BAYTOWN, Texas – An O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series record field of 82 top-flight Modified teams jam-packed the pit area Thursday at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, for the 2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals.

With 56 entries also on hand to compete in the Limited Mod division, the total car count swelled to 138 for the season-ending tripleheader.

In the 25-lap main event, Tommy Weder Jr. bested a stellar field to claim the $2,000 top prize and his first O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series victory of the season.

The 23-year-old from Woodward, Okla., started the Holley "A" Main from the outside of the front row and quickly disposed of polesitter Paul White to lead the first lap. From there, Weder's charge to the checkers went unchallenged on the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval.

Defending O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series champion Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, took the runner-up spot after dropping out of the top-5 early in the race before clawing his way back to the front of the pack. The eight-time O'Reilly USMTS National Champion got by Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., with six laps to go, then held him off for second place at the finish line.

Jon Tesch of Watertown, S.D., earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award after winning the first Real Racing Wheels "B" Main, then passing nine cars en route to a fourth-place finish.

New Sharon, Iowa's Zack VanderBeek rounded out the top-5 finishers, followed by Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla.; Bumper Jones of Mesilla Park, N.M.; Chris Henigan of Marshall, Texas; Howard Willis of Dayton, Texas; and Scott Green of Derby, Kan.

Drivers from seven different States comprised the top-10 positions, while 10 different States were represented in the 26-car feature race field.

Although Hughes finished outside the top-10 for just the seventh time in 19 starts, his sixth-place finish was good enough to pad his points lead over Steve Holzkamper, who struggled to an 18th-place finish. With just two points races remaining, Hughes will have to finish last in both events while Holzkamper will need to win both and add some bonus points to have a shot at the title.

After Thursday night's outcome, Holzkamper's larger concern now may be in holding off Weder, who is third in the standings and trails Holzkamper by just 41 markers (1592 to 1551).

Dustin Duncan Memorial "Just Say Yes" Rookie of the Year points leader John O Whittington failed to make Thursday's main event, but remains fourth with 1317 points. White is fifth with 1297, followed by Dereck Ramirez (1243), Morgan Bagley (1217), Green (1187), Shane Hebert (1183) and Dustin Hyde (1124).

While Hughes was unable to clinch the O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series title Thursday night, it was still a good night in several other categories. Weder's win gave Hughes Racing Chassis their eighth win of the season in clinching the Chassis Builders Championship for 2008. Furthermore, it was also the eighth win of the year for Mullins Race Engines as the Mt. Olive, Ill., powerplant maker clinched the 2008 Engine Builder of the Year title.

And in the year-long KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award rankings, Hughes now holds a near insurmountable lead. Weder is his closest competitor and will need to pass at least 33 more cars than Hughes in the Friday and Saturday main events to overtake his fellow Sooner Stater.

Action continues Friday night for Day 2 of the 2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals. A $3,000 top prize is earmarked for Friday's winner with at least $250 going to each main event starter. Saturday's finale will pay an O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series record $4,000 to win with at least $300 guaranteed for each starter.

On Friday, gates will open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7:30. On Saturday, gates open at 4 p.m. and the mud starts flying at 6:30.

Limited Mods will also be competing for an increased purse, racing for $700 to win on Friday and $1,000 to win on Saturday. There is no entry fee either night for Limited Mods. However, any driver racing in both Modifieds and Limited Mods will pay an entry of $30 on Friday and $35 on Saturday.

Kevin Sitton of Baytown captured Thursday night's Limited Mod feature race and a $500 paycheck.

The 2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals is made possible by support from TrackTek Race Fuels, Houston Specialty Products, Mark Brown and Extreme Race Trailers.

Houston Raceway Park is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 798, then 3.0 miles south on SR 146, then 0.9 miles SE on FM 1405, then 1.5 miles NE on FM 565. For more information, call the track office at (281) 383-RACE or visit www.houstonraceway.com online.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS — America's Hottest Ticket on Dirt.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series
2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals - Night 1 of 3
Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas
Thursday, December 4, 2008

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the Holley “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (10 laps):
1. 18 - Jack Sullivan -- Greenbrier, AR (5)
2. 88xxx - Clyde Dunn Jr. -- Sunnyville, TX (8)
3. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (6)
4. 7jr - John Ewell -- Forney, TX (7)
5. A1x - Duke Whiseant -- Texarkana, AR (10)
6. 51p - Tracy Denby Jr. -- Liberty, TX (4)
7. 561 - David Horner -- Houston, TX (12)
8. 47 - Melvin Pilcher -- Springdale, AR (1)
9. 99t - Eric Turner -- Hermitage, MO (11)
10. 7g - Mark Smith -- Lufkin, TX (9)
11. 28 - Chris Holley -- Highlands, TX (3)
12. 95 - Kevin Pratt -- Houston, TX (2)

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):
1. 21 - Alan Sharpensteen -- Amarillo, TX (1)
2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (5)
3. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (8)
4. 44 - Darrell Nelson -- Hermantown, MN (2)
5. 5m - Jon Mitchell -- Texarkana, TX (10)
6. C8 - Timothy Culp -- West Monroe, LA (6)
7. 4$ - Kalif Sellier -- Katy, TX (7)
8. 156 - Steve Pugh -- Willis, TX (4)
9. 167 - Alan Drewry -- Magnolia, TX (11)
10. 051 - Michael Robertson -- Minden, LA (12)
11. 45 - Todd Scharkey -- Kasson, MN (3)
12. 125 - Andy Clower -- Grand Saline, TX (9)

Q.E.M., INC. HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):
1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (4)
2. 2w - Paul White -- Temple, TX (10)
3. 12j - Jason Ingalls -- Gilmar, TX (3)
4. 26x - Allen Chickering -- Okarche, OK (9)
5. 64 - Jay Sale -- Edmond, OK (1)
6. 10 - Jeremy Ishmael -- Tyler, TX (5)
7. 68 - Danny Barringer -- Lufkin, TX (2)
8. 71a - Ryan Aho -- Chisholm, MN (8)
9. 99w - Mike Wickham -- Miles City, MT (7)
10. 88d - Matt Dotson -- Sturgeon, MO (6)
11. 12h - Jeff Huckaby -- Texarkana, TX (11)
12. 27k - Kevin Patton -- Wichita, KS (12)

HEAT RACE #4 (10 laps):
1. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (2)
2. 16 - Chris Henigan -- Marshall, TX (1)
3. 8j - Dustin Hyde -- Texarkana, TX (7)
4. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (11)
5. 19 - Jamie Burford -- Keatchie, LA (4)
6. 25g - Mike Girardo -- Elkhart, TX (3)
7. 17 - John Baker -- Silsbee, TX (8)
8. 117 - Brennan Poole -- The Woodlands, TX (12)
9. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (5)
10. 37 - Brian Spindelman -- Brookshire, TX (6)
11. 12x - Corey Babbitt -- Channelview, TX (10)
12. 99x - Derick Grigsby -- Marshall, TX (9)

HEAT RACE #5 (10 laps):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (3)
2. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, MO (1)
3. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (6)
4. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (8)
5. 91b - Shawn Brassfield -- Ada, OK (5)
6. 05 - Ron Gould Jr. -- McLoud, OK (10)
7. 88w - Edward Wickham -- Baytown, TX (11)
8. 44a - Adam Epperson -- Onalaska, TX (12)
9. 128 - Rocky Willis -- Beaumont, TX (4)
10. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (7)
11. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (2)
12. 02x - B.J. Robinson -- Shreveport, LA (9)

HEAT RACE #6 (10 laps):
1. 111 - Bumper Jones -- Mesilla Park, NM (4)
2. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (7)
3. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (9)
4. A1 - Phil Dixon -- Crosby, TX (8)
5. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (11)
6. 148 - Andy Claiborne -- Fort Scott, KS (10)
7. 125 - Corey Neil -- Beaumont, TX (1)
8. 129 - Bryan Vollmer -- Tomball, TX (6)
9. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (3)
10. 17 - Brad Lasater -- Garland, TX (5)
11. 211 - Kevin Sitton -- Baytown, TX (2)

HEAT RACE #7 (10 laps):
1. 88xxx - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (1)
2. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (2)
3. 21c - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (4)
4. 12t - Tyler Townsend -- Longview, TX (3)
5. E - Howard Willis -- Dayton, TX (8)
6. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Tulsa, OK (11)
7. 24t - Glenn Bratti -- Springdale, AR (6)
8. 8 - Steve Miller -- Georgetown, TX (7)
9. 05x - John Webb -- Pauls Valley, OK (9)
10. 2 - Andy McClelland -- Beaumont, TX (10)
11. 99h - Danny Hebert -- Duson, LA (5)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (1)
2. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (2)
3. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Tulsa, OK (6)
4. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (4)
5. 117 - Brennan Poole -- The Woodlands, TX (9)
6. 99t - Eric Turner -- Hermitage, MO (12)
7. 51p - Tracy Denby Jr. -- Liberty, TX (8)
8. 128 - Rocky Willis -- Beaumont, TX (13)
9. 12h - Jeff Huckaby -- Texarkana, TX (16)
10. 99x - Derick Grigsby -- Marshall, TX (18)
11. 26x - Allen Chickering -- Okarche, OK (3)
12. 17 - Brad Lasater -- Garland, TX (15)
13. 19 - Jamie Burford -- Keatchie, LA (7)
14. 5m - Jon Mitchell -- Texarkana, TX (5)
15. 156 - Steve Pugh -- Willis, TX (11)
16. 68 - Danny Barringer -- Lufkin, TX (10)
17. 7g - Mark Smith -- Lufkin, TX (14)
18. 99h - Danny Hebert -- Duson, LA (17)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 16 - Chris Henigan -- Marshall, TX (2)
2. E - Howard Willis -- Dayton, TX (5)
3. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (3)
4. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (1)
5. C8 - Timothy Culp -- West Monroe, LA (8)
6. 44a - Adam Epperson -- Onalaska, TX (9)
7. 2 - Andy McClelland -- Beaumont, TX (15)
8. 88d - Matt Dotson -- Sturgeon, MO (14)
9. 71a - Ryan Aho -- Chisholm, MN (11)
10. 167 - Alan Drewry -- Magnolia, TX (12)
11. 05 - Ron Gould Jr. -- McLoud, OK (6)
12. 95 - Kevin Pratt -- Houston, TX (17)
13. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (13)
14. 12x - Corey Babbitt -- Channelview, TX (16)
15. 125 - Corey Neil -- Beaumont, TX (10)
16. 7jr - John Ewell -- Forney, TX (4)
17. 91b - Shawn Brassfield -- Ada, OK (7)
18. 02x - B.J. Robinson -- Shreveport, LA (18)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 44 - Darrell Nelson -- Hermantown, MN (5)
2. A1 - Phil Dixon -- Crosby, TX (3)
3. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, MO (2)
4. 8j - Dustin Hyde -- Texarkana, TX (1)
5. 561 - David Horner -- Houston, TX (7)
6. 24t - Glenn Bratti -- Springdale, AR (10)
7. 28 - Chris Holley -- Highlands, TX (15)
8. 148 - Andy Claiborne -- Fort Scott, KS (6)
9. 37 - Brian Spindelman -- Brookshire, TX (14)
10. 17 - John Baker -- Silsbee, TX (9)
11. 129 - Bryan Vollmer -- Tomball, TX (11)
12. 10 - Jeremy Ishmael -- Tyler, TX (8)
13. 125 - Andy Clower -- Grand Saline, TX (17)
14. 05x - John Webb -- Pauls Valley, OK (13)
15. 12j - Jason Ingalls -- Gilmar, TX (4)
16. 99w - Mike Wickham -- Miles City, MT (12)
17. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (16)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #4 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (2)
2. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (1)
3. 12t - Tyler Townsend -- Longview, TX (5)
4. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (12)
5. 211 - Kevin Sitton -- Baytown, TX (16)
6. 47 - Melvin Pilcher -- Springdale, AR (10)
7. 64 - Jay Sale -- Edmond, OK (6)
8. 8 - Steve Miller -- Georgetown, TX (11)
9. 25g - Mike Girardo -- Elkhart, TX (8)
10. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (14)
11. 4$ - Kalif Sellier -- Katy, TX (9)
12. A1x - Duke Whiseant -- Texarkana, AR (4)
13. 21c - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (3)
14. 88w - Edward Wickham -- Baytown, TX (7)
15. 051 - Michael Robertson -- Minden, LA (13)
16. 45 - Todd Scharkey -- Kasson, MN (15)
17. 27k - Kevin Patton -- Wichita, KS (17)

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (25 laps):
1. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (2)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (4)
3. 18 - Jack Sullivan -- Greenbrier, AR (3)
4. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (13)
5. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (5)
6. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (10)
7. 111 - Bumper Jones -- Mesilla Park, NM (6)
8. 16 - Chris Henigan -- Marshall, TX (14)
9. E - Howard Willis -- Dayton, TX (18)
10. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (9)
11. 88xxx - Clyde Dunn Jr. -- Sunnyville, TX (8)
12. 2w - Paul White -- Temple, TX (1)
13. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (17)
14. 44 - Darrell Nelson -- Hermantown, MN (15)
15. 88xxx - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (12)
16. A1 - Phil Dixon -- Crosby, TX (19)
17. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (22)
18. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (16)
19. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (25)
20. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (26) DNF
21. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (7) DNF
22. 12t - Tyler Townsend -- Longview, TX (24) DNF
23. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (20) DNF
24. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, MO (23) DNF
25. 21 - Alan Sharpensteen -- Amarillo, TX (11) DNF
26. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Tulsa, OK (21) DNF

Lap Leaders: Weder 1-25.
Total Laps Led: Weder 25.
AFCO Pole Winner: White.
Provisional Starters: Ramirez, S. Hebert.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Tesch (started 13th, finished 4th).
Next Race: Friday, Dec. 5, Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas.
O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series Points: Hughes 1711, Holzkamper 1592, Weder 1551, Whittington 1317, White 1297, Ramirez 1243, Bagley 1217, Green 1187, S. Hebert 1183, Hyde 1124.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: Whittington 346, Ramirez 322, Bagley 304, S. Hebert 289, Hyde 276.
Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 167, Shinook 124, Sput’s 117, Wells 88, Wall2Wall 69.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 170, TRE 148, Skyrocket 141, Ramirez 107, Shaw 97.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – White.
American Racer – Brown.
Belleville Motorsports – not awarded.
BSB Manufacturing – Green.
Hawk Performance – Weder, Willis.
Isky Racing Cams – Sullivan.
KSE Racing Products – Tesch.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Skaggs.
New Vision Graphics – Sharpensteen.
Nitroquest Web Solutions – Sullivan.
Quarter Master – Weder, Henigan.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Jones.
Real Racing Wheels – Tesch, Henigan, Holzkamper.
Ruter Farms – not awarded.
TrackTek Racing Fuel – not awarded.

LIMITED MOD "A" MAIN RESULTS:
1. 3 - Kevin Sitton -- Baytown, TX (3)
2. 111 - Lee Fincher -- League City, TX (11)
3. 87 - Ray Allen Kulhanek -- Magnolia, TX (6)
4. 216 - Paul White -- Temple, TX (12)
5. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (16)
6. 8m - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (8)
7. 211 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (4)
8. 148 - Howard Willis -- Crosby, TX (21)
9. 65 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (17)
10. 33 - Bobby Fehring -- Mt. View, TX (13)
11. 2 - Kevin Sellers -- Dayton, TX (7)
12. A1 - Phil Dixon -- Crosby, TX (15)
13. 121 - Dean Hollier -- Groves, TX (18)
14. 57 - Jensen Pray -- McAllen, TX (22)
15. 71 - Chase Bresee -- Conroe, TX (19)
16. 29 - Mike Waling -- Baytown, TX (20)
17. 78 - Brad Ball -- Highlands, TX (23)
18. 9k - Mike Kressley -- Bacliff, TX (24)
19. 47 - James Myers -- Corpus Christi, TX (5)
20. 64 - Thomas Downey -- Pearland, TX (10)
21. 3gt - Bob Kellogg -- Natchitoches, LA (1)
22. 28s - Shannon Cox -- Milam, TX (9)
23. 86 - Justin Collins -- Cleveland, TX (2)
24. 19 - Timothy Culp -- West Monroe, LA (14)

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TITLE SPONSOR: O’Reilly Auto Parts.

PRESENTING SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.

OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Race Tires, Arizona Sport Shirts, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, Bear Tire Company, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Childhelp, Gressel Racing, Houston Specialty Products Co., Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest Web Solutions, Q.E.M., Inc., TrackTek Racing Fuel, Western Flyer Xpress.

PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Boom Drilling, Buzzard Racing Engines, Day Motor Sports, Ramirez Race Cars, Olympic Fire Protection, Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar, Ruter Farms, Yeager Machine.

CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Belleville Motorsports, Bert Transmission, BSB Manufacturing, COMP Cams, Duralite Racing Wheels, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, GRT Race Cars, Hawk Performance, Holley Performance Products, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, US Brake.