Tesch survives for O’Reilly USMTS victory at Chateau Raceway

LANSING, MINN. (Sept. 1, 2006) - A standing-room-only crowd was on hand to witness the long-awaited invasion of the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series at the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minn., Friday night. What they got was a memorable marathon of action that featured season championship awards, wild support class action and a caution-plagued O’Reilly USMTS main event that had more twists than a Chubby Checker concert.

After a dominating victory Thursday night at the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa, Kelly Shryock added luck to the equation Friday night as he slid into the pole position after the first seven drivers in the redraw pulled straws for the second through ninth starting spots, leaving Shryock with the #1 slot.

The seven-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champ was in perfect position to pick up another win and avoid what turned out to be a main event riddled with attrition. Shryock held the top spot on the bumpy 1/3-mile bullring for the first 38 laps when the 12th caution of the event waved. Prior to the caution, Shryock's No. 3 Skyrocket began to sputter and backfire. The restart saw Fertile, Iowa, pilot's luck (and engine) turn sour as his machine slowed and drifted back in the field.

Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie, Minn., inherited the lead and cruised through the final two laps and crossed the finish line first. As Myer rolled across the scales, however, his Modified weighed 23 pounds too light and he was disqualified.

Watertown, S.D.'s Jon Tesch, who was riding in fourth with one lap to go in the 40-lap feature, was awarded the victory and the $2,000 top prize. It was the second win in three nights for Tesch, who raced from the rear of the field after being involved in a caution on lap 5 before passing a spinning Brad McEwan on the final lap.

Neil Eckhart of Rochester, Minn., went to the tail on lap 19 after getting caught up in an on-track incident, but raced back to the front of the field to take home the runner-up paycheck and the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors after starting 18th in the 26-car field. The heads-up move of the night belonged to Zack VanderBeek of New Sharon, Iowa, who sat back for the first 25 laps and let the track do its job before racing the final 15 laps and finishing third. Jason Friesen of Sutton, Neb., who won a weekly race at Chateau Raceway two weeks ago, finished fourth while rookie Brent Bohmont of Martell, Neb., rounded out the top-5 finishers for his career-best finish with the O’Reilly USMTS.

Later discovering he was the victim of a broken battery cable, Shryock finished 10th and slid back one spot to third in the points standings of ‘The Hunt’ for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship. VanderBeek padded his advantage in the rankings over Tesch (332 to 321) with Shryock 38 points behind the leader. Friesen, who barely slipped into the ‘The Hunt’ standings, moved up to fourth while Myer slipped to fifth.

The O’Reilly USMTS rugged road warriors roll on Saturday night with the 5th Annual Midwest Wireless Labor Day Dual at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. The high-banked 3/8-mile oval is located 11.3 miles south of I-90 (Exit 209) on US 63. Gates open at 3 p.m. with hot laps at 6 and the first heat race scheduled to go green at 6:30. For day-of-race information, call the track hotline at (507) 346-2342. Also running will be WDRL Late Models.

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
Inaugural Husqvarna Labor Day Classic presented by Miner's Outdoor Equipment
Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn.
Friday, Sept. 1, 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 (10 laps):
1. 4r - Ron Ver Beek -- Oskaloosa, IA (1)
2. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (4)
3. 45 - Todd Scharkey -- Kasson, MN (2)
4. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (5)
5. 61 - Larry Nelson -- Hartland, MN (3)
6. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (6)
7. 21x - Joe Wernecke -- Dodge Center, MN (7)

HEAT #2 (10 laps):
1. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Forest City, IA (5)
2. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (6)
3. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (1)
4. 95 - Ronnie Ross -- Brownsdale, MN (2)
5. 55g - Greg Jensen -- Albert Lea, MN (4)
6. 90 - Steve Wetzstein -- West Concord, MN (3)
7. 55x - Brian Shaw -- Brownsdale, MN (7)

HEAT #3 (10 laps):
1. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (1)
2. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (3)
3. 72 - Doug Hillson -- Blooming Prairie, MN (2)
4. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (5)
5. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (7)
6. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (6)
7. 02 - Jacob Dahle -- Morristown, MN (4)

HEAT #4 (10 laps):
1. 1m - Josh Mattick -- Austin, MN (2)
2. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (4)
3. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (7)
4. 96.1 - Wally Bustad -- Austin, MN (6)
5. 75 - James Parker -- Dodge Center, MN (8)
6. 93 - Bob Fisher -- Lyle, MN (5)
7. 7e - Neil Eckhart -- Rochester, MN (3)
8. 58 - Scott Vesely -- Mosinee, WI (1)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (2)
2. 96.1 - Wally Bustad -- Austin, MN (1)
3. 61 - Larry Nelson -- Hartland, MN (4)
4. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (6)
5. 02 - Jacob Dahle -- Morristown, MN (8)
6. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (5)
7. 95 - Ronnie Ross -- Brownsdale, MN (3)
8. 58 - Scott Vesely -- Mosinee, WI (9)
9. 21x - Joe Wernecke -- Dodge Center, MN (7)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (1)
2. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (3)
3. 7e - Neil Eckhart -- Rochester, MN (8)
4. 90 - Steve Wetzstein -- West Concord, MN (5)
5. 55g - Greg Jensen -- Albert Lea, MN (4)
6. 75 - James Parker -- Dodge Center, MN (2)
7. 93 - Bob Fisher -- Lyle, MN (6)
8. 55x - Brian Shaw -- Brownsdale, MN (7)

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (11)
2. 7e - Neil Eckhart -- Rochester, MN (18)
3. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (19)
4. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (8)
5. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (7)
6. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (5)
7. 55g - Greg Jensen -- Albert Lea, MN (22)
8. 61 - Larry Nelson -- Hartland, MN (17)
9. 96.1 - Wally Bustad -- Austin, MN (15)
10. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (1)
11. 90 - Steve Wetzstein -- West Concord, MN (20)
12. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (14)
13. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (2) DNF
14. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (13) DNF
15. 4r - Ron Ver Beek -- Oskaloosa, IA (3) DNF
16. 75 - James Parker -- Dodge Center, MN (25) DNF
17. 45 - Todd Scharkey -- Kasson, MN (10) DNF
18. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (16) DNF
19. 72 - Doug Hillson -- Blooming Prairie, MN (12) DNF
20. 58 - Scott Vesely -- Mosinee, WI (24) DNF
21. 95 - Ronnie Ross -- Brownsdale, MN (26) DNF
22. 1m - Josh Mattick -- Austin, MN (6) DNF
23. 02 - Jacob Dahle -- Morristown, MN (21) DNF
24. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Forest City, IA (4) DNF
25. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (23) DNF
26. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (9) DQ

AMSOIL Lap Leaders: Shryock 1-38, Myer 39-40.
Total Laps Led: Shryock 38, Myer 2.
Provisional Starters: Mondus (regional), Vesely (national), Parker (track), Ross (track).
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: Eckhart (started 18th, finished 2nd).
Next Race: Saturday, Sept. 2, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
‘The Hunt’ Points: VanderBeek 332, Tesch 321, Shryock 294, Friesen 269, Myer 260, McEwan 241, M. Hejna 227, Poidinger 196, Al Hejna 187, Ruter 180, Mondus 166.
Home Pride Passing Points (National): Shryock 177, Ruter 156, Al Hejna 142½, Myer 141, McEwan 124½.
Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Points: Poidinger 698, Friesen 534, Matt Gilbertson 357, Mondus 355, Bohmont 335.
UNIJIG Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 443, Hughes 327, GRT 279, Kraft 270, Bullet 225.

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