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Steve Whiteaker, Jr, tops strong Modified field at US National Dirt Track Championships at TMS Dirt Track

Corpus Christi, Texas, young gun, Steve Whiteaker, Jr, ran the race of his life on his way to taking the Modified A-main win at the US National Dirt Track Championships at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in Dallas on Saturday.

Whiteaker got by early-leader Patrick Daniel on the sixth lap and after halfway battled tooth-and-nail with Colby Smith who edged ahead for a lap, ran-side-by side and threw everything at Whiteaker but the kitchen sink. However, Whiteaker was able to hold off the determined Smith’s charges to gab the $3,000 win.

Smith got his bumper in front of Whiteaker on lap 32, but Whiteaker fought back on the top to retake the lead on lap 33. The two stayed side-by-side bouncing through the ruts in turns 3-4 with Whiteaker even kissing the back stretch wall. As the lead duo slugged it out, Bobby Malchus closed in on both. Whiteaker got nearly sideways in turns 3-4 on lap 36, but Malchus looped it behind him to bring out the caution flag.

On the restart Smith stayed with Whiteaker but at the finish Whiteaker was able to hold off Smith in Jana Schurry/Remax Realty, WW Bodies, Showtime Signs, TRoberts Optical, Mullins Race Engines, Hughes Chassis.

“I had to drive the heck out of it,” Whiteaker said. “I almost lost it a couple times and bounced it off the wall. It’s was just one of those deals that you had to go. The track was kind of rough, my air cleaner flew off, but all in all it’s awesome. I’m still letting sink in. We did it. The Hebert bunch helped me a lot to make some adjustments and go the right way.”

“This is my first Modified race in about three months since Fountain City, Wisconsin. I was kind of nervous. These guys race every week and I’ve been out of the seat running my Limited Modified. I just figured I’d come here and get some seat time for the Fall Jamboree next week. Everything came together. We were fast right out of the box.”

“I found there was some moisture around the top. You had to drive it into turn 1 until you saw God before you lifted. In turns 3-4 you tried to enter in a smooth spot, but there was no telling where you’d come out. I think the top of turns 1-2 is what won me the race. It was faster than the bottom if you hit it right.”

“Colby(Smith) pressed me hard. He gave me a run for the money, that’s for sure. He gave me way more room than I gave him. I appreciated that a lot. I think we only touched once. I tried to crowd him down and I really appreciate him racing me clean.”

“I have to thank my biggest sponsor and hero, my Dad, my crew chief Dustin (Butcher) who couldn’t be here and my wife who’s going to have our baby.

Results

1. 189 Steve Whiteaker, Jr, Corpus Christi
2. 01 Colby Smith, Grenville
3. 15 Tristan Dycus, Alvarado
4. 12 Johnny Bone, Jr, Pea Ridge, Arkansas
5. 57 Jason Armstrong, Marshall
6. 410 Brad Doherty, Ennis
7. 5r Morgan Bagley, Ft. Worth
8. 32 Kevin Clement, Bonham
9. 10 George White, Ft. Worth
10. F22 Derek Perkins, Oakdale, Louisiana
11. 12T Tyler Townsend, Longview
12. 753 Jack Franklin, Royce City
13. 88x Bobby Malchus, Red Oak
14. 12D Scott Drake, Webb City, Missouri
15. 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, New Mexico
16. 66x Mike Dillard, Allen
17. 17p Travis Penrod, Davis, Oklahoma
18. 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall
19. 15x Jared Webb, McKinney
20. 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, New Mexico
21. 51 Brett Frazier, Haughton, Louisiana
22. 121E Bobby Ruffin, Crandall
23. 75 Patrick Daniel, Wills Point
24. 18 Tim Clonch, Quinlan

by J.M. Hallas

John O Whittington takes USMTS win at Gator Motorplex with a last-lap pass

The Hunt for the USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series Championship presented by Dirt Modified Magazine kicked off Friday night at the Gator Motorplex with the TrackTek Racing Fuels Halloween Havoc - the first of eight events that will culminate with the crowning of the third USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series champion.

Although the annual holiday is still a week away, race fans Friday night were already bagging a treat.

Nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock drew the pole position for the main event and jumped out to the early lead.

Shryock set a torrid pace around the quarter-mile high-banked clay oval before Jon Tesch wrestled the lead away on lap 8.

Tesch led the next 26 laps, however, there still 27 left.

On the final lap, John O Whittington made his move and snuck by Tesch to take the lead, then crossed beneath the checkers to score his first USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series victory.

The win was worth $2,000 to the resident of nearby Vidor, Texas, in his 41st career start with America’s premier dirt modified tour.

Tesch had to settle for the runner-up paycheck while Bumper Jones finished third.

Chris Henigan earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award by finishing fourth after starting 15th on the 26-car Sunoco “A” Main grid.

Shryock slipped to a fifth-place finish by the end of the contest, but it was enough to move him into the points lead in the Hunt for the USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series Championship presented by Dirt Modified Magazine.

Jason Hughes came into Friday’s event as the points leader, but the defending USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series champ’s title defense got off to a rocky start.

After suffering a blown engine in his heat race, Hughes inserted a new powerplant and passed nine cars in the second Real Racing Wheels “B” Main but came up one spot short of qualifying for the main event and had to use a provisional starting spot for the feature race.

He made the most of it, muscling his way past 15 competitors to finish eighth, but earning no passing points as a provisional starter.

Scott Green finished sixth in the main event, AFCO Pole Award winner Cody Smith was seventh, Shane Hebert was ninth and Steve Holzkamper rounded out the top-10 finishers.

Shryock, the 2007 USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series champion, leads Hughes by just 5 points with seven races remaining in the title chase, while Tesch, Henigan and Whittington jumped up to third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sixth through tenth are Jones, Rodney Sanders, Hebert, Steven Whiteaker Jr. and Bryan Rowland.

Several other points races are also heating up entering the final stretch.

Wes Armstrong continues to lead the Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year points standings over his brother, Jason, by nine points, but Henigan was able to close the gap with his stout run in Friday’s nightcap.

Chad Davis is fourth and Garrett Durrett is fifth with all five within striking distance of the top spot.

Whittington was the 2008 Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Award winner.

The COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year points race has Mullins Race Engines up front with a nine-point advantage over A.S.I. Racing Engines, while the defending champ’s Hughes Racing Chassis maintains a slim lead over Shryock’s Skyrocket Chassis stable in the 2009 Chassis Builders Championship points.

TALKIN’ ’BOUT WILLIS …

The TrackTek Racing Fuels Halloween Havoc will continue on Saturday with the main event winner pocketing $3,000. Pit gates open at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, grandstands open at 11:00 with USMTS Modified hot laps at 6:45 and racing at 7:00.

Also competing will be USRA Southern Limited Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Pure Stocks. Support classes will begin their hot laps at 1:30 and complete their qualifying heats prior to action in the USMTS Modifieds.

For spectator comfort, bring your lawn chair or blanket to watch the races from the hill or the grandstands. Plus, during intermission kids can ride the Gator School Bus around the track for an unforgettable racing experience.

Drivers are reminded that mufflers are mandatory at the Gator Motorplex. Contact Day Motorsports by calling 800-543-6238 or online at www.daymotorsports.com. The Gator Motorplex also has a limited supply of auger inserts for sale at the track - call Randy at 936-856-9729 (office), 936-588-6127 (track) or 936-537-5265 (alternate) for more information and to check availability.

The Gator Motorplex is a 1/4-mile high-banked clay oval located off I-45 to Shepherd Hill (Exit 98), then east, then 1.4 miles south on SR 75. The track’s official website is online at www.gatormotorplex.net or call 936-588-6127 for more information.

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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OFFICIAL RESULTS
Hunt for the USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series Championship presented by Dirt Modified Magazine
TrackTek Racing Fuels Halloween Havoc - Night 1 of 2
Gator Motorplex, Willis, Texas
Friday, October 23, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 14 - Jon Tesch — Watertown, SD (1)
2. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (3)
3. 71 - Tracy Denby Sr. — Vidor, TX (6)
4. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (8)
5. 51 - Tracy Denby Jr. — Vidor, TX (4)
6. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (7)
7. 4d - Tim Donlinger — Rochester, MN (9)
8. 32 - Doug Byrns — Willis, TX (2)
9. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (5)
10. 51w - Jeff Wood — Willis, TX (10)

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (4)
2. 18 - Cody Smith — Kaufman, TX (8)
3. 82 - Joshua Majek — Corpus Christi, TX (5)
4. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (6)
5. 148 - Russell Moore — Conroe, TX (2)
6. 55 - Kyle Anderson — Tomball, TX (7)
7. 129 - Bryan Vollmer — Tomball, TX (1)
8. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (10)
9. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (3) DNF
10. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (10) DNS

BUTLERBUILT HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (2)
2. 5w - John O Whittington — Vidor, TX (7)
3. 07 - Keith Wright — Conroe, TX (1)
4. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (6)
5. 10 - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (3)
6. 12c - Corey Babbitt — Channelview, TX (4)
7. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (5)
8. 267 - Aaron Drewry — Magnolia, TX (8)
9. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (9)
10. 7 - Dwayne Acree — Montgomery, TX (10) DNS

AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (4)
2. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (1)
3. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (2)
4. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX
5. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (7)
6. 2w - Paul White — Temple, TX (5)
7. 955 - Chad Comer — Warren, TX (8)
8. 68 - Danny Barringer — Lufkin, TX (3)
9. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (9) DNS

INTERCOMP HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. 156 - Steve Pugh — Anderson, TX (1)
2. 111 - Bumper Jones — Mesilla Park, NM (4)
3. E - Howard Willis — Dayton, TX (3)
4. 58 - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (5)
5. L1 - Larry Clevenger — Greenwood, LA (2)
6. 56 - David Horner — Houston, TX (7)
7. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (6)
8. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (8) DNS
9. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (9) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (2)
2. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (5)
3. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (1)
4. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (4)
5. 12c - Corey Babbitt — Channelview, TX (9)
6. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (17)
7. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (3)
8. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (12)
9. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (16)
10. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (18)
11. 32 - Doug Burns — Willis, TX (13)
12. 129 - Bryan Vollmer — Tomball, TX (11)
13. 4d - Tim Donlinger — Rochester, MN (10)
14. 55 - Kyle Anderson — Tomball, TX (8)
15. 68 - Danny Barringer — Lufkin, TX (14)
16. L1 - Larry Clevenger — Greenwood, LA (7) DNF
17. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (15) DNF
18. 148 - Russell Moore — Conroe, TX (6) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (3)
2. 58 - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (4)
3. E - Howard Willis — Dayton, TX (2)
4. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (7)
5. 56 - David Horner — Houston, TX (8)
6. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (15)
7. 10 - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (6)
8. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (11)
9. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (12)
10. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (14)
11. 2w - Paul White — Temple, TX (9)
12. 955 - Chad Comer — Warren, TX (10)
13. 267 - Aaron Drewry — Magnolia, TX (13)
14. 07 - Keith Wright — Conroe, TX (1) DNF
15. 51w - Jeff Wood — Willis, TX (17) DNF
16. 51 - Tracy Denby Jr. — Vidor, TX (5) DNF
17. 7 - Dwayne Acree — Montgomery, TX (18) DNS
18. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (16) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 5w - John O Whittington — Vidor, TX (5)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch — Watertown, SD (3)
3. 111 - Bumper Jones — Mesilla Park, NM (6)
4. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (15)
5. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (1)
6. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (2)
7. 18 - Cody Smith — Kaufman, TX (8)
8. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (23)
9. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (13)
10. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (11)
11. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (24)
12. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (17)
13. 82 - Joshua Majek — Corpus Christi, TX (12)
14. 12c - Corey Babbitt — Channelview, TX (21)
15. 156 - Steve Pugh — Anderson, TX (7)
16. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (4)
17. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (20)
18. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (14)
19. 56 - David Horner — Houston, TX (22)
20. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (19)
21. 58 - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (16)
22. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (9) DNF
23. E - Howard Willis — Dayton, TX (18) DNF
24. 71 - Tracy Denby Sr. — Vidor, TX (10) DNF
25. 129 - Bryan Vollmer — Tomball, TX (25) DNF
26. 32 - Doug Byrns — Willis, TX (26) DNF

Sunoco Lap Leaders: Shryock 1-8, Tesch 9-34, Whittington 35.
Total Laps Led: Tesch 26, Shryock 8, Whittington 1.
AFCO Pole Winner: Smith.
Provisional Starters: Hughes, Bagley, Vollmer (track), Byrns (track).
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Henigan (started 15th, finished 4th).
Next Race: Saturday, Oct. 24, Gator Motorplex, Willis, Texas.
Points Standings: Shryock 131, Hughes 126, Tesch 114, Henigan 113, Whittington 110, Jones 106, Sanders 103, Hebert 97, Whiteaker 92, Rowland 90.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: W. Armstrong 272, J. Armstrong 263, Henigan 239, Davis 233, Durrett 232.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 147, ASI 136, Sput’s 113, Rowland 79, BMS 66, PTS 66.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 165, Skyrocket 156, Ramirez 129, TRE 123, GRT 121.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Smith.
American Racer – Vollmer.
ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems – Wright.
Isky Racing Cams – Tesch.
KSE Racing Products – Henigan.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Byrns.
Nitroquest – Jones.
Quarter Master – Whittington, Hughes.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Smith.
Real Racing Wheels – Bagley, Hughes.

Paul White doubles at Texana Raceway Park with two well-deserved wins

It wasn’t a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination, but Temple’s Paul White bagged a double at Texana Raceway Park in Edna, Texas, Saturday night winning both the Modified and Limited Modified feature events before a packed house.

Originally billed as the second race in the nine-race South Texas Modified Championship Series for Modifieds and Limited Modifieds, only the Modifieds actually competed for Series points due to a controversy over the Limited Modified tire rules. Both divisions were racing for $1,000 first place prize money, however, and the racing in both classes was intense.

Earlier in the season White - a former USAC Silver Crown Champion - had great success almost everywhere he raced. He scored double feature wins at Battleground Speedway, Houston Raceway Park and dominated Texana Raceway Park to the point that TRP owner Bruce Tesch placed a bounty on him - both in the Modified and Limited Modified classes. The bounties brought out stiff competition and both were eventually claimed.

In the 20-lap Limited Modified feature White chased race leader Shane Hoefling for all but the last ten feet of the last lap. Hoefling did everything he needed to do to stay in the lead, scouting out sticky spots and using lapped traffic whenever and wherever possible to keep White at bay. With five to go it appeared that Hoefling had the race well in hand, but apparently White was just cooling the tires and plotting a late-race charge.

With two to go, White moved back to within striking distance and as the white flag waved White made his move, diving hard into the first turn on the bottom and getting to Hoefling’s bumper. The dirt-saavy veteran then went up top in turns 3-4 with the pair exiting turn four nearly sideways and wheel to wheel. Somehow White got his bumper out front with ten feet to go and took the checkered by about three feet.

“I tried that move a couple of times earlier,” White explained. “When I got the right run on him we were in lapped traffic and that messed it up. I set that up a whole lap before and made sure I had all the ground to make it up. I got up under him a little and he blocked me down, so I went outside as quick as I could to have a nice entry into turn three. That’s really what made it work. It gave me enough momentum to get through the middle.”

“It was driver error,” Hoefling said. “When Paul White is on your tail, you don’t make a driver error. I slipped up a little bit and he got around me on the top side. I knew he was there. I saw him in turns 1-2 on the last lap and again in turns 3-4.”

Unofficial Limited Modified results

1. 216 Paul White
2. 63 Shane Hoefling
3. 175 Mickey Helms
4. 6 Vince Louden
5. 00 Derrick Flora
6. 37 Bill Pittaway
7. 34 Michael Walker
8. 27 Johnny Lewellan
9. 888 Aaron Lunsford
10. 10d Don Painter
11. 15 Andy VanBlarcum
12. 04 Jacob Burnett
13. 7k Kevin Parker
14. 47m Ruben Montes
15. 21 Victor Lindsey

The Modified feature proved to be just as exciting with White and young Steve Whiteaker, Jr, going side by side for much of the race with White using the very low line and Whiteaker searching for traction mostly on the high side.

The race was plagued, however, by a number of caution periods as the track grew more towards slick than tacky.

Several restarts saw White go very low into the turns with Whiteaker right there beside him on the high side. More often than not White was able to get off the turns better with Whiteaker perhaps gaining the advantage through the turns.

Behind the leaders the Series point leader Danny Brown was having to fend off a determined Lawrence Mikulencak as the pair of Corpus Christi drivers battled for third. And not far behind them Dale Flanagan, Jesse Manning and Josh Majek were slicing and dicing for fifth.

But the show that everyone was watching was the chess match being played out up front.

As the laps clicked down, there were more cautions which prompted the track to shorten the event by two laps.

On the final restart with two to go, Whiteaker sailed into turn one on the top and got along side White once again. And once again White again was able to find bite on the bottom and pulled away from Whiteaker a bit coming off turn two. Whiteaker tried to drive it in harder in turn three, but White still held the lead as they entered the front stretch.

As the white flag waved, White was still cat-fishing the low side, with Whiteaker looking for moisture anywhere he could find it. But at the checkered flag it was White by a car length in the Bridwell Motorsports, Engines by Adan & Jeff, Dust Devil chassis. White took home the trophy, some bragging rights and a check fo $1,000.

Brown’s third place finish was enough for him to retain the series points lead while Mikulencak took over second from Manning, with Whiteaker, unofficially, taking over fourth in the Series point standings.

“I could hear him (Steve Whiteaker) out there and saw him the turns a couple times,” White said after the race. “But I really didn’t feel that it made any difference as long as I didn’t mess up on my entrance and getting through the middle. As long as I hit my spots there was no way - no matter who it was - anyone was going to pass me.

“ I felt after I came in from the Limited Modified feature that we needed to put all the bite in it we could to get it off the turns and not worry about blasting around the top. I didn’t think anybody had anything for me if I didn’t mess up on the bottom. That’s just what we elected to go with and it paid off.”

Unofficial Modified results

1. 2w Paul White
2. 89 Steve Whiteaker, Jr
3. 55 Danny Brown
4. 87 Lawrence Mikulencak
5. 57 Dale Flanagan
6. 82 Joshua Majek
7. 76 Jesse Manning
8. 174 Max Helms
9. 96 Foster Ellison
10. 125 Jason Borlace
11. 95 Jeremy Davenport
12. 12 Rolie Rodriguez
13. 15 Chris Carrol
14. 55b Wesley Anderson
15. 16. James Jennings
16. 22 Art Rodriguez
17. 155 Vince Kacir

by J.M Hallas and Nick Holt

Photos by Brenda Dancer

Late caution lifts Jason Hughes to third Speedweek win and USMTS Southern Series Regional Crown

The USMTS Southern Series wrapped up the 2009 edition of Speedweek Sunday at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La., with another nail-biting finish to cap off the six-day, six-track swing.

As the final checkered flag of the season waved for the grueling East Region campaign, the outcome told the tale of two seasons for the two winningest drivers in United States Modified Touring Series history.

As the sun began to set on the 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located just west of Shreveport, the green flag flew to start the 30-lap Sunoco “A” Main with polesitter Garrett Durrett of Simsboro leading his first lap of the season. His reign was short-lived, however, as Fertile, Iowa’s Kelly Shryock bolted from his second row starting spot to take the lead on lap 2.

From there, Shryock took off from the field as he left the rest of the 23 starters to battle it out for second place. Meanwhile, current USMTS Southern Series points leader Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla., was making his way through the field from eighth on the starting grid.

With five laps to go and a lead of nearly seven seconds on Hughes, Shryock appeared to be on his way to ending the longest winless streak of his career. But instead of the win he so desperately wanted, Shryock got the caution flag he didn’t want.

“Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year points leader Wes Armstrong had his engine expire in the middle of turn 4, which brought out the yellow flag and erased Shryock’s advantage. One lap after the restart, Hughes powered by Shryock to snare the top spot and go on to score his third win of Speedweek.

Bobby Malchus turned in his best performance of the season with a third-place showing, Bryan Rowland snuck by Durrett for fourth and Randy Timms notched a sixth-place finish. Provisional starters Rodney Sanders and Steven Whiteaker Jr. gave the fans a show as they raced from 23rd and 24th on the starting grid to finish seventh and eighth, respectively. Chris Henigan took ninth and Dustin “Tater” Hyde rounded out the top-10.

For Shryock, it was his fifth straight top-5 finish of the week but extended the eight-time USMTS National Champion’s hiatus from the winners circle to 49 events, including 25 in the USMTS Southern Series where his last win came at the Houston Raceway Park in the 2007 season finale.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sunday’s $2,000 victory was the ninth for Hughes in the USMTS Southern Series this year, and an even dozen overall when factoring in his three additional wins in the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour.

Combined, the pair of chassis-building Modified aces own more than 200 USMTS-sanctioned wins and came into Sunday’s contest ranked first and second in the USMTS Southern Series East Region points and left the Boothill Speedway in the same order.

Hughes came into Speedweek ranked sixth in the East Region and trailing points leader Jack Sullivan by 55 markers. He leaves with the East Region title, beating Shryock by 29 points (947 to 918). Sanders wound up third with 877, followed by Whiteaker (836), Johnny Bone Jr. (804), Henigan (786), Sullivan (759), Dereck Ramirez (738), B.J. Robinson (721) and Durrett (709).

Hughes is the defending USMTS Southern Series Champion and Shryock claimed the crown during the inaugural season for the series in 2007.

The top-10 in points — plus any other drivers with perfect attendance in the East Region — are now qualified for The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship which features 11 nights of racing at four tracks in the Lone Star State to determine the 2009 USMTS Southern Series Champion.

With perfect attendance, fourteen additional drivers join the top-10 finishers in the Class of 2009: Morgan Bagley, Scott Green, Hyde, Michael Robertson, William Gould, Steve Holzkamper, Jason and Wes Armstrong, Malchus, Chad Davis, Shane Hebert, Jeff Huckaby, Jamie Burford and Kyle Schmidt.

The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship will kick off Oct. 1-3 at the Battleground Speedway in Highlands, followed by Round 2 on Oct. 23-24 at the Gator Motorplex in Willis. Round 3 takes place at the Texana Raceway Park in Edna, Nov. 27-29, and the season concludes with the crowing of the 2009 USMTS Southern Series Champion at the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Dec. 3-5.

USMTS officials are looking at possible dates in August for scheduling and/or rescheduling two or three events in Texas which will complete the West Region. In the event that no dates can be arranged, the West Region points will become final with seven races in the books and Hughes securing the West Region title.

Twenty-two drivers in the West Region are currently qualified for The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship, including Hughes, Shryock, Sanders, Whiteaker, Hebert, Bagley, Ramirez, Malchus, the Armstrong brothers, Gould, Timms, Schmidt and Davis, plus Bryan Rowland, Jon Tesch, Bumper Jones, Eddie Martin, John O Whittington, Kevin Sustaire, Alan Sharpensteen and Cody Smith.

Up next for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour is a Great Plains Region tripleheader in South Dakota. Tuesday, June 16, takes the touring titans to the Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson before trekking to the Casino Speedway in Watertown on Wednesday and the Huset’s Speedway in Brandon on Thursday.

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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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series (East Region)
3rd Annual USMTS Southern Speedweek - Event #6 of 6
Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, La.
Sunday, June 14, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (1)
2. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (3)
3. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (6)
4. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (2)
5. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (4)
6. C8 - Timothy Culp — West Monroe, LA (8)
7. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (7)
8. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (5)
9. M15 - Kenny Martin — Castor, LA (9)

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (1)
2. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (2)
3. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (3)
4. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (5)
5. 40 - Greg Garrett — Texarkana, TX (8)
6. 9x - Chad Perot — Hall Summit, LA (7)
7. 12j - Jason Ingalls — Hallsville, TX (6)
8. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX
9. 96 - Michael Knighten — Shreveport, LA (4)

BRODIX HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (3)
2. 1 - Brett Frazier — Haughton, LA (7)
3. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (2)
4. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (5)
5. 75 - Patrick Daniel — Wills Point, TX (1)
6. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (6)
7. 36 - Rickey Brown — Avinger, TX (4)
8. 6 - Tippy Bickham — Shreveport, LA (8) DNS

AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (2)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (8)
3. 2g - Kenny Gaddis — Hallsville, TX (7)
4. 78 - Billy Brutchin — Gladewater, TX (6)
5. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (5)
6. 17 - Brad Lasater — Garland, TX (3)
7. X - Bud Mullins — West Monroe, LA (4)
8. 7g - Mark Smith — Lufkin, TX (1) DNF

INTERCOMP HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (1)
2. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (3)
3. L1 - Larry Clevenger — Greenwood, LA (4)
4. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (5)
5. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (8)
6. 27 - Mike Washburn — Shreveport, LA (2)
7. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (7)
8. C1 - Eoin Dunn — Haughton, LA (6)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (2)
2. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (4)
3. L1 - Larry Clevenger — Greenwood, LA (1)
4. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (5)
5. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (13)
6. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (12)
7. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (10)
8. M15 - Kenny Martin — Castor, LA (15)
9. 9x - Chad Perot — Hall Summit, LA (8)
10. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (7)
11. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (6)
12. 17 - Brad Lasater — Garland, TX (9)
13. 7g - Mark Smith — Lufkin, TX (14)
14. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (3) DNS
15. 36 - Rickey Brown — Avinger, TX (11) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (1)
2. 40 - Greg Garrett — Texarkana, TX (4)
3. 75 - Patrick Daniel — Wills Point, TX (6)
4. 27 - Mike Washburn — Shreveport, LA (9)
5. 96 - Michael Knighten — Shreveport, LA (15)
6. X - Bud Mullins — West Monroe, LA (11)
7. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (3)
8. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (8)
9. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (12)
10. C8 - Timothy Culp — West Monroe, LA (7)
11. C1 - Eoin Dunn — Haughton, LA (14)
12. 78 - Billy Brutchin — Gladewater, TX (2)
13. 12j - Jason Ingalls — Hallsville, TX (10) DNS
14. 6 - Tippy Bickham — Shreveport, LA (13)NS
15. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (5) DQ (did not go to scale)

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (8)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (3)
3. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (4)
4. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (9)
5. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (1)
6. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (12)
7. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (23)
8. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (24)
9. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (10)
10. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (5)
11. 96 - Michael Knighten — Shreveport, LA (22)
12. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (13)
13. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (11)
14. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (2)
15. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (14)
16. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (15)
17. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (21)
18. 40 - Greg Garrett — Texarkana, TX (16)
19. 75 - Patrick Daniel — Wills Point, TX (18)
20. 2g - Kenny Gaddis — Hallsville, TX (6)
21. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (19) DNF
22. 1 - Brett Frazier — Haughton, LA (7) DNF
23. 27 - Mike Washburn — Shreveport, LA (20) DNF
24. L1 - Larry Clevenger — Greenwood, LA (17) DNF

Lap Leaders: Durrett 1, Shryock 2-27, Hughes 28-30.
Total Laps Led: Shryock 26, Hughes 3, Durrett 1.
AFCO Pole Winner: Shryock.
Provisional Starters: Sanders, Whiteaker.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Knighten (started 22nd, finished 11th).
Next USMTS Southern Series Race: TBA (West Region) or Thursday, Oct. 1, Battleground Speedway, Highlands, Texas (The Hunt).
Next USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour Race: Tuesday, June 16, Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D. (Great Plains Region).
East Region Points (final): Hughes 947, Shryock 918, Sanders 877, Whiteaker 836, Bone 804, Henigan 786, Sullivan 759, Ramirez 738, Robinson 721, Durrett 709.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: W. Armstrong 262, J. Armstrong 253, Davis 223, Durrett 215, Henigan 214.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 140, a.s.i. 128, Sput’s 103, Young’s 82, Rowland 67.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 159, Skyrocket 146, Ramirez 120, TRE 115, GRT 114.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Shryock.
American Racer – Frazier.
Fast Shafts – not awarded.
Isky Racing Cams – Dawson.
KSE Racing Products – Knighten.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Clevenger.
Nitroquest – Malchus.
Quarter Master – Hughes, Whiteaker.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Sanders.
Real Racing Wheels – J. Armstrong, Mullins.

by Jeff Nun

Round five of USMTS Speedweek goes to Jared Landers; Corpus Christi’s Steve Whiteaker third

Jared Landers completed some unfinished business Saturday night as he won the USMTS Southern Series main event at the Drew County Speedway in Monticello, Ark., leading the final 32 of 35 laps for his second career USMTS Modified victory.

On Wednesday night, Landers was on his way to a convincing victory in Round 2 of Speedweek at the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock when a flat tire with five laps to go ended his night on the hook of a wrecker instead of victory lane.

Landers bounced back strong on Saturday with a decisive win in the Sunoco “A” Main over current USMTS Southern Series points leader Jason Hughes.

In addition to the $2,000 paycheck for the triumph, Landers also pocketed an additional $500 from Fast Shafts for his efforts. The Fast Shafts Challenge bonus money went unclaimed during the first four nights of Speedweek, but went home with Landers, who was utilizing a nine-inch Ford rearend in Saturday’s win.

Steven Whiteaker Jr., who was the beneficiary of Landers’ misfortune and went on to win Wednesday’s event, finished third behind Hughes, while Chris Dawson recorded his career-best USMTS Southern Series finish with a fourth-place effort.

Eight-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock claimed the fifth spot, followed by Dereck Ramirez, Rodney Sanders, Randy Timms, Johnny Bone Jr. and Bryan Rowland rounding out the top-10.

Ramirez garnered the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger after racing to a sixth-place finish from 17th on the 26-car starting grid.

With one race remaining in the East Region, Hughes holds a 20-point lead over Shryock (839 to 819) going into Sunday’s Speedweek curtain-closer. Bone is third with 804 markers, followed by Sanders (799), Whiteaker (760), Chris Henigan (711), Jack Sullivan (693), Ramirez (693), B.J. Robinson (661) and Morgan Bagley (655).

SUNDAY, JUNE 14 … BOOTHILL SPEEDWAY, GREENWOOD, LA.

The six-race USMTS Southern Speedweek wraps up on Sunday, June 14, at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La., and will also see the emergence of the 2009 USMTS Southern Series East Region champion, as well as the first batch of drivers qualified for this year’s Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship later this year.

Billy Robinson, Randy Paine Jr., Michael Knighton, Tony Lindsey, Mike Washburn, Ronnie McAteer, Dustin Randol, Josh Worn, Derrick Grigsby and Michael Easley are just a few of the local Boothill Speedway heavy-hitters expected to contend for a spot in the Sunoco “A” Main and the $2,000 top prize.

Pits open at 4:00, grandstands open at 5:00, hot laps begin at 6:00 and the first heat race is slated to hit the track at 6:30. USRA Southern Limited Modifieds will again be racing for $500, with Factory Stocks also joining the action-packed festivities.

The Boothill Speedway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located west of Shreveport on I-20 to the Carthage-Morningsport Exit #3, then 0.2 mile north, then east on McGee Rd. For more information, call 318-938-5373 or check out www.boothillspeedway.net online.

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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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series (East Region)
3rd Annual USMTS Southern Speedweek - Event #5 of 6
Drew County Speedway, Monticello, Ark.
Saturday, June 13, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (1)
2. 66 - Mike Paillou — Pass Christian, MS (4)
3. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (2)
4. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (7)
5. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (10)
6. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (5)
7. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (3)
8. 51 - John Polasini — Leland, MS (9)
9. 88s - Seth Reed — Rison, AR (6)
10. 8 - Jodey Reep — El Dorado, AR (8)

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (7)
2. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (4)
3. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (6)
4. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (3)
5. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (1)
6. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (9)
7. X - Bud Mullins — West Monroe, LA (5)
8. 99 - Phillip James — Dewitt, AR (8)
9. 58 - Nathan Bichsel — Amarillo, TX (2)

BRODIX HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 777 - Jared Landers — Benton, AR (5)
2. 60b - Mike Bowers — North Little Rock, AR (2)
3. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (4)
4. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (7)
5. 26 - Patrick Linn — Little Rock, AR (1)
6. 18a - Richard Anders — El Dorado, AR (6)
7. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (3)
8. JP5 - Lee Patton — Quitman, LA (8)
9. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (9)

AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (9)
2. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (4)
3. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (1)
4. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (6)
5. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (5)
6. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (7)
7. 15 - Grant Box — White Hall, AR (2)
8. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (8)
9. 44 - Rob Neal — Smackover, AR (3)

INTERCOMP HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (1)
2. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (5)
3. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (8)
4. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (7)
5. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (2)
6. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (9)
7. 94c - Stephen Chevalier — Downsville, LA (3)
8. 74 - Matt Stacy — Crossett, AR (4)
9. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (6)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (2)
2. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (4)
3. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (3)
4. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (6)
5. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (11)
6. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (9)
7. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (8)
8. 94c - Stephen Chevalier — Downsville, LA (12)
9. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (10)
10. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (14)
11. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (1)
12. 88s - Seth Reed — Rison, AR (15)
13. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (17)
14. 26 - Patrick Linn — Little Rock, AR (7) DNF
15. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (5) DNF
16. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (16) DNS
17. 99 - Phillip James — Dewitt, AR (13) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (2)
2. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (4)
3. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (1)
4. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (6)
5. 18a - Richard Anders — El Dorado, AR (9)
6. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (3)
7. JP5 - Lee Patton — Quitman, LA (13)
8. X - Bud Mullins — West Monroe, LA (10)
9. 44 - Rob Neal — Smackover, AR (16)
10. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (7)
11. 8 - Jodey Reep — El Dorado, AR (17)
12. 51 - John Polasini — Leland, MS (12) DNF
13. 74 - Matt Stacy — Crossett, AR (14) DNF
14. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (8) DNF
15. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (5) DNF
16. 15 - Grant Box — White Hall, AR (11) DNF
17. 58 - Nathan Bichsel — Amarillo, TX (15) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 777 - Jared Landers — Benton, AR (5)
2. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (7)
3. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (8)
4. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (3)
5. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (13)
6. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (17)
7. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (15)
8. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (14)
9. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (11)
10. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (6)
11. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (20)
12. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (21)
13. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (4)
14. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (24)
15. 60b - Mike Bowers — North Little Rock, AR (12)
16. 18a - Richard Anders — El Dorado, AR (22)
17. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (19)
18. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (10)
19. 66 - Mike Paillou — Pass Christian, MS (2)
20. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (23) DNF
21. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (1) DNF
22. 15 - Grant Box — White Hall, AR (26) DNF
23. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (18) DNF
24. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (9) DNF
25. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (16) DNF
26. 88s - Seth Reed — Rison, AR (25) DNF

Lap Leaders: Sullivan 1-3, Landers 4-35.
Total Laps Led: Landers 32, Sullivan 3.
AFCO Pole Winner: Whiteaker.
Provisional Starters: Henigan, Durrett, Reed (track), Box (track).
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Ramirez (started 17th, finished 6th).
Next Race: Sunday, June 14, Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, La. (East Region).
East Region Points: Hughes 839, Shryock 819, Bone 804, Sanders 799, Whiteaker 760, Henigan 711, Sullivan 693, Ramirez 693, Robinson 661, Bagley 655.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: W. Armstrong 247, J. Armstrong 243, Davis 213, Schmidt 211, Henigan 191.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 130, a.s.i. 121, Sput’s 94, Young’s 78, Homegrown 63, BMS 63.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 149, Skyrocket 137, Ramirez 112, TRE 111, GRT 107.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Whiteaker.
American Racer – James.
Fast Shafts – Landers.
Isky Racing Cams – Dawson.
KSE Racing Products – Ramirez.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Reed.
Nitroquest – Whiteaker.
Quarter Master – Landers, Timms.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Sanders.
Real Racing Wheels – Henigan, Patton.

by Jeff Nunn
USMTS Photos

Johnny Bone, Jr, goes wire-to-wire in Louisiana in fourth leg of USMTS Southern Speedweek

The USMTS Southern Series invaded the Fast Trax Speedway in Chatham, La., Friday night for the fourth of six rounds of racing action comprising the 3rd Annual USMTS Southern Speedweek.

For the second straight year, Johnny Bone Jr. of Pea Ridge, Ark., drew the pole position for the 35-lap Sunoco “A” Main, and for the second straight year led every lap en route to a $2,000 payday at the 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt oval.

“It’s scary when you’re up front and you have to guess where to put the car,” Bone said in victory lane. “The car was good and the track was in pretty good shape — there were plenty of lines to run and I could hear somebody behind me.”

That somebody was Chris Henigan of Marshall, Texas, who hounded Bone the entire distance but had to settle for his second runner-up finish in three nights.

A restart with four laps to go set up a shoot-out to the finish line with Rodney Sanders nipping eight-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock at the stripe. Two-time Speedweek winner and current USMTS Southern Series points leader Jason Hughes came from the 12th starting spot to finish fifth.

Bryan Rowland raced from 15th on the 26-car starting grid to grab sixth and earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award. AFCO Pole Award winner B.J. Robinson finished seventh, Chad Wheeler was eighth, Randy Timms hung on for a ninth-place finish and Scott Green rounded out the top-10 finishers.

While Hughes maintained his points lead in the East Region with 739 markers, while Bone jumped ahead of Shryock with one point to spare (728 to 727). Sanders is fourth (713), followed by Steven Whiteaker Jr. (664), Henigan (657), Steve Holzkamper (643), Jack Sullivan (639) and Morgan Bagley (610), with Dereck Ramirez and Robinson tied for the tenth position with 601 points each.

The Fast Shafts Challenge bonus money remained safe after Friday’s show and is now worth $500 on Saturday night at the Drew County Speedway if that driver is utilizing a nine-inch Ford rearend. If the award is not won Saturday, the bounty will climb to $600 For Sunday’s finale at the Boothill Speedway.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13 … DREW COUNTY SPEEDWAY, MONTICELLO, ARK.

The Drew County Speedway (formerly called Monticello Speedway) in Monticello, Ark., plays host to Round 5 of the USMTS Southern Speedweek presented by Commercial Bank on Saturday, June 13.

En route to winning the 2008 USMTS Southern Series crown, Jason Hughes took the win last year at Monticello, followed closely by Kelly Shryock, Johnny Bone Jr., Timothy Culp and Scott Green.

Track points leader Seth Reed is expected to be on hand to defend his home turf along with Grant Box, Richard Anders, Matt Stacy, Jody Davidson, Johnathon Crib, Kevin Ferrell, Terry Maloney, Casey Findley, Manuel Williams II and more.

The pits and tailgate suites open at 4:30, grandstands open at 5:30, hot laps and playground start at 6:00 and the show starts at 7:00. USRA Southern Limited Modifieds will be racing for $500 to win, with Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Mini-Stocks also on the racing card.

The Drew County Speedway is a 1/4-mile semi-banked dirt oval located 7.2 miles south of US 278 on US 425 (WSR). For more info, call 870-367-RACE or see www.drewcountyspeedway.net on the Web.

The six-race, six-track, three-state USMTS Southern Speedweek wraps up on Sunday at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La., where the East Region Champion will emerge along with the first batch of drivers qualified for The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship.

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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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series (East Region)
3rd Annual USMTS Southern Speedweek - Event #4 of 6
Fast Trax Speedway, Chatham, La.
Friday, June 12, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 25 - Dougie Murphrey — Tullos, LA (1)
2. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (2)
3. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (4)
4. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (3)
5. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (6)
6. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (5)
7. 47 - Randy Thompson — Farmerville, LA (10)
8. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (7)
9. 94 - Patrick Linn — Little Rock, AR (8)
10. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (9) DNF

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (8)
2. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (1)
3. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (9)
4. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (6)
5. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (5)
6. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (3)
7. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (10)
8. D6 - Chris Huckabay — Monroe, LA (7) DNF
9. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (4) DNF
10. K2 - Chris Keiffer — West Monroe, LA (2) DNF

BRODIX HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 6x - Kyle Pleasant — Natchitoches, LA (3)
2. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX
3. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (4)
4. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (1)
5. JP5 - Lee Patton — Quitman, LA (7)
6. X - Bud Mullins — West Monroe, LA (6)
7. 94c - Stephen Chevalier — Downsville, LA (8)
8. 66 - Mike Paillou — Pass Christian, MS (9)
9. C3 - Nicholas Brown — Hodge, LA (5)

AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (2)
2. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (4)
3. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (1)
4. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (8)
5. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (5)
6. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (7)
7. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (6)
8. 58 - Nathan Bichsel — Amarillo, TX (9)
9. 1x - Jason Cowan — Chester, TX (3) -1 Lap

INTERCOMP HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (1)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (3)
3. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (2)
4. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (5)
5. C8 - Timothy Culp — West Monroe, LA (8)
6. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (4)
7. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (7)
8. 12c - Corey Babbitt — Channelview, TX (9)
9. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (6)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (1)
2. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (3)
3. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (6)
4. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (7)
5. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (9)
6. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (12)
7. X - Bud Mullins — West Monroe, LA (10)
8. 94c - Stephen Chevalier — Downsville, LA (11)
9. 94 - Patrick Linn — Little Rock, AR (15)
10. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (5)
11. 58 - Nathan Bichsel — Amarillo, TX (13)
12. C8 - Timothy Culp — West Monroe, LA (4)
13. C3 - Nicholas Brown — Hodge, LA (16) DNF
14. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (2) DNF
15. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (17) DNF
16. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (14) DNF
17. 47 - Randy Thompson — Farmerville, LA (8) DNF
18. K2 - Chris Keiffer — West Monroe, LA (18) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (1)
2. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (4)
3. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (7)
4. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (2)
5. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (8)
6. JP5 - Lee Patton — Quitman, LA (5)
7. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (10)
8. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (9)
9. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (11)
10. 66 - Mike Paillou — Pass Christian, MS (12)
11. D6 - Chris Huckabay — Monroe, LA (14)
12. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (3)
13. 1x - Jason Cowan — Chester, TX (16) DNF
14. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (15) DNF
15. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (17) DNF
16. 12c - Corey Babbitt — Channelview, TX (13) DNF
17. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (6) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (1)
2. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (3)
3. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (10)
4. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (5)
5. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (12)
6. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (15)
7. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (6)
8. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (16)
9. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (2)
10. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (9)
11. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (13)
12. JP5 - Lee Patton — Quitman, LA (25)
13. 25 - Dougie Murphrey — Tullos, LA (7)
14. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (18)
15. 6x - Kyle Pleasant — Natchitoches, LA (4)
16. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (11)
17. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (20)
18. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (23)
19. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (22)
20. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (19)
21. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (21) DNF
22. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (14) DNF
23. X - Bud Mullins — West Monroe, LA (26) DNF
24. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (24) DNF
25. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (17) DNF
26. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (8) DNF

Lap Leader: Bone 1-35.
Total Laps Led: Bone 35.
AFCO Pole Winner: Robinson.
Provisional Starters: Durrett, J. Armstrong, Patton (track), Mullins (track).
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Rowland (started 15th, finished 6th).
Next Race: Saturday, June 13, Drew County Speedway, Monticello, Ark. (East Region).
East Region Points: Hughes 739, Bone 728, Shryock 727, Sanders 713, Whiteaker 664, Henigan 657, Holzkamper 643, Sullivan 639, Bagley 610, Ramirez 601, Robinson 601.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: W. Armstrong 237, J. Armstrong 233, Davis 203, Schmidt 201, Kevin Sustaire 180.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 120, a.s.i. 113, Sput’s 87, Young’s 69, BMS 59.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 140, Skyrocket 129, TRE 105, Ramirez 105, GRT 102.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Robinson.
American Racer – Bagley.
Fast Shafts – not awarded.
Isky Racing Cams – Robinson.
KSE Racing Products – Rowland.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Sullivan.
Nitroquest – Sanders.
Quarter Master – Bone, Wheeler.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Robinson.
Real Racing Wheels – W. Armstrong, Patton.

Corpus Christi’s Steven Whiteaker, Jr, triumphs in wild USMTS Southern Series tilt in Arkansas

Steven Whiteaker Jr. of Corpus Christi, Texas, combined skill, luck and timing Wednesday night to score his career-first USMTS Southern Series main event win at the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark.

Starting deep in the field in the 17th spot, the 21-year-old Whiteaker made it known early on that he wanted to stand out from the crowd. While most of the Modifieds on the track were running a low or middle line on the multi-grooved quarter-mile, Whiteaker chose to chew away at the top side of the racing surface.

The strategy paid off as Whiteaker had no cars to contend with in front of him — only those cars to his left as he passed them.

Jared Landers drew the pole position for the 40-lap Sunoco “A” Main, and threatened to turn the show into a yawner up front as he stretched out his lead to nearly a full straight-away a few laps into the race, then again after a couple of restarts during the middle stages of the contest.

With eight laps to go, Whiteaker began battling with AFCO Pole Award winner Steve Holzkamper for what looked like a certain runner-up finish for one of the two as Landers had checked out. But two laps later, USMTS Southern Series East Region points leader Jack Sullivan came to a stop on the track to bring out the caution flag and tighten up the pack.

As the green flag waved for the final six-lap shootout, Landers led the field into the first turn. Holzkamper closed in on his bumper while Whiteaker flashed by on the outside as they raced down the back-stretch.

With a right rear tire going flat, Landers slowed coming out of the fourth turn. Unable to get off the track, the oncoming pack scattered while several cars made contact with Landers coming to rest at the entrance of turn 1 and nearly tipping over on his side.

Holzkamper, who came into the night’s event ranked second in the East Region points standings, was part of the crash that sent both he and Landers to the pits and left Whiteaker on the point for the race’s final restart.

With Chris Henigan using the low line, Whiteaker stayed true to the top side of the racing surface and held off the fellow Texan to collect the $2,000 top prize and his first USMTS Southern Series checkered flag.

Another Lone Star State ace, Morgan Bagley, finished third with Garrett Durrett coming home fourth.

Earlier in the program, Kelly Shryock finished third in the third and final Real Racing Wheels “B” Main to earn the final transfer spot in the main event. Finishing fourth in the same race was Tuesday’s feature winner at the Tri-State Speedway, Jason Hughes, who had to use a provisional to join the feature race starting line-up.

Despite starting 22nd, Shryock clawed his way to a fifth-place finish in the main event and passed one more competitor than Whiteaker to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award. Dustin Hyde was sixth, Johnny Bone Jr. grabbed seventh, Mike Bowers was eighth and Hughes raced from 23rd on grid to finish ninth.

Mike Sellers used a track provisional to get the 26th and final starting spot and raced to a tenth-place finish.

The East Region points got shaken up with Sullivan and Holzkamper both recording a DNF in the main event. Bone now leads the rankings by just six points (565 to 559) over Sullivan and Whiteaker, who are tied for second. Hughes is fourth with 546 points, followed by Shryock (544), Holzkamper (534), Rodney Sanders (518), Bagley (515), Henigan (486) and Dereck Ramirez (469).

Fifty-two drivers representing eight different States signed in to do battle Wednesday night in the second of six straight nights comprising the 3rd Annual USMTS Southern Speedweek.

The Fast Shafts Challenge bonus money carries over to Thursday night’s event at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., and will now be worth $300 if the winning driver is utilizing a nine-inch Ford rearend. If the award is not won, Thursday’s prize will grow to $300 and so on, with a possible $600 bonus at Sunday’s USMTS Southern Speedweek finale. To learn more about Fast Shafts, call toll-free 800-622-6617 or visit www.fastshafts.com online.

Landers came up just six laps short of collecting the Fast Shafts Challenge money, and is expected to try again Thursday night.

Wednesday’s was again on WatchModsLive.com, which broadcasted live real-time video footage from the event. All remaining USMTS Southern Series events will also be broadcast live on the World Wide Web. To learn more or to sign-up to watch all the action from the comfort of your own living room, check out www.WatchModsLive.com on the World Wide Web.

THURSDAY, JUNE 11 … ARK-LA-TEX SPEEDWAY, VIVIAN, LA.

Tomorrow (Thursday, June 11) will find the tireless touring titans at Gene Boyter’s Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La. In the first-ever USMTS Southern Series show here last year, first-time USMTS competitor Duke Whiseant of Texarkana, Ark., took home the hardware over Johnny Bone Jr., Jason Hughes, Tommy Weder Jr. and Steve Holzkamper.

Local aces Odie Green, Justin Sprayberry, Mike Washburn, Dick Haynes, Dwayne Brown, Greg Garrett, Lee Patton, Tippy Bickham, Jason Ingalls, Michael Robertson and others are expected to make a statement in protecting their home turf against the invading USMTS forces.

Pit gates open at 4:00, grandstand gates swing open at 5:00, hot laps take to the track at 7:00 and the racing action kicks off at 7:30. Factory Stocks will also be racing for $300 to win, along with the USRA Southern Limited Modifieds going for $500 to win.

Beginning at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway event, the final four events will all feature the USRA Southern Limited Modifieds racing for $500 to win each night.

The Ark-La-Tex Speedway a 1/4-mile semi-banked dirt oval located 0.6 mile south of SR 2 on SR 1, then 0.7 mile west on Airport Rd., then 2.2 miles south on Boyter Lane Rd. (ESR). For race day information, call the track hotline at 318-375-3470 or click your way to www.arklatexspeedway.net on the World Wide Web.

Fast Trax Speedway in Chatham, La., is the site of event #4 on the USMTS Southern Speedweek schedule on Friday night, the Drew County Speedway in Monticello, Ark., plays host to round 5 on Saturday and the six-race swing wraps up on Sunday at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La.

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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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series (East Region)
Southern Speedweek - Event #2 of 6
I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, Ark.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (2)
2. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (3)
3. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (8)
4. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (7)
5. 60b - Mike Bowers — North Little Rock, AR (9)
6. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (4)
7. 15w - Lee Walchli — Lavaca, AR (5)
8. 5j - John Schwab — Liberal, KS (6)
9. 7s - Steven Schaberg — Glenwood, AR (1) DNF

BRODIX HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (1)
2. 777 - Jared Landers — Benton, AR (4)
3. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (2)
4. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (3)
5. F1 - Randy Weaver — Little Rock, AR (5)
6. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (8)
7. 26s - Jon Stinson — Walls, MS (7)
8. 26 - Patrick Linn — Little Rock, AR (9)
9. 11s - Mike Sellers — Little Rock, AR (6) DNF

AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (4)
2. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (2)
3. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (5)
4. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (8)
5. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (7)
6. 601 - Curtis Cook — Conway, AR (9)
7. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (3)DNF
8. XXX - Rick Hearnsberger — Arkadelphia, AR (1) DNF
9. 1 - Chris Patton — Ruston, LA (6) DNF

INTERCOMP HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (2)
2. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (4)
3. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (6)
4. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX
5. 42 - James Longpine — Drummond, OK (1)
6. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (3)
7. 401k - Travis Broach — Mapleville, AR (7)
8. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (8)DNF

AMERICAN RACER HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (3)
2. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (1)
3. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (5)
4. 36 - Kenny Wallace — Concord, NC (7)
5. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (6)
6. 458 - Sammy Chamberlain — Cabot, AR (4)
7. 71 - Robert Baker — Benton, AR (8) DNF
8. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (2) DQ (finished first, did not go to scales)

KEVKO OIL PANS & COMPONENTS HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. 2 - Tyler Stevens — Searcy, AR (1)
2. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (4)
3. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (7)
4. 15 - Grant Box — White Hall, AR (3)
5. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (5) DNF
6. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (2) DNF
7. 17f - Casey Findley — Bryant, AR (6) DNF
8. 6 - Wayne Patton — Ruston, LA (8) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 36 - Kenny Wallace — Concord, NC (3)
2. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (4)
3. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (2)
4. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (7)
5. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (12)
6. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (1)
7. 11s - Mike Sellers — Little Rock, AR (13)
8. 5j - John Schwab — Liberal, KS (11)
9. 15w - Lee Walchli — Lavaca, AR (9) DNF
10. 458 - Sammy Chamberlain — Cabot, AR (8) DNF
11. 401k - Travis Broach — Mapleville, AR (10) DNF
12. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (5) DNF
13. F1 - Randy Weaver — Little Rock, AR (6) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (1)
2. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (5)
3. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (3)
4. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (2)
5. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (7)
6. 42 - James Longpine — Drummond, OK (6)
7. 26s - Jon Stinson — Walls, MS (9)
8. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (8)
9. XXX - Rick Hearnsberger — Arkadelphia, AR (11) DNF
10. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (4) DNF
11. 17f - Casey Findley — Bryant, AR (10) DNF
12. 6 - Wayne Patton — Ruston, LA (12) DNF
13. 1 - Chris Patton — Ruston, LA (13) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (2)
2. 60b - Mike Bowers — North Little Rock, AR (3)
3. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (6)
4. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (11)
5. 601 - Curtis Cook — Conway, AR (5)
6. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (7)
7. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (9)
8. 26 - Patrick Linn — Little Rock, AR (10)
9. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (1)
10. 15 - Grant Box — White Hall, AR (4) DNF
11. 7s - Steven Schaberg — Glenwood, AR (12) DNF
12. 71 - Robert Baker — Benton, AR (8) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (40 Laps):
1. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (17)
2. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (2)
3. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (4)
4. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (13)
5. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (22)
6. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (7)
7. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (15)
8. 60b - Mike Bowers — North Little Rock, AR (19)
9. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (23)
10. 11s - Mike Sellers — Little Rock, AR (26)
11. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (24)
12. 36 - Kenny Wallace — Concord, NC (14)
13. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (21)
14. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (16)
15. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (11)
16. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (12)
17. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (9)
18. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (20)
19. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (6)
20. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (10) DNF
21. 777 - Jared Landers — Benton, AR (1) DNF
22. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (3) DNF
23. F1 - Randy Weaver — Little Rock, AR (25) DNF
24. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (8) DNF
25. 2 - Tyler Stevens — Searcy, AR (5) DNF
26. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (18) DNF

Lap Leaders: Landers 1-34, Whiteaker 35-40.
Total Laps Led: Landers 34, Whiteaker 6.
AFCO Pole Winner: Holzkamper.
Provisional Starters: Hughes, Gould, Sellers (track), Weaver (track).
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Shryock (started 22nd, finished 5th).
Next Race: Thursday, June 11, Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Vivian, La. (East Region).
East Region Points: Bone 565, Sullivan 559, Whiteaker 559, Hughes 546, Shryock 544, Holzkamper 534, Sanders 518, Bagley 515, Henigan 486, Ramirez 469.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: W. Armstrong 217, J. Armstrong 199, Schmidt 181, Kevin Sustaire 180, Davis 174.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 104, a.s.i. 96, Sput’s 72, Young’s 68, Rowland 56.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 123, Skyrocket 112, Ramirez 94, TRE 92, GRT 81.

Contingency Awards:AFCO Racing Products – Holzkamper.
American Racer – Hughes.
Fast Shafts – not awarded.
Isky Racing Cams – Sanders.
KSE Racing Products – Shryock.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Hebert.
Nitroquest – Bagley.
Quarter Master – Whiteaker, Bowers.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Bone.
Real Racing Wheels – Timms, Longpine, Dawson.

Jason Hughes cruises to checkers in USMTS ‘Southern Speedweek’ lidlifter

For the seventh time this season, Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla., found himself in victory lane in a USMTS Southern Series event — this time in the USMTS Southern Speedweek opener presented by Schoenfeld Headers on Tuesday night at the Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla.

Hughes has been at the top of his game every race night in 2009, and at the top of the rankings in most categories as well.

Tuesday night at the 3/8-mile high-banked dirt oval located just a few feet from the Arkansas-Oklahoma border, Hughes was dominant from the time the mud started flying until the dust had settled following a wire-to-wire win in the 30-lap Sunoco “A” Main.

After claiming his fourth AFCO Pole Award of the season, Hughes drew the outside front row starting spot for the main event for the third time this year and won from the spot for the third time.

Johnny Bone Jr. closed the gap on Hughes in the final laps of Tuesday’s nightcap, but had to settle for the runner-up paycheck ahead of polesitter William Gould.

Garrett Durrett finished fourth and USMTS Southern Series East Region points leader Jack Sullivan rounded out the top-5. Sixth through tenth, respectively, went to Chris Henigan, Rodney Sanders, Johnny Scott, Shane Hebert and Kelly Shryock.

The KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award went to Steve Holzkamper, who started 17th and finished 11th in the feature race.

Sullivan’s solid top-5 keeps him atop the East Region standings with a 27-point cushion over Holzkamper (509 to 482). Bone is third with 479 points, followed by Hughes (472), Sanders (463), Shryock (443), Steven Whiteaker Jr. (442), Morgan Bagley (423), Dereck Ramirez (403) and Henigan (391).

Fifty-four drivers representing eight different States signed in to do battle Tuesday night in the first of six straight nights comprising the 3rd Annual USMTS Southern Speedweek.

Tuesday’s show was also the debut of WatchModsLive.com, which broadcasted nearly six hours of live real-time video footage from the event. All remaining USMTS Southern Series events will also be broadcast live on the World Wide Web. To learn more or to sign-up to watch all the action from the comfort of your own living room, check out www.WatchModsLive.com on the World Wide Web.

The Fast Shafts Challenge bonus money carries over to Wednesday night’e event at the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., and will now be worth $200 if the winning driver is utilizing a nine-inch Ford rearend. If the award is not won, Thursday’s prize will grow to $300 and so on, with a possible $600 bonus at Sunday’s USMTS Southern Spedweek finale. To learn more about Fast Shafts, call toll-free 800-622-6617 or visit www.fastshafts.com online.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 … I-30 SPEEDWAY, LITTLE ROCK, ARK.

On Wednesday, June 10, the stars and cars of the USMTS Southern Series invade the action-packed I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., for the second affair of the week. Johnny Bone Jr. pocketed the $5,000 top prize back in March during the 10th Annual Topless Modified Nationals at the Clay family’s famous facility, and the Pea Ridge, Ark., resident looks to add another $2,000 to his take home pay from the quick quarter-mile bullring this season.

Jack Sullivan captured last year’s USMTS Southern Speedweek event at his home track as he hopes to continue his momentum toward the USMTS Southern Series title on familiar ground.

Local aces such as Jeremy Kuykendall, David Baser, Mike Sellers, Randy Weaver, Robert Baker, Scooter Scruggs, Jayson Hefley, Chad Mallett, Emmett Lawson, Chris Carter and others to cheer on to take home the top prize.

Race fans will get an added bonus and drivers get an added challenge as NASCAR fan favorite and television personality Kenny Wallace. “The Hermanator” will join the action on the track and will also be available to sign autographs for the fans at the I-30 Speedway.

Pit gates open at 4:00, grandstands open at 5:00, hot laps are at 7:00 and the mud starts flying at 7:30. Joining the racing card Wednesday night will be local Super Stocks and Mini-Sprints.

The I-30 Speedway is a 1/4-mile high-banked clay oval located 7.0 miles southwest of Little Rock on I-30 to Exit 126 (County Line Rd.), then south to frontage road, then
east (SSR). For day-of-race information, call 501-455-4567 or check out the track’s website at www.i-30speedway.com.

Thursday, June 11, will find the tireless touring titans at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La. Fast Trax Speedway in Chatham, La., is the site of event #4 on the USMTS Southern Speedweek schedule Friday. The Drew County Speedway in Monticello, Ark., plays host to round 5 on Saturday, with the six-race swing wrapping up on Sunday, June 14, at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La.

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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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series (East Region)
Southern Speedweek presented by Schoenfeld Headers - Event #1 of 6
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 13 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (10 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (4)
2. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (2)
3. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (5)
4. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (8)
5. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (6)
6. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (9)
7. 15w - Lee Walchli — Lavaca, AR (3)
8. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (7)
9. 74 - Robert Janes — Siloam Springs, AR (1) DNF

BRODIX HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):
1. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (1)
2. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (2)
3. F9 - Eric Beshoner — Pocola, OK (6)
4. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (4)
5. 21b - Larry Campbell — Van Buren, AR (9)
6. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX
7. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (5)
8. 31 - Ray Peacock — Alma, AR (7)
9. B29 - Tammy Mitchell — Pea Ridge, AR (3)

AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):
1. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (1)
2. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (2)
3. 1b - Brandon Wilson — Fort Smith, AR (3)
4. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (4)
5. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (7)
6. 117 - Jason Teague — Tahlequah, OK (5)
7. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (8)
8. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (6)
9. 21f - Kyle Sweeney — Purcell, OK (9)

INTERCOMP HEAT RACE #4 (10 laps):
1. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (4)
2. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (3)
3. 21 - Jarrod Havens — Muskogee, OK (6)
4. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (7)
5. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (8)
6. 4r - Jared Russell — Muskogee, OK (2) DNF
7. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (5) DNF
8. 7$ - Tim Weaver — Westville, OK (1) DNF

AMERICAN RACER HEAT RACE #5 (10 laps):
1. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (2)
2. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (6)
3. 4 - Ronnie Barbee — Siloam Springs, AR (3)
4. 89x - Tate Cole — Muskogee, OK (8)
5. 24b - Larry Bratti — Springdale, AR (4)
6. 91 - Joe Duvall — Chelsea, OK (7)
7. 22h - J.P. Hassett — Fort Smith, AR (1)
8. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (5) DNF

KEVKO OIL PANS & COMPONENTS HEAT RACE #6 (10 laps):
1. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (1)
2. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (3)
3. 24t - Glenn Bratti — Springdale, AR (5)
4. 36 - Kenny Wallace — Concord, NC (7)
5. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (8)
6. 5j - John Schwab — Liberal, KS (2)
7. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (4)
8. 42 - James Longpine — Drummond, OK (6)
9. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (9) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (2)
2. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (1)
3. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (7)
4. 36 - Kenny Wallace — Concord, NC (3)
5. 21b - Larry Campbell — Van Buren, AR (4)
6. 8j - Dustin Hyde — Texarkana, TX (5)
7. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (6)
8. 2 - Jerry Standifer — Howe, OK (12)
9. 22h - J.P. Hassett — Fort Smith, AR (10)
10. B29 - Tammy Mitchell — Pea Ridge, AR (13)
11. 31 - Ray Peacock — Alma, AR (11)
12. 15w - Lee Walchli — Lavaca, AR (9)
13. 4r - Jared Russell — Muskogee, OK (8) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (1)
2. 89x - Tate Cole — Muskogee, OK (2)
3. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (6)
4. 91 - Joe Duvall — Chelsea, OK (7)
5. 19 - Jamie Burford — Keatchie, LA (4)
6. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (11)
7. 25 - Scott Green — Derby, KS (9)
8. 42 - James Longpine — Drummond, OK (12)
9. 1b - Brandon Wilson — Fort Smith, AR (3)
10. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (10)
11. 5j - John Schwab — Liberal, KS (8)
12. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (5) DNF
13. 21f - Kyle Sweeney — Purcell, OK (13) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 24t - Glenn Bratti — Springdale, AR (1)
2. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (4)
3. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (5)
4. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (2)
5. 117 - Jason Teague — Tahlequah, OK (7)
6. 12h - Jeff Huckaby — Texarkana, TX (10)
7. 24b - Larry Bratti — Springdale, AR (6)
8. 21 - David Winslett — Bossier City, LA (9)
9. 12t - Tyler Townsend — Longview, TX (8)
10. 74 - Robert Janes — Siloam Springs, AR (12)
11. 7$ - Tim Weaver — Westville, OK (11)
12. 4 - Ronnie Barbee — Siloam Springs, AR (3) DNS
13. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (13) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (2)
2. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (3)
3. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (1)
4. 05x - Garrett Durrett — Simsboro, LA (6)
5. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (7)
6. 16 - Chris Henigan — Marshall, TX (4)
7. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (8)
8. 1st - Johnny Scott — Las Cruces, NM (9)
9. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (5)
10. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (15)
11. 5 - Steve Holzkamper — Gentry, AR (17)
12. 89x - Tate Cole — Muskogee, OK (18)
13. 24t - Glenn Bratti — Springdale, AR (16)
14. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (20)
15. 05 - Michael Robertson — Minden, LA (13)
16. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (23)
17. 88 - Chad Wheeler — Muskogee, OK (22)
18. 36 - Kenny Wallace — Concord, NC (27)
19. 02x - B.J. Robinson — Shreveport, LA (24)
20. 10k - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (12)
21. 22h - J.P. Hassett — Fort Smith, AR (26)
22. F9 - Eric Beshoner — Pocola, OK (10) -1 Lap
23. 1b - Brandon Wilson — Fort Smith, AR (25) -1 Lap
24. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (19) DNF
25. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (14) DNF
26. 7x - Chris Dawson — Post, TX (21) DNF
27. 21 - Jarrod Havens — Muskogee, OK (11) DNF

Lap Leader: Hughes 1-30.
Total Laps Led: Hughes 30.
AFCO Pole Winner: Hughes.
Provisional Starters: Bagley, Robinson, Wilson (track), Hassett (track), Wallace (promoter).
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Holzkamper (started 17th, finished 11th).
Next Race: Wednesday, June 10, I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, Ark. (East Region).
East Region Points: Sullivan 509, Holzkamper 482, Bone 479, Hughes 472, Sanders 463, Shryock 443, Whiteaker 442, Bagley 423, Ramirez 403, Henigan 391.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: W. Armstrong 204, J. Armstrong 189, Kevin Sustaire 180, Schmidt 171, Davis 159.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 102, a.s.i. 95, Sput’s 66, Young’s 58, BMS 51.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 113, Skyrocket 106, Ramirez 87, TRE 83, GRT 76.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Hughes.
American Racer – Hyde.
Fast Shafts – not awarded.
Isky Racing Cams – Hughes.
KSE Racing Products – Holzkamper.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Havens.
Nitroquest – Gould.
Quarter Master – Hughes, Scott.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Sanders.
Real Racing Wheels – Hyde, Timms, Huckaby.

by Jeff Nun

Jason Hughes goes three-for-three in USMTS South with win in Ardmore; Texas USMTS shows rained out

Don’t tell Jason Hughes “you can’t win ‘em all.”

After three races in the West Region of the USMTS Southern Series, the 34-year-old chassis builder is perfect after picking up a hard-earned victory Friday night at the Lake Country Speedway in Ardmore, Okla.

After sweeping both shows at his hometown West Siloam Speedway last month, Hughes pocketed his third $2,000 top prize in the region with a late-race pass of Steven Whiteaker Jr. when he bobbled after a restart with six laps to go.

Whiteaker took the lead from polesitter Kyle Schmidt at the drop of the green flag to start the 35-lap Sunoco “A” Main. Eight laps later, Hughes worked his way into the runner-up position and chased Whiteaker around the 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval for the next 21 circuits.

The bulge between Whiteaker and Hughes remained about two car lengths with each passing lap, but it was the slight slip up high that opened the door for Hughes to give him his fourth overall USMTS victory of the season in defense of his 2008 USMTS Southern Series title.

Although he could not withstand the pressure from Hughes, Whiteaker held off a late charge by eight-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock to claim the second-place paycheck.

Johnny Bone Jr., who has two wins this season in the USMTS Southern Series East Region, came from thirteenth to finish fourth while Rodney Sanders came from fifteenth and finished fifth.

2008 Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just SayYes” Rookie of the Year John O Whittington made his 2009 USMTS Southern Series debut and garnered a sixth-place finish, but it was Clyde Dunn Jr. who came from 21st to seventh and earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award.

Tim Clonch finished eighth, Shane Hebert was ninth and Kevin Sustaire rounded out the top-10 finishers.

In the West Region points standings, Hughes holds a 66-points lead over Shryock (312 to 246), while Sanders moved up two spots to third with 237 markers. Whiteaker is fourth with 227 points, followed by Hebert (222), Bone (216), Jon Tesch (210), Eddie Martin (203), Randy Timms (203) and Bryan Rowland (199).

ON TAP …

The USMTS Southern Series event for Saturday, May 2, at the Cowtown Speedway has been rained out as has the event for Sunday, May 3, at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway.

Also on the menu are USRA Southern Limited Modifieds and Mini-Sprints. Pit gates open at 3:00, grandstands open at 4:00, hot laps start at 5:30 and the racing action kicks off at 6:00.

The Heart O’ Texas Speedway is a 1/3-mile semi-banked clay oval located 0.6 mile north of I-35 at Exit 343 (FM 308) on east frontage road in Elm Mott, Texas.

For more information, call 254-776-1576 or surf on over to www.heartotexspeedway.com.

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.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series (West Region)
Lake Country Speedway, Ardmore, Okla.
2nd Annual Event
Friday, May 1, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (1)
2. 5w - John O Whittington — Vidor, TX (2)
3. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (5)
4. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (3)
5. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (7)
6. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (4)
7. 4m - Bobby Malchus –Red Oak, TX (6)
8. 51 - Eddie Martin — Stilwell, OK (8)
9. 15 - Cam Case — Edmond, OK (9)
10. 18x - Cody Smith — Kaufman, TX (10) DNF

HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 71k - Kevin Sustaire — Emery, TX (1)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch — Watertown, SD (2)
3. 11x - Wesley Veal — Princeton, TX (7)
4. 34n - C.A. Nix — Lawton, OK (3)
5. 58 - Nathan Bichsel — Amarillo, TX (9)
6. 75 - Alan Sharpensteen — Amarillo, TX (10)
7. 26 - Allen Chickering — Okarche, OK (6)
8. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (4)
9. 61 - Michael Ables — Caddo, OK (8)
10. 210 - Ed Dunn — Chattanooga, OK (5)

HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (7)
2. 10 - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (3)
3. 76 - Troy Taylor Jr. — Dallas, TX (5)
4. 68 - Brandon Watson — Denison, TX (6)
5. 23b - Brandon Davis — Castle Rock, CO (2)
6. 15 - Brian Wolfe — Cromwell, OK (9)
7. 5c - Lee Cranford — Ada, OK (4)
8. 72 - Kerry Davis — Tuttle, OK (8)
9. 87 - John Webb — Pauls Valley, OK (1)
10. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (10) DNF

HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 30 - Chase Allen — Midlothian, TX (1)
2. 14t - Tristan Dycus — Midlothian, TX (2)
3. 88xxx - Clyde Dunn Jr. — Sunnyville, TX (4)
4. 111 - Bumper Jones — Mesilla Park, NM (7)
5. 91b - Shawn Brassfield — Ada, OK (6)
6. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (9)
7. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (5)
8. 190 - Shawn Stephenson — Howe, TX (10)
9. 05 - Ron Gould Jr. — McLoud, OK (3)
10. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (8)

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (1)
2. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (3)
3. 18t - Tim Clonch — Quinlan, TX (6)
4. 87 - Justin McCoy — Ovilla, TX (2)
5. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (7)
6. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (9)
7. 2 - Grant Junghans — Manhattan, KS (10)
8. 121 - Jerry Ensey — Ada, OK (8)
9. 718 - Michael Lamb — Fort Worth, TX (4)
10. 3s - Sam Cox — Flower Mound, TX (5) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (1)
2. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (6)
3. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (4)
4. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (8)
5. 88xxx - Clyde Dunn Jr. — Sunnyville, TX (2)
6. 68 - Brandon Watson — Denison, TX (3)
7. 52 - Chad Davis — Tulsa, OK (10)
8. 87 - Justin McCoy — Ovilla, TX (5)
9. 91b - Shawn Brassfield — Ada, OK (7)
10. 60 - William Gould — Calera, OK (12)
11. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (19)
12. 51 - Eddie Martin — Stilwell, OK (13)
13. 26 - Allen Chickering — Okarche, OK (11)
14. 87 - John Webb — Pauls Valley, OK (16)
15. 15 - Cam Case — Edmond, OK (15)
16. 23b - Brandon Davis — Castle Rock, CO (9) -1 Lap
17. 718 - Michael Lamb — Fort Worth, TX (17) -1 Lap
18. 210 - Ed Dunn — Chattanooga, OK (18) -1 Lap
19. 72 - Kerry Davis — Tuttle, OK (14) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (8)
2. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (5)
3. 111 - Bumper Jones — Mesilla Park, NM (2)
4. 76 - Troy Taylor Jr. — Dallas, TX (1)
5. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (18)
6. 5r - Morgan Bagley — Longview, TX (13)
7. 58 - Nathan Bichsel — Amarillo, TX (3)
8. 34n - C.A. Nix — Lawton, OK (4)
9. 190 - Shawn Stephenson — Howe, TX (12)
10. 3s - Sam Cox — Flower Mound, TX (19)
11. 121 - Jerry Ensey — Ada, OK (14)
12. 05 - Ron Gould Jr. — McLoud, OK (16)
13. 15 - Brian Wolfe — Cromwell, OK (7)
14. 61 - Michael Ables — Caddo, OK (15)
15. 5c - Lee Cranford — Ada, OK (11) -1 Lap
16. 2 - Grant Junghans — Manhattan, KS (9) DNF
17. 75 - Alan Sharpensteen — Amarillo, TX (6) DNF
18. 4m - Bobby Malchus — Red Oak, TX (10) DNF
19. 18x - Cody Smith — Kaufman, TX (17) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes — Westville, OK (4)
2. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. — Corpus Christi, TX (2)
3. 3 - Kelly Shryock — Fertile, IA (5)
4. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. — Pea Ridge, AR (13)
5. 20 - Rodney Sanders — Happy, TX (15)
6. 5w - John O Whittington — Vidor, TX (10)
7. 88xxx - Clyde Dunn Jr. — Sunnyville, TX (21)
8. 18t - Tim Clonch — Quinlan, TX (9)
9. 9 - Shane Hebert — Lafayette, LA (14)
10. 71k - Kevin Sustaire — Emery, TX (8)
11. 10 - Kyle Schmidt — Farmington, AR (1)
12. 5t - Randy Timms — Wheatland, OK (19)
13. 4r - Dereck Ramirez — Woodward, OK (22)
14. 18 - Jack Sullivan — Greenbrier, AR (3)
15. 76 - Troy Taylor Jr. — Dallas, TX (20)
16. 11x - Wesley Veal — Princeton, TX (7)
17. 14 - Jon Tesch — Watertown, SD (11)
18. 20r - Bryan Rowland — Woodward, OK (16)
19. 30 - Chase Allen — Midlothian, TX (6)
20. 14t - Tristan Dycus — Midlothian, TX (12)
21. 3s - Sam Cox — Flower Mound, TX (25)
22. 5a - Wes Armstrong — Marshall, TX (24)
23. 57 - Jason Armstrong — Marshall, TX (17)
24. 111 - Bumper Jones — Mesilla Park, NM (18) DNF
25. 51 - Eddie Martin — Stilwell, OK (23) DNF
26. 61 - Michael Ables — Caddo, OK (26) DNF

Lap Leaders: Whiteaker 1-29, Hughes 30-35.
Total Laps Led: Whiteaker 29, Hughes 6.
AFCO Pole Winner: Shryock.
Provisional Starters: Martin, W. Armstrong, Ables (track), Cox (track).
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Dunn (started 21st, finished 7th).
Next Race: Sunday, May 3, Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Elm Mott, Texas (West Region).
West Region Points: Hughes 312, Shryock 246, Sanders 237, Whiteaker 227, Hebert 222, Bone 216, Tesch 210, Martin 203, Timms 203, Rowland 199.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: J. Armstrong 134, W. Armstrong 129, Schmidt 100, C. Davis 94, Sustaire 90.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: A.S.I. 57, Mullins 55, Sput’s 40, BMS 35, Homegrown 34.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 65, Skyrocket 63, GRT 61, TRE 60, Ramirez 58.

Contingency Awards:AFCO Racing Products – Shryock.
American Racer – Veal.
Isky Racing Cams – Whiteaker.
KSE Racing Products – Dunn.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Ables.
Nitroquest – Shryock.
Quarter Master – Hughes, Clonch.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Dunn.
Real Racing Wheels – Watson, Bagley.

Temple’s Paul White continues his win streak with “double” at Texana Raceway Park

Temple’s Paul White bagged another double Saturday night at Texana Raceway Park in Edna, Texas. White won both the Limited Modified and the Outlaw Modified features before a good opening-night crowd after scoring four victories the previous weekend – two at Battleground Speedway on Friday and two at Houston Raceway Park on Saturday.

The evening’s racing program was designated the “Aaron Hudgeons Benefit” with many drivers and fans making donations to help defray the medical expenses that popular stock car driver Hudgeons is facing as he battles cancer. Hudgeons is a favorite with both fans and competitors alike at the 3/8-mile track where he has a well-earned reputation as someone always willing to pitch in should anyone need a helping hand. By the end of the night more than $5,000 had been collected.

The first of White’s twin wins came in the 20-lap Limited Modified feature where he led a very competitive 24-car field from wire to wire.

By the halfway point, White had a big lead over JJ Jennings and Jeff Mueller, who were waging their own personal war for second some distance behind. With five laps to go, Mueller took advantage of slower cars to power past Jennings to take second place for good, but was unable to make up any ground on White as the laps wound down.

Limited Modified Results

1. 216 Paul White
2. 43 Jeff Mueller
3. 26g J J Jennings
4. 90x Dustin Butcher
5. 175 Mickey Helms
6. 66 Hunt Harrison
7. 90 Barry Moody
8. 33 Jason Zarbock
9. 00x Dustin Brandl
10. 10D Don Painter
11. 47 James Myers
12. 88 Mark McGahey
13. 37 Bill Pittaway
14. 46 Randy Bridges
15. 888 Aaron Lunsford
16. 36 Cody Hilderbrandt
17. 69 Aaron Hudgeons
18. 42 Ricky Konvicka
19. 63 Shane Hoefling
20. 78 Brad Ball
21. 89 Doug Livingston

White did not have it so easy in the 20-lap Outlaw Modified feature even though he once again started on the pole.
During the first half of the race Houston ace Howard Willis hounded White and almost made it by using the outside line while White ran towards the bottom with both grooves seeming to work equally well. Eventually the lower groove came in better – or perhaps the outside groove went away – and White was able to put a car length on Willis after they had run side-by side for several laps.

At the start of the race, Kerrville’s Greg Dinsmore looked like he was going to be a major factor, but after only one lap pulled into the infield with no power.

By mid-race Corpus Christi driver Steve Whiteaker, Jr, had worked his way through the field and was on White’s rear bumper following the same low line as the leader while Willis continued to work the high side.

Meanwhile, Lawrence Mikulencak and Nick Hardcastle had moved through the field and entertained the crowd with a spirited battle not all that far back from the leaders. At one point Mikulencak took a short, unplanned trip through the infield, losing a couple of positions in the process.

As Willis faded a bit, Whiteaker took over the task of trying to find a way around the steady, smooth White.

After a lap-16 caution, Whiteaker was able to get beside White briefly, but wasn’t able to make it happen and White took his second checkered flag of the evening a couple of car lengths in front of Whiteaker. Willis finished third with Danny Brown and Nick Hardcastle rounding out the top five.

Outlaw Modified results

1. 2W Paul White
2. 88 Steve Whiteaker, Jr.
3. E Howard Willis
4. 55 Danny Brown
5. 94 Nick Hardcastle
6. 20 Mike McCarty
7. 51 Benny Perry
8. 26 Darin Leonard
9. 82 Josh Majek
10. 371 Ben Ketteman
11. 122 Perry Johnson
12. 87 Lawrence Mikulencak
13. 66 Johnn Torres
14. 37 Bill Pittaway
15. 76 Jesse Manning
16. 155 Vince Kacir
17. 44 Markus Berndt
18. 8g Greg Dinsmore

In other action, Hot Stock Truck driver Justin Bloom held off second place finisher Lary Paris while Bloom’s father, Russell Bloom finished third.

Hot Stock Truck results

1. 84 Justin Bloom
2. 8 Lary Paris
3. 55 Russell Bloom
4. 13 Gregory Turner
5. 15 Gordon Boehm
6. 39 Nathan Kildair
7. 43 Bob Ort
8. 24 John Lieta—DNS

In the 20-lap Bomber main, Chris Shafer got out first and was never seriously challenged beating runner-up Brian King by several car-lengths. Monty Chamberlain rounded out the top three.

Bomber results

1. 77 Chris Shafer
2. 31 Brian King
3. 55 Monty Chamberlain
4. 36 Randy Kacir
5. 26 David McBride
6. 12 Janet Perks
7. 76 Gary Wright
8. 81 Aaron Ivory
9. 71 Nic Priem
10. 1 Nick Moore
11. 58 James Hoss
12. 63 Chase Sanchez

In the action-packed 12-lap Junior Mini Stock race, Jason Bloom avoided several on-track incidents to take the win over Lauren Chamberlain and Zach Tesch.

Junior Mini Stock results

1. 49 Jason Bloom
2. 55 Lauren Chamberlain
3. 72 Zack Tesch
4. 12 Ashley Perks
5. 03 Justin Sickle
6. 22 Patricia Lucas
7. 14k Stanley Kraly
8. 7 Hunter Lisano
9. 14 Roger Churan

Willie Veach took the win in the entertaining Dwarf Car feature over Andrew Cline, Buck McFarlin, Frank Fruia and Dave Tedford. Twenty-four of the motorcycle-engine powered coupes took the green flag and treated the the opening night crowd to some close, exciting racing in spite of several caution periods for spins.

Texana Classic Dwarf Cars
1. 41 Willy Veach
2. 19 Andrew Cline
3. 65 Buck McFarlin
4. 3x Frank Fruia
5. 25t Dave Tedford
6. 01s Joseph Snow
7. 24 Victor Vargas
8. 13 Mike Christians
9. 54 Gary Hansen
10. 30 Ronny Fikes
11. 36 Greg Sexton
12. 1 Brad Wright
13. 2ez Easy Casey
14. 82 Brandon Dorsey
15. 7 Steven Gilbert
16. 55 Bryan Heady
17. 97 Brian Breaux
18. 99 Brice Baros
19. 4 Karl Veach
20. 15 Gary Faris
21. 21 John Armstrong
22. 8 Donnie Hunt
23. 79 Douglas Schmidt
24. 12 Robert Smith

Staff Report

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