O’REILLY USMTS SET FOR FIVE-NIGHT, FIVE-TRACK, THREE-STATE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
by: Jeff Nun

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (May 22, 2006) - The O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Series gets back into high gear this week with a busy slate of event that will take the rugged road warriors to five different racetracks in three States as part of the Memorial Day Weekend pentathlon of events, May 25-29.

Each of the five events will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum of $200 to start the "A" main. For one skilled pilot able to sweep the weekend, a bag of loot worth $10,000 awaits.

The action kicks off on Thursday, May 25, as the O’Reilly USMTS stars and cars return to Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, S.D. Last season at "P.J.," area ace Jay Noteboom fended off O’Reilly USMTS icon Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie, Minn., for the victory in the inaugural All-Star Challenge at the half-mile clay oval. Noteboom, who currently sits among the top-10 in the O’Reilly USMTS Western Region standings, will be on hand to defend his title against the likes of Myer, national points leader Mark Noble of Blooming Prairie, Minn., and seven-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champ Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa. Local veterans like Reese Coffee, Ricky "Racer" Stephan and Dirk Kirk are expected to put up a fight to protect their home turf from the invading O’Reilly USMTS pros.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing slated for 7:30. Park Jefferson Speedway is located off of I-29 at Exit 4, then 0.2 mile east to SR 105, then 1.8 miles north (on the east side of SR 105). For race-day information, call (605) 966-5517 or visit www.parkjeffersonspeedway.com online.

On Friday, May 26, the O’Reilly USMTS superstars invade the Murray County Speedway in Slayton, Minn. for the 3rd Annual Minnesota Spring Challenge presented by Holinka Distributing. Mike Sorensen of Rochester, Minn., is expected to be on hand to defend his 2005 title, along with defending track and USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series national champion Ron Luitjens, along with O’Reilly USMTS frequent flyers Marlin Kracht, Josh Reisch and Mike Steensma. Myer leads all O’Reilly USMTS drivers with two career wins at the 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval.

The Murray County Speedway event will also serve as the season's first race in the Reich Concrete/Yeager Machine Northeast Region as drivers look to guarantee themselves a spot in the ‘The Hunt’ at season's end. Any driver finishing among the top-10 in the final points standings in one or more regions will qualify to be in ‘The Hunt’ and thereby earn a legitimate shot at becoming the 2006 O’Reilly USMTS National Champion.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing slated for 7:30. The Murray County Speedway is located on the west side of Slayton on SR 30, then 0.8 mile south on Juniper Ave. For race-day information, call (507) 393-3075 or visit www.murraycountyspeedway.net online.

Saturday, May 27, will see the return of the O’Reilly USMTS to the famed Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., for the first event at the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval since last September's Featherlite Fall Jamboree. Jason Hughes of Colcord, Okla., will be looking to keep his Deer Creek streak going in this year's 4th Annual Justice Brothers Southern Minnesota Spring Challenge, but will face stiff competition from track mainstays Bobby Sorensen, Nate Wasmund, Steve Wetzstein and Tim Donlinger, among others. Best among all O’Reilly USMTS drivers, Shryock will be hunting for his eighth career victory at 'The Creek.'

Gates open at 3 p.m. with the green flag scheduled to wave at 5. Deer Creek Speedway is located off of I-90 at Exit 209, then 11.3 miles south on US 63 (0.7 mile north of SR 16). For race-day information, call (507) 346-2342 or visit www.deercreekspeedway.com online.

The fourth leg of the Memorial Day Weekend extravaganza will happen on Sunday, May 30, as the O’Reilly USMTS makes their first of three stops this season at the Dodge County Speedway in Kasson, Minn., for the 5th Annual Minnesota Spring Fling. In 2005, Sorensen joined Shryock as winners at the 1/3-mile semi-banked clay oval. Hughes, Mike Chasteen, Corey Dripps, Dan Chapman, Wasmund and Jon Tesch have also captured O’Reilly USMTS victories at Dodge County.

Gates open at 3 p.m. with racing set to begin at 6. The Dodge County Speedway is located 1.1 miles north of US 14 on SR 57 (at the Dodge County Fairgrounds). For race-day information, call (507) 634-4281 or visit www.dodgecountyspeedway.com online.

The five-day trek wraps up in style on Memorial Day (Monday, May 29) with the final visit of 2006 for the O’Reilly USMTS at the action-packed Pritchard Family Auto Stores Hancock County Speedway in Britt, Iowa. Earlier this season, Shryock broke through for his first O’Reilly USMTS win of the season at the 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt oval, which is sporting new and improved lighting for 2006. This year's Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Memorial Day Shootout will once again feature the best of the best, and a standing-room-only sellout crowd is once again expected to be on hand to witness it all.

For the fans, a special Happy Hour is scheduled from 4-5:30 p.m. in the grandstands, with ice-cold $1.50 Budweiser and Bud Light beer on tap. In addition, the USRA Stock Cars will be running with a $700 top prize up for grabs! O’Reilly USMTS competitors will be battling for points in the Central Region.

Gates open at 3 p.m. and the full-contact mud flies at 6. The Pritchard Family Auto Stores Hancock County Speedway is located 1.3 miles south of US 18 on James St. (turns into Main Ave. and Diagonal and 1st), then 0.5 mile east on 220th Ave., then 0.1 mile north on Jewell Ave. For race-day information, call (641) 843-4513 or visit www.hancockcospeedway.com online.

A field of 24 cars will start the Holley "A" main each night, with qualifying through heat races and Real Racing Wheels "B" Mains. The top 12 drivers in Home Pride Passing Points accumulated in the heat races will be locked into the Holley "A" Main. Of those, eight drivers will re-draw for starting positions in the first four rows of the Holley "A" Main. An additional 10 cars will qualify from the Real Racing Wheels "B" Mains, with two provisional starters added to the field to create the 24-car starting field.

A big field of cars are expected for these events, including O’Reilly National Championship drivers Mark Noble, Kelly Shryock, Jon Tesch, Ryan Ruter, Jason Friesen, Tommy Myer, Dean Mahlstedt, Brad McEwan, Zack VanderBeek, Al Hejna, Mike Wedelstadt, Jeff Schluetter, Dustin Boney, Mike Steensma, Matt Gilbertson, Jay Poidinger, Scott Drake, Brandon Morton, Jason Hughes, Tommy Weder Jr., David Holder, Mike Hejna, Corey Dripps, Johnny Bone Jr., Josh Reisch, Kevin Larkins, Gary Clark, Alan Mondus, Ron Ver Beek, Chevy Hadan, Marlin Kracht, Brent Bohmont, David Mitchell, Brad Pinkerton, Scott Roberts, Chad Wheeler, Jeremy Tibben, Mark Elliott, Tony Fraise, Randy Timms, Jake Neal, Justin Cooper, Brett LaFollette, Greg Metz, Ben McVinua, Steve Arpin, Mark Burgtorf, Joshua Vinnedge, Chuck Stanton, Clayton Christenson, Jim Mathieson, Ryan Meyer, Steve Stewart, Patrick Linn, Joe Bradshaw, Scott Mullen, Dan Chapman, Brad Waits, Mel Saffran, Tommy Elston, Mike Chasteen, Julie McDermid, Michael Darnall, Ryan York, Randy Zimmerman, John VanDenBerg, John Schwab, Mark Dotson and Eric Dailey.

For more information, visit the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series online at www.USMTS.com.

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Current points standings as of May 22, 2006

O’REILLY NATIONAL DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP:
1. Mark Noble .... 1196
2. Kelly Shryock .... 1088
3. Jon Tesch .... 1022
4. Ryan Ruter .... 953
5. Jason Friesen .... 905
6. Tommy Myer .... 880
7. Dean Mahlstedt .... 853
8. Brad McEwan .... 835
9. Zack VanderBeek .... 806
10. Al Hejna .... 804
11. Mike Wedelstadt .... 753
12. Jeff Schluetter .... 622
13. Dustin Boney .... 523
14. Mike Steensma .... 515
15. Matt Gilbertson .... 451
16. Jay Poidinger .... 447
17. Scott Drake .... 396
18. Brandon Morton .... 389
19. Jason Hughes .... 376
20. Tommy Weder Jr. .... 371

WESTERN REGION CHAMPIONSHIP:
1. Mark Noble .... 516
2. John Tesch .... 450
3. Kelly Shryock .... 440
4. Ryan Ruter .... 397
5. Jason Friesen .... 383
6. Brad McEwan .... 362
7. Tommy Myer .... 355
8. Jay Noteboom .... 326
9. Kevin Larkins .... 308
10. Al Hejna .... 304

CENTRAL REGION CHAMPIONSHIP:
1. Kelly Shryock .... 399
2. Mark Noble .... 393
3. Jon Tesch .... 370
4. Tommy Myer .... 312
5. Zack VanderBeek .... 301
6. Ryan Ruter .... 299
7. Dean Mahlstedt .... 291
8. Jason Friesen .... 288
9. Brad McEwan .... 283
10. Mike Hejna .... 271

ROOKIES ROCKIN' SPORTS BAR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
1. Jason Friesen .... 270
2. Jeff Schluetter .... 169
3. Mike Steensma .... 150
4. Dustin Boney .... 118
5. Matt Gilbertson .... 115

HOME PRIDE NATIONAL PASSING POINTS:
1. Jason Friesen .... 64.5
2. Tommy Myer .... 61.5
3. Ryan Ruter .... 60.0
4. Al Hejna .... 49.5
5. Brad McEwan .... 46.5

UNIJIG BUILDERS CHAMPIONSHIP:
1. Skyrocket Chassis .... 110
2. Kraft Kar Race Cars .... 102
3. GRT Race Cars .... 76
4. Hughes Chassis .... 73
5. Bullet Chassis .... 59

AMSOIL LAP LEADERS:
1. Kelly Shryock .... 80 laps
2. Mark Noble .... 76
3. Dean Mahlstedt .... 46
4. Ryan Ruter .... 39
5. Jon Tesch .... 30

HOLLEY "A" MAIN WINNERS:
1. Mark Noble .... 4 wins
1. Kelly Shryock .... 4
3. Jason Friesen .... 1
3. Jon Tesch .... 1
3. Dean Mahlstedt .... 1
3. Ryan Ruter .... 1