Gustin garners $10,000 in Sooner Showdown victory at Salina Highbanks Speedway

PRYOR CREEK, Okla. -- Ryan Gustin added another feather to his cap Saturday night as the 22-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, captured the 50-lap main event victory in the inaugural Sooner Showdown at the Salina Highbanks Speedway.

The two-time USMTS national champion raced by 2010 USMTS national champ Jason Hughes on lap 7, and then led the final 43 circuits around the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval to score the $10,000 top prize and register his 68th United States Modified Touring Series win.

Hughes, who won here on Aug. 24 during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup, grabbed the advantage at the start of the race from the middle of the front row with Gustin and Austin Siebert in tow.

With seven laps down, Gustin made his move and roared by Hughes to take control.

Reigning USMTS national champion Rodney Sanders climbed into the second spot on lap 19 while Hughes began to fade and eventually retired to the pits on lap 38 with an ill-handling racecar.

Siebert go back around Sanders on lap 30 and stayed close to Gustin the rest of the way but was never able to make a serious challenge for the lead and settled for the $6,000 runner-up paycheck.

Sanders held on for third while Jeremy Payne got around Terry Phillips with two laps remaining to take the fourth spot.

Kelly Shryock, Stormy Scott, John Allen, Bryan Rowland and 23rd-starting Zack VanderBeek rounded out the top 10 finishers.

The eyes of Texas and all of the dirt modified world will be on the sport’s elite as the United States Modified Touring Series looks toward the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14-16, for the 7th Annual Lecolift Texas Winter Nationals presented by 4s Motorsports.

The season-ending event for the USMTS Modifieds routinely draws nearly 100 of the top names from at least a dozen states, with all of them converging on the state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval looking for their share of more than $50,000 in prize money.

A possible $9,000 to win is up for grabs over three days. Thursday’s winner will take home $2,000 while Friday’s first-place finisher pockets $3,000. Saturday’s finale will carry a $4,000 top prize.

USRA Limited Mods will also be on the racing card each night with drivers battling for $500, $600 and $700 to win, respectively, plus several bonus cash awards up for grabs and a fantastic payoff throughout the field.

The Royal Purple Raceway is a state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval 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.

RacinDirt.TV will carry all of the action live from the Royal Purple Raceway online with flag-to-flag action from start to finish. Visit www.RacinDirt.tv for more information.

Located in Baytown, Texas, the facility 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 check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS)
Inaugural Sooner Showdown - Night #3 of 3
Salina Highbanks Speedway, Pryor Creek, Okla.
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won. Starting spots in each main event were determined by overall points earned Thursday and Friday.

“C” MAIN (18 laps, top 12 advance):
1. (2) 7h Brett Hansen, Fort Gibson, Okla.
2. (3) 5 Justin Shoemaker, Inola, Okla.
3. (5) 112 Grady Smith, Oakhurst, Okla.
4. (7) F5 Fausten Willhite, Tahlequah, Okla.
5. (8) 07 Paul Cates, Salina, Okla.
6. (9) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark.
7. (11) 9 Mykel Atkinson, Dewey, Okla.
8. (18) 15L Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, Ark.
9. (15) 2 Daniel Tarkington, Checotah, Okla.
10. (16) 4 Scott Walton, Inola, Okla.
11. (17) 36 Jeff Conner, Panora, Iowa.
12. (10) 1x Colby Artherton, Bartlesville, Okla.
13. (12) FN6 Jacob Stoll, Mounds, Okla.
14. (19) 67v Danny Padilla, Tulsa, Okla., /, $500.
15. (1) 127 Andy Morris, Okay, Okla., TRE/BMS, $500.
16. (4) 10 J.D. Jackson, Chouteau, Okla., Mack/Jeff’s, $500.
17. (6) 17 Lucas Conley, Spring Hill, Kan., Hughes/Willie, $500.
18. (13) 83 Eddie Martin, Stilwell, Okla., BigChief/Geddes, $500.
19. (14) 75 Gary Vaughan, Springdale, Ark., DirtWorks/JP, $500.
DNS - 44 Delaney Erickson, Moodys, Okla., GRT/Shinook, 0, $350.

“B” MAIN (20 laps, top 14 advance):
1. (1) 10 Tate Cole, Muskogee, Okla.
2. (4) 88 Chad Wheeler, Muskogee, Okla.
3. (2) 60 Kip Hughes, Enid, Okla.
4. (5) 9 Ken Schrader, Concord, N.C.
5. (6) 95 Donovan Lodge, Moline, Ill.
6. (7) 4w Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark.
7. (8) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
8. (3) 99h Trevor Hunt, Kearney, Mo.
9. (10) 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla.
10. (11) 26 Brian Williams, Fayetteville, Ark.
11. (15) 112 Grady Smith, Oakhurst, Okla.
12. (14) 5 Justin Shoemaker, Inola, Okla.
13. (9) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
14. (16) F5 Fausten Willhite, Tahlequah, Okla.
15. (17) 07 Paul Cates, Salina, Okla.
16. (22) 36 Jeff Conner, Panora, Iowa, Skyrocket/RoushYates, $700.
19. (24) FN6 Jacob Stoll, Mounds, Okla., TRE/Everett, $700.
20. (19) 9 Mykel Atkinson, Dewey, Okla., HOT/Simmons, $700.
21. (21) 4 Scott Walton, Inola, Okla., /, $700.
17. (12) 6 Chris Theodore, Coweta, Okla., Boyd/STK, $700.
23. (20) 2 Daniel Tarkington, Checotah, Okla., Cyclone/NAPA, $700.
18. (18) 11n Gene Nicholas, Lowell, Ark., TRE/Kelly, $700.
22. (23) 1x Colby Artherton, Bartlesville, Okla., Shaw/Homegrown, $700.
24. (13) 7h Brett Hansen, Fort Gibson, Okla., Hughes/Shinook, $700.
DNS - 15L Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, Ark., /, $500.

“A” MAIN (50 laps):
1. (1) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 50, $10,000.
2. (3) 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo., GRT/Mullins, 50, $6000.
3. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustom/Geddes, 50, $4000.
4. (8) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/RoushYates, 50, $2700.
5. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 50, $2200.
6. (5) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, 50, $1800.
7. (14) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., GRT/ProPower, 50, $1500.
8. (13) 98 John Allen, Chanute, Kan., Hughes/RoushYates, 50, $1400.
9. (10) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., LG2/ProPower, 50, $1300.
10. (23) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, LG2/ProPower, 50, $1250.
11. (18) 88 Chad Wheeler, Muskogee, Okla., GRT/RoushYates, 50, $1200.
12. (15) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 50, $1150.
13. (9) 87 Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., MBCustom/Mullins, 50, $1125.
14. (7) 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, 50, $1100.
15. (16) 12b Johnny Bone Jr., Pea Ridge, Ark., TRE/Homegrown, 50, $1090.
16. (20) 9 Ken Schrader, Concord, N.C., Venom/RoushYates, 50, $1080.
17. (12) 31j Jeremy Rasmussen, Bella Vista, Ark., TRE/Donrich, 50, $1070.
18. (24) 99h Trevor Hunt, Kearney, Mo., GRT/Geddes, 49, $1060.
19. (25) 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, 49, $1050.
20. (17) 10 Tate Cole, Muskogee, Okla., GRT/Warner, 49, $1040.
21. (26) 26 Brian Williams, Fayetteville, Ark., Hughes/Ora’s, 49, $1030.
22. (27) 112 Grady Smith, Oakhurst, Okla., TRE/Mullins, 49, $1020.
23. (29) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., Hughes/BMS, 49, $1010.
24. (22) 4w Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., BMS/GNS, 49, $1000.
25. (28) 5 Justin Shoemaker, Inola, Okla., Mack/BMS, 49, $1000.
26. (21) 95 Donovan Lodge, Moline, Ill., Kraft/Gaerte, 43, $1000.
27. (2) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 38, $1000.
28. (30) F5 Fausten Willhite, Tahlequah, Okla., 28, $1000.
29. (19) 60 Kip Hughes, Enid, Okla., GRT/Dunsworth, 19, $1000.
30. (31) 07 Paul Cates, Salina, Okla., Hughes/, 7, $1000.
31. (11) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 5, $1000.

Lap Leaders: J. Hughes 1-7, Gustin 8-50.
Total Laps Led: Gustin 43, J. Hughes 7.
Margin of Victory: 2.409 seconds.
Provisional Starter: Cates (track).
Next Race: Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 14-16, Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.