The O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series put the wraps on a memorable Memorial Day Weekend Monday with a visit to the Steele County Speedway, Owatonna, Minn., for the 4th Annual Memorial Day Shootout. Although it was the 19th occasion the rugged road warriors have tackled the big half-mile, Monday's event was the first since Memorial Day 2005, and produced the first win of the 2007 season for Zack VanderBeek.

With an average finish of 15th during the first three nights of the four-race stretch, the weekend was shaping up to be a forgettable one for VanderBeek. However, the 22-year-old from New Sharon, Iowa, shrugged it off and stepped it up to garner his first win of the season, and career-first at Owatonna by leading the final 25 of 30 laps in Monday night's Holley “A” Main.

Greg Skaggs snagged the lead from fellow Oklahoman and polesitter Jason Hughes at the start, then paced the first five laps before surrendering the lead to VanderBeek. The 2004 Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year never faltered and rode the high line to a $2,000 payday. Currently ranked second in national points, the win propelled “The Z-Man” from 12th to fifth in the Yeager Machine Northeast Region with four races in the books and five to go.

Hughes was closing on VanderBeek in the late stages of the feature race, but was unable to mount a serious challenge for the top spot and had to settle for the runner-up finish. Skaggs held on for third, followed by Corey Dripps in fourth and AFCO Pole Award winner Steve Wetzstein in fifth. Jason Krohn, Dean Mahlstedt, Tommy Myer, Ryan Gustin and Richie Gustin, Jr., completed the top-10 at the finish line.

A local favorite and six-time O’Reilly USMTS winner at the Steele County Fairgrounds, Myer garnered the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors for the second straight night as he raced from 24th on the starting grid to eighth at the checkered flag.

While running eighth in the main event, current points leader and eight-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock was involved in an on-track incident and was forced to tag the rear of the field. Showing the skill that earned him seven career wins at Owatonna, including the previous three, Shryock clawed his way back to a 13th-place finish — his first finish outside the top-5 in 13 National Events this season.

The next stop for the O’Reilly USMTS will be a Central Region tilt at the Iowa State Fair Speedway in Des Moines on Monday, June 4, for the long-awaited Stars of NASCAR vs. USMTS. The inaugural event at the half-mile oval will feature NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers Ken Schrader, Clint Bowyer and Kenny Wallace in action competing against the top dirt modified drivers in the nation.

To learn more about the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters office at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series
4th Annual Memorial Day Shootout
Steele County Speedway, Owatonna, Minn.
Monday, May 28, 2007

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in Home Pride Passing Points accumulated in the Heats are locked into the Holley “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT #1 (8 laps):
1. 90 - Steve Wetzstein -- West Concord, MN (7)
2. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (3)
3. 19g - Richie Gustin, Jr. -- Gilmar, IA (5)
4. 97 - Ron Schreiner -- Hudson, WI (2)
5. 72 - Doug Hillson -- Blooming Prairie, MN (6)
6. 21 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (1)
7. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (4) DNF
8. 8 - Mike Rumsey -- Brownsdale, MN (8) DNS

HEAT #2 (8 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (2)
2. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (1)
3. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (3)
4. 19r - Ryan Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (4)
5. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (8)
6. 17 - Garry Oskerson -- Fairmont, MN (5)
7. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (7)
8. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (6) DNF

HEAT #3 (8 laps):
1. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Bixby, OK (2)
2. 71 - Jason Cummins -- New Richland, MN (4)
3. 70 - Matt Sweeny -- Waukon, IA (1)
4. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (6)
5. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (7)
6. 02 - Jacob Dahle -- Morristown, MN (3)
7. 58 - Scott Vesely -- Mosinee, WI (5)
8. 02 - Tommy Weder, Jr. -- Woodward, OK (8) DNF

HEAT #4 (8 laps):
1. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (1)
2. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (5)
3. 50 - Brad Bakken -- Garner, IA (2)
4. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (7)
5. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (4)
6. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (3)
7. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (8)
8. 55 - Brian Shaw -- Brownsdale, MN (6)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 19r - Ryan Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (3)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (2)
3. 21 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (5)
4. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (7)
5. 50 - Brad Bakken -- Garner, IA (1)
6. 72 - Doug Hillson -- Blooming Prairie, MN (4)
7. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (8)
8. 02 - Jacob Dahle -- Morristown, MN (6) DNF
9. 8 - Mike Rumsey -- Brownsdale, MN (9) DNS
10. 02 - Tommy Weder, Jr. -- Woodward, OK (10) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 97 - Ron Schreiner -- Hudson, WI (2)
2. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (1)
3. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (4)
4. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (3)
5. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (7)
6. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (6)
7. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (9)
8. 17 - Garry Oskerson -- Fairmont, MN (5)
9. 58 - Scott Vesely -- Mosinee, WI (8)
10. 55 - Brian Shaw -- Brownsdale, MN (10) DNF

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (4)
2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (1)
3. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Bixby, OK (2)
4. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (8)
5. 90 - Steve Wetzstein -- W. Concord, MN (6)
6. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (7)
7. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (10)
8. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (24)
9. 19r - Ryan Gustin -- Marshalltown, IA (13)
10. 19g - Richie Gustin, Jr. -- Gilmar, IA (9)
11. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (18)
12. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (19)
13. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (11)
14. 21 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (17)
15. 18s - Brent Bohmont -- Martell, NE (20)
16. 97 - Ron Schreiner -- Hudson, WI (14)
17. 50 - Brad Bakken -- Garner, IA (21)
18. 55 - Alan Mondus -- Lakeville, MN (23)
19. 70 - Matt Sweeny -- Waukon, IA (12)
20. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (16)
21. 71 - Jason Cummins -- New Richland, MN (5) DNF
22. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (15) DNF
23. 7ii - Mike Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (22) DNF
24. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (3) DNF

AMSOIL Lap Leaders: Skaggs 1-5, VanderBeek 6-30.
Total Laps Led: VanderBeek 25, Skaggs 5.
AFCO Pole Award: Wetzstein.
Provisional Starters: Mondus (regional), Myer (national).
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: Myer (started 24th, finished 8th).
Next Race: Monday, June 4, Iowa State Fair Speedway, Des Moines, Iowa.
O’Reilly National Points: Shryock 1302, VanderBeek 1007, A. Hejna 800, Holzkamper 794, Hughes 740, Skaggs 710, Poidinger 655, Jay Noteboom 651, Weder 640, Cale Sponsler 557.
Yeager Machine Northeast Region Points: Shryock 374, Skaggs 346, Holzkamper 328, Hughes 324, VanderBeek 304, Brown 300, Myer 288, Dripps 283, Tesch 279, Neal 279.
Home Pride Passing Points (National): Shryock 87, Hughes 42, VanderBeek 40½, A. Hejna 34½, Scott Green 33.
Home Pride Passing Points (Yeager Machine Northeast Region): Shryock 27, Hughes 18, Holzkamper 16½, Dripps 16½, Waits 15.
Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Points: Jay Noteboom 187, Cale Sponsler 158, Ryan Gustin 140, Scott Green 109, Richie Gustin 109.
Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 129, Hughes 92, TRE 58, Razor 47, Kraft 47.

Contingency Awards:
Belleville Motorsports – not awarded.
Boyer’s Engine Development – VanderBeek.
GRT Race Cars – not awarded.
Hawk Performance – Myer.
Isky Racing Cams – Wetzstein.
Kevko Oil Pans & Components – Wetzstein, Shryock.
KSE Racing Products –  Hughes, Dripps.
Marsh Racing Wheels – not awarded.
Nitroquest Web Solutions - Skaggs.
Quarter Master – VanderBeek, Ryan Gustin.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Mahlstedt.
Real Racing Wheels – Ryan Gustin.