Hughes hauls in ‘Hunt’ hardware at Humboldt

HUMBOLDT, Kan. -- The Hunt for the USMTS National Championship kicked off a four-night trek through three states Thursday with a rain-postponed event at the Humboldt Speedway.

Six months ago, Jason Hughes used a last-lap pass to beat Kelly Shryock to the checkered flag at ‘The Hummer’ but on Thursday, the defending USMTS National Champion took the lead just before the halfway point in the feature race and then ran away and hid during final 22 laps to score his 104th career USMTS victory.

Just like he did in March, Hughes struggled in his heat race and had to win the second Real Racing Wheels “B” Main to earn a spot in the 40-lap WIX Filters “A” Main.

Starting 13th on the 27-car grid, Hughes quickly made his way to the front of the field in the main event.

Polesitter Randy Zimmerman led the first dozen circuits before relinquishing the top spot to Dustin Boney. Three laps later, Hughes squirted between Zimmerman and Shryock to gain third place, got by Ryan Gustin the next lap and then ran down Boney to take the lead away with 19 laps complete.

From there, Hughes cruised to the finish line to collect the $2,000 winner’s share of the prize money. More than three seconds later, Shryock streaked beneath the flagstand in the runner-up spot with Gustin, Jeremy Payne and Dereck Ramirez rounding out the top five finishers.

Ramirez maneuvered his way through the field and into the top five from the 24th starting spot and earned the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award.

Sixth through tenth were Boney, Al Hejna, Scott Daniels, Johnny Bone Jr. and Ryan Whitworth.

Thursday’s race was the 20th USMTS event held at the Humboldt Speedway, and the win was the fifth for Hughes in the last seven stops at the 3/8-mile bullring – his ninth overall dating back to his first win here on June 6, 2001.

It was also Hughes’ fourth win during ‘The Hunt’ and his eleventh of the 2011 racing season. His move up the rankings in the points standings was minimal, however, as the two drivers he is chasing – Gustin and Shryock – finished second and third in Thursday’s night’s feature.

With 15 races in the books and six more to go in this year’s Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship powered by Swan Energy, Gustin leads Shryock by 90 points (1446 to 1356), while Hughes is another 32 points behind in third. Jon Tesch is fourth with 1272 markers, followed by Johnny Scott (1212), Zack VanderBeek (1156), Boney (1119), Ramirez (1042), Rodney Sanders (1037) and Tommy Myer (1024).

The USMTS Modifieds will return to Humboldt in just a little more than a month when the nation’s elite drivers and teams gather for the inaugural King of America Modified Nationals, Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 19-22. The winner will walk away with a $15,000 paycheck while each of the 30 main event starters will take home at least $1,500.

On Friday, the Outlaw Motor Speedway near Muskogee, Okla., welcomes back the USMTS Modifieds for the second time in 2011. Hughes is a two-time winner at “The Outlaw” with a win in March last year as well as the inaugural event in 2003 while Tommy Myer captured the second night of action eight years ago.

Ryan Gustin made his debut with the Gressel Racing team last year at the Outlaw Motor Speedway and has since racked up the most wins of any driver during the last year, including June 11 last season when the track added that date just two days earlier after another track canceled their event in the eleventh hour.

The series moves on to the Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, Okla., on Saturday and then wraps up the four-race weekend with its first-ever visit to the West Plains Motor Speedway in West Plains, Mo.

The 2011 USMTS National Champion will be crowned the following week during the 13th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22-24, at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
The Hunt for the USMTS  National Championship Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Thursday, September 15, 2011

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed, reason out (if any) and money won. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (3) 7jr Jesse Folk Jr., Iola, Kan.
2. (5) 22 Dustin Boney, Platte City, Mo.
3. (2) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
4. (4) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo.
5. (9) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
6. (7) 7j Justin Johnson, Gardner, Kan.
7. (10) 39 Luke Driskell (R), Stilwell, Kan.
8. (6) 36m Logan Martin (R), West Plains, Mo.
9. (1) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
10. (8) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
2. (3) 118 Terry Beckham II, Webb City, Mo.
3. (8) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
4. (1) 77 Steven Bowers Jr, Topeka, Kan.
5. (5) 22 Brian McGowen, Pittsburg, Kan.
6. (9) X2 Brian Bolin, Fort Scott, Kan.
7. (10) 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.
8. (7) 77 Cody Agler (R), Emporia, Kan.
9. (6) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
10. (2) M80 Mike Lawrence, Winfield, Kan.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 99 Randy Zimmerman, Fort Scott, Kan.
2. (4) 96L Chad Lyle, Oak Grove, Mo.
3. (6) 69 Lucas Schott (R), Chatfield, Minn.
4. (2) 23 Justin Rexwinkle (R), South Coffeyville, Okla.
5. (3) 87 Darron Fuqua, Topeka, Kan.
6. (5) 96t R.C. Whitwell, Tucson, Ariz.
7. (7) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
8. (8) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
9. (9) 6 Justin Folk, Iola, Kan.
10. (10) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, Okla.

PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
2. (4) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
3. (2) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa.
4. (3) 98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan.
5. (7) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo.
6. (6) B Allan Broers, Edgerton, Kan.
7. (5) 25 Ron Keith (R), Shawnee, Kan.
8. (8) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo.
9. (9) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (2) 63 Ryan Whitworth, Humboldt, Kan.
2. (3) 9d Scott Daniels, Humboldt, Kan.
3. (4) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
4. (7) 12b Johnny Bone Jr., Pea Ridge, Ark.
5. (1) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.
6. (6) 17 Lucas Conley, Spring Hill, Kan.
7. (8) 1 Chris Morgan, Topeka, Kan.
8. (5) 5c Nick Newton, Olathe, Kan.
9. (9) 9d8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 7 advance):
1. (3) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (9) 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.
3. (2) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
4. (4) 77 Steven Bowers Jr, Topeka, Kan.
5. (5) 98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan.
6. (8) 7j Justin Johnson, Gardner, Kan.
7. (13) 77 Cody Agler (R), Emporia, Kan.
8. (7) 87 Darron Fuqua, Topeka, Kan., $75.
9. (16) 6 Justin Folk, Iola, Kan., Mach1/Folk, $75.
10. (11) 1 Chris Morgan, Topeka, Kan., $75.
11. (10) B Allan Broers, Edgerton, Kan., $75.
12. (17) 9d8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan., $75.
13. (14) 23 Brandon Davis, Castle Rock, Colo., $75.
14. (18) M80 Mike Lawrence, Winfield, Kan., $75.
15. (12) 25 Ron Keith (R), Shawnee, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, $90.
16. (1) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, $400.
17. (6) X2 Brian Bolin, Fort Scott, Kan., Intruder/Yeoman, $75.
18. (15) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 7 advance):
1. (1) 12b Johnny Bone Jr., Pea Ridge, Ark.
2. (2) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa.
3. (4) 23 Justin Rexwinkle (R), South Coffeyville, Okla.
4. (5) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo.
5. (15) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
6. (11) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
7. (16) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.
8. (13) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., GRT/Sput’s, $90.
9. (8) 39 Luke Driskell (R), Stilwell, Kan., GRT/Driskell, $75.
10. (17) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, $90.
11. (14) 5c Nick Newton, Olathe, Kan., Rocket/Sput’s, $75.
12. (6) 22 Brian McGowen, Pittsburg, Kan., Hughes/McGowen, $75.
13. (18) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, Okla., FlexiFlyer/Yeoman, $75.
14. (7) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Shoulders, $90.
15. (12) 36m Logan Martin (R), West Plains, Shaw/Challenger, $75.
17. (3) 21 Johnny Fennewald, Appleton City, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, $75.
18. (10) 17 Lucas Conley, Spring Hill, Kan., Hughes/Conley, $75.

WIX FILTERS “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (13) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $2000.
2. (8) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, 40, $1500.
3. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 40, $1000.
4. (9) 74 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 40, $800.
5. (24) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 40, $900.
6. (4) 22 Dustin Boney, Platte City, Mo., Hughes/Sput’s, 40, $700.
7. (16) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, BC/JR, 40, $650.
8. (11) 9d Scott Daniels, Humboldt, Kan., TRE/Simmons, 40, $500.
9. (14) 12b Johnny Bone Jr., Pea Ridge, Ark., TRE/Homegrown, 40, $450.
10. (2) 63 Ryan Whitworth, Humboldt, Kan., GRT/Willey, 40, $400.
11. (15) 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D., GRT/Sput’s, 40, $450.
12. (12) 69 Lucas Schott (R), Chatfield, Minn., Hughes/Action, 40, $425.
13. (1) 99 Randy Zimmerman, Fort Scott, Kan., Mach1/Folk, 40, $275.
14. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, 40, $375.
15. (20) 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo., GRT/KSE, 39, $250.
16. (17) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 39, $300.
17. (26) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa, BC/Mullins, 39, $300.
18. (25) 77 Cody Agler (R), Emporia, Kan., Skyrocket/Specialty, 39, $250.
19. (3) 7jr Jesse Folk Jr., Iola, Kan., Mach1/Folk, 30, shock absorber, $250.
20. (10) 118 Terry Beckham II, Webb City, Mo., TRE/Beckham, 27, retired, $250.
21. (5) 96L Chad Lyle, Oak Grove, Mo., GRT/RoushYates, 21, suspension, $300.
22. (21) 98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan., Shaw/Mullins, 17, mechanical, $300.
23. (18) 23 Justin Rexwinkle (R), South Coffeyville, Okla., JRC/Kalvinator, 17, crash, $250.
24. (22) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn., GRT/GMPP, 17, crash, $300.
25. (23) 7j Justin Johnson, Gardner, Kan., GRT/Driskell, 16, mechanical, $250.
26. (19) 77 Steven Bowers Jr, Topeka, Kan., SB/B&M, 15, flat tire, $250.
27. (27) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ASI, 7, engine, $300.