Gustin draws first blood, captures opening event in Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup

 

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. -- Defending USMTS national champion Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, fired the first shot in this year’s Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup powered by Swan Energy with a convincing victory Thursday night at the Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo.

Starting third in the 40-lap main event, Gustin passed Randy Timms in the first turn after the drop of the green flag and then powered around the outside of polesitter Kelly Shryock as they came to the flagstand to complete the first lap.

Meanwhile, Shad Badder got by Timms for third while the rest of the field began to sort it out. While Shryock chased Gustin around the fast 3/8-mile clay oval, Terry Phillips moved up from his sixth starting spot to make it a three-car battle for the next position.

Three cautions during the first half of the race helped Shryock stay within striking distance, but Gustin was flawless on each restart and maintained a four- to six-car-length cushion throughout. Phillips disposed of Badder with 13 laps complete and Timms wrestled the runner-up spot away from Shryock on lap 16.

With Gustin weaving his way through lapped traffic, the race’s final caution waved with three laps to go but the late-race yellow flag offered no assistance to Gustin’s pursuers. The rest of the top five were embroiled in their own battles to the finish line while ‘The Reaper’ sailed away to his 13th win this year.

Gustin’s 60th career USMTS triumph was worth $3,000 and put the 21-year-old on top in the USMTS Casey’s Cup Series points standings after the first of 17 scheduled events in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup.

Phillips used the final restart to work his way around Timms and collect the runner-up paycheck while Jason Hughes claimed the fourth spot. Johnny Scott finished fifth after starting 22nd and earned the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award.

Shryock slipped to sixth in the final three-lap sprint. Rodney Sanders, Dereck Ramirez, Zack VanderBeek and 17th-starting Jeremy Payne rounded out the top 10 finishers.

On Friday, the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup ventures to Ron and Rhenda Whitworth’s popular Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kan. Stormy Scott has two wins at ‘The Hummer’ this season including the King of America II Modified Nationals in March. He returned to the winner’s circle on June 22 in his first night driving for Rowland Racing.

Al Hejna and his Snickers-sponsored ride will be on hand to greet fans and sign autographs Friday at the Casey’s General Store located at 712 E. Madison Ave. in Iola from 12-2 p.m. Race fans can get $2-off coupons at Casey’s locations in Chanute, Iola and Yates Center. To find the location nearest you, check out www.caseys.com.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with hot laps at 7:30 and the first heat race at 8 p.m. Also on the racing card will be USRA B-Mods, Factory Stocks and Pure Stocks.

The Humboldt Speedway is a located 0.1 mile west of US 169 at the Humboldt Exit, then 0.5 mile south, then 0.9 mile east on Georgia Rd. For more information call 620-431-2470 (office) or 620-473-3694 (track) or visit www.humboldtspeedway.com.

On Saturday, Aug. 11, it’s the much-anticipated return to the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks” as ‘The Hunt’ returns to the state-of-the-art Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., for the 3rd Annual Lucas Slick Mist Show-Me Shootout. On Sunday, the USMTS Modifieds make their 14th appearance at Randy Mooneyham’s Monett Speedway in Monett, Mo., for the 7th Annual USMTS Summer Shootout.

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/ustmts and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup
Valley Speedway, Grain Valley, Mo.
Thursday, Aug. 9, 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 16 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. (1) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (3) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
3. (2) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa.
4. (8) 20s Stormy Scott (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
5. (4) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
6. (6) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa.
7. (5) 88d Matt Dotson, Clark, Mo.
8. (7) 97 Cade Dillard (R), Robeline, La.
9. (9) 90 Terry Schultz, Sedalia, Mo.

HOOKER HARNESS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (3) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
2. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (1) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.
4. (4) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
5. (7) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
6. (9) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa.
7. (5) 9d8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.
8. (2) 19t Tony Osborn (R), Oklahoma City, Okla.
9. (8) 98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 73b Shad Badder (R), Oak Grove, Mo.
2. (2) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (4) 20z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
4. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
5. (3) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck (R), Waukee, Iowa.
6. (6) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
7. (9) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
8. (8) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
9. (5) 44 Christy Georges (R), El Paso, Texas.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN (10 laps, all starters advance):
1. (3) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
2. (2) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
3. (4) 88d Matt Dotson, Clark, Mo.
4. (6) 97 Cade Dillard (R), Robeline, La.
5. (9) 90 Terry Schultz, Sedalia, Mo.
6. (8) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
7. (10) 98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan.
8. (5) 9d8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan.
9. (11) 44 Christy Georges (R), El Paso, Texas.
10. (7) 19t Tony Osborn (R), Oklahoma City, Okla., Allen/, $75.
11. (1) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa.

SWAN ENERGY “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (3) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 40, $3000.
2. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 40, $1700.
3. (2) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, 40, $1200.
4. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $1000.
5. (22) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 40, $1000.
6. (1) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, 40, $800.
7. (9) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, 40, $700.
8. (13) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 40, $650.
9. (4) 20z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Hughes/Sput’s, 40, $600.
10. (17) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/RoushYates, 40, $550.
11. (14) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa, BC/ProPower, 40, $500.
12. (12) 71 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn., Skyrocket/Sput’s, 40, $450.
13. (16) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck (R), Waukee, Iowa, GRT/Mullins, 40, $400.
14. (21) 90 Terry Schultz, Sedalia, Mo., GRT/Mullins, 40, $300.
15. (19) 88d Matt Dotson, Clark, Mo., Hughes/BMS, 39, $300.
16. (7) 20s Stormy Scott (R), Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 37, mechanical, $400.
17. (5) 73b Shad Badder (R), Oak Grove, Mo., GRT/Kuntz, 36, mechanical, $300.
18. (15) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 35, mechanical, $400.
19. (23) 98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 21, mechanical, $300.
20. (11) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo., GRT/Mullins, 20, mechanical, $300.
21. (18) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, 12, mechanical, $300.
22. (24) 9d8 Paden Phillips, Chanute, Kan., BillsBuilt/Allen’s, 12, mechanical, $300.
23. (25) 44 Christy Georges (R), El Paso, Texas, GRT/, 12, j-bar, $300.
24. (10) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, BC/JRM, 10, mechanical, $300.
25. (20) 97 Cade Dillard (R), Robeline, La., Impressive/Parker, 6, mechanical, $300.
26. (26) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa, Sidebiter/Sput’s, 1, mechanical, $300.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Integra Lap Leader: Gustin 1-40.
Total Laps Led: Gustin 40.
Margin of Victory: 1.473 seconds.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: J. Scott (started 22nd, finished 5th).
Next Race: Friday, Aug. 10, Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
USMTS Casey’s Cup Series Points: Gustin 216, Sanders 197, S. Scott 182, J. Scott 176, Hughes 166, Rowland 160, T. Phillips 157, Ramirez 145, Shryock 144, Hilsabeck 141.
Rookie of the Year Points: S. Scott 2090, Hilsabeck 1444, Ron Keith 1219, Casey Penn 956, Thomas Tillison Jr. 789.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 378, Geddes 342, ProPower 316, Sput’s 291, RoushYates 218.
Tiger Rear Ends Manufacturers Championship Points: Hughes 447, GRT 396, Skyrocket 334, Sidebiter 170, Shaw 134, BC 134.