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DECORAH, Iowa (Aug. 22) – Just six days shy of the one-year anniversary of his first United States Modified Touring Series victory, Ryan Gustin picked up his fifth USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour win of the 2009 season Saturday with a wire-to-wire victory in the 40-lap Sunoco "A" Main at the Upper Iowa Speedway. If there was any question whether or not the 18-year-old second-generation racer is the real deal, his performance Saturday night removed all doubt. Kelly Shryock earned the AFCO Pole Award with his performance during the qualifying heats, but Gustin drew the pole position for the main event while Shryock filled the outside of the front row. Gustin was able to get the jump on the eight-time USMTS National Champion at the drop of the green flag, then shot to the high side of the track while Shryock slipped back to fourth behind Rodney Sanders and Ron Ver Beek in the first corner. Shryock, however, powered back around the outside of Ver Beek down the back-stretch, then regained the runner-up spot from Sanders as the field completed lap 1. From that point on, Gustin and Shryock checked out on the field as they mirrored each other's rim-riding style. By lap 18, the two were into heavy lapped traffic with Gustin's Modified sending sparks into the air as it bounced off the concrete wall below the flagstand while Shryock continued to give chase around the top side of the quarter-mile bullring. The first and only yellow flag of the race waved on lap 21 when Darrin Walch's smoking machine slowed on the front-stretch. On the restart, Shryock dipped down below Gustin in turn 3 and the pair crossed beneath the flagstand side by side to complete lap 22. Unshakable, Gustin reclaimed his advantage in the next turn as Shryock slid back up behind Gustin in the high groove. For the final 18 circuits, Shryock could only follow and hope for a mistake from the Marshalltown, Iowa, pilot, but Gustin was flawless in leading the current points leader to the checkered flag. The win $3,000 victory was Gustin's second during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship and seventh overall in his 72 career starts. Dereck Ramirez held off Ver Beek in a spirited battle for the third spot while 2007 USMTS National Champion Jason Krohn rounded out the top-5 finishers. Jason Hughes came from the 12th starting spot to take sixth, Sanders held on for seventh, Al Hejna was eighth, Dustin Boney grabbed the ninth-place finisher's paycheck and Jon Tesch completed the first ten across the finish line. Despite remaining winless during the 'Hunt,' Shryock's fifth top-5 finish in seven starts helped him increase his lead to 72 points (698 to 626) over Sanders in the title chase. Gustin jumped up to third with 601 markers, followed by Zack VanderBeek (590), Ramirez (588), Hughes (574), Tim Donlinger (531), Tesch (524), Morgan Bagley (514) and Tommy Myer (505). Less than 80 points separate Myer from the next eight drivers in the standings. 9 DAYS OFF, 6 DAYS ON The Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship will continue Tuesday, Sept. 1, at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, for the eighth of eighteen events in the title chase. This will be the first of six straight nights of racing at six tracks with a top prize of $3,000 each night — $18,000 for the winner’s share of the purse over the six days! Also on tap at the Mahaska County Half-Mile Monster will be the American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series featuring USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars, USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods and USRA Hobby Stocks. Pit gates will open at 5:00, with grandstand gates opening at 5:30. Hot laps begin at 7:00 and the first heat race takes to the track at 7:30. Race fans can pick up $2-off coupons on raceday at all three Casey's General Stores locations in Oskaloosa. Zack VanderBeek and his Doritos-sponsored #33z Modified will be at the 1310 A Ave. West location (just three blocks south of the track) from 12:00 to 2:00. Check out www.caseys.com for more information or to find the location nearest you. The Southern Iowa Speedway is a half-mile semi-banked clay oval located 0.5 mile west of US 63 on SR 92, then 0.3 mile north on N. I St. (at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds). For more information, contact the RL Promotions offices at (515) 832-6000 or visit www.rlpromotions.com online. Race day info is available by calling the track hotline at (641) 673-7004. REMAINING SCHEDULE: Tue Sep 1 … Southern Iowa
Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA ($3,000 to win) The ’Hunt’ will wrap up back at the Deer Creek Speedway with the 11th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24-26, where the 2009 USMTS National Champion will be crowned. 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. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
OFFICIAL RESULTS 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 Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.
ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8
laps):
NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2
(8 laps):
BRODIX HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #4 (8
laps):
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1
(15 laps, top 5 advance):
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2
(15 laps, top 5 advance):
SUNOCO “A” MAIN (40 laps):
Lap Leader:
Gustin 1-40.
Contingency Awards: = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores. USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Racewear, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, COMP Cams, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, PBM Performance Products, Sunoco Race Fuels. USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Diamond Oil Company, Dirthead.com, Gressel Oil Field Service, Just Say Yes, Ramirez Race Cars, Lone Star Super Gas, Olympic Fire Protection, Ruter Farms, WatchModsLive.com, Yeager Machine. USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Fast Shafts, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, US Brake.
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