Scott sneaks by Ramirez to score USMTS victory at Humboldt

 

Despite the brutal heat wave, the grandstands at ‘The Hummer’ were jam-packed ... even during the main event as a cooling rain fell on the facility.

 

Dereck Ramirez sat on the pole for the start of the 40-lap WIX Filters “A” Main but it was outside front row starter Terry Beckham II who got the jump at the drop of the green flag. Beckham, who scored a USRA RHS Modified win at Humboldt one week ago, led the first four laps but got too high in turn 2 and scraped the concrete wall and allowed Ramirez to power into the lead. DandyLand Farms Rookie of the Year points leader Johnny Scott powered by Beckham on lap 12 with Al Hejna shadowing him into the third spot just before the race’s first and only caution waved when Tommy Myer spun on the back-stretch on lap 13.

 

Looking for his career-first USMTS victory, Ramirez continued to lead after the restart as Scott and Hejna stayed nose to tail behind him with raindrops falling from the sky. By lap 20, the rain was falling hard but with 26 cars circling the lightning-fast oval the track remained dry and smooth with drivers battling for position throughout the tight pack. For the next ten laps, Ramirez continued to pace the field as Scott searched high and low for a way around the leader while Hejna kept the pressure on Scott as the rain began to subside. Scott found a groove on the high side of the track, pulled alongside Ramirez at the flagstand on lap 36 and then powered his way to the front as the pair exited the second turn while Jason Hughes moved around Beckham for fourth. Ramirez stayed glued to Scott’s bumper, but had to settle for the runner-up paycheck as Scott raced his way to his first USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour victory and a $3,000 payday.

 

Hughes, who had to qualify for the main event through a Real Racing Wheels “B” Main, snuck by Hejna to grab third with the white flag in the air while Tim Donlinger finished fifth after starting 20th. Beckham held on for sixth, Rodney Sanders secured a seventh-place finish, eighth went to Dustin Boney, Johnny Bone Jr. nabbed ninth and Zack VanderBeek rounded out the top-10 finishers.

 

While Kelly Shryock and Ryan Gustin came into the night as the top points earners in The Hunt, neither driver was a factor in Friday’s nightcap. Gustin finished where he started in 12th, while Shryock passed en cars but wound up 14th at the checkered flag.

 

With six of the top-10 in points finishing outside of the top-10 in Friday’s feature, the battle for the 2010 title got event closer. Shryock continues to lead the rankings with 251 points, while VanderBeek jumped ahead of Gustin by one marker (236 to 235). Hughes is fourth with 230 points, followed by Ramirez (222), Myer (195), Krohn (192), Tesch (190), Donlinger (182) and Hejna (181).