JETMORE, Kan. – The Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship presented by Bad Boy Mowers kicked off Thursday night with the debut of the mud-slinging USMTS Modifieds at the Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kan.
With thermometers bursting at 105 degrees during the day, race fans in attendance were rewarded with a spectacular WIX Filters “A” Main that will go down as one of the all-time great finishes in USMTS history.
With 12 wins under his belt (plus another in the USMTS Castle Rock Recruiting Southern Series), Ryan Gustin came into the event as the winningest driver in 2010 with the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour, but it was nine-time and defending USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock who entered as the points leader in The Hunt.
Sporting his new #8 Snickers Skyrocket, Colt Mather drew the pole position for the 40-lap main event and paced the first two laps around the super-fast high-banked 3/8-mile oval before giving way to Gustin as the leaders completed lap 3.
It wasn’t long before it looked like Gustin was well on his way to a $3,000 payday, another victory and sole possession of the points lead, but Gustin’s straight-away was wiped out when the race’s first caution waved on lap 27 when a broken drive shaft forced Rodney Sanders to bring his machine to a stop on the front stretch.
On the restart, Shryock had his hands full with Jason Hughes, Jason Krohn, Tommy Myer and Mather as the five drivers raced two- and three-wide while Gustin maintained a three-car-length advantage.
Action slowed again on lap 31 when Corey Dripps coasted over the turn 1 embankment with a broken ball joint to bring out the yellow flag.
Gustin got a powerful restart this time and quickly put ten car-lengths between himself and the field, but he third and final caution occurred with four laps to go to give his pursuers one final opportunity to pounce on the leader.
This time Shryock stayed glued to the back bumper of Gustin on the restart, and snuck underneath the 19-year-old in turn 1 as they completed lap 37. The two raced side by side through turns 3-4 with Shryock beating Gustin by a nose to lead the 38th lap.
The final two laps were something to behold as the pair fought for every inch of territory. Shryock edged ahead of Gustin down the back-stretch, and then Gustin crossed-over in turn 4 to take the low line from Shryock.
They crossed beneath the white flag in a dead heat and looked like Siamese twins joined at the door for the entire final lap. They entered turn 1, exited turn 2, entered turn 3 and exited turn 4 glued to each other and trading blows like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed at the end of Round 15.
With Shryock up against the wall and Gustin on the gas to his left, they crossed beneath the checkered flag with Shryock getting there first by the diameter of his front bumper (0.099 second according to the AMB Timing & Scoring transponders).
For Shryock, it was his third USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour win of the season and 156th of his storied career. Gustin, who was just seven years old when Shryock won his first USMTS title in 1999, had to settle for the runner-up paycheck while Myer came home third after starting 12th.
Hughes finished fourth and Zack VanderBeek captured the fifth spot and earned the PBM Performance Hard Charger Award after starting 19th on the 24-car grid.
Krohn, Jon Tesch, Dereck Ramirez, Mather and Brandon Morton rounded out the top-10 finishers.
With he win, Shryock increased his points lead over Gustin, but only by three points (177 to 167). VanderBeek remains third with 161 markers, followed by Myer (129), Tesch (128), Hughes (127), Ramirez (124), Krohn (114), Mather (96) and Al Hejna (92).
The Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship presented by Bad Boy Mowers continues on Friday night with the third stop of the year at the Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kan.
Hughes leads all drivers with seven career wins at Humboldt, including both ends of a doubleheader back in March. In addition to Hughes, race fans can expect to see at least three other former Humboldt Speedway winners, including Shryock (3 wins at Humboldt), Johnny Bone Jr. (2) and Jon Tesch.
Drivers expected to defend their home turf include 2008 Humboldt Speedway track champion Jess Folk Jr. and his brother Justin “Whitey” Folk, John Allen, Rodney Sigg, Ryan Whitworth, Scott Daniels, Dennis Bishop, Brian McGowen, Jessy Willard, Riley Whitworth, Dan Daniels, Gary Langworthy Jr., Jake Richards and others.
