DECORAH, Iowa — The cream of the crop in dirt Modified racing were in Decorah, Iowa, Thursday night as the Upper Iowa Speedway hosted the 3rd Annual Budweiser Summer Challenge featuring the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series. And, on a super-smooth racing surface with two- and three-wide racing from top to bottom, the cream also rose to the top in the 40-lap Holley "A" Main which saw three lead changes among four drivers.

Polesitter Jason Krohn of Slayton, Minn., led the first lap before fellow front row starter Darrin Walch of Postville, Iowa, shot by to lead lap 2. Walch set a blistering pace for the next 14 laps while the rest of the 24-car field jockeyed for positions using multiple grooves around the semi-banked quarter-mile clay oval.

After a lap 14 caution, eight-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, scooted underneath Walch to lead the 16th circuit. Shryock showed the way over the next 12 laps before Clear Lake, Iowa's Al Hejna powered into the lead using the low side of turn 2 on lap 28. Shryock used every inch of the track to try and regain the lead, bouncing off the wall several times as he searched for a way around.

A late-race caution bunched the field for an eight-lap dash to the finish, but Hejna pulled away from the pack to take his first O’Reilly USMTS victory since sweeping the two-race season opener at the Junction Motor Speedway in March.

Shryock held on to earn the runner-up paycheck while Jason Hughes of Colcord, Okla., was third, followed by New Sharon, Iowa's Zack VanderBeek in fourth to give the top four positions to the top four drivers in national points. Tim Donlinger of Rochester, Minn., rounded out the top-5 finishers. Tommy Myer, Dan Bohr, Tommy Weder Jr., Michael Darnall and Walch finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

Darnall, who started 21st, earned the Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger honors by passing a dozen cars in 40 laps.

Although it was Hejna's third win of the season, it was his first since debuting a new Harris Auto Racing chassis 16 events earlier — the first O’Reilly USMTS win for a Harris since 2004. The win was worth $2,000 and propelled the "A Train" from 14th to ninth in the Yeager Machine Northeast Region points standings.

Provisional main event starter Dean Mahlstedt of Clear Lake, Iowa, used an 11th-place finish to move into 10th in the Yeager Machine Northeast Region standings with just two events remaining in the region.

The rugged O’Reilly USMTS road warriors head to the Tri-Oval Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., on Friday (July 20) for their fourth $2,000-to-win event of the week and the next-to-last race in the highly-competitive Yeager Machine Northeast Region.

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 - Yeager Machine Northeast Region
3rd Annual Budweiser Summer Challenge
Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, Iowa
Thursday, July 19, 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 (10 laps):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (4)
2. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (5)
3. 2 - Joey Schaefer -- Waterloo, IA (2)
4. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (8)
5. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (6)
6. 70 - Jerry King -- Waterloo, IA (1)
7. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (7) DNF
8. 58 - Scott Vesely -- Mosinee, WI (3) DNF

HEAT #2 (10 laps):
1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (2)
2. 66 - Dan Bohr -- Decorah, IA (3)
3. 3d - Tim Donlinger -- Rochester, MN (7)
4. 0 - Les Duellman -- Winona, MN (6)
5. 72 - Doug Hillson -- Blooming Prairie, MN (5)
6. 30 - Mark Massey -- Worthington, IA (4)
7. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (1) DNF

HEAT #3 (10 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (2)
2. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (4)
3. 21L - Layne Meyer -- West Union, IA (1)
4. 80 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (3)
5. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (7)
6. 7m - Michael Darnall -- West Union, IA (5)
7. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (6) DNF

HEAT #4 (10 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (2)
2. 5w - Darrin Walch -- Postville, IA (4)
3. 90 - Steve Wetzstein -- West Concord, MN (5)
4. 35 - Jeff Schluetter -- New Hampton, IA (3) DNF
5. 70 - Matt Sweeny -- Waukon, IA (6) DNF
6. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (1) DNF
7. 35 - Ron Konkel -- Caledonia, MN (7) DNS

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (8)
2. 21L - Layne Meyer -- West Union, IA (1)
3. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (3)
4. 80 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (2)
5. 7m - Michael Darnall -- West Union, IA (6)
6. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (7)
7. 70 - Jerry King -- Waterloo, IA (5)
8. 70 - Matt Sweeny -- Waukon, IA (4)
9. 58 - Scott Vesely -- Mosinee, WI (9) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (10 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (3)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (6)
3. 0 - Les Duellman -- Winona, MN (1)
4. 72 - Doug Hillson -- Blooming Prairie, MN (4)
5. 30 - Mark Massey -- Worthington, IA (5)
6. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (7) DNF
7. 35 - Jeff Schluetter -- New Hampton, IA (2) DNS
8. 35 - Ron Konkel -- Caledonia, MN (8) DNS

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (7)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (3)
3. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Colcord, OK (4)
4. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (5)
5. 3d - Tim Donlinger -- Rochester, MN (6)
6. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (17)
7. 66 - Dan Bohr -- Decorah, IA (9)
8. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (8)
9. 7m - Michael Darnall -- West Union, IA (21)
10. 5w - Darrin Walch -- Postville, IA (2)
11. 21m - Dean Mahlstedt -- Clear Lake, IA (23)
12. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (13)
13. 80 - Brad McEwan -- Storm Lake, IA (19)
14. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (11)
15. 2 - Joey Schaefer -- Waterloo, IA (12)
16. 72 - Doug Hillson -- Blooming Prairie, MN (20)
17. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (16) DNF
18. 17s - Mike Spaulding -- Bemidji, MN (14) DNF
19. 21L - Layne Meyer -- West Union, IA (15) DNF
20. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (1) DNF
21. 0 - Les Duellman -- Winona, MN (18) DNF
22. 30 - Mark Massey -- Worthington, IA (22) DNF
23. 90 - Steve Wetzstein -- West Concord, MN (10) DNS
24. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (24) DNS

AMSOIL Lap Leaders: Krohn 1, Walch 2-15, Shryock 16-27, Hejna 28-40.
Total Laps Led: Walch 14, Hejna 13, Shryock 12, Krohn 1.
AFCO Pole Award: Shryock.
Provisional Starters: Mahlstedt (regional), Poidinger (national).
Olympic Fire Protection Hard Charger: Darnall (started 21st, finished 9th).
Next Race: Friday, July 20, Tri-Oval Speedway, Fountain City, Wis.
O’Reilly National Points: Shryock 3069, VanderBeek 2474, Hughes 2395, Hejna 2360, Weder 2009, Poidinger 1626, Dripps 1542, Steve Holzkamper 1496, Green 1489, Tesch 1434.
Yeager Machine Northeast Region Points: Shryock 748, Hughes 682, VanderBeek 626, Myer 570, Tesch 558, Dripps 547, Weder 520, Poidinger 435, Hejna 424, Mahlstedt 409.
Home Pride Passing Points (National): Shryock 139½, VanderBeek 93, Hejna 87, Hughes 84, Green 72.
Home Pride Passing Points (Northeast): Shryock 40½, Hughes 27, Dripps 22½, Brad Waits 19½, Tesch 18, VanderBeek 18.
Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Points: Green 493, Cale Sponsler 225, Jay Noteboom 187, Ryan Gustin 186, Richie Gustin Jr. 186.
Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 304, Hughes 243, Harris 161, TRE 128, GRT 123.

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

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USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: O’Reilly Auto Parts.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Race Tires, AMSOIL, Arizona Sport Shirts, BRODIX, Fast Company Performance, Holley Performance Products, Home Pride Companies, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, Marsh Racing Wheels, Nitroquest Web Solutions, Olympic Fire Protection, Real Racing Wheels, Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar, Yeager Machine.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Boom Drilling, Borco LP, Day Motor Sports, Gressell Oil Field Services, Hughes Racing Chassis, KraftKar Race Cars, McVicker Oil Fields, Rinehart Trucking.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Belleville Motorsports, Bilstein Shocks, Boyer’s Engine Development, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, GRT Race Cars, Hawk Performance, Hyperco, Isky Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Racer’s Choice (RCI).