ARDMORE, Okla. (May 7) – The Lake Country Speedway in Ardmore, Okla., welcomed back the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy for the third time in four seasons Saturday night as the series wrapped up a three-race weekend with perhaps the best being saved for last.

For the third night in a row, Ryan Gustin strapped himself into his #19r Gressel Racing Hughes Chassis and rolled onto a racetrack he’d never been to. But while each event began with a different first chapter, all three had the same ending with Gustin celebrating in the winner’s circle.

After recording wins on Thursday at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway near Waco and again on Friday at the Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas, Gustin was poised to complete the ‘hat trick’ Saturday night when he drew the outside front row starting spot for the 40-lap WIX Filters “A” Main at Virgil Page’s 3/8-mile clay oval.

Gustin gained the advantage at the drop of the green flag with Bryan Rowland following him around the high side of the racing surface as they swept past polesitter John Webb. It was Rowland, however, who led the first lap as he slid underneath Gustin in turn 4 and beat him to the flagstand to complete lap 1.

Rowland’s reign was short-lived, however, as he lost control in the next corner and allowed Gustin to power around the outside to grab the lead. Although he was able to avoid a complete spin in front of the oncoming field, Rowland found himself out of the top-10 once he was back up to speed.

Coming into the race, Gustin and Jason Hughes had been a dominant duo in winning 14 of the 18 contests so far this year. When the yellow flag waved on lap 13, a familiar storyline was shaping up with Gustin leading and Hughes riding in second with nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock sitting third.

For the next six laps, Hughes hounded Gustin in every corner as he dived to the low side and left Gustin just enough room to come screaming back around the outside as they exited the turns.

As they completed the 20th lap, Hughes edged Gustin by a nose at the flagstand to lead the lap, and then expanded his advantage when Gustin got too high in turn 2 and nearly had to bring his car to a complete stop in order to keep it on the racing surface.

Ten laps later, the defending USMTS National Champion found himself mired in heavy lapped traffic and Gustin used this to narrow the gap and pulled even with Hughes with eight laps to go.

As they drag-raced down the back-stretch, Hughes suddenly became the victim of two lapped cars that were embroiled in their own battle for position. Contact sent Hughes slamming into the concrete barrier while Gustin scooted by on the inside.

With an apparent flat tire, Hughes’ machine came to a stop in turn 3 to bring out a yellow flag, but further exploration by his crew found additional suspension damage that ended his night.

After the restart, Gustin raced away from the field as Shryock battled with Randy Timms for second. With four laps to go, the race was red-flagged when five cars slammed together in turn 2 that left the track blocked.

As the remaining cars in the field began to roll again after track officials cleaned up the aftermath of the crash, Timms discovered he had a flat tire and was forced to pull into the pit area.

Back under green, Gustin was able to go unchallenged to the checkers and pocketed his third $2,000 paycheck of the weekend with his eighth victory of the season.

Shryock, who earned his fifth AFCO Pole Award earlier in the program, held on to take the runner-up finish while Shane Hebert raced from 17th to 3rd and garnered his second Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award in three days.

Rodney Sanders claimed the fourth spot and Rowland rebounded to round out the top-5 finishers. Sixth through tenth were Bobby Malchus, Johnny Scott, Jason Grimes, Steve Pugh and local ace Mitchell Clement.

With his 32nd career USMTS triumph, Gustin padded his points lead in the Day Motor Sports Southwest Region and will look to lock up the regional points title when the series returns to the region in two weeks with races at the Brill’s Motor Speedway in Meeker, Okla.; Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas; and Enid Speedway in Enid, Okla., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 20-22.

But before they look forward to another rumble near the Red River, the stars and cars of the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy head to the Land of Lincoln for a three-race campaign next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 13-15.

On Friday, the series visits the Lincoln Speedway for the first time, and then heads to the Spoon River Speedway near Lewistown on Saturday before wrapping up the trio of events at the Quincy Raceways on Sunday.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy
3rd Annual Event
Lake Country Speedway, Ardmore, Okla.
Saturday, May 7, 2011

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 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.
2. (6) 15 Jared Webb, McKinney, Texas.
3. (8) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
4. (3) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
5. (4) 21f Kyle Sweeney, Purcell, Okla.
6. (9) 121 Bobby Ruffin, Crandall, Texas.
7. (5) 32m Mitchell Clement, Bonham, Texas.
8. (7) 96 Mark Davis (R), Ada, Okla.
9. (1) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla.

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (2) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
2. (6) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
3. (1) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas.
4. (5) 156 Steve Pugh (R), Anderson, Texas.
5. (4) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
6. (7) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
7. (3) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas.
8. (8) 78 Trevor Egbert (R), Salado, Texas.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (3) 99g Jason Grimes (R), Jamestown, N.D.
2. (4) 707 P.J. Egbert (R), Copperas Cove, Texas.
3. (2) 71h Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas.
4. (7) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas.
5. (8) 52 Chad Davis (R), Tulsa, Okla.
6. (6) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
7. (5) 9 Jimmy Ray (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
8. (1) 7 Brent Cargal, Mansville, Okla.

PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 66x Mike Dillard, Allen, Texas.
2. (4) 32 Kevin Clement, Whitewright, Texas.
3. (7) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
4. (3) 763 Tony Keigley (R), Kennedale, Texas.
5. (6) 88xx Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
6. (5) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas.
7. (8) 12g Jeremy Green (R), Enid, Okla.
8. (2) 7 Kelly Gorham, Colleyville, Texas.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (1) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
2. (8) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
3. (5) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
4. (6) 17p Travis Penrod, Davis, Okla.
5. (2) 87 Justin McCoy (R), Ovilla, Texas.
6. (7) 82 Brandon Houk (R), Venus, Texas.
7. (4) 3a Chris Armstrong (R), Ada, Okla.
8. (3) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 7 advance):
1. (1) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (3) 17p Travis Penrod, Davis, Okla.
3. (7) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
4. (4) 52 Chad Davis (R), Tulsa, Okla.
5. (2) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas.
6. (8) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
7. (11) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas.
8. (5) 763 Tony Keigley (R), Kennedale, Texas, Hoffman/Wells, $80.
9. (13) 7 Kelly Gorham, Colleyville, Texas, CAM/H&H, $60.
10. (10) 12g Jeremy Green (R), Enid, Okla., Ramirez/Janes, $80.
11. (14) 76 Jeff Rowland (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Boyd’s, $80.
12. (6) 121 Bobby Ruffin, Crandall, Texas, Skyrocket/, $60.
13. (9) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, Skyrocket/Harris, $80.
14. (12) 3a Chris Armstrong (R), Ada, Okla., BillsBuilt/Guru, $80.
15. (15) 78 Trevor Egbert (R), Salado, Texas, Hughes/Centex, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 7 advance):1. (3) 156 Steve Pugh (R), Anderson, Texas.
2. (5) 88xx Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
3. (10) 32m Mitchell Clement, Bonham, Texas.
4. (1) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas.
5. (7) 87 Justin McCoy (R), Ovilla, Texas.
6. (2) 71h Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas.
7. (12) 96 Mark Davis (R), Ada, Okla.
8. (4) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Ramirez/ProPower, $80.
9. (11) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
10. (14) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas, PCR/GMPP, $80.
11. (8) 82 Brandon Houk (R), Venus, Texas, Harris/Lenmar, $80.
12. (6) 21f Kyle Sweeney, Purcell, Okla., FlexiFlyer/Mullins, $60.
13. (13) 7 Brent Cargal, Mansville, Okla., DirtWorks/PerfAuto, $60.
14. (9) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas, Hughes/Cantrill, $80.

WIX FILTERS “A” MAIN (40 laps):1. (2) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, 40, $2000.
2. (6) 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/ProPower, 40, $1500.
3. (17) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Hughes/ASI, 40, $1100.
4. (12) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, 40, $800.
5. (4) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, 40, $700.
6. (16) 88xx Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Hughes/Wells, 40, $600.
7. (13) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ASI, 40, $550.
8. (5) 99g Jason Grimes (R), Jamestown, N.D., Hughes/Dakota, 40, $500.
9. (14) 156 Steve Pugh (R), Anderson, Texas, Skyrocket/ProPower, 40, $450.
10. (18) 32m Mitchell Clement, Bonham, Texas, DirtWorks/Wornhor, 40, $230.
11. (27) 9 Jimmy Ray (R), Las Cruces, N.M., AOS/GMPP, 40, $400.
12. (9) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 36, flat tire, $375.
13. (1) 87 John Webb (R), Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Shoulders, 36, crash, $350.
14. (25) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. (R), Sunnyville, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, 36, crash, $325.
15. (19) 52 Chad Davis (R), Tulsa, Okla., RaceCraft/BMS, 36, crash, $300.
16. (22) 87 Justin McCoy (R), Ovilla, Texas, Skyrocket/KSP, 36, crash, $300.
17. (23) 30 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, CAM/Allard, 36, crash, $300.
18. (7) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, 33, suspension, $400.
19. (26) 96 Mark Davis (R), Ada, Okla., Hughes/BMS, 25, mechanical, $300.
20. (20) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas, Kraft/Wells, 24, mechanical, $300.
21. (24) 71h Philip Houston (R), Odessa, Texas, SRP/JR, 21, mechanical, $300.
22. (21) 410 Brad Doherty (R), Ennis, Texas, GRT/, 18, mechanical, $300.
23. (11) 32 Kevin Clement, Whitewright, Texas, Hughes/Wornhor, 16, mechanical, $200.
24. (8) 15 Jared Webb, McKinney, Texas, DirtWorks/Wornhor, 13, rear end, $200.
25. (10) 707 P.J. Egbert (R), Copperas Cove, Texas, Hughes/Lingo, 13, $300.
26. (3) 66x Mike Dillard, Allen, Texas, Hughes/MachineWorks, 12, $200.
27. (15) 17p Travis Penrod, Davis, Okla., BillsBuilt/Wells, 5, $200.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Integra Lap Leaders: B. Rowland 1, Gustin 2-19, Hughes 20-33, Gustin 34-40.
Total Laps Led: Gustin 25, Hughes 14, B. Rowland 1.
Margin of Victory: 2.665 seconds.
AFCO Pole Winner: Shryock.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: Hebert (started 17th, finished 3rd).
Provisional Starter: Ray.
Next Race: Friday, May 13, Lincoln Speedway, Lincoln, Ill.
Day Motor Sports Southwest Region Points: .
Rookie of the Year Points: Dunn 836, Ray 827, P. Egbert 765, J. Rowland 736, John Webb 702.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 179, ProPower 133, ASI 130, Geddes 82, Sput’s 76.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 187, Skyrocket 142, GRT 104, Ramirez 75, TRE 67.

Contingency Awards:American Racer – Dillard.
CPD Racing Tools – not awarded.
Eibach Springs – Grimes.
Forty9Designs.com – Sanders, Pugh.
Hooker Harness – Timms.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Gustin.
ISKY Racing Cams – John Webb.
KSE Racing Products –Jared Webb.
Marsh Racing Wheels – P. Egbert.
New Vision Graphics – Gustin.
Nitroquest – T. Egbert, Miller.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Hebert.
PBM Performance Products – not awarded.
Real Racing Wheels – Keigley, Ramirez.
Ruter Farms – not awarded.
WIX Filters – Hughes, Gustin.

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USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Swan Energy.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Race Suits, Cheetos, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver, SLAP Energy, Snickers.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, DAY Motor Sports, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, Dirt Track Racing School, DrySlik Dirt Trak Racewear, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Karl Performance Parts, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Race Cars, Ruter Farms, Schwab’s Tinker Shop, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, COMP Cams, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Harness, Hypercoil Springs, ISKY Racing Cams, The Joie of Seating, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, RHS – Racing Head Service, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, WIX Filters.