It was another consistent weekend for Ryan Gustin and the #19r Gressel Racing/Hughes Chassis powered by Mullins Race Engines, with a pair of top-5 finishes and another top-10 finish during the three races March 15-17 in Texas and Louisiana.
A tough heat race and even tougher Real Racing Wheels “B” Main left Ryan in the 23rd starting spot for Friday’s USMTS event at the RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas, but ‘The Reaper’ gave the fans in the standing-room-only crowd something to cheer for as he battled his way past 19 cars on one of the toughest passing tracks the team will see this season.
The defending USMTS national champion never got the late-race caution flag he needed to make a run at eventual winner Rodney Sanders, and finished fifth after a thrilling rim-riding drive from the back of the field. A field of 51 USMTS Modifieds were on hand for the series debut at the 1/4-mile semi-banked dirt oval.
FEATURE FINISH:
1. (1) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBC/Geddes, 40, $4000.
2. (12) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $1500.
3. (7) 12t Tyler Townsend, Longview, Texas, Hughes/PTS, 40, $1000.
4. (3) 71k Kevin Sustaire, Emery, Texas, CAM/MachineWorks, 40, $800.
5. (23) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 40, $900.
6. (14) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, 40, $600.
7. (18) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, CAM/Chase, 40, $550.
8. (22) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Hughes/Sput’s, 40, $500.
9. (15) 1st Johnny Scott, Arroyo Hondo, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 40, $450.
10. (17) 41m Steve McMackin, Greenville, Texas, DirtWorks/Cotton, 40, $400.
On Saturday, the team returned to the site of a runner-up finish to Johnny Scott two years ago at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La. The wide, high-banked red clay oval is a fun place to watch as the drivers dance on the edge of the cushion all night long.
Ryan started in the third row and battled with the frontr-runners for most of the race, but nobody had anything for Chris Henigan of Marshall, Texas, as he crossed the finish line 4.238 seconds ahead of Rodney Sanders to score his career-first USMTS win. Ryan fought off Stormy Scott for third while Kelly Shryock held on for a top-5 finish.
FEATURE FINISH:
1. (7) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, Skyrocket/Sput’s, 50, $2000.
2. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBC/Geddes, 50, $1500.
3. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 50, $1000.
4. (5) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., LG2/ProPower, 50, $800.
5. (1) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, 50, $700.
6. (3) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Hughes/Sput’s, 50, $600.
7. (16) 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, 50, $550.
8. (8) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Hughes/RoushYates, 50, $500.
9. (9) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., Sidebiter/Sput’s, 50, $450.
10. (20) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn., MBC/Sput’s, 50, $500.
Ryan races with Zack VanderBeek at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway on Saturday, March 16.
Sunday saw the USMTS caravan back in the bayou for a shootout at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La. Ryan finally got a good chip for a good starting spot and parlayed that into a heat race win and a spot in the top-8 redraw.
Starting fifth, Ryan spent most of the feature event battling with Bobby Malchus, Jason Hughes and Jason Ingalls for real estate and a spot in the top five while front-row starters Stormy Scott and Rodney Sanders got away from the pack.
Running fifth when the white flag flew, the #19r got pinched up high down the back straight-away and tagged the wall. Ryan was able to limp home the final half-lap but slipped to ninth at the finish line. It was the first time this season that the team finished outside of the top 5.
FEATURE FINISH:
1. (1) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., LG2/ProPower, 40, $4000.
2. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustom/Geddes, 40, $1500.
3. (8) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 40, $1000.
4. (6) 12 Jason Ingalls, Longview, Texas, IRP/GMPP, 40, $800.
5. (12) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Hughes/Sput’s, 40, $800.
6. (3) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Hughes/Wells, 40, $600.
7. (11) 1st Johnny Scott, Arroyo Hondo, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, 40, $550.
8. (7) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Hughes/RoushYates, 40, $500.
9. (5) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 40, $450.
10. (16) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, 40, $400.
Up next, the Gressel Racing team takes a week off before heading to the Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kan., for the King of America III Modified Nationals with their eye on the $10,000 winner’s paycheck.
Gressel Racing is made possible by support from VP Racing Fuels, Midwest Hearing Aids, Hughes Racing Chassis, Mullins Race Engines, Beyea Custom Headers, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, FastShafts, Hinchman Racewear, Integra Racing Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, Larry’s Carburetors, McCartney Welding, R2C Performance Products, Real Racing Wheels and Sybesma Graphics.
For more information, check out www.gresselracing.com online and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gresselracing.
