BAYTOWN, Texas (Nov. 16) – Jeremy Payne has had a season of personal firsts, and Saturday night at the Royal Purple Raceway he will have a shot at a first for the United States Modified Touring Series.

After winning the $2,000-to-win opening night feature Thursday, the 27-year-old from Springfield, Mo., mirrored that feat with a $3,000 triumph Friday evening at the 6th Annual USMTS Texas Winter Nationals presented by Ron Craft Cadillac-Chevrolet.

The 40-lap Swan Energy “A” Main began with drivers searching high and low for the fastest way around the 3/8-mile clay oval nestled in the Gulf Coast region. But with every passing lap, the low side of the racing surface became more and more popular with most of the field hugging the inside by the end of the race.

2010 USMTS national champion Jason Hughes started on the pole and set a strong pace for the first 13 laps until lapped traffic slowed his momentum. With Hughes stuck behind a slower car, Payne jumped to the outside and took the lead as the leaders completed lap 15.

Just like last night, just one caution slowed the main event – this time it was last night’s runner-up, Chris Brown, who suffered a flat tire with 11 laps remaining. Just like last night, the caution gave Payne a clear track in front of him and he sailed the rest of the way to his fifth win of the season and tenth of his USMTS career.

“The car was just awesome again tonight. I’m beginning to really like this place,” Payne said in victory lane. “I knew the track was probably going to take a little bit of rubber there in one lane, so I was trying to do my work early.

“Hughes got hung up behind a lapped car there after it did take some rubber. I was close enough to take advantage of it. I’m just thrilled to take two in a row here against these guys with 81 cars here. It’s awesome.”

Hughes withstood an early challenge from Ryan Gustin and a late-race charge by Jason Krohn to hold on for a second-place finish. Krohn, Gustin and Stormy Scott rounded out the top 5 finishers. Sixth through tenth were John O Whittington, Mark Noble, Corey Babbitt, Dereck Ramirez and Zack VanderBeek.

Noble, who started 19th, earned the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award.

Action continues Saturday with USMTS Modifieds battling for $4,000 to win. The pit gate opens at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 4 and the first heat race hits the track at 6 p.m. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and children 5 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35.

The Royal Purple Raceway is a state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.

Located in Baytown, Texas, the facility is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 99 (Grand Parkway), then 0.3 mile west on FM 565. Speedway entrance located at Gate 3. For more information, call the track office at 281-383-RACE or visit www.royalpurpleraceway.com online.

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 at www.facebook.com/ustmts and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
6th Annual USMTS Texas Winter Nationals presented by Ron Craft Cadillac-Chevrolet – Night 2 of 3
Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas
Friday, Nov. 16, 2012

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder and money won. The top 14 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.

BEYEA CUSTOM HEADERS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (3) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.
2. (1) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas.
3. (6) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
4. (8) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
5. (4) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
6. (10) 90 Terry Schultz, Sedalia, Mo.
7. (7) 5 Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas.
8. (9) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
9. (11) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas.
10. (2) 44 Christy Georges, El Paso, Texas.
11. (5) 25 Ron Keith, Shawnee, Kan.

HOOKER HARNESS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
2. (5) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas.
3. (8) 51 Eddie Martin, Stilwell, Okla.
4. (4) 37 Joey Price, Great Falls, Mont.
5. (6) 91 Joe Duvall, Chelsea, Okla.
6. (9) 27 Derek Knowles, Humble, Texas.
7. (2) 10 Mike Steensma, Luverne, Minn.
8. (10) 11 Jeff Allgayer, El Campo, Texas.
9. (3) 76 Jesse Manning, Brazoria, Texas.
10. (7) 30 Dalton Knox, New Caney, Texas.

EIBACH SPRINGS HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (2) 34 Mickey Lassiter, Piedmont, Okla.
2. (3) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
3. (9) 12p Trent Parker, Florien, La.
4. (6) 8t Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas.
5. (5) 56 Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyville, Texas.
6. (4) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
7. (1) C22 Chase Delrio, West Monroe, La.
8. (8) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas.
9. (7) 012 Patrick Petty, La Porte, Texas.
10. (10) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas.

PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
2. (3) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
3. (10) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla.
4. (6) 6x Rob Litton, Alexandria, La.
5. (4) 07 Paul Cates, Salina, Okla.
6. (5) 26 Bob Gierke, Westport, Minn.
7. (2) 15g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas.
8. (8) 21 David Winslett, Bossier City, La.
9. (7) 5* Casey Penn, Shreveport, La.
10. (9) 21 Troy Seidl, Magnolia, Texas.

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (6) 77k Ron Jones, Princeton, Minn.
2. (2) 36 Bryan Mewborn, Texarkana, Texas.
3. (7) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
4. (10) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas.
5. (4) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
6. (8) 18c Larry Clevenger, Greenwood, La.
7. (5) 37h Garrett Higgins, Aztec, N.M.
8. (3) 99x Triston Sikes, Hobbs, N.M.
9. (9) 715 Jeff Hoegh, New Caney, Texas.
10. (1) C3 Rick Duke, Pineville, La.

HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (3) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas.
2. (2) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
3. (5) 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
4. (8) 61 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
5. (4) 12 Lucas Lee, Paris, Tenn.
6. (1) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La.
7. (7) 22b John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla.
8. (10) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
9. (9) 1 T.J. Herndon, Atwood, Tenn.
10. (6) 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla.

HEAT RACE #7 (8 laps):
1. (3) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (1) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
3. (5) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
4. (7) 99h Trevor Hunt, Liberty, Mo.
5. (9) 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla.
6. (2) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas.
7. (6) 2w Paul White, Temple, Texas.
8. (10) 45t Eric Tomlinson, Robinson, Texas.
9. (8) 129 Jamie Campbell, Adkins, Texas.
10. (4) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas.

HEAT RACE #8 (8 laps):
1. (2) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
2. (9) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
3. (1) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas.
4. (7) 715 J.P. Dowell, Killeen, Texas.
5. (8) 55 Michael Lee, Paris, Tenn.
6. (10) 303 Chase Jupe, Waco, Texas.
7. (3) 44 Marcus Berndt, Katy, Texas.
8. (5) 02 James Longpine, Drummond, Okla.
9. (6) 15* Adam Penn, Shreveport, La.
10. (4) 61 Bobby Sikes Jr., Eunice, N.M.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. (2) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
2. (3) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
3. (1) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
4. (6) 90 Terry Schultz, Sedalia, Mo., GRT/Mullins.
5. (8) 12 Lucas Lee, Paris, Tenn., LG2/Mullins.
6. (7) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, CAM/Chase, $100.
7. (11) 2w Paul White, Temple, Texas, /, $100.
8. (5) 6x Rob Litton, Alexandria, La., Skyrocket/Mullins, $100.
9. (4) 715 J.P. Dowell, Killeen, Texas, GRT/, $80.
10. (12) 45t Eric Tomlinson, Robinson, Texas, Hughes/, $80.
11. (14) 12p Trent Parker, Florien, La., $80.
12. (15) 129 Jamie Campbell, Adkins, Texas, /PerfMach, $80.
13. (9) 77 Brian Craighead, Farmerville, La., DirtWorks/Sput’s, $80.
14. (10) C22 Chase Delrio, West Monroe, La., Skyrocket/, $80.
15. (13) 99x Triston Sikes, Hobbs, N.M., Skyrocket/PPE, $80.
16. (17) 68 Danny Barringer, Lufkin, Texas, Skyrocket/Craft, $100.
17. (16) 012 Patrick Petty, La Porte, Texas, /, $100.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. (1) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
2. (12) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (5) 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla.
4. (2) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, $100.
5. (4) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, $100.
6. (9) 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas, GRT/Riggins, $100.
7. (10) 15g Bubba Gates, Santa Fe, Texas, DustDevil/, $80.
8. (8) 18c Larry Clevenger, Greenwood, La., Skyrocket/EZ1, $100.
9. (6) 303 Chase Jupe, Waco, Texas, Hughes/Centex, $100.
10. (13) 02 James Longpine, Drummond, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, $80.
11. (15) 15* Adam Penn, Shreveport, La., Hughes/Geddes, $80.
12. (11) 44 Marcus Berndt, Katy, Texas, DirtWorks/AARE, $100.
13. (17) 61 Bobby Sikes Jr., Eunice, N.M., Skyrocket/Mullins, $80.
14. (16) 21 Troy Seidl, Magnolia, Texas, Skyrocket/C&C, $100.
15. (3) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., Hughes/ASI, $100.
16. (14) 5* Casey Penn, Shreveport, La., Hughes/Geddes, $100.
17. (7) 56 Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyville, Texas, /Wells, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. (1) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
2. (3) 61 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn.
3. (6) 91 Joe Duvall, Chelsea, Okla.
4. (2) 14t Tristan Dycus, Midlothian, Texas, Kraft/Wells, $100.
5. (10) 37h Garrett Higgins, Aztec, N.M., GRT/GMPP, $80.
6. (9) 5 Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas, TRE/AMS, $80.
7. (13) 83 Willy Kraft, Mico, Texas, Kraft/Gaerte, $80.
8. (17) 25 Ron Keith, Shawnee, Kan., GRT/Mullins, $100.
9. (4) 8 Steve Miller, Georgetown, Texas, Hughes/Extreme, $100.
10. (8) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas, Fast1/Jackson, $80.
11. (15) 44 Christy Georges, El Paso, Texas, GRT/Barnett, $80.
12. (11) 11 Jeff Allgayer, El Campo, Texas, Pierce/, $80.
13. (14) 715 Jeff Hoegh, New Caney, Texas, Skyrocket/AARE, $100.
14. (7) 07 Paul Cates, Salina, Okla., Hughes/, $80.
15. (12) 7x Rory Jordan, Victoria, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $100.
16. (5) 55 Michael Lee, Paris, Tenn., Harris/Mullins, $80.
17. (16) C3 Rick Duke, Pineville, La., Skyrocket/, $80.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #4 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. (2) 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
2. (9) 10 Mike Steensma, Luverne, Minn.
3. (3) 99h Trevor Hunt, Liberty, Mo.
4. (4) 8t Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas, CAM/CMS.
5. (6) 27 Derek Knowles, Humble, Texas, Hughes/.
6. (7) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M., AOS/AOS, $80.
7. (1) 36 Bryan Mewborn, Texarkana, Texas, Ramirez/CRT, $80.
8. (14) 1 T.J. Herndon, Atwood, Tenn., GRT/JRM, $100.
9. (16) 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla., Shaw/BMS, $100.
10. (8) 26 Bob Gierke, Westport, Minn., GRT/RoushYates, $100.
11. (10) 22b John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $100.
12. (5) 37 Joey Price, Great Falls, Mont., /, $80.
13. (12) 21 David Winslett, Bossier City, La., IRP/TwinCity, $80.
14. (15) 30 Dalton Knox, New Caney, Texas, DirtWorks/, $80.
15. (13) 76 Jesse Manning, Brazoria, Texas, Evolution/Hall, $80.
16. (11) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M., GRC/BMS, $100.

SWAN ENERGY “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. (6) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/RoushYates, $3000.
2. (1) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $1700.
3. (4) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn., MBC/Sput’s, $1200.
4. (3) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, $1000.
5. (7) 2S Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Hughes/ProPower, $800.
6. (12) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, $700.
7. (19) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn., Kraft/Gaerte, $700.
8. (2) 12c Corey Babbitt, Channelview, Texas, TRE/CAM, $550.
9. (10) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $500.
10. (20) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, Hughes/Sput’s, $450.
11. (15) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, Skyrocket/CB, $275.
12. (16) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, Hughes/Geddes, $375.
13. (14) 51 Eddie Martin, Stilwell, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, $275.
14. (18) 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $325.
15. (17) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, $300.
16. (23) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Hughes/Wells, $300.
17. (21) 61 Jason Cummins, New Richland, Minn., Skyrocket/Sput’s, $300.
18. (24) 85 Thomas Tillison Jr., Wellston, Okla., Hughes/Geddes, $300.
19. (26) 99h Trevor Hunt, Liberty, Mo., Hughes/Hatfield, $300.
20. (25) 91 Joe Duvall, Chelsea, Okla., Hughes/BMS, $300.
21. (8) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, Hughes/RoushYates, $300.
22. (9) 34 Mickey Lassiter, Piedmont, Okla., TRE/, $275.
23. (11) 23 Howard Willis, Dayton, Texas, Evolution/Fox, $275.
24. (22) 10 Mike Steensma, Luverne, Minn., Hughes/Sput’s, $300.
25. (13) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/ProPower, $300.
26. (5) 77k Ron Jones, Princeton, Minn., Hughes/Sput’s, $300.

Integra Lap Leaders: Hughes 1-15, Payne 16-40.
Total Laps Led: Payne 25, Hughes 15.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: Noble (started 19th, finished 7th).
Next Race: Saturday, Nov. 17, Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.

Contingency Awards:
AERO Race Wheels – Jones.
American Racer – Higgins.
Beyea Custom Headers – Krohn.
Dominator Race Products – Brown.
Eibach Springs – Lassiter.
Forty9Designs.com – Gustin, Ramirez.
Hooker Harness – Whittington.
Integra Racing Shocks & Springs – Payne.
KEVKO Oil Pans & Components – Ramirez.
KSE Racing Products – Brown.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Rowland.
Nitroquest – Petty, Hafertepe, Duke, Gallardo.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Noble.
PBM Performance Products – Rowland.
R2C Performance Products – Hughes.
Real Racing Wheels – Denby, Sanders, Timms, Whiteaker.

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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, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, Erson Cams, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Mesilla Valley Transportation, O’Brien Enterprises, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Motorsports, Road Runner Trucking, Ruter Farms, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Harness, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Tiger Rear Ends.