Ryan Gustin and the No. 19R Gressel Racing team competed in the three-day opening event for the USMTS Casey’s Cup Series powered by S&S Fishing & Rental on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Shady Oaks Speedway in Goliad, Texas. Over the course of the weekend, 'The Reaper' kept improving his draws and his machine and ended the weekend on a high note with a victory in the main event and a $4,000 payday.
GOLIAD, Texas (Feb. 14)—Ryan Gustin wrapped up the three-day opening event for the USMTS Casey’s Cup Series powered by S&S Fishing & Rental Saturday with a hard-fought victory at the Shady Oaks Speedway in Goliad, Texas.
Returning to victory lane in USMTS competition for the first time in more than a year, the 24-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, pocketed $4,000 in winning the 40-lap main event.
Despite a pre-race mechanical issue that forced the two-time USMTS National Champion to start dead last in Friday night’s feature, he roared through the field and brought home a runner-up finish to go with his third-place effort Thursday night.
And despite starting on the outside of the front row Saturday, Gustin’s road to the winner’s circle was no less challenging.
Shreveport, Louisiana’s Adam Penn led Gustin by a car-length to complete the first green flag lap and continued to maintain that same margin for the next two go-arounds.
The first of three cautions occurred just before the fourth lap could be completed, and Gustin used the restart to snare the top spot while Austin Arneson of Fargo, N.D., sent Penn back to third.
Twenty-four green flag laps followed with Gustin dancing through heavy lapped traffic while Arneson never lost sight of ‘The Reaper’ and stayed within four to six car-lengths of the leader.
The yellow flag appeared again on lap 28, erasing the margin between the two pace-setters and putting Jake Gallardo, Cade Dillard, Philip Houston and Jason Hughes on their rear bumpers.
While under caution, Gallardo had mechanical issues that forced him to pit for repairs while Dillard assumed the third spot next to Arneson for the restart.
While Dillard briefly challenged Arneson for second, Gustin was able to get away from the battle behind him. Arneson was able to secure the second spot again and slowly narrowed the gap between himself and Gustin, eventually making a bid for the lead with six laps to go in the 40-lapper.
A final caution with two laps to go set up a green-white-checkered finish. Gustin continued to roll through the middle of the racing surface with Arneson taking a slightly shorter route around the 1/3-mile semi-banked clay oval.
After crossing beneath the flagstand with the white flag waving, Arneson dove low under Gustin entering turn 1, but Gustin never flinched and drove around the outside of Arneson to remain in control to the checkered flag.
For Gustin, it was his 69th career USMTS victory and first since winning the inaugural Sooner Showdown at the Salina Highbanks Speedway in Pryor Creek, Okla., on Oct. 12, 2013.
Arneson, meanwhile, recorded his career-best effort with a runner-up finish ahead of Dillard, Hughes and Jesse Sobbing. Houston, Steve Whiteaker Jr., Daniel Hilsabeck, Jimmy Ray and Johnny Scott rounded out the top ten at the finish line.
Up next for the mud-slinging USMTS road warriors is a three-night affair next Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19-21, at the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas.
Just a few miles down the road from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the 6th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals presented by Double H Bands blasts off with practice on Wednesday night before things get real with three nights under the lights at the state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval.
Thursday’s lid-lifter will pay $2,000 to win, followed by a $3,000-to-win show on Friday and a $4,000 top prize awaiting the winner of Saturday’s feature race.
An open practice on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. will get the party started. Admission to the grandstands is free while pit passes are $20.
On Thursday and Friday, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 5, the driver’s meeting is at 6:30 and racing begins at 7. All times are one hour earlier on Saturday.
Grandstand admission is $15 each night for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and children 5 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35 Thursday and Friday, $40 on Saturday.
For those unable to attend in person, RacinDirt.com will carry all of the action live online from the 6th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals with flag-to-flag action from start to finish. Visit www.RacinDirt.com for ordering information.
The Royal Purple Raceway is a modern facility with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.
The track is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 99 (Grand Parkway), then 0.3 mile west on FM 565. Speedway entrance located at Gate 3. For more information, call the track office at 281-383-RACE or visit www.royalpurpleraceway.com online.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.
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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
USMTS Casey’s Cup Series powered by S&S Fishing & Rental – MVT Gulf Coast Border Region presented by Day Motor Sports
Inaugural Event – Night 3 of 3
Shady Oaks Speedway, Goliad, Texas
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015
Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races were locked into the “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.
MSD HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) J17 Jake Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (4) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (5) 99 Jesse Sobbing (R), Glenwood, Iowa.
4. (3) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
5. (6) 21t Lance Town (R), Louisburg, Kan.
6. (8) 12 Cody Leonard, Sinton, Texas.
7. (1) 2 Casey Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D.
8. (9) 65 Buck McFarlin, Inez, Texas.
9. (7) 123 Logan Robertson (R), Shamrock, Texas.
HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 1* Adam Penn, Shreveport, La.
2. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (1) 89c Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
5. (4) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
6. (8) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
7. (6) 9L Vince Lucas (R), Elk City, Okla.
8. (5) 32b Brandon Nichols, Crosby, Texas.
EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (3) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Adel, Iowa.
2. (5) 10 Austin Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D.
3. (2) 7d Austin Theiss (R), Hockley, Texas.
4. (4) 4 Cody Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill.
5. (8) 83 Eddie Martin, Stilwell, Okla.
6. (7) 38 Ronnie Gould III, Seminole, Okla.
7. (6) 137 William Pittaway, Corpus Christi, Texas.
8. (1) 23k Ben Kates (R), Tonganoxie, Kan.
PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (2) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
2. (3) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas.
3. (8) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
4. (4) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
5. (1) 73 Donovan Lodge, Moline, Ill.
6. (6) 6 Brock Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill.
7. (7) 5 Shane Sprinkle, Andrews, Texas.
8. (5) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas.
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 89c Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
2. (7) 2 Casey Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D.
3. (1) 83 Eddie Martin, Stilwell, Okla.
4. (3) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
5. (4) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
6. (9) 65 Buck McFarlin, Inez, Texas, Evolution/Mullins, $80.
7. (5) 12 Cody Leonard, Sinton, Texas, Harris/Wells, $80.
8. (8) 137 William Pittaway, Corpus Christi, Texas, Shaw/KSE, $80.
9. (6) 38 Ronnie Gould III, Seminole, Okla., Hughes/Mullens, $100.
10. (11) 123 Logan Robertson (R), Shamrock, Texas, Hughes/PPE, $100.
11. (10) 23k Ben Kates (R), Tonganoxie, Kan., Harris/Mullins, $100.
REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
2. (4) 73 Donovan Lodge, Moline, Ill.
3. (3) 21t Lance Town (R), Louisburg, Kan.
4. (5) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
5. (2) 4 Cody Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill.
6. (7) 9L Vince Lucas (R), Elk City, Okla., Shaw/KSE, $100.
7. (8) 5 Shane Sprinkle, Andrews, Texas.
8. (6) 6 Brock Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill., Impressive/Gade, $100.
9. (10) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas.
10. (9) 32b Brandon Nichols, Crosby, Texas, Pierce/Houston, $80.
MESILLA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (2) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 40, $4000.
2. (6) 10 Austin Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D., GRT/Durham, 40, $2700.
3. (5) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., LG2/Geddes, 40, $1800.
4. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $1200.
5. (11) 99 Jesse Sobbing (R), Glenwood, Iowa, MBCustom/Sput’s, 40, $900.
6. (10) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas, MBCustom/PPE, 40, $800.
7. (13) 89c Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, GRT/Mullins, 40, $700.
8. (3) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Adel, Iowa, Hilsabeck/Mullins, 40, $600.
9. (20) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M., AOS/AOS, 40, $550.
10. (4) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $500.
11. (14) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, LG2/Sput’s, 40, $450.
12. (19) 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., MBCustom/Sput’s, 40, $425.
13. (1) 1* Adam Penn, Shreveport, La., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $400.
14. (15) 2 Casey Arneson (R), Fargo, N.D., GRT/Durham, 40, $375.
15. (17) 83 Eddie Martin, Stilwell, Okla., Kraft/Clemens, 40, $350.
16. (12) 7d Austin Theiss (R), Hockley, Texas, MBCustom/Mullins, 40, $350.
17. (8) J17 Jake Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M., LG2/AOS, 40, $350.
18. (16) 73 Donovan Lodge, Moline, Ill., Kraft/105, 40, $350.
19. (23) 5 Shane Sprinkle, Andrews, Texas, MBCustom/RoushYates, 40, $350.
20. (21) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustom/Mullins, 40, $350.
21. (24) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas, Shaw/Mullins, 40, $350.
22. (18) 21t Lance Town (R), Louisburg, Kan., Phoenix/Driskell, 40, $350.
23. (22) 4 Cody Bauman (R), Eureka, Ill., Impressive/Gade, 34, $350.
24. (9) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., LG2/Cornett, 4, $350.
(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.
Lap Leaders: Penn 1-3, Gustin 4-40.
Total Laps Led: Gustin 37, Penn 3.
Margin of Victory: 0.640 second.
Provisional Starters: Sprinkle, Jordan.
Sybesma Graphics Pole Award: Hilsabeck.
Hard Charger: Ray (started 20th, finished 9th).
Entries: 33.
Next Race: Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 19-21, Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.
MVT Gulf Coast Border Region Points: Gustin 289, Hughes 273, VanderBeek 244, Houston 239, Ramirez 238, Whiteaker 226, Dillard 222, Sobbing 220, A. Arneson 217, Penn 213.
Rookie of the Year Points: Sobbing 220, A. Arneson 217, C. Arneson 202, Theiss 182, Kates 181.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 29, Sput’s 23, Cornett 20, PPE 20, Durham 19.
Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 28, LG2 26, GRT 26, MBCustom 22, Hilsabeck 17.
Contingency Awards:
AERO Race Wheels – Ramirez.
Allstar Performance – Hilsabeck.
American Racer – Junghans.
Beyea Custom Headers – Sobbing.
BSB Manufacturing – Jordan.
Chix Gear Racewear – Dillard.
Deatherage Opticians – Gustin.
Edelbrock – Hilsabeck.
Eibach Springs – Junghans.
FK Rod Ends – Martin.
Forty9Designs.com – C. Arneson, Sprinkle.
Fuel Safe – Houston.
GRT Race Cars – A. Arneson.
Hooker Harness – Penn.
KEVKO Oil Pans & Components – Ray.
Keyser Manufacturing – Scott.
KSE Racing Products – Gallardo.
Marsh Racing Wheels – C. Bauman.
Midwest Sheet Metal – Ramirez.
MSD Ignition – Gallardo, Gustin.
PBM Performance Products – Dillard, Gustin.
QA1 – Dillard.
R2C Performance Products – A. Arneson.
Real Racing Wheels – all non-qualifiers.
Sybesma Graphics – Hilsabeck.
Tilton Engineering – Hughes.
VP Racing Fuels – Gustin.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – VanderBeek.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Whiteaker.
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