BEAUMONT, Texas – Jon Tesch was well on his way to a runaway win Thursday night at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park, but a mid-race caution set up a tag-team royal rumble that saw two teammates tangle while two other teammates triumphed.

Forty-one USMTS Southern Series combatants suited up for the opening event of the 3rd Annual Rinehart Texas Shootout, which features four events over four straight nights at four distinct dirt tracks in the Lone Star State.

Tesch drew the pole position for the start of the 40-lap Sunoco “A” Main with teammate Dereck Ramirez drawing the second spot to create a Ramirez Race Cars front row.

At the drop of the green flag, Ramirez was unable to wrestle the lead away from Tesch, who added to his advantage with each passing lap. Halfway through the race, Tesch's lead was more than a straight-away over Ramirez who had his hands full with USMTS Southern Series points leader Jason Hughes.

The event's first caution waved on lap 22, however, which bunched the field for a double-file restart. Tesch led the field to the green again with Ramirez beating Hughes in a drag race to the first turn.

Ramirez closed the gap between himself and Tesch as they entered the third turn nose to tail. A bump in the road forced Tesch to momentarily back off of the gas pedal which earned him a bump from behind by Ramirez. The tag from his teammate was enough to send Tesch into a spin while Ramirez scooted by and Hughes swerved to avoid the melee.

Hughes slipped back to third as teammates Bryan Rowland and Rodney Sanders assumed the top two spots. With Tesch stopping at the edge of the infield, the caution waved again and Ramirez was forced to join Tesch at the rear of the field for the restart.

While Hughes was looking to claim his fourth straight main event victory in the West Region of the USMTS Southern Series, Rowland and Sanders were both seeking their first under the USMTS banner.

Rowland, 29, and Sanders, 19, were both contenders for last year's top rookie honors in the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Tour while the elder pilot was also a candidate for the Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Award in the USMTS Southern Series. Rowland and Sanders finished third and fifth, respectively in the National Tour battle while Rowland wound up seventh in the Southern Series rookie rankings.

Thursday night, however, the pair was fast and flawless over the final 18 circuits as they finished first and second. Rowland's career-first win was worth $2,000 to the Woodward, Okla., native while Sanders recorded a career-best runner-up finish in his matching #20 Skyrocket Chassis.

Hughes – the defending USMTS Southern Series champion – followed in third and 2007 USMTS Southern Series titleist Kelly Shryock came home fourth ahead of New Mexico's Bumper Jones.

Sixth through tenth at the finish line were Steven Whiteaker Jr., Eddie Martin, last year's Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year John O Whittington, Chris Brown and KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award winner Morgan Bagley, who was third in last year's rookie race.

Tesch could only climb back to 11th while Ramirez, who was the runner-up in both Rookie of the Year contests last season, wound up 14th in Thursday's nightcap.

Hughes still sits solidly atop the West Region standings with 409 points. Sanders moved up to second, just two points ahead of Shryock (338 to 336). Whiteaker is fourth with 308 markers, followed by Rowland (304), Martin (289), Shane Hebert (286), Tesch (280), Randy Timms (256), Jones (250).

NIGHT 2 OF 3 ...

Friday, May 8, will find the mud-slinging Modifieds of the USMTS Southern Series making their debut at the rejuvenated Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, for Round 2 of the 3rd Annual Rinehart Texas Shootout.

Pit gates will open at 3:00 for the inaugural event, with grandstand gates swinging open at 5:00. Hot laps are slated for 6:00 and the first heat race is scheduled to take to the track at 7:00. USRA Southern Limited Modifieds will also join the racing program Friday night.

The Battleground Speedway is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located east of Houston on I-10 to Highland Exit 787, then 4.0 miles north on FM 2100 (Crosby Lynchburg Rd.). For more information, call 832-421-RACE or check out www.battlegroundspeedway.net online.

On Saturday, May 9, the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown is on the invasion menu and the four-race weekend wraps up at the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Sunday, May 10.

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.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
USMTS Southern Series (West Region)
Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, Texas
3rd Annual Rinehart Texas Shootout - Event #1 of 4
Thursday, May 7, 2009

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 Sunoco “A” Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

ISKY RACING CAMS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (2)
2. E - Howard Willis -- Dayton, TX (1)
3. 111 - Bumper Jones -- Mesilla Park, NM (5)
4. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (3)
5. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (9)
6. 2w - Paul White -- Temple, TX (7)
7. C3 - Chad Comer -- Warren, TX (6)
8. 91 - Robert Metz Jr. -- Lumberton, TX (8)
9. 25 - Corey Neil -- Beaumont, TX (4)

HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 20r - Bryan Rowland -- Woodward, OK (5)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (8)
3. 51w - Jeff Wood -- Willis, TX (1)
4. 52 - Chad Davis -- Tulsa, OK (7)
5. 71 - Tracy Denby Sr. -- Vidor, TX (3)
6. 97j - Jeff Hoegh -- New Caney, TX (6)
7. 29 - Mike Walling -- Baytown, TX (4)
8. 68 - Danny Barringer -- Lufkin, TX (2)

HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (4)
2. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (3)
3. 12c - Corey Babbitt -- Channelview, TX (5)
4. 21 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (7)
5. 9 - Doug Begnaud -- Cypress, TX (6) DNF
6. 88b - Brian Boram -- Orange, TX (1) DNF
7. 60 - William Gould -- Calera, OK (2) DNF
8. 18 - Cody Smith -- Kaufman, TX (8) DNS

HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (2)
2. 71k - Kevin Sustaire -- Emery, TX (4)
3. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (5)
4. 10 - Kyle Schmidt -- Farmington, AR (1)
5. 57 - Jason Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (7)
6. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (8)
7. 4m - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (6)
8. 51 - Tracy Denby Jr. -- Vidor, TX (3)

HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (3)
2. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (5)
3. 75 - Alan Sharpensteen -- Amarillo, TX (1)
4. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (6)
5. L1 - Larry Clevenger -- Greenwood, LA (7)
6. 7g - Mark Smith -- Lufkin, TX (8)
7. 89n - John Neff -- Lumberton, TX (4)
8. 8 - Steve Miller -- Georgetown, TX (2)

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (4)
2. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (1)
3. 21 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (2)
4. 25 - Corey Neil -- Beaumont, TX (15)
5. C3 - Chad Comer -- Warren, TX (10)
6. 60 - William Gould -- Calera, OK (11)
7. 51 - Tracy Denby Jr. -- Vidor, TX (14)
8. 75 - Alan Sharpensteen -- Amarillo, TX (3)
9. 71 - Tracy Denby Sr. -- Vidor, TX (7)
10. 89n - John Neff -- Lumberton, TX (12)
11. 68 - Danny Barringer -- Lufkin, TX (13)
12. 7g - Mark Smith -- Lufkin, TX (8)
13. L1 - Larry Clevenger -- Greenwood, LA (6) DNF
14. 10 - Kyle Schmidt -- Farmington, AR (5) DNF
15. 97j - Jeff Hoegh -- New Caney, TX (9) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 5 advance):
1. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (3)
2. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (4)
3. 52 - Chad Davis -- Tulsa, OK (1)
4. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (7)
5. 57 - Jason Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (5)
6. 88b - Brian Boram -- Orange, TX (9)
7. 4m - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (11)
8. 2w - Paul White -- Temple, TX (8)
9. 51w - Jeff Wood -- Willis, TX (2)
10. 8 - Steve Miller -- Georgetown, TX (14)
11. 29 - Mike Walling -- Baytown, TX (10) DNF
12. 9 - Doug Begnaud -- Cypress, TX (6) DNF
13. 91 - Robert Metz Jr. -- Lumberton, TX (12) DNF
14. 18 - Cody Smith -- Kaufman, TX (13) DNS

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (40 laps):
1. 20r - Bryan Rowland -- Woodward, OK (5)
2. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (8)
3. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (9)
4. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (7)
5. 111 - Bumper Jones -- Mesilla Park, NM (11)
6. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (6)
7. 51 - Eddie Martin -- Stilwell, OK (15)
8. 5w - John O Whittington -- Vidor, TX (16)
9. 21 - Chris Brown -- Cleveland, TX (17)
10. 5r - Morgan Bagley -- Longview, TX (20)
11. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (1)
12. 52 - Chad Davis -- Tulsa, OK (18)
13. 71k - Kevin Sustaire -- Emery, TX (4)
14. 9 - Shane Hebert -- Lafayette, LA (3)
15. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (2)
16. 4m - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (23)
17. 10 - Kyle Schmidt -- Farmington, AR (24)
18. C3 - Chad Comer -- Warren, TX (21)
19. 71 - Tracy Denby Sr. -- Vidor, TX (25)
20. 12c - Corey Babbitt -- Channelview, TX (12)
21. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (14)
22. 91 - Robert Metz Jr. -- Lumberton, TX (26) DNF
23. 25 - Corey Neil -- Beaumont, TX (19) DNF
24. E - Howard Willis -- Dayton, TX (10) DNF
25. 57 - Jason Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (22) DNF
26. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (13) DNF

Lap Leaders: Tesch 1-22, Rowland 23-40.
Total Laps Led: Tesch 22, Rowland 18.
AFCO Pole Winner: Rowland.
Provisional Starters: Malchus, Schmidt, Denby Sr. (track), Metz (track).
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Bagley (started 20th, finished 10th).
Next Race: Friday, May 8, Battleground Speedway, Highlands, Texas (West Region).
West Region Points: Hughes 409, Sanders 338, Shryock 336, Whiteaker 308, Rowland 304, Martin 289, Hebert 286, Tesch 280, Timms 256, Jones 250.
Rinehart Texas Shootout Points: Rowland 105, Sanders 101, Hughes 97, Shryock 90, Jones 90.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: J. Armstrong 149, W. Armstrong 142, Schmidt 121, Davis 119, Sustaire 113.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: A.S.I. 67, Mullins 64, Sput’s 44, Young’s 39, BMS 38.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 74, Skyrocket 73, TRE 65, GRT 65, Ramirez 64.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Rowland.
American Racer – Walling.
Isky Racing Cams – Shryock.
KSE Racing Products – Bagley.
Marsh Racing Wheels – W. Armstrong.
Nitroquest – Hughes.
Quarter Master – Rowland, Whittington.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Martin.
Real Racing Wheels – Gould, Boram.

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USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Racewear, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, COMP Cams, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, Nitroquest, PBM Performance Products, Sunoco Race Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Diamond Oil Company, Gressel Oil Field Service, Just Say Yes, Ramirez Race Cars, Lone Star Super Gas, Olympic Fire Protection, Ruter Farms, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, US Brake.