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Locked and loaded: Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship fires off Thursday JETMORE, Kan. (Aug. 9) – The most anticipated title fight in the 12-year history of the United States Modified Touring Series is just four days away as The Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship presented by Bad Boy Mowers begins on Thursday, Aug. 12, at the Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kan., for the first of 20 blockbuster events that will ultimately decide the 2010 USMTS National Champion. Forty of America’s favorite, fastest and most-feared dirt Modified drivers representing ten different States comprise the class of 2010, with each competitor possessing a legitimate shot at becoming the next king of dirt Modified racing. While the drivers participating in The Hunt will be grappling for their piece of nearly $50,000 in points fund money and thousands in contingency awards, all entrants will lock horns on a nightly basis for $3,000 to win and more than $400,000 in prize money up for grabs during the 20-race, 45-day campaign. THE SCHEDULE: Thu Aug 12 … Great American
Dirt Track, Jetmore, KS ($3000 to win) The Hunt will wrap up at the Deer Creek Speedway with the 12th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23-25, where the 2010 USMTS National Champion will be crowned. Proving that any driver in The Hunt is capable of winning the title, Jason Krohn captured the 2007 title after entering the first event with just seven points and ranked 18th in the standings. Krohn became just the second driver to wear the USMTS crown, dethroning eight-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock. Similarly, Tim Donlinger found himself outside of the top-10 in points after the first two races of the 2008 championship crusade. He won the third event, but was only seventh in the rankings and still 59 markers behind the points leader with 11 races to go. Nonetheless, Donlinger went on to upset Shryock for the 2008 title, sealing the deal with a thrilling victory on the final night of the Featherlite Fall Jamboree. Despite winning just two races all season, Shryock went on to claim his ninth USMTS National Championship in 2009 by just 33 points, beating an 18-year-old up-and-comer named Ryan Gustin. Since the inception of the regional points format in 2006, Shryock has begun The Hunt as the points leader each time. Again he finds himself atop the points going into the 2010 Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship. THE POINTS: 1. 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile,
Iowa ... 75 HOW THEY GOT HERE: With a series-best 11 wins to his credit this season, Gustin comes into The Hunt ranked second and just seven points behind Shryock. It would be even closer if not for a post-race infraction at the Cresco Speedway last week. While he has been virtually mistake-free on the racetrack, Gustin failed to cross the scales following Wednesday’s main event and was disqualified. The resulting loss of points handed Shryock the title in the Farm Boy BBQ Sauce Central States Region presented by Arnold Motor Supply. Gustin, however, bounced back the next night to secure the top spot in the Yeager Machine Upper Midwest Region, then bagged his sixth win in nine starts in the Dart Great Plains Region presented by Allstar Performance to earn the title in that region. Zack VanderBeek is third in Hunt points, giving Iowa drivers the top three spots entering the event at Jetmore this Thursday. ‘The Z-Man’ claimed his position on the strength of four top-10 finishes in each of the four regions, including a runner-up finish behind Gustin in the Dart Great Plains Region presented by Allstar Performance. Although winless so far in 2010, Jon Tesch has 12 top-fives and 23 top-ten finishes in 32 starts and has won the first event of The Hunt in three of the last four seasons. The ‘Wizard of Watertown’ sits fourth in the standings – just six points ahead of his teammate, Dereck Ramirez of Woodward, Okla. Ranked sixth in Hunt points, Jason Hughes comes in as the current points leader in the USMTS Castle Rock Recruiting Southern Series and champion of the Falcon Wind Power Mo-Kan Region of the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour. HOW IT WORKS: The Hunt is comprised of the final 20 races of the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour season, with qualifying through 35 regional events and 13 USMTS Castle Rock Recruiting Southern Series races. The top-10 in each region and/or the USMTS Castle Rock Recruiting Southern Series earn 15 base points for first place, 14 points for second and so forth, descending to 6 points for the 10th-place finisher. In addition, each driver with perfect attendance earns 5 bonus points. The cumulative base points earned are the points that each driver will start The Hunt with. Drivers may use their best points combination from the four National Tour regions or a combination of three regions and the Southern Series for their base points. Once The Hunt begins, the USMTS points system will be used to determine the 2010 USMTS National Champion. WHY IT WORKS: Created for the fans, The Hunt serves as a “playoff” for the USMTS National Championship. While handicapping gives a moderate advantage to the drivers that compete in all or most events, each driver who has earned a spot in The Hunt has a legitimate shot at capturing the USMTS National Championship. CASEY'S CREW: Tim Donlinger and Colt Mather will represent Casey’s General Stores and their affiliated vendors during The Hunt. Both members of the Casey's Crew will have unique graphics for their Modifieds, new driving suits, autograph cards and more, plus each driver will be making appearances at local Casey's General Stores locations at each event. Donlinger will have his #3D Ramirez Chassis decked out in the Cheetos colors this season, while Mather got the nod for his #8 Skyrocket Modified to be embellished with the Snickers brand. Be sure to stop by a Casey’s location before and after the races for all your supplies and needs, and remember to get your $2-off admission coupons available on raceday at most events during The Hunt. TOP DOG BONUS: Beginning with Thursday's kick-off at the Great American Dirt Track, all drivers in the top-10 points of The Hunt are guaranteed a minimum $400 against their winnings at each event. So, stay in the top-10 and you're going home with at least $400 every night. PROVISIONALS: Unlike past seasons, there are no provisional starting spots awarded so every driver must race his way into the main event like every other driver racing that night. On nights when there are 40 or fewer cars entered, 24 drivers will start the main event. On nights when 41 or more cars check in, 26 starters will take the green flag in the WIX Filters “A” Main. DIRT KNIGHTS: For the first time on television, the high-octane lifestyle of the tireless touring titans of the USMTS will be revealed as film crews for the Dirt Knights television series will be capturing the action at every race during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Championship. Dirt Knights will be an on-going dramatic series of one-hour programs that will air during the highly coveted Sunday evening time slot for 13 weeks. The much-anticipated TV show is set to debut in January of 2011 on VERSUS – the fastest-growing cable sports network in the nation, reaching more than 75 million households. Corey Dripps, Ryan Gustin, Al Hejna, Mike Spaulding and Jon Tesch are the drivers featured in Dirt Knights. While life has taken them in unique directions, all of them have one thing in common: a hunger for the checkered flag. Night after night in town after town, these dirt track racing vagabonds seek out a life of danger and on-the-edge-thrills. Visit www.dirtknights.com on the World Wide Web for more information or to view the trailer. Also look for Dirt Knights on Facebook and Twitter. NIGHT OF FIRSTS: The first race in the 2010 Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship will take place at a first-time venue for the United States Modified Touring Series. But where better to bring America’s greatest show on dirt than the Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kan.? The Great American Dirt Track opened on June 23, 2001, and soon became a popular destination for drivers and fans alike due to its wide open, limited wall setting. Don't want to drive to Jetmore? The racetrack is adjacent to Jetmore Municipal Airport with plenty of room to park your plane right of the departure end of runway 35. The Great American Dirt Track is a semi-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval located 6.6 miles south of SR 156 on 283 in Jetmore, Kan. For more information, call 620-385-0551 or check out www.greatamericandirttrack.com online. Don't forget to get your coupon worth $2 off adult admission Thursday at Casey’s General Stores locations in Great Bend, Hays and Larned. Check out www.caseys.com for more information or to find the location nearest you. Colt Mather and his #8 Snickers-sponsored Skyrocket Modified will be at the Larned store located at 701 Edwards St. from 12:00 to 2:00. To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Castle Rock Recruiting. USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, AwesomeRacesuits.com, GoPro, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, Kevko Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver. USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Allstar Performance, Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, Bad Boy Mowers, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Cagle Motorsports, Centex Motorsports, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Dirt Track Racing School, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, Falcon Wind Power, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Gressel Oil Field Service, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Just Say Yes, Karl Performance Parts, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Race Cars, Ruter Farms, WIX Filters, Yeager Machine. USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Ai-Racing, Belleville Motorsports, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, COMP Cams, Dart Machinery, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, GRT Race Cars, Hooker Harness, Hypercoil Springs, Isky Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Inc, Real Racing Wheels, RHS – Racing Head Service, Schoenfeld Headers, US Brake, Willy’s Carburetor & Dyno Shop, WIX Filters.
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