Gustin garners fifth straight USMTS win at Raceway Park

JEFFERSON, S.D. -- Less than a week before the $25,000-to-win World Modified Dirt Track Championship, Ryan Gustin is hitting his stride at the right time and looking invincible as he has on multiple occasions over the last three seasons with the United States Modified Touring Series.

The 21-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, laid eyes on Raceway Park in Jefferson, S.D., for the first time Thursday afternoon, and by night’s end ‘The Reaper’ had his fifth straight USMTS National Championship Series victory and another $4,000 check in his pocket.

It also matched his career-best win streak where he won five in a row from June 16 through June 22 during the 2010 campaign.

Gustin started on the outside of the front row in Thursday’s Swan Energy “A” Main and led all 40 laps en route to his ninth overall USMTS triumph this year, but he was pressured throughout the contest on the quarter-mile Raceway Park bullring.

Coming from the eighth starting spot, Chris Brown challenged early on but faded back to fifth in the latter stages of the race. As the laps wound down, seventh-starting Jason Hughes and fourteenth-starting Dereck Ramirez pulled in close behind Gustin, but could not muster the strength to challenge for the lead and settled for second and third at the finish.

Also on the charge was Johnny Scott, who finished fourth after tagging the rear of the field after a mishap early in the race.

In two previous trips to the former Interstate Speedway in 2005 and 2006, Kelly Shryock took the checkered flag both times and held on for a sixth-place finish this time.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS National Championship Series
Raceway Park, Jefferson, S.D.
Thursday, July 19, 2012

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.

BEYEA CUSTOM HEADERS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
2. (3) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
3. (5) 55 Jim Cole, Sioux City, Iowa.
4. (1) 48 Bobby Moore, Sioux City, Iowa.
5. (8) 00c Chris Mills, Sioux City, Iowa.
6. (7) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
7. (6) M80 Jim Mathieson, Sioux City, Iowa.
8. (4) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.

HOOKER HARNESS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
2. (2) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
3. (4) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas.
4. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
5. (7) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa.
6. (5) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
7. (6) 20s Stormy Scott (R), Las Cruces, N.M.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.
2. (1) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
4. (5) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, Iowa.
5. (6) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
6. (3) 88 Sean Barragan (R), Sioux City, Iowa.
7. (7) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN (12 laps, all advance):
1. (2) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa.
2. (1) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
3. (3) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan.
4. (4) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
5. (5) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
6. (9) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.
7. (7) M80 Jim Mathieson, Sioux City, Iowa.
8. (6) 88 Sean Barragan (R), Sioux City, Iowa.
9. (8) 20s Stormy Scott (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
10. (10) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.

SWAN ENERGY “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (2) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, $4000.
2. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $2200.
3. (14) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $1600.
4. (4) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, $1200.
5. (8) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Skyrocket/RoushYates, $1000.
6. (5) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/RoushYates, $800.
7. (13) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa, Sidebiter/Sput’s, $700.
8. (9) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, $600.
9. (20) 88 Sean Barragan (R), Sioux City, Iowa, Evolution/Yankton, $600.
10. (16) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, $500.
11. (3) 55 Jim Cole, Sioux City, Iowa, Razor/JRM, $400.
12. (10) 12h Mike Hansen, Alton, Iowa, GRT/PerfOnly, $375.
13. (1) 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D., GRT/Sput’s, $425.
14. (11) 00c Chris Mills, Sioux City, Iowa, Razor/JRM, $325.
15. (15) 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., GRT/Sput’s, $400.
16. (21) 20s Stormy Scott (R), Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, $400.
17. (18) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn., Hughes/Sput’s, $400.
18. (12) 48 Bobby Moore, Sioux City, Iowa, $400.
19. (6) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, $400.
20. (19) M80 Jim Mathieson, Sioux City, Iowa, BeerBuilt/Mathieson, $300.
21. (17) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $400.
22. (22) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa, BC/ProPower, $400.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Integra Lap Leaders: Gustin 1-40.
Total Laps Led: Gustin 40.
Margin of Victory: 0.233 second.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: Ramirez (started 14th, finished 3rd).
Next Race: Friday-Saturday, July 20-21, I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb.
USMTS National Championship Series Points: Gustin 1786, Sanders 1598, Hughes 1572, Shryock 1466, J. Scott 1462, S. Scott 1428, Ramirez 1393, Brown 1376, VanderBeek 1224, Junghans 1220.
Rookie of the Year Points: S. Scott 2015, Daniel Hilsabeck 1369, Ron Keith 1219, Casey Penn 956, Thomas Tillison Jr. 789.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 315, Geddes 295, ProPower 268, Sput’s 246, RoushYates 171.
Tiger Rear Ends Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 378, GRT 335, Skyrocket 280, Sidebiter 132, Shaw 118.