It was a great night and a horrible night for Skyrocket Nation Wednesday as the O’Reilly USMTS made its first-ever visit to the Echo Valley Speedway. While Jason Krohn wheeled his Skyrocket Chassis into victory lane, his car builder, Kelly Shryock suffered mechanical problems in the main event and took a huge hit in his bid for an unprecedented ninth straight O’Reilly USMTS National Championship. …

The O’Reilly USMTS invaded the Farley Speedway Tuesday for the fifth race in The Hunt for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship, with three drivers making big strides in the ever-tightening points battle. With 35 of the best Modified drivers in the region signed in, and a little rain the night before to put some moisture in the racing surface, the “Palace of Speed” certainly lived up to its name. …

The mega-list of early entries for the 9th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree has grown to more than 100, with the who’s who of Modified racing from the United States and Canada already pre-registered for the unprecedented Sept. 5-8 event at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. …

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series veteran Ken Schrader will make two stops this week with the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series in the Hawkeye State. Schrader will compete Tuesday night at the Farley Speedway, then again on Wednesday at the Echo Valley Speedway in West Union. At both shows, Schrader will be signing autographs for the fans, then strapping into his own Modified to take on the best the division has to offer. …

Jason Hughes made it two-in-a-row Sunday night with another wire-to-wire win to secure his place atop The Hunt for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship. The win — his sixth overall and third in the last five races — was worth $2,000 as he stretched his lead in ‘The Hunt’ to 18 over eight-time defending O’Reilly USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock. …

On July 26 at the Batesville Speedway, Jason Hughes kicked off a four-race swing for the USMTS Southern Series with a DNF and an 18th-place paycheck. In the 16 days and 13 starts since then, he’s been a model of consistency with a seventh-place finish, an eighth and 11 top-5 finishes. During that stretch, he’s chalked up four wins — including a big one Saturday night at the Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, Mo. …

Race No. 2 in The Hunt for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship found the rugged road warriors of the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series at the Bolivar Speedway USA in Bolivar, Mo. Friday night's event was the seventh time the Series had visited the fast 3/8-mile high-banked oval in Southern Missouri, and for the seventh time a new face graced victory lane. …

Everybody stepped up their game Thursday as the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series kicked off the The Hunt for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship at the Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan. Jon Tesch stepped it up more than anybody. …

The Hunt for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship begins Thursday, Aug. 9, at the Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan. — the first of 16 events in 32 days, culminating with the crowning of the 2007 O’Reilly USMTS National Champion at the 9th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Sept. 6-8. With an elite field of 27 drivers from 11 different States, this year's title battle promises to be the most thrilling and competitive ever. …

Jamie Burford of Keatchie, La., is one of 27 racers eligible for ‘The Hunt’ this year after his ninth-place showing to-date in the new USMTS Southern Series. …