Al tops Mike in Hejna 1-2 finish at Farley

FARLEY, IA (Aug. 16, 2006) -  The O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series invaded the Farley (Iowa) Speedway on Wednesday for a $2,000-to-win tilt and the final event before the kickoff of ‘The Hunt’ for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship.

With the top-10 in the final Central Region locked in prior to the start of the event, drivers were able to focus squarely on the checkered flag and hope to move up a couple spots in the standings. When all was said and done, the 30-lap main event turned into a family affair as the "Palace of Speed" was transformed into the "House of Hejna" for the night.

From the outside of the front row, Al Hejna jumped out to the lead of the 24-car field and set a torrid pace on the lightning-fast half-mile clay oval. "The A-Train" never saw a nose the rest of the way as he led the entire distance to score his first O’Reilly USMTS victory of the season. Hejna's younger brother, Mike, took the runner-up spot to make it a Hejna brothers 1-2 finish.

Eleventh-starting Dean Mahlstedt finished third to make it a 1-2-3 finish for drivers from Clear Lake, Iowa, while Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie, Minn., finished fourth despite a broken vertebrae he suffered at home on Monday. Late Model ace Tommy Elston of Keokuk, Iowa, followed up a sixth-place finish on Tuesday at the West Liberty (Iowa) Raceway with a fifth-place finish on Wednesday night. Coming from the 16th starting spot, Elston earned the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors for the event.

Seven-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champ Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, suffered an uncharacteristic rash of hard luck throughout Wednesday's event. After spinning out in his heat race, Shryock qualified for the Holley "A" Main with a win in the second Real Racing Wheels "B" Main. After starting 14th, Shryock had raced to third and was battling with Mike Hejna for the second position when Shryock's No. 3 Skyrocket suffered a flat tire. With only two laps remaining, he was only able to climb back to 13th at the finish.

With the 2006 season's regional action complete, the O’Reilly USMTS teams head into unchartered waters as ‘The Hunt’ for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship kicks off in less than 24 hours with the 2nd Annual Budweiser Summer Challenge presented by NAPA and Decorah Bank & Trust at the Upper Iowa Speedway in Decorah, Iowa. Shryock takes the points lead into the final swing of the season as he chases his eighth straight O’Reilly USMTS title.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and the mud starts flyin' at 7:30 for Thursday's $2,000-to-win show. The Upper Iowa Speedway is located 1.8 miles east of US 52 on SR 9, then 1.0 mile northwest on Montgomery St., then northeast on E. Main St. (at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds).

For more information, or to learn more about the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series, call (515) 832-7944 or visit www.USMTS.com online.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series
Farley Speedway, Farley, Iowa
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

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

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT #1 (8 laps):
1. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (1)
2. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (8)
3. 8 - Rich Smith -- Davenport, IA (5)
4. 23 - Matt Gilbertson -- Montevideo, MN (3)
5. 86 - David McClain -- Potosi, WI (4)
6. 31 - Jason Roth -- Hazel Green, WI (7)
7. 1d - Mel Saffran -- Farley, IA (2) DNF
8. 99.3 - Eric Glendenning -- Darlinging, WI (6) DNS

HEAT #2 (8 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (2)
2. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (1)
3. 27m - Mark Schulte -- Delhi, IA (5)
4. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (8)
5. 105 - Kevin Peters -- Monmouth, IL (4)
6. 70 - Jerry King -- Waterloo, IA (3)
7. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (7) DNF
8. 37b - Ron Barker -- Dubuque, IA (6) DNS

HEAT #3 (8 laps):
1. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (1)
2. 33 - Steve Wetter -- Platteville, WI (3)
3. 19 - Darin Duffy -- Hazelton, IA (5)
4. 30 - Mark Massey -- Worthington, IA (6)
5. 35 - Jeff Schluetter -- New Hampton, IA (7)
6. 9 - Leon Wilson -- Hopkins, IA (2)
7. 7j - Jacob Seegmiller -- Dubuque, IA (4)

HEAT #4 (8 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (1)
2. 3j - Jason Schueller -- Dubuque, IA (3)
3. 11b - Mike Burbridge -- Delhi, IA (6)
4. 7x - Tommy Elston -- Keokuk, IA (5)
5. 9 - Roger Nielsen -- Estherville, IA (7)
6. 24m - Jan Messer -- Manchester, IA (4)
7. 81 - K.C. Ansel -- Dubuque, IA (2)

HEAT #5 (8 laps):
1. 66 - Dan Bohr -- Decorah, IA (2)
2. 56 - Chris Spieker -- Massena, IA (4)
3. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (1)
4. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (5)
5. 63 - Paul Parker -- Applington, WI (6)
6. 33j - Joe Huenefeld -- Freeport, IL (7)
7. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (3)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (2)
2. 27m - Mark Schulte -- Delhi, IA (1)
3. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (4)
4. 30 - Mark Massey -- Worthington, IA (3)
5. 35 - Jeff Schluetter -- New Hampton, IA (5)
6. 105 - Kevin Peters -- Monmouth, IL (7)
7. 1d - Mel Saffran -- Farley, IA (10)
8. 9 - Leon Wilson -- Hopkins, IA (9)
9. 63 - Paul Parker -- Applington, WI (6)
10. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (12) -1 Lap
11. 7j - Jacob Seegmiller -- Dubuque, IA (11) -1 Lap
12. 33J - Joe Huenefeld -- Freeport, IL (8) DNF
13. 37b - Ron Barker -- Dubuque, IA (13) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (2)
2. 7x - Tommy Elston -- Keokuk, IA (3)
3. 19 - Darin Duffy -- Hazelton, IA (1)
4. 9 - Roger Nielsen -- Estherville, IA (5)
5. 70 - Jerry King -- Waterloo, IA (8)
6. 23 - Matt Gilbertson -- Montevideo, MN (4)
7. 86 - David McClain -- Potosi, WI (6)
8. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (10) DNF
9. 81 - K.C. Ansel -- Dubuque, IA (11) DNF
10. 24m - Jan Messer -- Manchester, IA (9) DNF
11. 31 - Jason Roth -- Hazel Green, WI (7) DNS
12. 99.3 - Eric Glendenning -- Darlinging, WI (12) DNS

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (2)
2. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (4)
3. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (11)
4. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (6)
5. 7x - Tommy Elston -- Keokuk, IA (16)
6. 3j - Jason Schueller -- Dubuque, IA (9)
7. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (1)
8. 19 - Darin Duffy -- Hazelton, IA (18)
9. 56 - Chris Spieker -- Massena, IA (5)
10. 27m - Mark Schulte -- Delhi, IA (15)
11. 11b - Mike Burbridge -- Delhi, IA (10)
12. 35 - Jeff Schluetter -- New Hampton, IA (21)
13. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (14)
14. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (17)
15. 9 - Roger Nielsen -- Estherville, IA (20)
16. 30 - Mark Massey -- Worthington, IA (19)
17. 23 - Matt Gilbertson -- Montevideo, MN (23)
18. 33 - Steve Wetter -- Platteville, WI (3) DNF
19. 66 - Dan Bohr -- Decorah, IA (8) DNF
20. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (7) DNF
21. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (13) DNF
22. 70 - Jerry King -- Waterloo, IA (22) DNF
23. 8 - Rich Smith -- Davenport, IA (12) DNF
24. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (24) DNF

AMSOIL Lap Leaders: A. Hejna 1-30.
Total Laps Led: A. Hejna 30.
Provisional Starters: Gilbertson (regional), Poidinger (national).
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: Elston (started 16th, finished 5th).
Next Race: Thursday, Aug. 18, Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, Iowa.
O’Reilly National Driver Points: Shryock 4212, Myer 3526, VanderBeek 3309, Ryan Ruter 3057, McEwan 3005, Mahlstedt 2874, A. Hejna 2838, Jon Tesch 2734, Mark Noble 2628, Poidinger 2155.
Central Region Points (final): Shryock 1352, Mahlstedt 1160, VanderBeek 1124, Myer 1078, A. Hejna 1034, M. Hejna 969, McEwan 963, Ryan Ruter 948, Poidinger 840, Mondus 821.
Home Pride Passing Points - National: Shryock 166.5, Ryan Ruter 145.5, A. Hejna 136.5, Myer 124.5, McEwan 121.5.
Home Pride Passing Points - Central (final): Myer 48.0, McEwan 43.5, Ryan Ruter 40.5, A. Hejna 40.5, Shryock 39.0.
Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Points: Poidinger 647, Jason Friesen 459, Gilbertson 357, Mondus 306, Tommy Weder Jr. 304.
UNIJIG Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 415, Hughes 313, Kraft 267, GRT 252, Bullet 222.

Contingency Awards:
Bassett Racing Wheel – Mahlstedt.
Belleville Motorsports – not awarded.
Boyer’s Engine Development – A. Hejna.
Edelbrock – A. Hejna, M. Hejna.
Fast Shafts – Elston.
GRT Race Cars – not awarded.
Isky Racing Cams – McEwan.
Kevko Oil Pans & Components – Myer.
KSE Racing Products – not awarded.
Larson Racing Specialists – Shryock.
Marsh Racing Wheels – not awarded.
QuickTime Performance Parts – McEwan.
RaceQuest – A. Hejna, Saffran, Parker, Spaulding.
Real Racing Wheels – VanderBeek, Shryock.
T.A.R. Race Car Bodies – not awarded.
UNIJIG – Bohr.