A two-time winner of this event, Tesch was in good shape to go for his third title after drawing the outside of the front row for the start of the 40-lap WIX Filters “A” Main.
Much to the approval of the standing-room-only audience, Tesch jumped out front to lead the first three laps, but Chase Junghans found a faster way around Tesch’s former stomping grounds and grabbed the top spot on lap 4.
The 18-year-old from Manhattan, Kan., quickly entered lapped traffic on the short bullring but maneuvered through the competition with a veteran-like smoothness.
By lap 23, nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock had battled his way from the seventh starting spot and pulled alongside Junghans to contest for the lead. One lap later, Shryock took control and powered away from the field to score his 169th career USMTS victory and his first in seven tries at the Casino Speedway.
Tesch got around Junghans in the late stages of the race but had to settle for the runner-up paycheck while Gustin also slipped past Junghans to finish third.
Defending Team Electronics Summer Slam champion Zack VanderBeek powered his unique pink-colored Susan G. Komen for the Cure machine to a fifth-place finish while Jason Krohn, Jason Grimes, 2009 event winner Al Hejna, Corey Dripps and Colt Mather rounded out the top ten finishers.
The main event went the full 40 laps without a caution with 23 of the original 24 starters finishing the race.
With his fifth win of the season, Shryock padded his lead at the top of the Farm Boy BBQ Sauce Great Plains Region points standings to 18 markers ahead of Tesch (460 to 442), Gustin remains third but slid back slightly with 421 points. VanderBeek sits fourth with 386, followed by Grimes (383), Mather (367), Junghans (362), Rodney Sanders (351), Dripps (350) and Krohn (347).
