Gustin survives for USMTS triumph at South Coffeyville

SOUTH COFFEYVILLE, Okla. -- Marshalltown, Iowa’s Ryan Gustin survived a rough and wild main event at the Mid America Speedway Friday night to score his second USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy victory of the season while many of the other 75 drivers in attendance struggled to keep their sheet metal straight and all four wheels on the ground.

Polesitter Jeff Stephens of Arion, Iowa, grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag in the “A” Main and maintained the top spot throughout six caution flags that waved during the first seven laps.

On the sixth restart, however, Stephens became the latest victim of the deteriorating track conditions. As he entered the first turn, his mount bounced through a rut and launched into a series of flips before coming to a rest on its roof as the red flag waved.

At that point, race director Todd Staley announced that the length would be cut in half to just 15 of the scheduled 30-lap distance.

Gustin inherited the lead for the restart with Jon Tesch and Kelly Shryock tucked in behind. While the yellow flag didn’t wave again over the final eight orbits, more than half of the field had called it quits when the checkered flag waved for Gustin as the 20-year-old notched his 26th career USMTS triumph.

Tesch finished four car-lengths behind “The Reaper” in second while Shryock battled back after a first-lap bobble to claim the final podium spot.

Johnny Scott was fourth and Kenny Wallace finished fifth after starting 16th on the grid and climbing as high as third on the eleventh lap. Sixth through tenth were John Allen, Ryan Ruter, Colt Mather, Rick Beebe and Terry Schultz.

Mather, who started last in the 26-car field, earned the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award.