No Foolin’ ... Shryock sweeps USMTS Southern Series at Enid
by: Jeff Nun

ENID, Okla. -- Fans were treated to an awesome afternoon of racing Sunday, April 1, as the USMTS Southern Series wrapped up their inaugural weekend doubleheader at the Enid (Okla.) Speedway Park. With 57 entries from eight States on the ground and friendly weather in the sky, it was a perfect ending to a great weekend.

Speaking of perfect, Kelly Shryock made it a clean sweep of the weekend by picking up the first-place paycheck of $3,000 Sunday to bring his weekend earnings to $5,000 after also claiming Saturday’s $2,000-to-win main event. While the eight-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champion from Fertile, Iowa, led every lap from the pole on Saturday, his work was much harder on Sunday with a seventh-place starting spot among 23 other drivers with stellar pedigrees.

Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., garnered the most Home Pride Passing Points for the second day in a row, then started the Holley “A” Main from the outside of the third row. While polesitter Greg Skaggs of Bixby, Okla., jumped out to the lead at the drop of the green flag, Phillips immediately suffered a flat tire and was forced to rejoin the field from the back of the pack.

Skaggs continued to lead throughout the first 19 laps before Shryock tracked him down and seized the top spot on lap 20. Shryock held his own at the front while several drivers gave chase. New Sharon, Iowa’s Zack VanderBeek started 13th but worked his way though the field to overtake Shryock early in the race, but a caution flag erased the pass and showed Shryock the faster high line. From there, Shryock put the preferred line to use and worked his way to the front to earn his third win in four USMTS Southern Series events.

Twenty-one-year-old sensation Jeremy Payne of Springfield, Mo., pressured Shryock at the end, but had to settle for the runner-up spot for the second time in as many days. Phillips kept the crowd entertained as he sliced his way through the field to bounce back to a third-place finish at the checkers. Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., took fourth while 18th-starting Tommy Weder Jr. of Woodward, Okla., rounded out the top-5 and earned the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors.

Jason Hughes of Colcord, Okla., finished sixth; VanderBeek was seventh; Johnny Bone Jr. of Pea Ridge, Ark., was eighth; Darren Hacker of Woodward, Okla., grabbed ninth; and Steve Holzkamper of Gentry, Ark., completed the top-10.

The next USMTS Southern Series event will take place on Friday, April 27, at the Motorama Speedway near Beaumont, Texas, as part of a Lone Star State tripleheader. On Saturday, April 28, the USMTS Southern Series will invade the Gator Motorplex in Willis, then move on to 105 Speedway in Cleveland, Texas, on Sunday, April 29. All three races will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum $200 to start.

The next O’Reilly USMTS National Events will take place the following Friday and Saturday, April 6-7, with the 2nd Annual Iowa-Missouri Border War. Friday’s show will take place at the Mountain Dew Bloomfield (Iowa) Speedway while the rugged road warriors invade the Pepsi Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo., on Saturday. Both events will kick off the fight for the O’Reilly USMTS Central Region title.

To learn more about the USMTS Southern Series and 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
USMTS Southern Series
Inaugural Event - Night 2 of 2
Enid Speedway Park, Enid, Okla.
Sunday, April 1, 2007

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 13 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. 74 - Jeremy Payne -- Springfield, MO (2)
2. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Bixby, OK (6)
3. 15 - Curtis Allen -- Unicon, OK (1)
4. G3 - Brendon Gemmill -- Ponca City, OK (3)
5. 0 - Jim Ciampi -- Enid, OK (5)
6. 1k - Tim Karrick -- Bashor, KS (10)
7. K6 - Joe Adams -- Enid, OK (8)
8. 00 - Randy Sallee -- Woodward, OK (4)
9. 2 - Grant Junghans -- Manhattan, KS (9)
10. 3d - Dale Wanger -- Ft. Supply, OK (7)

HEAT #2 (10 laps):
1. 75 - Terry Phillips -- Springfield, MO (5)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (8)
3. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (2)
4. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (9)
5. 31j - Jeremy Rasmussen -- Bentonville, AR (7)
6. 7m - Brandon Melton -- Longview, TX (10)
7. 76 - Chase Allen -- Midlothian, TX (6)
8. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (3)
9. 8 - Dusty Robbins -- Enid, OK (4)
10. 6 - Pat McVicker -- Woodward, OK (1)

HEAT #3 (10 laps):
1. 19 - Jamie Burford -- Keatchie, LA (1)
2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (2)
3. 66 - Greg Burt -- Enid, OK (4)
4. 12 - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (8)
5. 98x - Josh Reisch -- Luverne, MN (7)
6. 88 - Chad Wheeler -- Muskogee, OK (10)
7. 19k - Marlin Kracht -- Luverne, MN (5)
8. 92 - Allen Knott -- Piedmont, OK (3)
9. 83 - Terry Johnson -- Oklahoma City, OK (9)
10. 16 - Rodney Johnson -- Piedmont, OK (6)

HEAT #4 (10 laps):
1. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (5)
2. 96x - Jim Johnson -- Wichita, KS (1)
3. 11 - Brandon Morton -- Coweta, OK (3)
4. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stillwell, OK (2)
5. 96 - Jon Herring -- Woodward, OK (8)
6. 4r - Derek Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (9)
7. 5c - Scott Crystal -- Overland Park, KS (7)
8. 2L - Bryan Lariviere -- Wichita, KS (6)
9. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (4)

HEAT #5 (10 laps):
1. 18 - Jack Sullivan -- Greenbrier, AR (5)
2. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (8)
3. 42 - James Longpine -- Drummond, OK (2)
4. 721 - Troy Gemmill -- Ponca City, OK (6)
5. 60 - Kip Hughes -- Enid, OK (1)
6. 86 - Brian Franz -- Hallstead, KS (4)
7. 56t - Troy Taylor -- Ft. Worth, TX (9)
8. 1m - Cody Gearhart -- Turpin, OK (3)
9. 21b - Brandon Kenny -- E. Woodward, OK (7)

HEAT #6 (10 laps):
1. 33r - Mike Roach -- Woodward, OK (3)
2. 13 - David Mitchell -- Ashdown, AR (4)
3. 37 - Jeremy Chambers -- Oswego, KS (1)
4. 33h - Darren Hacker -- Woodward, OK (9)
5. 98 - John Allen -- Chanute, KS (8)
6. 54 - Dena Wilson -- Coweta, OK (2)
7. 17 - Charles Lasater -- Garland, TX (7)
8. 11w - Kelly Wheeler -- Woodward, OK (6)
9. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (5)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 33h - Darren Hacker -- Woodward, OK (1)
2. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stillwell, OK (5)
3. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (11)
4. 42 - James Longpine -- Drummond, OK (3)
5. 1k - Tim Karrick -- Bashor, KS (6)
6. 21b - Brandon Kenny -- E. Woodward, OK (14)
7. 5c - Scott Crystal -- Overland Park, KS (10)
8. 1m - Cody Gearhart -- Turpin, OK (12)
9. 96 - Jon Herring -- Woodward, OK (4)
10. K6 - Joe Adams -- Enid, OK (9) DNF
11. 4r - Derek Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (7) DNF
12. 15 - Curtis Allen -- Unicon, OK (2) DNS
13. 86 - Brian Franz -- Hallstead, KS (8) DNS
14. 8 - Dusty Robbins -- Enid, OK (13) DNS
15. 6 - Pat McVicker -- Woodward, OK (15) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 12 - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (1)
2. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (2)
3. 76 - Chase Allen -- Midlothian, TX (9)
4. 98 - John Allen -- Chanute, KS (4)
5. 31j - Jeremy Rasmussen -- Bentonville, AR (5)
6. 0 - Jim Ciampi -- Enid, OK (7)
7. 7m - Brandon Melton -- Longview, TX (6)
8. 11w - Kelly Wheeler -- Woodward, OK (12)
9. 37 - Jeremy Chambers -- Oswego, KS (3) DNF
10. 92 - Allen Knott -- Piedmont, OK (11) DNF
11. 17 - Charles Lasater -- Garland, TX (10) DNF
12. 54 - Dena Wilson -- Coweta, OK (8) DNF
13. 83 - Terry Johnson -- Oklahoma City, OK (13) DNS
14. 89 - Steven Whiteaker -- Corpus Christi, TX (14) DNS
15. 16 - Rodney Johnson -- Piedmont, OK (15) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 11 - Brandon Morton -- Coweta, OK (2)
2. 98x - Josh Reisch -- Luverne, MN (5)
3. 88 - Chad Wheeler -- Muskogee, OK (6)
4. 721 - Troy Gemmill -- Ponca City, OK (3)
5. 56t - Troy Taylor -- Ft. Worth, TX (8)
6. 66 - Greg Burt -- Enid, Ok (1)
7. 2 - Grant Junghans -- Manhattan, KS (12)
8. 19k - Marlin Kracht -- Luverne, MN (9)
9. 60 - Kip Hughes -- Enid, OK (7)
10. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (13)
11. 2L - Bryan Lariviere -- Wichita, KS (11)
12. 00 - Randy Sallee -- Woodward, OK (10)
13. G3 - Brendon Gemmill -- Ponca City, OK (4) DNF
14. 3d - Dale Wanger -- Ft. Supply, OK (14) DNS

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (7)
2. 74 - Jeremy Payne -- Springfield, MO (5)
3. 75 - Terry Phillips -- Springfield, MO (6)
4. 18 - Jack Sullivan -- Greenbrier, AR (3)
5. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (18)
6. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (11)
7. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (13)
8. 12 - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (15)
9. 33h - Darren Hacker -- Woodward, OK (14)
10. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (2)
11. 98x - Josh Reisch -- Luverne, MN (19)
12. 88 - Chad Wheeler -- Muskogee, OK (22)
13. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stillwell, OK (17)
14. 13 - David Mitchell -- Ashdown, AR (10)
15. 96x - Jim Johnson -- Wichita, KS (12)
16. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Bixby, OK (1) DNF
17. 76 - Chase Allen -- Midlothian, TX (21) DNF
18. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (4) DNF
19. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (23) DNF
20. 11 - Brandon Morton -- Coweta, OK (16) DNF
21. 98 - John Allen -- Chanute, KS (24) DNF
22. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (20) DNF
23. 33r - Mike Roach -- Woodward, OK (8) DNF
24. 19 - Jamie Burford -- Keatchie, LA (9) DNF

Lap Leaders: Skaggs 1-19, Shryock 20-35.
Total Laps Led: Skaggs 19, Shryock 16.
Pole Award: Phillips.
Provisional Starters: Sanders, J. Allen.
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: Weder (started 18th, finished 5th).
Next USMTS Southern Series Event: Friday, April 27, Motorama Speedway, Beaumont, Texas.
Next O’Reilly USMTS National Event: Friday, April 6, Mountain Dew Bloomfield Speedway, Bloomfield, Iowa (Central Region).
USMTS Southern Series Points: Shryock 431, Timms 312, Sanders 306, Holzkamper 301, VanderBeek 295, Weder 284, J. Hughes 275, J. Allen 271, Skaggs 268, Chase Allen 264.
Home Pride Passing Points (USMTS Southern Series): Bone 31½, Shryock 31½, J. Hughes 19½, Holzkamper 19½, Timms 19½.

Contingency Awards:
Boyer’s Engine Development – Shryock.
GRT Race Cars – J. Hughes.
Hawk Performance – Bone.
Isky Racing Cams – Payne.
Kevko Oil Pans & Components – Weder, Martin.
KSE Racing Products – Payne, Sullivan.
Marsh Racing Wheels – not awarded.
Nitroquest Web Solutions - Phillips.
Quarter Master – Shryock.
QuickTime Performance Parts – VanderBeek.
Real Racing Wheels – Martin, Bone, Morton.