Houston, TX, $80.
8. (7) 55 Kyle Anderson (R), Tomball, TX, $80.
9. (15) 22 Tracy Denby Sr., Vidor, TX, $60.
10. (9) 9 Brent Nicholas (R), Baytown, TX, $80.
11. (8) 9j Darrell Jones, Ashland, MO, $60.
12. (13) 69 Randy Heston (R), Stinnett, TX, $80.
13. (12) 17 Brad Lasater, Garland, TX, $80.
14. (4) E Howard Willis, Dayton, TX, $80.
15. (14) 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, TX, $80.

“A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. (2) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 30, $2,000.
2. (10) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 30, $1,500.
3. (3) 5r Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas, Shaw/Rowland, 30, $1,000.
4. (14) 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M., TRE/ASI, 30, $800.
5. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 30, $700.
6. (16) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, 30, $600.
7. (9) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 30, $500.
8. (8) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, Iowa, GRT/PerfOnly, 30, $450.
9. (12) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo., GRT/tbd, 30, $250.
10. (11) 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark., TRE/Shinook, 30, $350.
11. (1) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 30, $325.
12. (17) 18 Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., Kraft/Xtreme, 30, $300.
13. (18) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Ramirez/Sput’s, 30, $275.
14. (26) 12 Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/Jeff, 30, $200.
15. (13) 15h Sam Hafertepe, Sunnyville, Texas, tbd/tbd, 30, $200.
16. (23) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Hughes/Wall2Wall, 30, $250.
17. (21) 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas, Ramirez/Sput’s, 30, $250.
18. (19) JP5 Lee Patton (R), Ruston, La., Harris/tbd, $250.
19. (24) 44 Darrell Nelson, Hermantown, Minn., Shaw/Tim’s, $250.
20. (25) 14t Tristan Dycus (R), Midlothian, Texas, Kraft/Barr, $250.
21. (22) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, $250.
22. (6) 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 22, mechanical, $250.
23. (7) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 22, mechanical, $250.
24. (20) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Skyrocket/Sput’s, 19, mechanical, $250.
25. (4) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas, Hughes/tbd, 17, mechanical, $250.
26. (15) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn., Kraft/tbd, 15, mechanical, $250.

Lap Leaders: Dotson 1, Bagley 2-17, Shryock 18-30.
Total Laps Led: Bagley 16, Shryock 13, Dotson 1.
AFCO Pole Winner: Timms.
PBM Performance Products Hard Charger: Jones (started 14th, finished 4th).
Next Race: Friday, Feb. 19, Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas.
Points Standings: Phillips 103, Shryock 102, Jones 97, Bagley 94, Whittington 91, Hughes 84, Payne 80, Holzkamper 73, Dotson 71, Ramirez 71.
Just Say Yes Rookie of the Year Points: Dycus 59, Patton 57, Stephenson 45, Kevin Battarbee 45, Sale 45, Gossett 45, Stephens 45, Jordan 45, Seidl 45, Standifer 45, Bischel 45, Killingsworth 45, Dawson 45, Kenny Battarbee 45, Anderson 45, Nicholas 45, Heston 45.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Sput’s 10, Hatfield 9, Rowland 8, ASI 7, Mullins 6.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 10, GRT 9, Shaw 8, TRE 7, Hughes 6.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – not awarded.
Eibach Springs – Shryock.
Isky Racing Cams – Miller.
KSE Racing Products – Phillips.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Noble.
Out-Pace Racing Products – Dotson.
PBM Performance Products – Jones.
Quarter Master – Shryock, Hansen.
QuickTime – Payne.
Real Racing Wheels – Stephenson, Gossett, Weder.

Dozens of drivers, however, still got a head start during a three-hour practice session on the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval Wednesday night.

In contrast to 76 days ago when heavy rainfall and bitter cold resulted in a soft rough racing surface, drivers embraced the smooth surface on Wednesday night.

And everybody involved is looking forward to the next three days where the weatherman is forecasting temperatures to be 30 to 40 degrees warmer than the last time they visited the Baytown, Texas, speedplant.

This weekend’s event will be the highest-paying in the four-year history of the USMTS Southern Series, with a possible $10,000 to win over three nights. The main event will pay $2,000 to win on Thursday, with $3,000 earmarked for Friday’s winner and $5,000 to win on Saturday.

Winner of the last two main events at HRP, Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla., was the most dominant USMTS Southern Series driver in 2009, and capped off a personal-best record-setting season with his second straight USMTS Southern Series title.

Nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, finished second behind Hughes in the final standings, and was on hand Wednesday night to shake down his new 2010 Skyrocket Chassis in hopes of improving his ranking at the end of the 2010 racing season.

A field of 74 cars and drivers were in attendance on Dec. 3 for the snow-shortened program, and officials are expecting even more for this weekend’s blockbuster tripleheader.

In addition to Hughes and Shryock, other heavyweights that fans can expect to see in action are Mark Noble, Michael Long, Jon Tesch, Rodney Sanders, Morgan Bagley, Bumper Jones, Scott Green, Zack VanderBeek, Tommy Weder Jr., Shane Hebert, Chris Henigan, Dereck Ramirez, Bryan Rowland, Cody Smith, John O Whittington, Steven Whiteaker Jr., Randy Timms, Wes Armstrong, B.J. Robinson, Garrett Durrett, Dustin Hyde, Jason Armstrong, Kyle Schmidt, Steve Holzkamper, Chad Davis, William Gould, Jeff Huckaby, Bobby Malchus, Michael Robertson, Eddie Martin, Kyle Anderson, Howard Willis, David Horner, Tracy Denby Sr., Danny Barringer, Tracy Denby Jr., Paul White, Kyle Anderson, Phil Dixon, Chris Brown, Grant Junghans, Brandon Davis and many more.

In addition to the touring titans of the USMTS, the racing card will feature Southern Limited Modifieds racing for $700, $1,000 and $1,500 to win, respectively, courtesy of Express Race Cars.

On Thursday and Friday, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 5 and racing begins at 6:30. On Saturday, pit gates open at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 4 and the first heat race hits the track at 6 p.m. Hot laps each day 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 oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.

Located in Baytown, Texas, the track is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 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.

EVENT PAYOUTS: Thursday – 1. $2000, 2. $1200, 3. $800, 4. $600, 5. $500, 6. $400, 7. $350, 8. $300, 9. $250, 10. $230, 11. $210, 12-26. $200, Tow $60; Friday – 1. $3000, 2. $1800, 3. $1200, 4. $800, 5. $600, 6. $500, 7. $450, 8. $400, 9. $350, 10. $300, 11-26. $275, Tow $80; Saturday – 1. $5000, 2. $2500, 3. $1700, 4. $1000, 5. $700, 6. $600, 7. $500, 8. $450, 9. $400, 10. $350, 11. $325, 12-26. $300, Tow $100.

Published payouts are for non-licensed drivers. There is no requirement to purchase a USMTS license to compete in any USMTS event. However, benefits enjoyed by licensed drivers includes higher event purses and bonus payouts, increased tow money, discounted entry fees, contingency awards, points funds, a personalized driver profile page at www.usmts.com and more. The cost of a license is $200 for the USMTS Southern Series, which is good for all 29 events on this year’s campaign.

ENTRY FEES: The entry fee for Thursday is $80 for licensed drivers, $90 for non-licensed or $100 for all drivers entering at the track. Friday’s early entry fee for licensed drivers is $100, non-licensed $110 and at-the-track entry for all drivers is $125. On Saturday, early entry is $125 for licensed drivers, $135 for non-licensed drivers and $150 for all drivers on race day.

There is no entry fee on any night for Limited Mods. However, any driver racing in both Modifieds and Limited Mods will pay an entry of $30 on Thursday and Friday, and $35 on Saturday.

RULES & PROCEDURES: All USMTS rules apply. The American Racer KK704 is the Official Tire of the USMTS; however drivers may utilize the Hoosier G60 but will not be eligible to earn points. Qualifying will be done by heat race passing points and Real Racing Wheels “B” Mains. Draw for heat race starting spot ends 15 minutes before hot laps begin.

FREE TICKETS: Free grandstand tickets for Friday and Saturday night are available at several locations throughout the Houston area, or by calling the track’s ticket office at 281-383-RACE and requesting free tickets by will-call for the USMTS race. Free event passes that were distributed for the December event are still good for the Feb. 18-20 show this year.

2010 USMTS SOUTHERN SERIES 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)
Thu Mar 18 … Creek County Speedway, Kellyville, OK ($2000 o 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 … Clinton Motorsports Park, Clinton, OK ($2000 to win)
Sat May 1 … Route 66 Motor Speedway, Amarillo, TX ($2000 to win)
Sun May 2 … Lubbock Motor Speedway, Lubbock, TX ($2000 to win)
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 … Paris Motor Speedway, Blossom, TX ($2000 to win)
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 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2000 to win)
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 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)
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

“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.

2010 will be no different, as right out of the gate on Friday March 12th the return of the “Fastest Show on Dirt” will make its way back to LSS when the World of Outlaws Sprint Series stages its only scheduled visit of the season. Names of the likes of Steve and Kraig Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Donny Schatz, Craig Dollansky, Joey Saldana, Jason Meyers and son of LSS track owners Sam Hafertepe Jr., amongst many others, will take part in a full night of qualifying, heats, dash and feature race competition. This date was recently announced and support division(s) will be listed on the track website when that news becomes available.

Back for the first time in several years, the World of Outlaws Late Models make a triumphant return to LSS two weeks later on Saturday March 27th. Drivers such as 2009 series champion “Kid Rocket” Josh Richards, Steve Francis, Darrell Lanigan, Tim Fuller and Rick Eckert will all compete in a one night show, plus a host of others. Joining the WoO late models will be the only 2010 appearance of the exciting Winged Modifieds.

Next up, on Friday April 9th, the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series tackles LSS with a full field of top-flight sprint cars. Fans can expect drivers such as Shane Stewart, Gary Wright, Jason Johnson and Travis Rilat. Joining the sprint cars will be the modifieds, limited modifieds and factory stocks; rounding out what will certainly be a huge night of racing.

Then, on Sunday May 30th, the stars and cars of the SUPR Late Model Series will make their return for another night of high-speed action during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The modifieds, limited modifieds and factory stocks will also be on hand.

Saturday June 26th will mark the first ever visit of the Southern Thunder Sprints to Lone Star Speedway. Once again, fans will enjoy a diverse racing program with the modifieds, limited modifieds and factory stocks all taking part in the show.

Kicking off the Independence Day holiday weekend Friday July 2nd, will mark the second of three appearances for the SUPR Late Model Series. Another full slate of racing can be expected, as the modifieds, limited modifieds and factory stocks will race that evening.

Then the track will take a few weeks off during the “dog days of summer” only to return Saturday September 11th with an exciting double-header for the ASCS Lone Star Sprint Cars and the final SUPR Late Model Series event at LSS in 2010.

After an enormous success in 2009 at LSS, the Monster Truck Nationals will put on another high-flying, crunch-filled program on Saturday September 18th. You certainly won’t want to miss their return.

Wrapping up the 2010 racing calendar will be an inaugural 2-day event for the USMTS Southern Series for Modifieds on Friday and Saturday October 29th-30th. Joining them both nights will be the limited modifieds.

A pair of practice dates is also set on March 7th, from 3-8pm; and March 26th from 6-10pm.

More race dates are still in negotiation at this point, so make sure to visit www.LoneStarSpeedway.com for future updates. The 2010 schedule is also available for download and print on the track website. Also, you can find the latest in LSS news on your local racing forums throughout the 2010 racing season.

From everyone at “The Fastest ½ Mile Dirt Track in Texas,” have a safe and enjoyable racing season; we are looking forward to providing you with great racing action at affordable prices all year long.

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.

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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.

The line-up of events showcasing the premier dirt modified drivers in America features an exciting mix of familiar venues, as well as several new locales that are certain to jump start every race fan’s hunger for the series’ 12th year of competition.

“We’ve got one heck of a schedule brewing for 2010,” said USMTS president and race director Todd Staley. “Despite an economy that was pretty sour in 2009, our average car count was up and both our average and overall fan attendance was higher than ever before.”

“We have been truly blessed these past 11 years with the greatest drivers, sponsors and fans in the sport.”

The assembled slate of blockbuster events for 2010 includes return events at some the most popular USMTS venues, as well as a bolstered menu of new racetracks representing the finest in the country.

The rugged road warriors of the USMTS National Tour will thrill race fans in America’s heartland with an aggressive campaign which currently features 54 events at 39 different venues in 10 different States. The schedule is highlighted with return engagements to 29 facilities that hosted a USMTS National Tour event last season, and four exciting dirt ovals that will play host to the USMTS National Tour for the first time.

One facility returns to the line-up after a one-year hiatus, another is back on the schedule after a seven-year absence and yet another track’s name is on the slate for the first time in nine years.

For the seventh straight year, they USMTS National Tour campaign will kick off with a doubleheader at the Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. The 7th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw is slated for Friday and Saturday, March 5-6. Friday’s event will pay $2,000 to win while the victor in Saturday’s main event will pocket $3,000. More than 70 entries are once again expected for the annual lidlifter at the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval.

The following weekend will find the touring titans at the Caney Valley Speedway in Caney, Kan., on Friday, March 12, followed by a date at the Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kan., on Saturday, March 13. The series returns to Humboldt on Friday, Aug. 13, and Caney on Saturday, Aug. 14, to kick off the Hunt for the USMTS National Championship.

The month on March wraps up with trips to 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.

Two shows in the Show-Me State dot the month of April, with a couple of $2,000-to-win contests at the LA Raceway in La Monte on Friday, April 9, and Moberly’s 24 Raceway Park on Saturday, April 10.

A busy month of May is only partially finalized, but the Memorial Day Weekend will find the series on familiar ground with a $2,000-to-win stop at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Wednesday, May 26, for the first of five straight nights of racing action. On Thursday, May 27, it’s on to the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa, followed by annual Memorial Day Weekend events at the Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn., on Friday, May 28; Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., on Saturday, May 29; and the Dodge County Speedway in Kasson, Minn., on Sunday, May 30.

In the 11-year history of the USMTS, Kelly Shryock has garnered ten titles, including nine USMTS National Championships and one USMTS Southern Series crown. It all started nearly two decades ago for the second-generation racer in the Hobby Stock division at the Fairmont Raceway in Fairmont, Minn., and the USMTS National Tour returns to the popular half-mile oval on Tuesday, June 15, for the first time since June 20, 2001 — a race that Shryock won with a last-lap pass of Mike Chasteen.

The Fairmont event kicks off a whirlwind final half of June that will see 10 shows in a span of 12 days. On Wednesday, June 16, the series invades the Buena Vista Raceway in Alta, Iowa, followed by the Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., on Thursday, June 17, and the Murray County Speedway in Slayton, Minn., on Friday, June 18. Tuesday, June 22, is set for the Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Wednesday, June 23, will find the USMTS National Tour back at the I-35 Speedway in Mason City, Iowa, for an encore of last year’s blockbuster event at Joe Ringsdorf’s speedplant at the North Iowa Fairgrounds. On Friday, June 25, the Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., hosts its first of two shows during the 2010 campaign.

Drivers, fans and officials alike will get their usual two- to three-week summer vacation during the first half of July, with the engines firing back up on Wednesday, July 14, for the annual Dodge County Fair in Kasson, Minn.

On Friday and Saturday, July 16-17, the USMTS National Tour invades the famed Elko Speedway in Elko, Minn., as the legendary asphalt track is transformed into a dirt gridiron for the 2nd Annual Dirt Nationals.

The State of North Dakota welcomes back the USMTS National Tour for the first time in three years with the first-ever visit to the Red River Valley Speedway in Fargo, N.D., on Wednesday, July 28. From there, it’s on to the Casino Speedway in Watertown, S.D., on Thursday, July 29, for what has become an annual sell-out and one of the most popular events on the schedule. The curtain closes on the tripleheader through the Dakotas with another inaugural event on Friday, July 30, at the Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.

The Hunt for the USMTS National Championship begins on Friday, Aug. 13, at the Humboldt Speedway and the first of 18 events that will culminate with the crowning of the 2010 USMTS National Champion.

The USMTS National Tour will return to the Deer Creek Speedway for the 12th Annual Fall Jamboree on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23-25. The standing-room-only show has become one of the most popular races on the calendars of Modified fans, as well as one of the most lucrative for the drivers.

USMTS officials plan to announce more dates and regional alignments in the next few days.

USMTS NATIONAL TOUR 2010 SCHEDULE

Fri Mar 5 … Junction Motor Speedway, McCool Junction, NE ($2000 to win)
Sat Mar 6 … Junction Motor Speedway, McCool Junction, NE ($3000 to win)
Fri Mar 12 … Caney Valley Speedway, Caney, KS ($2000 to win)
Sat Mar 13 … Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, KS ($2000 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 Mar 26 … TBA
Sat Mar 27 … TBA
Fri Apr 9 … LA Raceway, La Monte, MO ($2000 to win)
Sat Apr 10 … 24 Raceway Park, Moberly, MO ($2000 to win)
Fri May 14 … TBA
Sat May 15 … TBA
Sun May 16 … TBA
Wed May 26 … Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA ($2000 to win)
Thu May 27 … Highway 3 Raceway, Allison, IA ($2000 to win)
Fri May 28 … Chateau Raceway, Lansing, MN ($2000 to win)
Sat May 29 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($2000 to win)
Sun May 30 … Dodge County Speedway, Kasson, MN ($2000 to win)
Tue Jun 15 … Fairmont Raceway, Fairmont, MN ($2000 to win)
Wed Jun 16 … Buena Vista Raceway, Alta, IA ($2000 to win)
Thu Jun 17 … Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD ($2000 to win)
Fri Jun 18 … Murray County Speedway, Slayton, MN ($2000 to win)
Sat Jun 19 … TBA
Tue Jun 22 … Mineral City Speedway, Fort Dodge, IA ($2000 to win)
Wed Jun 23 … I-35 Speedway, Mason City, IA ($2000 to win)
Thu Jun 24 … TBA
Fri Jun 25 … Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, WI ($2000 to win)
Sat Jun 26 … TBA
Tue Jul 13 … TBA
Wed Jul 14 … Dodge County Speedway, Kasson, MN ($2000 to win)
Thu Jul 15 … TBA
Fri Jul 16 … Elko Speedway, Elko, MN ($2000 to win)
Sat Jul 17 … Elko Speedway, Elko, MN ($3000 to win)
Wed Jul 28 … Red River Valley Speedway, Fargo, ND ($2000 to win)
Thu Jul 29 … Casino Speedway, Watertown, SD ($2000 to win)
Fri Jul 30 … Brown County Speedway, Aberdeen, SD ($2000 to win)
Fri Aug 13 … Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, KS ($3000 to win)
Sat Aug 14 … Caney Valley Speedway, Caney, KS ($3000 to win)
Sun Aug 15 … Monett Speedway, Monett, MO ($3000 to win)
Fri Aug 20 … Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, WI ($3000 to win)
Sat Aug 21 … Adams County Speedway, Corning, IA ($3000 to win)
Sun Aug 22 … Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, MN ($3000 to win)
Thu Aug 26 … Nevada Speedway, Nevada, MO ($3000 to win)
Fri Aug 27 … LA Raceway, La Monte, MO ($3000 to win)
Sat Aug 28 … 24 Raceway Park, Moberly, MO ($3000 to win)
Tue Aug 31 … Marshalltown Speedway, Marshalltown, IA ($3000 to win)
Wed Sep 1 … Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA ($3000 to win)
Thu Sep 2 … Highway 3 Raceway, Allison, IA ($3000 to win)
Fri Sep 3 … Chateau Raceway, Lansing, MN ($3000 to win)
Sat Sep 4 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($3000 to win)
Sun Sep 5 … Dodge County Speedway, Kasson, MN ($3000 to win)
Thu Sep 23 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($2000 to win)
Fri Sep 24 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($4000 to win)
Sat Sep 25 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($6000 to win)

Schedule is tentative and subject to change without notice.

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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USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.

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, Dirthead.com, 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.