ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa — After finishing dead last in the main event Thursday night in front of his hometown fans in Watertown, S.D., Jon Tesch felt he had something to prove when the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series rolled into the Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Friday night.

With a dominating performance from the first lap of the night to the last, the 31-year-old proved he remains one of the best of the best, and a force to be reckoned with on America's Premier Modified Series. Tesch garnered the AFCO Pole Award by virtue of scoring the most Home Pride Passing Points with his win in Isky Racing Cams Heat #1, then proceeded to dominate the Holley "A" Main by leading the final 34 of 35 laps.

The win — his first since last September at the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minn. — was worth $2,000 and propelled the newlywed back into the top-10 in the O’Reilly USMTS national points standings. He currently sits fourth in the Western Region title chase.

Jason Hughes of Colcord, Okla., led the first lap of the nightcap, but had to settle for the runner-up paycheck and his fourth top-3 finish in the last four races. Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie, Minn., gave his lackluster campaign a much-needed boost with a season-high third-place finish ahead of his teammate, Corey Dripps of Waterloo, Iowa. Jason Krohn of Slayton, Minn., rounded out the top-5 finishers.

Myer's run to third from 15th on the 24-car starting grid earned him the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors.

Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, continued his roller coaster week with a second DNF in as many races. It was just his fifth finish outside the top-5 in 28 National Event starts. The eight-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champion won on Wednesday at the Huset's Speedway in Brandon, S.D., and finished second on Tuesday at the Park Jefferson (S.D.) Speedway.

Up next, the rugged road warriors of the O’Reilly USMTS trek to the Nobles County Speedway in Worthington, Minn., on Saturday for a $2,000-to-win event for the Yeager Machine Northeast Region. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., with hot laps at 7:00 and racing at 7:30. The Nobles County Speedway is a 1/4-mile semi-banked clay oval located off of I-90 at Exit 43, then 0.4 mile south on SR 59, then 0.4 mile west on Oxford St., then 0.2 mile north on McMullan (Pioneer Village). For raceday information, call (507) 360-3825 or visit www.noblescountyspeedway.net online.

O’Reilly USMTS teams will get a well-deserved three-week break after Saturday's event, returning to action on Monday, July 16, with a first-ever visit to the high banks of the Butler County Motorplex in Rising City, Neb.

O’REILLY USMTS POINTS STANDINGS:

Western Region:
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock, Fertile, IA … 731
2. 7 - Al Hejna, Clear Lake, IA … 660
3. 33z - Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, IA … 632
4. 14 - Jon Tesch, Watertown, SD … 612
5. 7k - Jason Krohn, Slayton, MN … 559
6. 12 - Jason Hughes, Colcord, OK … 557
7. 25 - Scott Green, Derby, KS … 510
8. 1f - Jason Friesen, Sutton, NE … 509
9. 49x - Jay Poidinger, Somerset, WI … 416
10. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, OK … 405

Yeager Machine Northeast Region:
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock, Fertile, IA … 466
2. 12 - Jason Hughes, Colcord, OK … 408
3. 5 - Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, AR … 402
4. 33z - Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, IA … 383
5. 14 - Jon Tesch, Watertown, SD … 350
6. 27 - Greg Skaggs, Bixby, OK … 346
7. 31 - Corey Dripps, Waterloo, IA … 336
8. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, OK … 318
9. 21 - Chris Brown, Cleveland, TX … 300
10. 65 - Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, MN … 288

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

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series
National Event - Western Region
Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa
Friday, June 22, 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. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (3)
2. 27 - Don Gerritsen Jr. -- Rock Rapids, IA (2)
3. 10 - Mike Steensma -- Luverne, MN (1)
4. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (6)
5. 27 - Randy Brands -- Boyden, IA (4)
6. 72 - Mike Lineberry -- Fontanelle, NE (5)
7. 7n - Jay Noteboom -- Hinton, IA (7) DNS

HEAT #2 (8 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (2)
2. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (1)
3. 98 - Josh Reisch -- Luverne, MN (7)
4. 48 - Bobby Moore -- Sioux City, IA (6)
5. 14R - Randy Rosenboom -- Rock Rapids, IA (4)
6. B80 - Jeff Berens -- Dakota Dunes, SD (3)
7. 21 - Larry Kracht -- Magnolia, MN (5) DNF

HEAT #3 (8 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (2)
2. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (1)
3. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (5)
4. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (6)
5. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (4)
6. m80 - Jim Mathieson -- Sioux City, IA (3)
7. 28x - Josh Klay -- Magnolia, MN (7) DNF

HEAT #4 (8 laps):
1. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (1)
2. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (6)
3. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (5)
4. 19K - Marlin Kracht -- Luverne, MN (3)
5. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (4)
6. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (2)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (2)
2. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (4)
3. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (1)
4. 7n - Jay Noteboom -- Hinton, IA (7)
5. 27 - Randy Brands -- Boyden, IA (3)
6. m80 - Jim Mathieson -- Sioux City, IA (6)
7. 72 - Mike Lineberry -- Fontanelle, NE (5)
8. 28x - Josh Klay -- Magnolia, MN (8)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 48 - Bobby Moore -- Sioux City, IA (1)
2. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (4)
3. 19K - Marlin Kracht -- Luverne, MN (2)
4. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (6)
5. 14R - Randy Rosenboom -- Rock Rapids, IA (3)
6. B80 - Jeff Berens -- Dakota Dunes, SD (5)
7. 21 - Larry Kracht -- Magnolia, MN (7)

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (3)
2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (2)
3. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (15)
4. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (8)
5. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (7)
6. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (5)
7. 7n - Jay Noteboom -- Hinton, IA (19)
8. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (11)
9. 98 - Josh Reisch -- Luverne, MN (1)
10. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (20)
11. 74 - Mark Noble -- Blooming Prairie, MN (10)
12. 48 - Bobby Moore -- Sioux City, IA (14)
13. 1f - Jason Friesen -- Sutton, NE (17)
14. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (16)
15. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (6)
16. m80 - Jim Mathieson -- Sioux City, IA (23)
17. 27 - Don Gerritsen Jr. -- Rock Rapids, IA (4)
18. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (9) DNF
19. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (13) DNF
20. 27 - Randy Brands -- Boyden, IA (21) DNF
21. 19K - Marlin Kracht -- Luverne, MN (18) DNF
22. 14R - Randy Rosenboom -- Rock Rapids, IA (22) DNF
23. 10 - Mike Steensma -- Luverne, MN (12) DNF
24. B80 - Jeff Berens -- Dakota Dunes, SD (24) DNF

AMSOIL Lap Leaders: Hughes 1, Tesch 2-35.
Total Laps Led: Tesch 34, Hughes 1.
AFCO Pole Award: Tesch.
Provisional Starters: Mathieson (regional), Berens (national).
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: Myer (started 15th, finished 3rd).
Next Race: Saturday, June 23, Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, Minn.
O’Reilly National Points: Shryock 2684, VanderBeek 2139, Hughes 2056, Hejna 1981, Weder 1710, Steve Holzkamper 1496, Poidinger 1472, Dripps 1331, Green 1213, Tesch 1172.
Western Region Points: Shryock 731, Hejna 660, VanderBeek 632, Tesch 612, Krohn 559, Hughes 557, Green 510, Friesen 509, Poidinger 416, Weder 405.
Home Pride Passing Points (National): Shryock 126, VanderBeek 91½, Hejna 81, Hughes 76½, Weder 60.
Home Pride Passing Points (Western): Shryock 48, Hejna 39, Green 33, VanderBeek 27, Friesen 24.
Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Points: Green 391, Cale Sponsler 225, Noteboom 212, Ryan Gustin 186, Richie Gustin Jr. 186.
Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 269, Hughes 211, TRE 128, Harris 125, GRT 107.

Contingency Awards:
Belleville Motorsports – Krohn, Spaulding, Green.
Boyer’s Engine Development – Tesch.
GRT Race Cars – not awarded.
Hawk Performance – VanderBeek.
Isky Racing Cams – Tesch.
Kevko Oil Pans & Components – Krohn, Friesen.
KSE Racing Products – Hughes, Dripps.
Marsh Racing Wheels – not awarded.
Nitroquest Web Solutions - Myer.
Quarter Master – Tesch, Reisch.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Noteboom.
Real Racing Wheels – Shryock.