OSKALOOSA, Iowa – With his third win during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship presented by Bad Boy Mowers and series-leading 16th triumph overall on Monday night during the 7th Annual Musco Lighting Iowa Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway, Ryan Gustin served notice that he’s not about to concede the title to Jason Hughes just yet. More than five inches of rain in Oskaloosa during the past week made for a fast race track and a bumpy ride through the corners during the main event. So much so that officials trimmed the distance from 30 to 20 laps in the WIX Filters “A” Main. Brad Pinkerton, who won the Dart Iron Man Challenge USRA Stock Car feature just moments earlier, started on the pole but it was Colt Mather jumping out front to lead the first lap while Pinkerton faded to fifth. With one lap in the books, second-running Mike Spaulding suffered mechanical problems and slowed dramatically as the leaders raced through the third turn. Pinkerton’s machine plowed into the side of Spaulding’s ride while Mark Elliott, Tim Donlinger and Ryan Schaffer were also collected and resulted in a red flag when Schaffer rolled over at the top of turn 4. Schaffer was uninjured in the crash, but only Elliott was able to return for the green flag restart. Gustin ducked underneath Mather to lead the second lap, but Mather powered back around the outside to regain the lead on lap 3. After a spirited battle with Mather for the first ten circuits around the big half-mile oval, Gustin took charge on lap 11 and sprinted away from the field over the final nine laps to secure the victory and $3,000 top prize. With the win, the 19-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, chipped away at Hughes’ lead in the title chase, cutting 10 points off of the 85-point deficit he was faced with coming into the event. But while “The Reaper” did all he could do by finishing first and leading the most laps to earn a couple of bonus points, he needed to average 17 markers more than Hughes in each of the final five races on the 2010 campaign in order to overtake Hughes in the standings. With just four shows left to go, Gustin will need to score 19 more points than Hughes each night – a tall order considering Hughes’ incredible 13 top-five and 14 top-ten finishes in the 15 events so far, including a runner-up finish behind Gustin at the “Mahaska County Monster” on Monday night. Mather hung on for third while Rodney Sanders came from 13th to finish fourth. However, the PBM Performance Products Hard Charger Award went to Tommy Myer who raced from the 16th starting spot on the 24-car grid to grab fifth at the finish line. Elliott charged back through the field after his first-lap incident and secured a sixth-place finish, Corey Dripps scored the seventh spot, Tommy Weder Jr. earned an eighth-place paycheck, the ninth spot was nabbed by AFCO Pole Award winner Scott Dickey and nine-time defending USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock rounded out the top ten at the flagstand. Hughes leads Gustin by 75 points going into Tuesday night’s tilt at the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa, while Myer is third and 137 points in arrears to the leader. Zack VanderBeek is 149 markers behind in fourth, followed by Shryock (-262), Sanders (-310), Jason Krohn (-311), Dereck Ramirez (-366), Jon Tesch (-392) and Tim Donlinger (-416). Gustin’s win also helped propel Mullins Race Engines back into a tie with Sput’s Racing Engines for the COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Award and helped Hughes Racing Chassis inch closer to clinching the Chassis Builders Championship. OFFICIAL RESULTS The Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship presented by Bad Boy Mowers 7th Annual Musco Lighting Iowa Challenge Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, Iowa Monday, September 20, 2010 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 14 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the WIX Filters “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8. ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps): 1. (4) 40 Scott Dickey, Packwood, Iowa. 2. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla. 3. (7) 4d Tim Donlinger, Rochester, Minn. 4. (8) 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D. 5. (5) 26f Dan Fetters, Montour, Iowa. 6. (3) 12 Mark Elliott (R), Webster City, Iowa. 7. (9) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa. 8. (1) 94 Steven Blattler, Oskaloosa, Iowa. 9. (2) 70 Jesse Dennis, Prescott, Iowa. NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps): 1. (2) 17p Brad Pinkerton, New Sharon, Iowa. 2. (4) 36 Kenny Wallace, Concord, N.C. 3. (3) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa. 4. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas. 5. (9) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa. 6. (6) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. 7. (7) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa. 8. (8) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn. 9. (1) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa. SCHOENFELD HEADERS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps): 1. (1) 17s Mike Spaulding, Bemidji, Minn. 2. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa. 3. (7) 8 Colt Mather, Webster, Iowa. 4. (9) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla. 5. (2) 26k Kevin Blackburn, Fulton, Mo. 6. (5) R4 Ron Ver Beek, Oskaloosa, Iowa. 7. (8) 9j Austin Jones, Ashland, Mo. 8. (4) R21 Ryan Schaffer (R), Corning, Iowa. 9. (3) J40 Clayton Jensen, Iowa City, Iowa. REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN (10 laps, top 10 advance): 1. (1) 26k Kevin Blackburn, Fulton, Mo. 2. (2) 12 Mark Elliott (R), Webster City, Iowa. 3. (9) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn. 4. (4) R4 Ron Ver Beek, Oskaloosa, Iowa. 5. (5) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa. 6. (7) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa. 7. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. 8. (6) 9j Austin Jones, Ashland, Mo. 9. (12) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa. 10. (10) R21 Ryan Schaffer (R), Corning, Iowa. 11. (13) J40 Clayton Jensen, Iowa City, Iowa, $75. 12. (11) 70 Jesse Dennis, Prescott, Iowa, $90. 13. (8) 94 Steven Blattler, Oskaloosa, Iowa, $75. WIX FILTERS “A” MAIN (20 laps): 1. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 20, $3000. 2. (5) 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 20, $1500. 3. (2) 8 Colt Mather, Webster, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 20, $1000. 4. (13) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Sput’s, 20, $900. 5. (16) 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn., GRT/Sput’s, 20, $800. 6. (15) 12 Mark Elliott (R), Webster City, Iowa, Harris/Sput’s, 20, $700. 7. (11) 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa, BC/Mullins, 20, $650. 8. (9) 02 Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 20, $600. 9. (3) 40 Scott Dickey, Packwood, Iowa, Shaw/Sput’s, 20, $550. 10. (12) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 20, $500. 11. (17) R4 Ron Ver Beek, Oskaloosa, Iowa, Skyrocket/Midstate, 20, $350. 12. (19) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 20, $425. 13. (18) 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa, Sidebiter/KSE, 20, $400. 14. (14) 26f Dan Fetters, Montour, Iowa, Sidebiter/JR, 20, $250. 15. (21) 9j Austin Jones, Ashland, Mo., Skyrocket/Creason, 20, $250. 16. (10) 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D., GRT/Sput’s, 18, engine, $300. 17. (22) 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa, Harris/JR, 17, mechanical, $300. 18. (20) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Ramirez/ProPower, 15, mechanical, $400. 19. (1) 17p Brad Pinkerton, New Sharon, Iowa, Skyrocket/Wanders, 1, crash, $250. 20. (7) 4d Tim Donlinger, Rochester, Minn., Ramirez/Sput’s, 1, crash, $300. 21. (8) 36 Kenny Wallace, Concord, N.C., Impressive/Mullins, 1, crash, $250. 22. (23) R21 Ryan Schaffer (R), Corning, Iowa, Bullet/Mullins, 1, crash, $300. 23. (4) 17s Mike Spaulding, Bemidji, Minn., BC/Mullins, 1, crash, $300. DNS - 26k Kevin Blackburn, Fulton, Mo., $75. (R) = DandyLand Farms Rookie of the Year contender. WIX Filters Lap Leaders: Mather 1, Gustin 2, Mather 3-11, Gustin 12-20. Total Laps Led: Gustin 10, Mather 10. Margin of Victory: 3.875 seconds. AFCO Pole Winner: Dickey. PBM Performance Products Hard Charger: Myer (started 16th, finished 5th). Next Race: Tuesday, Sept. 21, Highway 3 Raceway, Allison, Iowa. Championship Points: Hughes 1449, Gustin 1374, Myer 1312, VanderBeek 1300, Shryock 1187, Sanders 1139, Krohn 1138, Ramirez 1083, Tesch 1057, Donlinger 1033. DandyLand Farms Rookie of the Year Points: Johnny Scott 1758, Lucas Schott 897, Elliott 838, Curt Myers 812, Nick Deal 772. COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 442, Sput’s 442, ASI 232, ProPower 219, JR 175. Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 443, Skyrocket 426, GRT 364, Ramirez 295, BC 199.
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