The COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year competition was too close to call throughout the course of the season, but when the dust settled on the final event it was Mullins Race Engines which claimed the coveted title for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour.

The United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) pits the nation’s top dirt modified competitors in the nation against one another in events at track’s throughout the nation each year.

COMP Cams returned for a third straight season in 2010 to award the COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Award to engine builders and competitors in the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour and USMTS Southern Series.

“Over the course of the last three years, we have been extremely happy with the growth of our USMTS program,” said Chris Douglas, Vice President of Marketing for COMP Cams. “As a company, we have a very clear understanding that short track racers and engine builders are our lifeblood and USMTS provides us with a great stage for building relationships with both groups.

For much of the 2010 season, the top spot in the COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year competition swapped almost on a nightly basis between Mullins Race Engines based in Mt Olive, Ill., and Sput’s Racing Engines from Owatonna, Minn.

The showdown for the top powerplant builders culminated with the 12th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Sept. 24-26.

Both builders were well represented in the event, which saw over 100 of the nation’s top drivers in action and both were tied at the top of the rankings going into the final night of competition.

In a nail-biter that came down to the final lap of the 2010 campaign, Mullins Race Engines emerged as the season’s COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year thanks to Ryan Gustin’s runner-up finish in the main event as Mullins won the award by a single point and ended a two-year reign for Sput’s Racing Engines.

Drivers powered by Mullins Race Engines won 22 of the 54 USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour main events this season, with Gustin winning sixteen and Hughes capturing six checkered flags.

In the USMTS Southern Series, Mullins Race Engines has reigned as champion for back-to-back seasons, and looks to have a firm grip on sealing the deal again this year. Mullins-powered pilots picked up 11 of the 22 checkered flags during the 2009 USMTS Southern Series season, and have scored wins in six of the thirteen events held so far in 2010.

Sput’s Racing Engines captured the 2008 and 2009 COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Award for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour, with drivers utilizing Sput’s powerplants garnering 23 main event victories in each of those years.

Although Sput’s Racing Engines may have fallen one point short of the title, but they made their presence known as six different drivers scored 17 feature wins during the season, including Jason Krohn (6), Tommy Myer (5), Jon Tesch (3), Zack VanderBeek (1), Tim Donlinger (1) and Mike Steensma (1).

Rounding out the top five in the final COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year competition was ASI Racing Engines (Lubbock, Texas), Pro Power Racing (Sullivan, Wis.) and JR Motorsports (Ankeny, Iowa).

Here are the top ten in the 2010 COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year standings:

USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour:
1. Mullins Race Engines, Mt. Olive, Ill. ... 469
2. Sput’s Racing Engines, Owatonna, Minn. ... 468
3. ASI Racing Engines, Lubbock, Texas ... 252
4. Pro Power Racing, Sullivan, Wis. ... 230
5. JR Motorsports, Ankeny, Iowa ... 181
6. AEM Race Engines, Waterloo, Iowa ... 152
7. Kevin Stoa Engineering, Albert Lea, Minn. ... 144
8. Performance Only Race Engines, Newkirk, Iowa ... 98
9. Clements Racing Engines, Spartanburg, S.C. ... 93
10. Action Engineering, Rochester, Minn. ... 85

USMTS Southern Series:
1. Mullins Race Engines, Mt. Olive, Ill. ... 118
2. ASI Racing Engines, Lubbock, Texas ... 92
3. Rowland Racing Engines, Cedar Hill, Texas ... 73
4. Sput’s Racing Engines, Owatonna, Minn. ... 65
5. CB Racing Engines, Houston, Texas ... 63
6. Hatfield Racing Engines, Joplin, Mo. ... 37
6. Shinook Racing Engines, Tahlequah, Okla. ... 37
8. Wall 2 Wall Performance Engines, Livingston, La. ... 35
9. Ora’s Engines, West Siloam Springs, Okla. ... 25
10. Wells Racing Engines, Duncanville, Texas ... 20

Between the two tours, 82 different engine builders scored points in the 2010 COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year competition, with three events still remaining for the USMTS Southern Series.

As they did during the past two campaigns, COMP Cams offers a three-pronged program which benefits both drivers and engine builders.

At season’s end, COMP Cams will dole out awards to the top five engine builders in the COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year standings. For the drivers, the top five in points at the conclusion of the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship will be recognized, along with the top three in each of the four USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour regions and the top three finishers in the USMTS Southern Series final standings.

What's more, COMP Cams is also a cash contributor to the points funds for both the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour and USMTS Southern Series.

For more than 34 years, the COMP Cams mission to produce the highest-performing products possible, provide customers with superior service and to lead the industry in technological development has never changed.

Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., COMP Cams employs the industry’s largest and most highly trained engineering staff, and the most sophisticated manufacturing processes and test equipment in the world. The integration of research, engineering and development at COMP Cams consistently proves itself by out-performing the competition.

Whether you’re looking for horsepower, reliability or gas mileage, COMP Cams has the products that will deliver. For more information about COMP Cams, call toll-free 800-999-0853 or visit them online at www.compcams.com.

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 and Twitter.

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USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Racewear, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, COMP Cams, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, Kevko Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, PBM Performance Products, RACEceiver.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Dirt Track Racing School, Dirthead.com, Farm Boy BBQ, Gressel Oil Field Service, Just Say Yes, Ramirez Race Cars, Olympic Fire Protection, Ruter Farms, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Ai-Racing Inc., Belleville Motorsports, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Hyperco, Isky Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Inc., Real Racing Wheels, SuperFlow, US Brake.