WACO, Texas (March 4) — The USMTS National Championship Series returns to the Lone Star State this Friday and Saturday, March 9-10, for another pair of $4,000-to-win blockbusters.
Friday will find the USMTS Modifieds at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Elm Mott, Texas, before heading north on Saturday to invade the Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas.
Canceled twice before because of rain, USMTS drivers delivered a barnburner last year at Gene Adamcik’s quarter-mile clay oval near Waco.
Ryan Gustin picked up his sixth win of the season en route to capturing his first USMTS National Championship, holding off Jimmy Ray in the late stages of the main event.
Jason Hughes, Johnny Scott and Shane Hebert finished third through fifth after starting 13th, 19th and 25th, respectively, on the grid.
Grandstands will open at 5:30 p.m., hot laps start at 7 and the first heat race takes to the track at 7:30. Limited Modifieds will complete the racing card.
The Heart O’ Texas Speedway is a quarter-mile high-banked dirt oval located 7 miles north of Waco on I-35 at exit 343. Call 254-776-1576 for more information or 254-829-2294 on race day or visit the track’s website at www.heartotexspeedway.com.
After a thrilling event in 2008, race fans at the Cowtown Speedway missed out on an encore when Mother Nature rained out an appearance in 2009, but they got another chance last season.
Fending off a late-race charge by Hughes, Gustin settled into a quick and comfortable line and went on to take the win over Hughes, who finished fourth in the 2008 event while three Cowtown locals – George White, Bryan Sugg and Glenn Leuschner – successfully defended their home turf and claimed the top three spots in the debut event.
Grandstands open at 3 p.m., hot laps are at 5 and the green flag waves at 6 p.m. Also on the racing card will be Limited Modifieds, Street Stocks and Bombers.
The Cowtown Speedway is a quarter-mile high-banked clay oval located off of I-20 at exit 442-A, then 1.7 miles southeast on Mansfield Hwy., then 1.4 miles southwest on New Hope Rd. For day-of-race information, call 817-478-9952 or check out www.cowtownspeedway.com on the World Wide Web.
Mufflers are mandatory for all drivers competing at the Cowtown Speedway event. The only types of mufflers permitted will be the unaltered 609-style muffler or three-ring muffler. Both muffler types are available from Day Motor Sports by calling 800-543-6238 or online at www.daymotorsports.com. Mufflers will also be for sale on race day at the track.
USMTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES – TOP 20 POINTS:
1. 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa … 190
2. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. … 187
3. 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M. … 175
4. 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas … 174
5. 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas … 165
6. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas … 150
7. 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa … 144
7. 18 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan. … 144
9. 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D. … 142
9. 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas … 142
11. 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M. … 141
12. 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. … 138
13. 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn. … 131
13. 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyville, Texas … 131
15. 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo. … 128
16. 16 Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo. … 119
17. 85d Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo. … 115
18. 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan. … 114
19. 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas … 113
20. 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas … 111
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Swan Energy.
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Race Suits, Cheetos, Dominator Race Products, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver, SLAP Energy, Snickers.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arbor Masters, Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, DAY Motor Sports, Dirthead.com, DrySlik Dirt Trak Racewear, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Mesilla Valley Transportation, O’Brien Enterprises, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Race Cars, Ruter Farms, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, COMP Cams, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, Erson Cams, 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, Racing Head Service, Tiger Rear Ends, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, WIX Filters.