<B>LOCUST GROVE, Ark. --</B> Seven-time defending O'Reilly USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock claimed the pole position for Saturday’s Modified Madness feature event at Batewvcille Speedway worth $15,000 to the winner. Shryock drove away from the field in the 25-lap Qualifying Feature Wednesday night to secure the first starting position.

Chris Moore was the pole sitter for the nightly feature and moved to the lead as the green appeared. A caution for debris on the first lap resulted in about half the field piling up in turn one before a full lap was completed. Many drivers suffered damage to their cars, and Jack Sullivan and Randy Zimmerman were two of the drivers that were out of the race as a result.

Moore moved to the lead again, but Richie Tosh slowed the field after one lap was in the books as he pulled up on the backstretch. Moore lead Chad Mallett and Shryock as the field took the green again. Shryock valted past Mallett into second as Mallet faded out of the top five.

Ryan Ruter joined the top five on the fifth circuit. Moore and Shryock had pulled away from the pack by lap 10. Debris on the backstretch slowed the race once again on lap 12.

As the race restarted, Moore and Shryock raced side by side for the lead on lap 14. Shryock got past Moore on lap 16, then drove away from Moore going 10 carlenghts ahead by lap 18. Randy Timms moved past Moore on lap 20 for second.

Ruter crossed the start finish in fourth, but was disqualified at the scales after the race for being light.

Shryock, Timms, Moore, Michael Murphree and Shawn Walsh were the top five qualifiers. Wendell Wallace, Kevin Salter, Curt Barnett and Brad Waits rounded out the top nine in qualifying for Saturday’s main event.

The O'Reilly USMTS will visit the Batesville Speedway on Friday and Saturday, July 28-29.

<B><FONT size="4">RESULTS</FONT></B>

<B>O'Reilly USMTS drivers in BOLD</B>

1ST HEAT (10 laps): 1) Chris Moore, Nesbitt MS <B>2) Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon IA</B> 3) Michael Robertson, Minden LA 4) Michael Murphree, Little Rock AR 5) Jonathan Russell, Jonesboro AR 6) Judas Bowling, Versailles IN 7) Kevin Peel, Chipley FL 8) Mikey Bell, Batesville AR 9) Jason Sullivan, Regan TN 10) Dusty Johnston, Flippin AR 11) Brandon Smith, Floral AR.

2ND HEAT (10 laps): <B>1) Brad Waits, Zumbrota MN</B> 2) Kevin Salter, Batesville AR 3) Terry Belcher, Phoenix AZ 4) Jeremy Russell, Russellville AR 5) Greg Waugh, Batesville AR 6) Michael Richardson, Red Oak TX 7) Jeff Needham, Ennis TX 8) Jeff Howell, Memphis TN 9) Brandon Melton, Longview TX <B>10) Brad McEwan, Storm Lake IA</B>.

3RD HEAT (10 laps): 1) Chad Mallett, Mablevale AR 2) Paul White, Temple TX 3) Wayne Brooks, Bald Knob AR 4) Dustin Jenks, Chico CA <B>5) Jon Tesch, Watertown SD</B> 6) Bud Longpine, Drummond OK <B>7) Steve Arpin, Fort Francis ON</B> 8) Rusty Jeffrey, Batesville AR.

4TH HEAT (10 laps): 1) Richie Tosh, Salado AR 2) Nicholas Littlejohn, Everman TN 3) Terry Phillips, Springfield MO 4) Chad Kinder, Newton IL 5) Jeff Greene, Paragould AR 6) Bobby Malchus, Red Oak TX 7) Jared Landers, Benton AR 8) Mike Bowers, North Little Rock AR 9) Robbie McClain, Hot Springs AR 10) Jamie Borford, Ileachie LA 11) David Horner, Houston TX.

5TH HEAT (10 laps): 1) Shawn Walsh, Ash Flat AR <B>2) Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie MN</B> 3) Robbie Arnold, Paragould AR 4) Cameron West, Mansfield TX 5) Adam Pratt, Hoxie AR 6) Brian Boram, Orange TX 7) Ben Reed, Atoka TN 8) Jeremy Payne, Cave City AR 9) George White, Ft. Worth TX <B>10) Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie MN</B>.

6TH HEAT (10 laps): 1) Jack Sullivan, Greenbriar AR 2) Billy Melton, Longview TX 3) Kevin Rowland, Hurst TX 4) Ronnie Jeffrey, Locust Grove AR 5) Chase Allen, Midlothian TX 6) Jeff Wells Jr., Truman AR 7) Curt Smith, Alligator MS 8) Edward Sugg, Grand Prairie TX 9) Peyton Taylor, Desha AR 10) Randy Weaver, Beebe AR.

7TH HEAT (10 laps): <B>1) Ryan Ruter, Forest City IA 2) Corey Dripps, Waterloo IA</B> 3) Royal Jones, Las Cruces NM 4) Ron Grundel, Madison MS 5) Mark Myer, Clovis NM <B>6) John Schwab, Liberal KS</B> 7) James Emerson, Pleasant Plains AR 8) John Whittington, Vidor TX 9) Raymond Merrill, Sallisaw OK 10) Max Thomas, Quinlian TX.

8TH HEAT (10 laps): <B>1) Randy Timms, Wheatland OK 2) Randy Zimmerman, Fort Scott KS</B> 3) Curt Barnett, El Paso TX <B>4) Patrick Linn, Little Rock AR</B> 5) David Murray, Oberlin KS 6) Corey Neal, Beaumont TX 7) Phil Dixon, Crosby TX 8) Ricky Arms, Moss TN <B>9) Jason Hughes, Colcord OK</B> 10) Brandt Barksdale, Jonesboro AR.

9TH HEAT (10 laps): <B>1) Kelly Shryock, Fertlile IA</B> 2) Kyle Pleasant, Robeline LA 3) Wendell Wallace, Batesville AR 4) Brandon Ball, West Plains MO 5) Brian Sugg, Grand Prairie TX 6) Bill Frye, Greenbriar AR 7) David Winslett, Bossier City LA 8) Tracy Cleamons, Quitman AR 9) Tommy Burnside, Kansas IL 10) Donnie Barnhart, North Little Rock AR.

10TH HEAT (10 laps): 1) Sean Jones, Cedar Hill TX 2) Chuck McGinty, Conway AR 3) Johnny Virden, Russellville AR 4) Troy Godwin, Mesquite TX 5) B.J. Robinson, Blanchard LA 6) Ronny Yielding, White Oak TX 7) Heath Davenport, Yellville AR 8) Jamie Hard, Bartlett TN 9) Neil Nesler, Cardiz KY.

"B" FEATURE (15 laps, 10 transfer): 1) Terry Phillips 2) Michael Robertson 3) Wayne Brooks 4) Michael Murphree 5) Terry Belcher 6) Wendell Wallace 7) Robby Arnold 8) Curt Barnett 9) Mike Bowers 10) Royal Jones 11) B.J. Robinson 12) Adam Pratt 13) Johnny Virden 14) Kevin Rowland 15) David Winslett <B>16) John Schwab</B> 17) Jeff Needham 18) Jeff Wells Jr.

"A" FEATURE (25 laps, top 9 transfer): <B>1) Kelly Shryock 2) Randy Timms</B> 3) Chris Moore 4) Michael Murphree 5) Shawn Walsh 6) Wendell Wallace 7) Kevin Salter 8) Curt Barnett <B>9) Brad Waits 10) Mark Noble</B> 11) Wayne Brooks 12) Billy Melton 13) Paul White 14) Michael Robertson 15) Robby Arnold 16) Richie Tosh 17) Chad Mallett 18) Terry Belcher 19) Chuck McGinty 20) Terry Phillips 21) Royal Jones <B>22) Zack VanderBeek</B> 23) Mike Bowers 24) Kyle Pleasant 25) Nicholas Littlejohn 26) Jack Sullivan <B>27) Randy Zimmerman</B> 28) Sean Jones <B>29) Ryan Ruter</B>.