<B>LEBANON, Mo. --</B> Round 2 of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Missouri Nationals at the Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 10, turned out to be taxing on the pocketbooks of several of the top contenders in the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series. The safest place to be was out front, and that's where Al Hejna stayed from start to finish.

Hejna drew the third starting spot for the 35-lap main event, but the Clear Lake, Iowa, ace wasted no time as he shot to the inside of polesitter Tommy Myer as the field entered turn 1. From that point on, all of the action happened behind Hejna as he powered to his sixth win of the season and a $2,000 payday in the Budweiser/Rokkie's Rockin Sports Bar no. 7 Skyrocket Modified.

The only serious accident of the night came on lap 3 of the Holley "A" main. As the tightly-bunched field raced past the flagstand, the steering broke on Steve Holzkamper's TRE Modified, sending him into the front stretch wall. With no time to react, Canadian sensation Steve Arpin collected Holzkamper's machine while the rest of the field split into different directions trying to avoid the mishap.

Dan Daniels was unable to get around the two cars and grazed the left rear of Arpin's car, sending Arpin's Modified into a spin. A split second later, current O’Reilly USMTS points leader and six-time defending champion Kelly Shryock plowed into the driver's side of Arpin's car at full speed. Emergency crews spent several minutes extracting Arpin from his destroyed machine before transporting him to St. John's Medical Center in Lebanon.

Arpin was later released from the hospital with a sore back, while the other drivers were unhurt. None of the four cars were able to continue in the race.

Over the next 32 laps, Hejna continued his flawless drive to the checkers while Dean Mahlstedt of Garner, Iowa, gave chase. With 10 laps to go, lapped traffic slowed Hejna's pace and allowed Mahlstedt to close in on his bumper. Exiting turn 4, Hejna went to the high side of Tammy Small's lapped car while Mahlstedt went to the bottom. Moving down to give Hejna room, Small's car made contact with Mahlstedt's machine, nearly sending Mahlstedt into a spin.

Mahlstedt was able to recover, however, and hung on for a runner-up finish to pad his points lead in the 10-race season-ending AFCO Challenge.

Late in the race while running third, Jason Hughes of Colcord, Okla., pulled to the infield with motor troubles. Fourth-running Myer assumed the third spot for three laps before suffering the same fate as Hughes.

Chad Kinder of Newton, Ill., who won the main event on May 14 when the O’Reilly USMTS visited, inherited third place upon Myer's departure, and held the spot to the finish.

Storm Lake, Iowa's Brad McEwan, who used a provisional to get into the main event, finished fourth after starting in the 23rd spot, earning him the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors.

Current Lebanon I-44 Speedway points leader Jeff Cutshaw of Cross Timbers, Mo., completed the top-5 finishers.

The O’Reilly USMTS travels to the Monett Speedway on Sunday for Rounds 3 of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Missouri Nationals.

For more information, call the USMTS headquarters at 515-297-3870, or visit www.USMTS.com online.

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<B>O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series

O’Reilly Auto Parts Missouri Nationals - Round 2

Lebanon I-44 Speedway, Lebanon, Mo.

Saturday, September 10, 2005</B>

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses.

The top 12 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. 22s - Chad Kinder -- Newton, IL (1)

2. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (2)

3. 12w - Wade Bates -- West Fork, AR (3)

4. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (5)

5. 00 - Steve Arpin -- Ft. Frances, ON, Canada (6)

6. m21 - Steven Martin -- Willard, MO (4)

7. L75 - Scott Allen -- Urbana, MO (7)

8. 7x - Rick Wallis -- Springdale, AR (8)

<B>HEAT #2 (8 laps):</B>

1. 98 - Jeff Cutshaw -- Cross Timbers, MO (1)

2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (6)

3. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, IA (5)

4. 26L - Patrick Linn -- Little Rock, AR (3)

5. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (4)

6. 3D - Dan Daniels -- Humboldt, KS (2)

7. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (7) DNF

<B>HEAT #3 (8 laps):</B>

1. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (2)

2. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (3)

3. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Garner, IA (5)

4. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (1)

5. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (4)

6. 118 - Terry Beckham Jr. -- Webb City, MO (7)

7. 85 - Matt Dotson -- Sturgeon, MO (6)

<B>HEAT #4 (8 laps):</B>

1. 00z - Steve Picou -- High Ridge, MO (2)

2. 25 - Scott Roberts -- Columbia, MO (1)

3. 6 - Jim Small -- Rogers, AR (6)

4. 19 - Mike Striegel -- Reeds Spring, MO (3)

5. 31s - Kent Schoeck -- Highland, IL (5)

6. b29 - Tammy Small -- Pea Ridge, AR (7)

7. 22h - J.P. Hassett -- Ft. Smith, AR (4)

<B>"B" MAIN (10 laps, top 5 advance):</B>

1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (2)

2. 118 - Terry Beckham Jr. -- Webb City, MO (5)

3. 00 - Steve Arpin -- Fort Frances, ON, Canada (3)

4. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (4)

5. m21 - Steven Martin -- Willard, MO (6)

6. 7x - Rick Wallis -- Springdale, AR (9)

7. L75 - Scott Allen -- Urbana, MO (7)

8. 85 - Matt Dotson -- Sturgeon, MO (8)

9. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (1) DNF

<B>"B" MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):</B>

1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (3)

2. 26L - Patrick Linn -- Little Rock, AR (1)

3. b29 - Tammy Small -- Pea Ridge, AR (5)

4. 19 - Mike Striegel -- Reeds Spring, MO (2)

5. 3D - Dan Daniels -- Humboldt, KS (6)

6. 22hH - J.P. Hassett -- Ft. Smith, AR (8) DNF

7. 31s - Kent Schoeck -- Highland, IL (4) DNF

8. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (7) DNS

<B>HOLLEY "A" MAIN (35 laps):</B>

1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (3)

2. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Garner, IA (11)

3. 22s - Chad Kinder -- Newton, IL (8)

4. 26 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (23)

5. 98 - Jeff Cutshaw -- Cross Timbers, MO (7)

6. m21 - Steven Martin -- Willard, MO (21)

7. 26L - Patrick Linn -- Little Rock, AR (16)

8. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (14)

9. 19 - Mike Striegel -- Reeds Spring, MO (20)

10. 6 - Jim Small -- Rogers, AR (5)

11. 12w - Wade Bates -- West Fork, AR (12)

12. b29 - Tammy Small -- Pea Ridge, AR (18)

13. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (1) DNF

14. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (4) DNF

15. 118 - Terry Beckham Jr. -- Webb City, MO (15) DNF

16. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (6) DNF

17. 25 - Scott Roberts -- Columbia, MO (9) DNF

18. 00z - Steve Picou -- High Ridge, MO (2) DNF

19. 00 - Steve Arpin -- Ft. Frances, ON, Canada (17) DNF

20. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (13) DNF

21. 3D - Dan Daniels -- Humboldt, KS (22) DNF

22. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (19) DNF

23. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, IA (10) DNS

Lap Leaders: Hejna 1-35.

Provisional Starter: McEwan.

Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: McEwan (started 23rd, finished 4th).

Next Race: Sept. 11, Monett Speedway, Monett, Mo.