BAYTOWN, Texas – Zack VanderBeek found a way to get a little better each night, and it paid off with a $4,000 paycheck Saturday night as he blitzed a talent-laden field to capture the main event at the 2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

The 24-year-old from New Sharon, Iowa, finished fifth in Thursday's feature race and third in Friday's main event, then blew past 11 drivers in 11 laps to take the lead in Saturday's 40-lap Holley "A" Main.

It was his first win in four O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series starts, and padded a glowing 2008 résumé that includes a fourth-place finish in the final O'Reilly USMTS National Tour points standings where he claimed five victories, including a preliminary feature win at the 10th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree.

After winning the final main event of the tripleheader at Texana Raceway Park two weeks ago, Jason Hughes came up one spot short in Saturday's main event, finishing second behind VanderBeek. But the chassis builder from Westville, Okla., walked away with a title of his own as he claimed the O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series championship and the $10,000 top prize that accompanies it.

Hughes clinched the crown simply by signing in the pits on Saturday night, and added several other accolades along the way during the 2008 campaign. Hughes Racing Chassis captured the Chassis Builders Championship for the O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series while his powerplant builder—Mullins Race Engines—laid claim to the Engine Builder of the Year Award. Additionally, Hughes captured the year-long Lap Leader Award with 107 laps led.

He also garnered the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award. Hughes earned one bonus point for each of the 113 cars he passed during the 21 main events staged in 2008. His final advantage over Steve Holzkamper in the final O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series points standings was 114 points.

Howard Willis of Dayton, Texas, who won the season-opener on April 18 at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas, finished third in Saturday's nightcap, while Holzkamper passed 10 cars en route to a fourth-place finish. Defending O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series champion and eight-time O'Reilly USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock rounded out the top-5.

Sixth through tenth, respectively, went to Tommy Weder Jr., Randy Timms, Bumper Jones, Dereck Ramirez and Morgan Bagley, who passed 16 cars after taking a provisional to start last on the 26-car grid.

Weder wound up third in the final standings behind Hughes and Holzkamper, with John O Whittington edging Paul White for fourth. Ramirez finished sixth in the final rankings, Bagley was seventh, Scott Green eighth, Shane Hebert ninth and Steven Whiteaker Jr. tenth.

Whiteaker used a 16th-place finish and eight passing points in Saturday's main event to leap into the top-10, finishing just 14 points ahead of Rodney Sanders and 15 points ahead of Dustin Hyde.

The Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year crown for 2008 will forever be worn by Whittington, who held off Ramirez in a hard-fought season-long battle. Bagley wound up third in the rookie standings, with Hebert finishing fourth and Hyde fifth.

In Saturday's Limited Mod main event, Keith White held off Friday night winner Eddie Martin to claim the $1,000 top prize.

A whopping 95 different drivers competed with the O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series over the three days of the 2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals—the second-largest car count in USMTS history behind the Featherlite Fall Jamboree, which serves as the annual season-ending event for the O'Reilly USMTS Nationals Tour. Nearly 80 different Limited Mods also competed this past weekend.

Drivers, crew members and fans alike are already looking forward to an even bigger and better 2009 season for the O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series. Officials hope to have a tentative schedule released before the end of the year.

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 3 of 3
Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas
Saturday, December 6, 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. 111 - Bumper Jones -- Mesilla Park, NM (2)
2. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Tulsa, OK (7)
3. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX
4. A1 - Phil Dixon -- Crosby, TX (3)
5. 5m - Jon Mitchell -- Texarkana, TX (12)
6. 12j - Jason Ingalls -- Hallsville, TX (5)
7. 19 - Jamie Burford -- Keatchie, LA (10)
8. 47 - Melvin Pilcher -- Springdale, AR (8)
9. 5g - Keith Green -- Waco, TX (6)
10. 981 - Darryl Seals -- Vidor, TX (11)
11. 24 - Tommy Stanley -- Highlands, TX (4)
12. 99w - Mike Wickham -- Miles City, MT (9)

NEW VISION GRAPHICS HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):
1. 2w - Paul White -- Temple, TX (2)
2. 88xxx - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (1)
3. 99x - Derick Grigsby -- Marshall, TX (3)
4. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, MO (11)
5. 12t - Tyler Townsend -- Longview, TX (10)
5. 561 - David Horner -- Houston, TX (4)
7. 64 - Jay Sale -- Edmond, OK (5)
8. 88b - Brian Boram -- Orange, TX (12)
9. 7jr - John Ewell -- Forney, TX (9)
10. 167 - Alan Drewry -- Magnolia, TX (6)
11. 7g - Mark Smith -- Lufkin, TX (8)
12. 01 - Billy Robinson -- Blanchard, LA (7)

Q.E.M., INC. HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):
1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (1)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (7)
3. E - Howard Willis -- Dayton, TX (10)
4. 66x - Mike Dillard -- Allen, TX (9)
5. 156 - Steve Pugh -- Willis, TX (5)
6. 76 - Jesse Manning -- Brazoria, TX (11)
7. 148 - Andy Claiborne -- Fort Scott, KS (12)
8. 05 - Ron Gould Jr. -- McLoud, OK (6)
9. 05x - John Webb -- Pauls Valley, OK (3)
10. 27k - Kevin Patton -- Wichita, KS (4)
11. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (8)
12. 8 - Steve Miller -- Georgetown, TX (2)

HEAT RACE #4 (10 laps):
1. 21c - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (7)
2. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (5)
3. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (9)
4. 99t - Eric Turner -- Hermitage, MO (11)
5. 24t - Glenn Bratti -- Springdale, AR (3)
6. 211 - Kevin Sitton -- Baytown, TX (4)
7. 12h - Jeff Huckaby -- Texarkana, TX (6)
8. 12x - Corey Babbitt -- Channelview, TX (2)
9. 22 - Tracy Denby -- Vidor, TX (1)
10. 17x - John Baker -- Silsbee, TX (10)
11. 91 - Craig Rayon -- Vidor, TX (8)

HEAT RACE #5 (10 laps):
1. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (5)
2. 8j - Dustin Hyde -- Texarkana, TX (2)
3. 71a - Ryan Aho -- Chisholm, MN (3)
4. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (6)
5. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (9)
6. 21 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (4)
7. 15 - Kenny Battarbee -- Houston, TX (7)
8. C8 - Timothy Culp -- West Monroe, LA (1)
9. 10 - Jeremy Ishmael -- Tyler, TX (8)
10. 3gr - Glen Grant -- Houston, TX (11)
11. 44 - Darrell Nelson -- Hermantown, MN (10)

HEAT RACE #6 (10 laps):
1. 88xxx - Clyde Dunn Jr. -- Sunnyville, TX (2)
2. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (3)
3. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (8)
4. 16 - Chris Henigan -- Marshall, TX (7)
5. 51p - Tracy Denby Jr. -- Liberty, TX (1)
6. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (6)
7. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (10)
8. 125 - Corey Neil -- Beaumont, TX (5)
9. 18 - Jack Sullivan -- Greenbrier, AR (9)
10. 25g - Mike Girardo -- Elkhart, TX (4)
11. 051 - Michael Robertson -- Minden, LA (11)

HEAT RACE #7 (10 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (2)
2. 26x - Allen Chickering -- Okarche, OK (4)
3. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (7)
4. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (6)
5. 51 - Jeff Wood -- Willis, TX (10)
6. 28 - Chris Holley -- Highlands, TX (8)
7. 88d - Matt Dotson -- Sturgeon, MO (3)
8. 44a - Adam Epperson -- Onalaska, TX (1)
9. 88w - Edward Wickham -- Baytown, TX (11)
10. 117 - Brennan Poole -- The Woodlands, TX (9)
11. 02x - B.J. Robinson -- Shreveport, LA (5)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (2)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (5)
3. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (8)
4. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (1)
5. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (16)
6. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (9)
7. 66x - Mike Dillard -- Allen, TX (3)
8. 51p - Tracy Denby Jr. -- Liberty, TX (7)
9. 76 - Jesse Manning -- Brazoria, TX (6)
10. 22 - Tracy Denby -- Vidor, TX (13)
11. 25g - Mike Girardo -- Elkhart, TX (15)
12. 3gr - Glen Grant -- Houston, TX (14)
13. 12x - Corey Babbitt -- Channelview, TX (11)
14. 99x - Derick Grigsby -- Marshall, TX (4)
15. 15 - Kenny Battarbee -- Houston, TX (10)
16. 88w - Edward Wickham -- Baytown, TX (12)
17. 02x - B.J. Robinson -- Shreveport, LA (17)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (5)
2. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (2)
3. 5m - Jon Mitchell -- Texarkana, TX (3)
4. 561 - David Horner -- Houston, TX (6)
5. 26x - Allen Chickering -- Okarche, OK (1)
6. 12j - Jason Ingalls -- Hallsville, TX (8)
7. 71a - Ryan Aho -- Chisholm, MN (4)
8. 5g - Keith Green -- Waco, TX (12)
9. 88d - Matt Dotson -- Sturgeon, MO (10)
10. 91 - Craig Rayon -- Vidor, TX (16)
11. 88b - Brian Boram -- Orange, TX (9)
12. 167 - Alan Drewry -- Magnolia, TX (14)
13. 148 - Andy Claiborne -- Fort Scott, KS (7)
14. C8 - Timothy Culp -- West Monroe, LA (11)
15. 117 - Brennan Poole -- The Woodlands, TX (15)
16. 10 - Jeremy Ishmael -- Tyler, TX (13)
17. 99w - Mike Wickham -- Miles City, MT (17)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #3 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (5)
2. 47 - Melvin Pilcher -- Springdale, AR (10)
3. 211 - Kevin Sitton -- Baytown, TX (8)
4. 88xxx - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (2)
5. 18 - Jack Sullivan -- Greenbrier, AR (13)
6. 16 - Chris Henigan -- Marshall, TX (3)
7. 85d - Mark Dotson -- Cameron, MO (1)
8. 12t - Tyler Townsend -- Longview, TX (4)
9. 125 - Corey Neil -- Beaumont, TX (11)
10. 156 - Steve Pugh -- Willis, TX (6)
11. 7jr - John Ewell -- Forney, TX (12)
12. 64 - Jay Sale -- Edmond, OK (9)
13. 24 - Tommy Stanley -- Highlands, TX (15)
14. 27k - Kevin Patton -- Wichita, KS (14)
15. 28 - Chris Holley -- Highlands, TX (7)
16. 01 - Billy Robinson -- Blanchard, LA (17)
17. 44 - Darrell Nelson -- Hermantown, MN (16)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #4 (15 laps, top 3 advance):
1. 99t - Eric Turner -- Hermitage, MO (1)
2. 21 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (8)
3. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (3)
4. 8j - Dustin Hyde -- Texarkana, TX (2)
5. A1 - Phil Dixon -- Crosby, TX (5)
6. 19 - Jamie Burford -- Keatchie, LA (7)
7. 24t - Glenn Bratti -- Springdale, AR (6)
8. 51 - Jeff Wood -- Willis, TX (4)
9. 8 - Steve Miller -- Georgetown, TX (17)
10. 12h - Jeff Huckaby -- Texarkana, TX (9)
11. 981 - Darryl Seals -- Vidor, TX (13)
12. 44a - Adam Epperson -- Onalaska, TX (11)
13. 17x - John Baker -- Silsbee, TX (14)
14. 05x - John Webb -- Pauls Valley, OK (12)
15. 05 - Ron Gould Jr. -- McLoud, OK (10)
16. 7g - Mark Smith -- Lufkin, TX (15)
17. 051 - Michael Robertson -- Minden, LA (16)

HOLLEY “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. 33z - Zack VanderBeek -- New Sharon, IA (12)
2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (9)
3. E - Howard Willis -- Dayton, TX (1)
4. 5 - Steve Holzkamper -- Gentry, AR (14)
5. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (5)
6. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr. -- Woodward, OK (2)
7. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (15)
8. 111 - Bumper Jones -- Mesilla Park, NM (3)
9. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (13)
10. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (26)
11. 2w - Paul White -- Temple, TX (4)
12. 12b - Johnny Bone Jr. -- Pea Ridge, AR (21)
13. 21c - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (8)
14. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (11)
15. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (25)
16. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (24)
17. 99t - Eric Turner -- Hermitage, MO (16)
18. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (18)
19. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (17)
20. 211 - Kevin Sitton -- Baytown, TX (23)
21. 27 - Greg Skaggs -- Tulsa, OK (7)
22. 88xxx - Clyde Dunn Jr. -- Sunnyville, TX (6)
23. 47 - Melvin Pilcher -- Springdale, AR (19)
24. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (10)
25. 21 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (20)
26. 5m - Jon Mitchell -- Texarkana, TX (22)

Lap Leaders: Willis 1, Weder 2-6, Willis 7-11, VanderBeek 12-40.
Total Laps Led: VanderBeek 29, Willis 6, Weder 5.
AFCO Pole Winner: Brown.
Provisional Starters: Whittington, Bagley.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: VanderBeek (started 12th, finished 1st).
Next Race: season complete.
O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series Points (final): Hughes 1875, Holzkamper 1761, Weder 1678, Whittington 1449, White 1419, Ramirez 1391, Bagley 1358, S. Green 1296, S. Hebert 1278, Whiteaker 1229.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points (final): Whittington 390, Ramirez 368, Bagley 346, S. Hebert 314, Hyde 296.
Engine Builder of the Year Points (final): Mullins 180, Shinook 134, Sput’s 127, Wells 102, Wall2Wall 78.
Chassis Builders Championship Points (final): Hughes 184, TRE 166, Skyrocket 159, Ramirez 120, Shaw 113.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Brown.
American Racer – Epperson.
Belleville Motorsports – not awarded.
BSB Manufacturing – Bagley.
Hawk Performance – VanderBeek, Ramirez.
Isky Racing Cams – Jones.
KSE Racing Products – VanderBeek.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Martin.
New Vision Graphics – White.
Nitroquest Web Solutions – Willis.
Quarter Master – VanderBeek, Jones.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Timms.
Real Racing Wheels – Ramirez, Holzkamper, Timms.
Ruter Farms – not awarded.
TrackTek Racing Fuel – not awarded.

LIMITED MOD "A" MAIN RESULTS:
1. 1w - Keith White -- Academy, TX (2)
2. 211 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (9)
3. 65 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (13)
4. 148 - Howard Willis -- Crosby, TX (4)
5. 3 - Kevin Sitton -- Baytown, TX (18)
6. 8m - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (7)
7. 88 - Troy Baugh -- Alvin, TX (11)
8. 05 - Michael Robertson -- Minden, LA (21)
9. 33 - Bobby Fehring -- Mt. View, TX (19)
10. 27f - Roger Faulkner -- Conroe, TX (14)
11. 420 - Eric Cegielski -- Houston, TX (22)
12. 91 - Steve Bullock -- Texas City, TX (17)
13. 61 - Brandon Buhler -- Livingston, LA (6)
14. 21 - Max Helms -- Victoria, TX (23)
15. 3gt - Bob Kellogg -- Natchitoches, LA (1)
16. 22 - Darrell Thompson -- Ada, OK (20)
17. 87 - Ray Allen Kulhanek -- Magnolia, TX (12)
18. 00f - Josh Ferguson (5)
19. 40p - Jeff Wood -- Willis, TX (15)
20. 28s - Shannon Cox -- Miliam, TX (3)
21. 9k - Mike Kressley -- Bacliff, TX (10)
22. 57 - Jensen Pray -- McAllen, TX (24)
23. 2 - Kevin Sellers -- Dayton, TX (16)
24. 9 - Danny Hebert -- Monroe, LA (8)

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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.