Myer back in O’Reilly USMTS victory lane at I-80 Speedway
<B>GREENWOOD, Neb. --</B> Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie, Minn., was the class of the field at the I-80 Speedway @ Nebraska Raceway Park as the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series made the second and final trip to the Cornhusker State on Tuesday.
With a dominating seventh-to-first run in the first heat race of the evening, Myer scored the most Home Pride Passing Points among the season-high 57 entries, then smoked the field in the main event as he led the last 29 of 35 laps and held off a late-race charge by O’Reilly USMTS points leader Kelly Shryock.
Jon Thompson of Superior, Neb., sat on the pole for the start of the Holley "A" Main with Ryan Ruter of Kanawha, Iowa, on the outside of the front row. Ruter out-dragged Thompson down the backstretch to lead the first lap as Myer slipped around the outside of Thompson at the flagstand to take second place after a caution flag on lap 1 for debris on the racing surface.
Over the next five laps, Ruter and Myer ran nose to tail as they distanced themselves from the rest of the field. Powering through turn 3, Ruter jumped the cushion and gave Myer the opening he needed to blast into the lead. From there, Myer and Ruter made it a two-man race while the rest of the pack battled for the remaining spots. Myer maintained an eight-car-length lead, then extended his advantage to half a straightaway as the leaders maneuvered through heavy lapped traffic on the multi-grooved 4/10-mile oval.
While the two leaders had checked out, a torrid three-way battle continued throughout the race between Shryock, Brad McEwan of Storm Lake, Iowa, and Jason Hughes of Colcord, Okla. Shryock secured third place on lap 19.
With six laps to go, eighth-running Jay Noteboom of Orange City, Iowa, spun in turn 4 to bring out a caution flag and revive thoughts of victory for the rest of the field. With Myer pacing the restart, Ruter chose the outside lane with Shryock to his inside. Shryock powered past Ruter in the first turn and set his sights on Myer. However, Bruce Hanford of Davenport, Iowa, lost a motor in turn 2 to force another yellow flag and another restart.
This time, Ruter chose the inside line with Shryock restarting on the high side. Nonetheless, the six-time O’Reilly USMTS champ again put Ruter back to third and looked to challenge Myer for the win. Ducking his nose underneath Myer on a couple of occasions, Shryock was unable to make the pass and Myer sped away over the final three laps to score a $2,000 victory and his first O’Reilly USMTS win of the season.
"I don't feel a thing right now," exclaimed Myer in victory lane, referring to a bruised pelvis he suffered in a crash just 10 days earlier at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. "Actually, it feels much better in the car. You get that adrenaline going and you really don't feel it.
Despite showing no ill-effects on the racetrack, Myer still needed a step-stool and a crewman's assistance to exit his Modified after the win.
"Man, the way our season has been going, we really needed this one."
Shryock settled for the runner-up finish, but was all smiles as he congratulated his long-time O’Reilly USMTS adversary after the race. Ruter, who finished second ahead of Shryock on Monday night at the Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa, held on for a third-place paycheck.
Hughes got around McEwan with two laps to go to finish fourth. Sixth through 10th went to Willy Kraft of Lakefield, Minn.; Dustin Boney of De Soto, Kan.; Thompson; Corey Dripps of Waterloo, Iowa; and Justin Cooper of Prescott, Iowa. Thompson fared the best in a good showing by the local contingent with an eighth-place finish.
The Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger Award went to Tony Gregg of Hastings, Neb., who started 22nd and finished 13th.
The "Best of the Best" load 'em up and head back into the Hawkeye State and the quarter-mile bullring at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa, on Thursday night, June 9. The Pro-Environmental/Holley 40 will be race #18 of the 2005 O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series, as well as race #8 of Pro-Line Buildings Swing #2.
Another huge field of cars is expected for the event in Vinton, Iowa, including O’Reilly National Drivers Kelly Shryock, Jason Hughes, Brad McEwan, Mike Sorensen, Corey Dripps, Jon Tesch, Tommy Myer, Zack VanderBeek, Ryan Ruter, Al Hejna, Mike Wedelstadt, Julie McDermid, Bruce Hanford, Jason Krohn, Roger Hadan, Mike Hejna, Gary Clark, Alan Mondus, Brad Bakken, Scott Drake, Dean Mahlstedt, Steve Holzkamper, Greg Metz, Steve Wetzstein, Jake Neal, Lynn Nillson, Willy Kraft, Jesse Frericks, Brandon Morton, Dustin Boney, Jeremy Payne, Gary March, Jay Poidinger, Brian Mullen, Bub Lerette, Bob Timm, Jeremy Keller, Ray Guss Jr., Neil Eckhart, Justin Cooper, Jodi Olson, Nate Wasmund, Jordy Nelson, Jeff Schluetter, Tommy Weder Jr., Jeff James, Matt Gilbertson, Dan Fetters, Matt McDermid, Mike Chasteen, Johnny Bone Jr., Tim Vogt, Danny Concelman, Mike Bennett, Darin Duffy, Scott Mullen, David Murray, Dan Daniels, Brad Waits, Danny McKeighan, Sean Jerovetz, Ryan Meyer, Steve Stewart, John Vandenberg, Joe McBirnie, Mark Dotson, Mark Burgtorf, Tony Fraise, Kevin Stoa and Brent Bohmont.
A lightning-fast field of 24 cars will start the Holley "A" Main, with a $2,000 top prize on the line for the winner! Also on the racing card will be B-Mods and Hobby Stocks.
South edge of Vinton on C Ave. to 21st, then east to 2nd Ave. (at the Benton County Fairgrounds). Pits open at 4 p.m. and grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. with hot laps at 7:00 and racing set to begin at 7:30. Adult general admission tickets are just $12, kids (ages 6-12) are $3 and children under 6 are admitted FREE. Pit passes are $25.
For more information, call 515-832-7944 or log on to www.USMTS.com for all the latest news and information from the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series.
<B>OFFICIAL RESULTS
O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series
Pro-Line Buildings/O’Reilly Auto Parts 35
I-80 Speedway @ Nebraska Raceway Park, Greenwood, Neb.
Tuesday, June 7, 2005</B>
Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses.
The top 13 drivers in Home Pride Passing Points accumulated in the heat races will be locked into the Holley "A" Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for their starting positions.
<B>HEAT #1 (8 laps):</B>
1. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, Minn. (7)
2. 21h - Brandon Hagan -- Culbertson, Neb. (1)
3. 4j - Jordy Nelson -- Marysville, Kan. (2)
4. 15jj - Lonn Schlueter -- Anita, Iowa (6)
5. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, Mo. (5)
6. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, Neb. (8)
7. 16 - Reese Coffee -- Hinton, Iowa (9)
8. 99n - Nathan Lundgren -- Lincoln, Neb. (10)
9. 89 - Jerry Warner -- LaVista, Neb. (3) DNF
10. 17 - Jeremy Tibben -- Stanton, Iowa (4) DNF
<B>HEAT #2 (8 laps):</B>
1. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, Iowa (2)
2. 75 - Jon Thompson -- Superior, Neb. (7)
3. 11k - Jeremy Keller -- Bismark, N.D. (3)
4. 61 - Bruce Hanford -- Davenport, Iowa (6)
5. 1k - Joe Kosiski -- Omaha, Neb. (1)
6. 12x - Trent Jackson -- Corning, Iowa (9)
7. 6f - Brant Fastnacht -- Grand Island, Neb. (5)
8. 64 - Russell Stewart -- Mount Ayr, Iowa (4)
9. 17p - Tim Plowman -- Woodbine, Iowa (10)
10. 8 - Larry Goertz -- Omaha, Neb. (8) DNF
<B>HEAT #3 (8 laps):</B>
1. 12n - Jay Noteboom -- Orange City, Iowa (6)
2. 9G - Rick Gustin -- Marshalltown, Iowa (7)
3. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, Okla. (10)
4. 27 - Clint Homan -- Bellevue, Neb. (1)
5. 3L - Bub Lerette -- Council Bluffs, Iowa (2)
6. 71m - Eric McMillan -- Home, Kan. (4)
7. 72 - Mike Lineberry -- Fontanelle, Neb. (3)
8. 47 - Ed Griggs -- Pleasant Hill, Mo. (8)
9. 69x - Bill Bader II -- Omaha, Neb. (5)
10. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, Neb. (9) DNF
<B>HEAT #4 (8 laps):</B>
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, Iowa (6)
2. 4 - Roger Hadan -- Omaha, Neb. (2)
3. 20 - Dustin Boney -- De Soto, Kan. (5)
4. 10c - Justin Cooper -- Prescott, Iowa (7)
5. 5 - Chris Hogan -- Lenox, Iowa (9)
6. 2m - Mike Meyer -- Greenwood, Neb. (1)
7. 99 - Martin Bennett -- Ankeny, Iowa (8)
8. 3x - Mike Johnson -- Council Bluffs, Iowa (4)
9. 95 - Buzz Wilson -- Plattsmouth, Neb. (3) DNF
<B>HEAT #5 (8 laps):</B>
1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, Iowa (2)
2. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, Iowa (6)
3. 25 - Ricky Stephan -- South Sioux City, Neb. (4)
4. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, Iowa (7)
5. 1m - Robert Brinkman -- LaVista, Neb. (3)
6. 69 - Tony Gregg -- Hastings, Neb. (9)
7. 96 - Johnny Saathoff -- Beatrice, Neb. (8) DNF
8. 33d - Don Densberger -- Malcolm, Neb. (1)
9. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, Iowa (5)
<B>HEAT #6 (8 laps):</B>
1. 83 - Willy Kraft -- Lakefield, Minn. (1)
2. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, Neb. (2)
3. 29 - Greg Metz -- Washington, Kan. (5)
4. 3rw - Ronnie Wallace -- North Platte, Neb. (9)
5. 94h - Don Hagan -- Culbertson, Neb. (6)
6. 71 - Jeff James -- Stanton, Iowa (3)
7. 52s - Jeremiah Sillman -- Murdock, Neb. (8)
8. 4f - Tom Flegg -- Omaha, Neb. (7)
9. 2j - Rusty Jerman -- Valley, Neb. (4) DNF
<B>"B" MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 3 advance):</B>
1. 61 - Bruce Hanford -- Davenport, Iowa (4)
2. 3rw - Ronnie Wallace -- North Platte, Neb. (1)
3. 2m - Mike Meyer -- Greenwood, Neb. (8)
4. 25 - Ricky Stephan -- South Sioux City, Neb. (2)
5. 1m - Robert Brinkman -- LaVista, Neb. (7)
6. 99 - Martin Bennett -- Ankeny, Iowa (9)
7. 64 - Russell Stewart -- Mount Ayr, Iowa (11)
8. 85D - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, Mo. (6)
9. 94h - Don Hagan -- Culbertson, Neb. (5)
10. 6f - Brant Fastnacht -- Grand Island, Neb. (10)
11. 8 - Larry Goertz -- Omaha, Neb. (15)DNF
12. 33d - Don Densberger -- Malcolm, Neb. (12) DNF
13. 4j - Jordy Nelson -- Marysville, Kan. (3) DNF
14. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, Iowa (14) DNF
15. 89 - Jerry Warner -- LaVista, Neb. (13) DNS
<B>"B" MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 3 advance):</B>
1. 20 - Dustin Boney -- De Soto, Kan. (1)
2. 10c - Justin Cooper -- Prescott, Iowa (2)
3. 12x - Trent Jackson -- Corning, Iowa (5)
4. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, Neb. (15)
5. 5 - Chris Hogan -- Lenox, Iowa (4)
6. 11k - Jeremy Keller -- Bismark, N.D. (3)
7. 96 - Johnny Saathoff -- Beatrice, Neb. (9)
8. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, Neb. (7)
9. 47 - Ed Griggs -- Pleasant Hill, Mo. (11)
10. 4f - Tom Flegg -- Omaha, Neb. (12)
11. 69x - Bill Bader II -- Omaha, Neb. (13)
12. 71 - Jeff James -- Stanton, Iowa (8)
13. 72 - Mike Lineberry -- Fontanelle, Neb. (10) DNF
14. 1k - Joe Kosiski -- Omaha, Neb. (6) DNF
15. 2j - Rusty Jerman -- Valley, Neb. (14) DNF
<B>"B" MAIN #3 (10 laps, top 3 advance):</B>
1. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, Iowa (2)
2. 29 - Greg Metz -- Washington, Kan. (1)
3. 69 - Tony Gregg -- Hastings, Neb. (5)
4. 17 - Jeremy Tibben -- Stanton, Iowa (14)
5. 27 - Clint Homan -- Bellevue, Neb. (4)
6. 16 - Reese Coffee -- Hinton, Iowa (8)
7. 15jj - Lonn Schlueter -- Anita, Iowa (3)
8. 99n - Nathan Lundgren -- Lincoln, Neb. (10)
9. 52s - Jeremiah Sillman -- Murdock, Neb. (9)
10. 17p - Tim Plowman -- Woodbine, Iowa (12)
11. 3L - Bub Lerette -- Council Bluffs, Iowa (6) DNF
12. 3x - Mike Johnson -- Council Bluffs, Iowa (11) DNF
13. 71m - Eric McMillan -- Home, Kan. (7) DNF
14. 95 - Buzz Wilson -- Plattsmouth, Neb. (13) DNS
<B>HOLLEY "A" MAIN (35 laps):</B>
1. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, Minn. (3)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, Iowa (7)
3. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, Iowa (2)
4. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, Okla. (8)
5. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, Iowa (4)
6. 83 - Willy Kraft -- Lakefield, Minn. (10)
7. 20 - Dustin Boney -- De Soto, Kan. (15)
8. 75 - Jon Thompson -- Superior, Neb. (1)
9. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, Iowa (16)
10. 10c - Justin Cooper -- Prescott, Iowa (18)
11. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, Iowa (9)
12. 3rw - Ronnie Wallace -- North Platte, Neb. (17)
13. 69 - Tony Gregg -- Hastings, Neb. (22)
14. 12n - Jay Noteboom -- Orange City, Iowa (5)
15. 2m - Mike Meyer -- Greenwood, Neb. (20)
16. 12x - Trent Jackson -- Corning, Iowa (21)
17. 21h - Brandon Hagan -- Culbertson, Neb. (11)
18. 29 - Greg Metz -- Washington, Kan. (19)
19. 61 - Bruce Hanford -- Davenport, Iowa (14) DNF
20. 4 - Roger Hadan -- Omaha, Neb. (12) DNF
21. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, Neb. (13) DNF
22. 11k - Jeremy Keller -- Bismark, N.D. (24) DNF
23. 9g - Rick Gustin -- Marshalltown, Iowa (6) DNF
24. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, Iowa (23) DNF
Lap Leaders: Ruter 1-6, Myer 7-35.
Provisional Starters: A. Hejna, Keller.
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: Gregg (started 22nd, finished 13th).
Next Race: June 9, Benton County Speedway, Vinton, Iowa.
Pro-Line Buildings/O’Reilly Auto Parts 35 Contingency Awards:
Edelbrock - Myer, Shryock.
TCI Automotive - Ruter, Kraft.
ISKY Racing Cams - Ruter.
KEVKO Oil Pans & Components - Hughes.
GRT Race Cars - McEwan.
QuickTime Performance Race Parts - Boney.
KSE Racing Products - Thompson.
AERO Race Wheels - Jackson.