Hejna completes sweep of 4th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw
by: Jeff Nun

McCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. (March 10, 2007) – A large crowd of race-hungry fans jammed the grandstands of the Junction Motor Speedway for Saturday’s 4th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw as the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series staged a thrilling main event to put the wraps on a memorable weekend doubleheader at the 3/8-mile clay oval.

Although the starting field and track conditions were much different than Friday night’s season opener, the end result was the same. After leading every lap from the pole position in the Holley “A” Main, Al Hejna was back in victory lane for the second time in less than 24 hours. But the path to victory was nothing like the night before.

The feature race saw Hejna and Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, on the front row -- just how they finished Friday’s nightcap -- but it took three tries before one lap could be completed. After two quick cautions to start the 35-lapper, the red flag waved as several cars collided on the front stretch which resulted in Josh Reisch of Luverne, Minn., getting airborne in full view of the fans. Reisch was uninjured in the melee, but the same could not be said for his Modified.

During the race stoppage, Shryock was forced to change a broken shock while sixth-starting Jay Noteboom changed a pair of flat tires. Both drivers had to restart at the tail of the field with no laps yet completed.

When the race went back to green, Hejna sped away from the field with 2005 event winner Johnny ‘The Jet’ Saathoff in tow. The two quickly distanced themselves from the field and engaged in a fierce battle through every turn with Hejna holding a slight advantage with each passing lap. While the duo left the pack behind, both Shryock and Noteboom were charging back through the field and into the top-5 by the midway point of the race.

With 12 laps to go, Saathoff dove low entering the first turn as Hejna held firm to his line. The two made contact and sent Saathoff spinning to a stop at the bottom of the turn and bringing out the caution flag. While the incident erased Saathoff’s chance to become the first repeat winner of the Nebraska Spring Thaw, it was nearly a disaster for Hejna too. The Clear Lake, Iowa, pilot was unable to get his No. 7 Skyrocket Modified back into gear and came to a stop on the front stretch. With assistance from a push truck, Hejna was able to engage his transmission and resume his place at the front of the field for the restart.

With Shryock now in second place, Hejna executed a flawless restart and padded his advantage over the eight-time defending O’Reilly USMTS champ and paced the last dozen circuits to secure his second win of the weekend and fourth in a row going back to last season’s finale. The win was worth $3,000 and solidified his spot at the top of the points standings in both national points and the Western Region.

Shryock settled for the runner-up paycheck for the second straight night while Noteboom steered his new Razor Chassis to a third-place finish. Equally as impressive, Saathoff clawed his way back through the field as well and garnered fourth at the finish line. Veteran Mark Noble of Blooming Prairie, Minn., who ran third for most of the race, hung on for fifth.

The top-5 served as a showcase of the parity between the combinations of equipment choices by O’Reilly USMTS competitors. Four different chassis manufacturers were represented with Hejna and Shryock in Skyrockets, Noteboom in a Razor, Saathoff in his Jet Mod and Noble driving a KraftKar. Even more noteworthy was the fact that both Noteboom and Saathoff were two of just three entrants taking advantage of an eight-inch spoiler (all others were allowed five inches) to accompany their engine packages. Noteboom utilized the new Brodix spec heads while Saathoff was powered by a flat-tappet “claimer” engine. Noteboom was also the lone racer of the weekend sporting a quick change rearend, which is permitted for the 2007 season.

Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Gordon of Murdock, Minn., turned a lot of heads during the event by finishing sixth in Saturday’s nightcap to go along with an eighth-place run on Friday. Brian Shaw finished seventh and Zack VanderBeek came from 23rd to take eighth and earn the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors. Scott Green was ninth and Blake Jegtvig rounded out the top-10 finishers.

The West Siloam Speedway near West Siloam Springs, Okla., will play host to the first-ever event for the newly-formed USMTS Southern Series with a dynamic double-bill doubleheader on Friday and Saturday, March 16-17. The two-day lidlifter at Rick and Julie Magnuson’s 3/8-mile high-banked oval will also be the second O’Reilly USMTS National Event of the season -- the only combination event on this year’s calendar. Friday’s main event carries a top prize of $2,000 while the winner of Saturday’s "A" main will pocket $3,000.

Gates open at 4 p.m. on Friday. Hot laps are slated for 6 with races at 7. On Saturday, gates open at 3 p.m. and hot laps will begin at 6. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 6:30. Grandstand tickets are $13 on Friday and $15 on Saturday. Senior citizens get in for $10 on Friday and $12 on Saturday. Pit passes are $30 both nights.

Joining the card on Friday will be West Siloam Speedway’s Pure Stock, Limited Late Model and E-Mod divisions. On Saturday, the event will feature Pure Stock, Factory Stock and E-Mod classes in support of the O’Reilly USMTS Modifieds. Saturday will be the Jeff Rowlan Season Opener -- a Factory Stock special paying $500 to win.

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

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series
4th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw - Night 2 of 2
Junction Motor Speedway, McCool Junction, Neb.
Saturday, March 10, 2007

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in Home Pride Passing Points accumulated in the Heats 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. 98 - Josh Reisch -- Luverne, MN (5)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (10)
3. 3a - Chris Alcorn -- Lincoln, NE (4)
4. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (7)
5. 1k - Tim Karrick -- Bashor, KS (2)
6. 5j - John Schwab -- Liberal, KS (1)
7. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, MO (3)
8. 1cc - Clayton Christensen -- Spencer, IA (9)
9. 19 - Jake Bitker -- Halsted, MN (8)
10. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (6) DNF

HEAT #2 (10 laps):
1. 128 - Mark Trautner -- Mahnomen, MN (2)
2. 93 - Cale Sponsler -- Grimes, IA (3)
3. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (6)
4. z98 - Denny Johnson -- Sioux City, IA (4)
5. 47 - Ryan Canon -- Clearwater, MN (7)
6. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (5)
7. 07 - Mike Goldfuss -- Dwight, NE (1)
8. 6b - Blake Borgan -- Perley, MN (9)
9. 31 - Andy Kotek -- Wood Lake, MN (10)
10. 76s - Daniel Svee -- Colfax, WI (8)

HEAT #3 (10 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (3)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (2)
3. 96j - Johnny Saathoff -- Beatrice, NE (9)
4. 92 - Jeff Stephens -- Arion, IA (1)
5. 8 - Justin Bell -- Omaha, NE (7)
6. 97m - David Murray -- Oberlin, KS (5) DNF
7. 71 - Jeff James -- Stanton, IA (4) DNF
8. 52s - Jeremiah Sillman -- Murdock, NE (6) DNF
9. 21 - Wade Cross -- Phillips, NE (8) DNS

HEAT #4 (10 laps):
1. 00c - Chris Mills -- Sioux City, IA (1)
2. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (7)
3. 28 - Ryan Hill -- Liberal, KS (3)
4. 31j - Barry Sandeman -- Creston, IA (9)
5. 2j - Blake Jegtvig -- Hawley, MN (4)
6. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (6)
7. 2g - Troy Girolamo -- Strum, WI (2) DNF
8. 3rw - Ronnie Wallace -- North Platte, NE (8) DNF
9. 2k - Darrick Klima -- Belleville, KS (5) DNF

HEAT #5 (10 laps):
1. 21 - Andrew Gordon -- Murdock, MN (1)
2. 7n - Jay Noteboom -- Hinton, IA (7)
3. 31j - Jeremy Rasmussen -- Bentonville, AR (8)
4. 55 - Brian Shaw -- Brownsdale, MN (9)
5. 21h - Brandon Hagan -- Culbertson, NE (2)
6. 70 - Loren Dauer -- Lindsborg, KS (6)
7. 9r - Robby Haines -- Benkelman, NE (3)
8. 55x - Jim Cole -- Sioux City, IA (4) DNF
9. 94 - Dustin Huehl -- Smolan, KS (5) DNF

HEAT #6 (10 laps):
1. 2x - Lyle Shepard -- Manhattan, KS (4)
2. 1 - Scott Mullen -- Seymour, WI (3)
3. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (9)
4. 27 - Clint Homan -- Bellevue, NE (2)
5. 15x - Dan DeMay -- Denison, IA (8)
6. 29e - Eric Rempel -- Palmyra, NE (6)
7. 94h - Don Hagan -- McCook, NE (7)
8. 4k - Kent Willms -- Willmar, MN (5) DNF
9. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (1) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (3)
2. 2j - Blake Jegtvig -- Hawley, MN (6)
3. 47 - Ryan Canon -- Clearwater, MN (5)
4. 31j - Barry Sandeman -- Creston, IA (2)
5. z98 - Denny Johnson -- Sioux City, IA (4)
6. 70 - Loren Dauer -- Lindsborg, KS (8)
7. 6b - Blake Borgan -- Perley, MN (11)
8. 9r - Robby Haines -- Benkelman, NE (10)
9. 76s - Daniel Svee -- Colfax, WI (15)
10. 94 - Dustin Huehl -- Smolan, KS (14) DNF
11. 07 - Mike Goldfuss -- Dwight, NE (9) DNF
12. 1 - Scott Mullen -- Seymour, WI (1) DNF
13. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (7) DNF
14. 55x - Jim Cole -- Sioux City, IA (12) DNS
15. 19 - Jake Bitker -- Halsted, MN (13) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 55 - Brian Shaw -- Brownsdale, MN (2)
2. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (1)
3. 92 - Jeff Stephens -- Arion, IA (4)
4. 97m - David Murray -- Oberlin, KS (7)
5. 8 - Justin Bell -- Omaha, NE (5)
6. 21h - Brandon Hagan -- Culbertson, NE (6)
7. 52s - Jeremiah Sillman -- Murdock, NE (11)
8. 28 - Ryan Hill -- Liberal, KS (3)
9. 94h - Don Hagan -- McCook, NE (10)
10. 29e - Eric Rempel -- Palmyra, NE (8)
11. 71 - Jeff James -- Stanton, IA (9) DNS
12. 4k - Kent Willms -- Willmar, MN (12) DNS
13. 21 - Wade Cross -- Philips, NE (13) DNS
14. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (14) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (12 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (1)
2. 2k - Darrick Klima -- Belleville, KS (13)
3. 1k - Tim Karrick -- Bashor, KS (5)
4. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (7)
5. 3a - Chris Alcorn -- Lincoln, NE (2)
6. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (14)
7. 27 - Clint Homan -- Bellevue, NE (4)
8. 15x - Dan DeMay -- Denison, IA (3) DNF
9. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, MO (8) DNF
10. 2g - Troy Girolamo -- Strum, WI (9) DNS
11. 5j - John Schwab -- Liberal, KS (6) DNS
12. 1cc - Clayton Christensen -- Spencer, IA (10) DNS
13. 3rw - Ronnie Wallace -- North Platte, NE (11) DNS
14. 31 - Andy Kotek -- Wood Lake, MN (12) DNS

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (1)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (2)
3. 7n - Jay Noteboom -- Hinton, IA (6)
4. 96j - Johnny Saathoff -- Beatrice, NE (3)
5. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (8)
6. 21 - Andrew Gordon -- Murdock, MN (11)
7. 55 - Brian Shaw -- Brownsdale, MN (15)
8. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (23)
9. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (9)
10. 2j - Blake Jegtvig -- Hawley, MN (17)
11. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (16)
12. 1k - Tim Karrick -- Bashor, KS (22)
13. 93 - Cale Sponsler -- Grimes, IA (13)
14. 27 - Clint Homan -- Bellevue, NE (24)
15. 31j - Jeremy Rasmussen -- Bentonville, AR (12)
16. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (25) DNF
17. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (14) DNF
18. 00c - Chris Mills -- Sioux City, IA (10) DNF
19. 2x - Lyle Shepard -- Manhattan, KS (7) DNF
20. 2k - Darrick Klima -- Belleville, KS (19) DNF
21. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (18) DNF
22. 47 - Ryan Canon -- Clearwater, MN (20) DNF
23. 128 - Mark Trautner -- Mahnomen, MN (5) DNF
24. 98 - Josh Reisch -- Luverne, MN (4) DNF
25. 92 - Jeff Stephens -- Arion, IA (21) DNF

AMSOIL Lap Leaders: Hejna 1-35.
Total Laps Led: Hejna 35.
Provisional Starters: VanderBeek (regional), Homan (national), Friesen (track).
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: VanderBeek (started 23rd, finished 8th).
Next Race: Friday, March 16, West Siloam Speedway, W. Siloam Springs, Okla.
O’Reilly National Points: Hejna 210, Shryock 193, Noteboom 170, Karrick 169, Tesch 168, VanderBeek 164, Gordon 162, Klima 151, Noble 137, Sponsler 136.
Western Region Points: Hejna 210, Shryock 193, Noteboom 170, Karrick 169, Tesch 168, VanderBeek 164, Gordon 162, Klima 151, Noble 137, Sponsler 136.
Home Pride Passing Points (National): Shryock 19½, Noble 16½, Green 16½, Noteboom 15, Hejna 13½.
Home Pride Passing Points (Western): Shryock 19½, Noble 16½, Green 16½, Noteboom 15, Hejna 13½.
Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Points: Gordon 48, Sponsler 40, Klima 40, Rasmussen 34, Homan 34, Green 34.
Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 20, J-Car 14, Razor 14, GRT 13, BMS 11.

Contingency Awards:
Belleville Motorsports – Noble, Rasmussen, Klima.
GRT Race Cars – not awarded.
Hawk Performance – VanderBeek.
Isky Racing Cams – Reisch.
Kevko Oil Pans & Components – Noble, Sponsler.
KSE Racing Products – Shryock.
Marsh Racing Wheels – not awarded.
Nitroquest Web Solutions - Noteboom.
Quarter Master – Hejna, Green.
QuickTime Performance Parts – not awarded.
Real Racing Wheels – McEwan, Tesch.

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USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: O’Reilly Auto Parts.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Race Tires, AMSOIL, Holley Performance Products, Home Pride Companies, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, Marsh Racing Wheels, Nitroquest Web Solutions, Olympic Fire Protection, Real Racing Wheels, Reich Concrete, Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar, UNIJIG, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Bell Racing, Belleville Motorsports, Bert Transmission, Bilstein Shocks, BORCO LP, Boyer’s Engine Development, Day Motor Sports, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Edelbrock, Fast Shafts, GRT Race Cars, Hawk Performance, Hyperco, Intensitee Custom Clothing, Isky Racing Cams, Kraft Kars, KSE Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Racer’s Choice (RCI), US Brake.