TOP 5 FOR JOHN AT WHEATLAND

LUCAS OIL SPEEDWAY CHECKERS WAVE FOR KROHN

WHEATLAND, Mo. (June 27) – After a two-year hiatus, the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour returned to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., Saturday with a huge crowd of enthusiastic fans on hand to see the Best of the Best in Modified racing at the Best of the Best in dirt track facilities.

Early on in Saturday night's 35-lap Sunoco "A" Main, it became evident that the winner would likely be Jason. The question, however, was which one.

Local favorite and regular Lucas Oil Speedway competitor Jason Pursley got the jump on polesitter Jason Krohn at the start of the contest and pulled out to a ten-car-length lead over the first five laps while Chad Wheeler came up to challenge Krohn for second with Jason Hughes in fourth.

Krohn was able to hold the runner-up spot while Hughes muscled his way past Wheeler for third on lap 8 and set his sights on the 2007 USMTS National Champion.

Hughes wrestled second place from Krohn on lap 15 then quickly narrowed the distance between himself and Pursley, pulling up to the leader's rear bumper three laps later.

As the lead duo completed lap 19, Pursley bobbled ever so slightly entering the first turn. Hughes pounced on the opportunity and motored by Pursley to take the lead. Krohn slipped underneath Pursley in the next corner while Wheeler was battling with Timms for fourth.

Over the next 10 laps, Hughes built a lead of nearly a full straight-away and appeared to be on his way to a seventh USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour victory this season. But with five laps to go, a right rear flat tire ended his run while Krohn inherited the position.

Pursley stayed close but was unable to mount a challenge for the lead as Krohn went on to win his second main event of the season and pocket the $2,000 top prize.

The battle for third ended with Wheeler and Timms making contact in turn 4 with the finish line just a few feet away. While Wheeler spun and never made it to the checkered flag, Timms continued on to cross the line third but was later penalized to the next position behind 20th-finishing Wheeler.

The beneficiary of the final-lap melee between the two drivers from Oklahoma was Kelly Shryock, who was fifth entering the final turn but wound up with a third-place paycheck. John Allen finished fourth and Dustin Boney rounded out the top-5 finishers.

Sixth through tenth, respectively, went to Johnny Bone Jr., Jon Tesch, Bryan Rowland, Tate Cole and Johnny Fennewald.

Despite winding up 23rd in the main event, Hughes was able to hang on to a slight points lead in the Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region. He leads Rodney Sanders by a mere 12 points (965 to 953) with Shryock just another two points back in third. Zack VanderBeek is fourth with 934, followed by Boney (884), Bone (858), Rowland (819), Dereck Ramirez (817), Tesch (797) and Scott Green (782).

Whether or not this represents the final rankings for the Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region is still up in the air. Several weeks ago, an event at the Midway Speedway in Lebanon, Mo., was rained-out after completion of heat races. If the event cannot be completed prior to the start of The Hunt for the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Championship on Aug. 11, the points will be final and Hughes will be crowned the champion of the region. Otherwise, the make-up show will serve as the final points race in a tight battle for the title.

USMTS officials are still working with Midway Speedway officials to find a suitable date to complete the unfinished business.

UP NEXT ...

Saturday's event closed the curtain on a busy month of June and kicked off a nearly four-week "summer vacation" for USMTS officials, drivers and crew members. The series will return to action on Thursday, July 23, at the Fayette County Speedway in West Union, Iowa, followed by the inaugural Dirt Nationals at the historic Elko Speedway in Elko, Minn., on Friday and Saturday, July 24-25.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Lap Leaders: Pursley 1-19, Hughes 20-30, Krohn 31-35.
Total Laps Led: Pursley 19, Hughes 11, Krohn 5.
AFCO Pole Winner: Timms.
Provisional Starters: Ramirez, Green, Fellers (track), Martin (track).
PBM Performance Products Hard Charger: Bone (started 14th, finished 6th).
Next Race: Thursday, July 23, Fayette County Speedway, West Union, Iowa (Yeager Machine Upper Midwest Region).
Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region Points: Hughes 965, Sanders 953, Shryock 951, VanderBeek 934, Boney 884, Bone 858, Rowland 819, Ramirez 817, Tesch 797, Green 782.
DandyLand Farms Rookie of the Year Points: G. Junghans 392, Mike Hansen 322, Rich Lewerke 201, Mike Albertsen 193, Cole 174.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Sput’s 256, Mullins 196, ASI 155, JR 124, AEM 79.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 242, Ramirez 225, Hughes 211, GRT 130, Harris 120.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Timms.
American Racer – Greven.
Isky Racing Cams – J. Allen.
KSE Racing Products – J. Allen.
PBM Performance Products – Bone.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Cutshaw.
Nitroquest – Shryock.
Out-Pace Racing Products – VanderBeek.
Quarter Master – Krohn, Rowland.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Tesch.
Real Racing Wheels – Ramirez, Timms.
Ruter Farms – Wheeler.