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HUGHES KICKS OFF “DOZEN DAYS OF DIRT” WITH VICTORY AT DES MOINES

DES MOINES, Iowa (June 16) – Last Tuesday, Jason Hughes made the long tow from Westville, Okla., to Northern Iowa for what turned out to be a single show after rain accompanied by “the flood of the century” wiped out the remaining three nights of racing. He, along with four other drivers from the Sooner State, returned home only to venture back to the Hawkeye State five days later for the first of 12 O’Reilly USMTS National Tour events on tap over 13 days.

On Monday night, Hughes helped put a dent in his fuel bill as he picked up his series-leading fifth main event victory of the season by capturing the 2nd Annual NASCAR vs. USMTS presented by Karl Chevrolet at the Iowa State Fair Speedway in Des Moines, Iowa.

The win, worth $2,000, was his 10th overall when factoring in his series-leading five wins in the O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series.

Defending O’Reilly USMTS National Champion Jason Krohn of Slayton, Minn., drew the pole position for the Holley "A"
Main and jumped out to the lead at the drop of the green flag. Despite several cautions, Krohn held strong at the front of the field until the lap 20 of 25 when Hughes was able to power ahead.

One lap later, a broken axle turned a good night into a 20th-place finish for Krohn, while Hughes held off Tim Donlinger of Rochester, Minn., at the checkered flag.

The youngest of three Gustins in the 24-car main event field, Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, scored a third-place paycheck while Clear Lake, Iowa's Dean Mahlstedt raced from 10th to fourth at the finish.
Eight-time O’Reilly USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, started 12th but clawed his way to a fifth-place showing.

Richie Gustin Jr., 23rd-starting Al Hejna, Ryan Ruter, Scott Green and Alan Mondus finished sixth through tenth, respectively.

NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader won the first heat race, then drew the sixth starting spot for the main event. But the Concord, N.C., resident and Fenton, Mo., native found himself involved in the race's first incident and wound up last on the score cards.

With the win, Hughes moved into the top spot of the Central States Region points standings, leading Hejna by
23 markers (388 to 365). Shryock jumped to third with 357 points, while Zack VanderBeek fell from first to fourth with 356. Fifth through tenth are Dereck Ramirez (340), Ryan Gustin (287), Ron Ver Beek (276), Mondus (270), Donovan Lodge (265) and Colt Mather (255).

The O’Reilly USMTS National Tour will make an encore appearance at the Iowa State Fair Speedway as part of the Casey’s General Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship on Friday, Sept. 12.

UP NEXT:

The O’Reilly USMTS National Tour will be back in action again tomorrow (Tuesday, June 17) for the 3rd Annual Fort Dodge Modified Nationals presented by Plain Motorsports at the Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Ken Schrader will again be among the competitors on hand, and his NASCAR buddy Kenny Wallace will be joining in the fun.

Race fans can pick up $2-off coupons for the event at Casey's General Stores locations in Fort Dodge. Zack VanderBeek will be on hand to meet and greet fans at the Casey's General Store location at 3327 5th Ave. South in Fort Dodge from 1-3 p.m. with his Cheetos/Casey's General Stores #33z Skyrocket Modified.

Gates will open at 4 p.m. and the first green flag is scheduled to wave at 7. Also on the racing card will be Stock Cars and 360 Mods.

The Mineral City Speedway is a 1/2-mile semi-banked dirt oval located 0.9 mile north of US 20 on US 169, then 0.5 mile east on 230th. For more information, call (515)
573-8745 (office) or (515) 574-RACE (track) or visit them online at www.fdspeed.com.

Tuesday's event at the Mineral City Speedway will be the second of 12 events over 13 grueling days, with NASCAR veterans Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace appearing (and
racing) in five of those races:

Monday, June 16 - Iowa State Fair Speedway, Des Moines, Iowa (Schrader) Tuesday, June 17 … Mineral City Speedway, Fort Dodge, Iowa (Schrader, Wallace) Wednesday, June 18 … Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D. (Schrader, Wallace) Thursday, June 19 … Thunderhill Speedway, Mayetta, Kan.
Friday, June 20 … U.S. 36 Raceway, Osborn, Mo.
Saturday, June 21 … Mid America Speedway, South Coffeyville, Okla.
Monday, June 23 … Independence Motor Speedway, Independence, Iowa Tuesday, June 24 … Buena Vista Raceway, Alta, Iowa (Schrader, Wallace) Wednesday, June 25 … Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, S.D.
(Schrader, Wallace)
Thursday, June 26 … Casino Speedway, Watertown, S.D.
Friday, June 27 … Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa Saturday, June 28 … Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, Minn.

Afterwards, the O’Reilly USMTS National Tour teams get a well-deserved Summer Break before returning to action on Tuesday, July 22, at the Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa, for the final stretch run to the Casey's General Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship.

The USMTS is celebrating its 10th Anniversary Season in
2008 with many special promotions to show thanks to the fans, drivers, team members, families and sponsors who have helped make the USMTS the premier dirt modified series in the nation.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS — America's Hottest Ticket on Dirt.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
O’Reilly USMTS National Tour (Central States Region) 2nd Annual NASCAR vs. USMTS presented by Karl Chevrolet Iowa State Fair Speedway, Des Moines, Iowa Monday, June 16, 2008

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in 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 RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 4r - Ron Ver Beek -- Oskaloosa, IA (1) 2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (3) 3. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (6) 4. 56 - Chris Spieker -- Massena, IA (4) 5. 93 - Cale Sponsler -- Grimes, IA (5) 6. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (10) 7. 94 - Steven Blattler -- Oskaloosa, IA (8) 8. 10h - Jack Housley -- Des Moines, IA (7) DNF 9. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (9) DNF 10. 55 - Kevin Parman -- Denver, MO (2) DNF

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 9 - Ken Schrader -- Concord, NC (1)
2. 3d - Tim Donlinger -- Rochester, MN (5) 3. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, IA (3) 4. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (9) 5. 32 - Donovan Lodge -- Moline, IL (7) 6. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (4) DNF 7. 47 - Josh Truman -- Indianola, IA (2) DNF 8. 70 - Jesse Dennis -- Prescott, IA (6) DNF 9. 17p - Brad Pinkerton -- New Sharon, IA (8) DNF 10. 13 - Aaron Poe -- Warrensburg, MO (10) DNS

HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 19r - Ryan Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (2) 2. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (1) 3. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (5) 4. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (7) 5. 8 - Colt Mather -- Webster, IA (4) 6. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (10) 7. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (8) 8. 7c - Nate Caruth -- Ames, IA (9) 9. Z3 - Mike Albertsen -- Audubon, IA (3) DNF 10. 21b - Brandon Kenny -- Woodward, OK (6) DNF

HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (6)
2. 19g - Richie Gustin Jr. -- Gilman, IA (8) 3. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (9) 4. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (1) 5. 26 - Dan Fetters -- Montour, IA (2) 6. 19 - Jimmy Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (7) DNF 7. 1k - Pat Graham -- Ames, IA (5) DNF 8. 13 - Matt Waugh -- Des Moines, IA (3) DNF 9. 20r - Bryan Rowland -- Woodward, OK (4) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 8 - Colt Mather -- Webster, IA (5)
2. 32 - Donovan Lodge -- Moline, IL (3)
3. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (4) 4. 21b - Brandon Kenny -- Woodward, OK (14) 5. 19 - Jimmy Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (6) 6. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (11) 7. 7c - Nate Caruth -- Ames, IA (9) 8. 94 - Steven Blattler -- Oskaloosa, IA (7) 9. 70 - Jesse Dennis -- Prescott, IA (10) 10. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (1) 11. 56 - Chris Spieker -- Massena, IA (2) DNF 12. 47 - Josh Truman -- Indianola, IA (8) DNS 13. Z3 - Mike Albertsen -- Audubon, IA (12) DNS 14. 55 - Kevin Parman -- Denver, MO (13) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, IA (1)
2. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (2) 3. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (3) 4. 93 - Cale Sponsler -- Grimes, IA (4) 5. 1k - Pat Graham -- Ames, IA (8) 6. 17p - Brad Pinkerton -- New Sharon, IA (11) DNF 7. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (7) DNF 8. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (6) DNF 9. 13 - Matt Waugh -- Des Moines, IA (10) DNF 10. 10h - Jack Housley -- Des Moines, IA (9) 11. 26 - Dan Fetters -- Montour, IA (5) DNS 12. 20r - Bryan Rowland -- Woodward, OK (12) DNS 13. 13 - Aaron Poe -- Warrensburg, MO (13) DNS

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (25 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (4) 2. 3d - Tim Donlinger -- Rochester, MN (5) 3. 19r - Ryan Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (2) 4. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (10) 5. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (12) 6. 19g - Richie Gustin Jr. -- Gilman, IA (7) 7. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (23) 8. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, IA (14) 9. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (9) 10. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (17) 11. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (16) 12. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (11) 13. 1k - Pat Graham -- Ames, IA (22) 14. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (18) 15. 4r - Ron Ver Beek -- Oskaloosa, IA (8) 16. 17p - Brad Pinkerton -- New Sharon, IA (24) 17. 8 - Colt Mather -- Webster, IA (13) 18. 93 - Cale Sponsler -- Grimes, IA (20) DNF 19. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (3) DNF 20. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (1) DNF 21. 21b - Brandon Kenny -- Woodward, OK (19) DNF 22. 32 - Donovan Lodge -- Moline, IL (15) DNF 23. 19 - Jimmy Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (21) DNF 24. 9 - Ken Schrader -- Concord, NC (6) DNF

Lap Leaders: Krohn 1-19, Hughes 20-25.
Total Laps Led: Krohn 19, Hughes 6.
AFCO Pole Winner: Tesch.
Provisional Starters: A. Hejna, Pinkerton.
Ruter Farms Long Tow: Schrader.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Graham (started 22nd, finished 13th).
Next Race: Tuesday, June 17, Mineral City Speedway, Fort Dodge, Iowa (Central States Region).
Central States Region Points: Hughes 388, A. Hejna 365, Shryock 357, VanderBeek 356, Ramirez 340, Ryan Gustin 287, Ver Beek 276, Mondus 270, Lodge 265, Mather 255.
Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Points:
Kenny 365, Ramirez 324, Rowland 228, Gary Langworthy Jr.
128, Steve Stewart 96.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Sput’s 156, Mullins 133, A.S.I. 118, Wanders 112, JR 104.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 167, Hughes 144, Harris 118, Kraft 72, GRT 53.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Tesch.
American Racer – Kenny.
Belleville Motorsports – not awarded.
BSB Manufacturing – Mondus.
Hawk Performance – Hughes, Green.
Isky Racing Cams – Ver Beek.
KSE Racing Products – Graham.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Schrader.
New Vision Graphics – Schrader.
Nitroquest Web Solutions - Ryan Gustin.
Quarter Master – Hughes, Ruter.
QuickTime Performance Parts – A. Hejna.
Real Racing Wheels – Mather, Ruter.
Ruter Farms – Schrader.
TrackTek Racing Fuel – not awarded.