ALTA, Iowa – Slowly but surely, Al Hejna has been picking up steam in the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour.

After a lackluster start to the season, Hejna finally garnered his first top-5 finish ten days ago in his eighth start of the season, then strung together two more on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday night, he was on rails as the ’A-Train’ pulled in to victory lane at the Buena Vista Raceway after winning the Cookies Bar “B” “Q” Clash presented by KPTH Fox 44 in dominating fashion.

USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour drivers earn passing points in their heat races at each event, which earns the top-8 qualifiers the opportunity to draw for positions in the first four rows of the Sunoco “A” Main. Hejna missed the cut on Tuesday and Wednesday, starting ninth and tenth before finishing third and fourth, respectively.

On Thursday night, Hejna made he redraw but drew worst of the eight qualifiers and started eighth. Luckily for the pilot of the Lucky 7's Harris Modified, his driving skills were far superior to his drawing skills.

Jake Neal wrestled the top spot away from polesitter Dereck Ramirez at the drop of the green flag to start Thursday's 35-lap main event, but seventh-starting Corey Dripps flashed past Neal the next time around to lead lap 2.

Dripps held the point for the next eight laps but was no match for Hejna as he grabbed the lead on lap 11 and never looked back.

Despite a caution-plagued feature race that saw just ten of the original 24 starters take the checkered flag, Hejna was flawless on every restart and the Rookies Rockin' Sports Bar proprietor from Clear Lake, Iowa, won going away at the end of the affair.

Although still winless in 2009, eight-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock recorded his tenth top-5 finish of the year by claiming the runner-up paycheck while Dripps held on for a season's-best third-place showing. Great Plains Region points leader Tommy Myer was fourth and Wednesday's winner, Jon Tesch, finished fifth.

Mike Lineberry raced to sixth from 19th on the starting grid to earn the PBM Performance Products Hard Charger Award, with Grant Junghans, Neal, Jay Poidinger and Dan DeMey finishing seventh through tenth, respectively.

With two events in the books for the Great Plains Region, Myer remains atop the standings with a 23-point advantage (210 to 187) over Shryock. Dripps is third with 177 markers, followed by Tesch (175), Hejna (165), Scott Green (156), Rich Lewerke (145), Neal (143), Lineberry (139) and Ramirez (139).

Tomorrow (Friday, June 5) the Murray County Speedway in Slayton, Minn., hosts the 6th Annual Minnesota Spring Challenge for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour and another $2,000-to-win Great Plains Region battle.

Defending USMTS National Champion Tim Donlinger is a two-time winner at the Murray County Speedway, winning the first-ever event there on May 24, 2002, and again on July 23 during last year's title run. Kelly Shryock tops the win list at Slayton with four career triumphs coming consecutively from 2005-07. Tommy Myer is a two-time winner at the track while Scott Drake, Jon Tesch and Mike Sorensen each have one victory.

Pit gates open at 4:00, grandstands open at 5:00, hot laps begin at 7:15 and the on-track action starts at 7:30.

Also on the racing card will be USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars, USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods and USRA Hobby Stocks racing for track and national points in the American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series.

Race fans can pick up $2-off coupons on Friday at Casey's General Stores locations in Fulda, Pipestone and Tracy.

This week's five-race swing wraps up on Saturday, June 6, at the Upper Iowa Speedway in Decorah, Iowa, for a tough Yeager Machine Upper Midwest Region tilt. After that, the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour is off for ten days but the USMTS Southern Series is in action all next week with the 3rd Annual Southern Speedweek beginning Tuesday, June 9, at the Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla., and concluding on Sunday, June 14, at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La.

All events during Southern Speedweek and beyond can be seen at www.WatchModsLive.com online and in real time.

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 Casey’s General Stores National Tour (Great Plains Region)
Cookies Bar “B” “Q” Clash presented by KPTH Fox 44
Buena Vista Raceway, Alta, Iowa
Thursday, June 4, 2009

Showing finishing position, car number, driver, hometown and starting position in parentheses. The top 14 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. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (2)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (3)
3. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (9)
4. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (8)
5. 12h - Mike Hansen -- Alton, IA (6)
6. 72 - Mike Lineberry -- Fremont, NE (1)
7. X2 - Brian Bolin -- Fort Scott, KS (7)
8. 29g - Rich Hesse -- Hinton, IA (5)
9. 15 - Dan DeMey -- Denison, IA (4) DNF

BRODIX HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. 10 - Mike Steensma -- Luverne, MN (2)
2. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (6)
3. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (8)
4. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, IA (3)
5. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (7)
6. 3f - Jeff Feaster -- Dakota City, IA (9)
7. 27 - Don Gerritsen Jr. -- Rock Rapids, IA (1)
8. 61 - Brian Schmitt -- Wall Lake, IA (5)
9. M80 - Jim Mathieson -- Sioux City, IA (4)

AWESOME RACEWEAR HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (5)
2. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (7)
3. Z3 - Mike Albertsen -- Audubon, IA (4)
4. 55d - Nick Deal -- Walnut, IA (8)
5. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (9)
6. 3b - Jason Briese -- Cleghorn, IA (1) DNF
7. 97 - Rich Lewerke -- Garner, IA (2) DNF
8. 1cc - Clayton Christensen -- Spencer, IA (3) DNF
9. 2 - Grant Junghans -- Manhattan, KS (6) DNF

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN (12 laps, top 6 advance):
1. 12h - Mike Hansen -- Alton, IA (1)
2. 97 - Rich Lewerke -- Garner, IA (7)
3. 27 - Don Gerritsen Jr. -- Rock Rapids, IA (6)
4. 29g - Rich Hesse -- Hinton, IA (8)
5. 72 - Mike Lineberry -- Fremont, NE (3)
6. X2 - Brian Bolin -- Fort Scott, KS (5)
7. 3b - Jason Briese -- Cleghorn, IA (4)
8. M80 - Jim Mathieson -- Sioux City, IA (12)
9. 3f - Jeff Feaster -- Dakota City, IA (2)
10. 2 - Grant Junghans -- Manhattan, KS (13)
11. 61 - Brian Schmitt -- Wall Lake, IA (9)
12. 1cc - Clayton Christensen -- Spencer, IA (10)
13. 15 - Dan DeMey -- Denison, IA (11)

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. 7 - Al Hejna -- Clear Lake, IA (8)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (4)
3. 31 - Corey Dripps -- Waterloo, IA (7)
4. 65 - Tommy Myer -- Blooming Prairie, MN (9)
5. 14 - Jon Tesch -- Watertown, SD (2)
6. 72 - Mike Lineberry -- Fremont, NE (19)
7. 2 - Grant Junghans -- Manhattan, KS (22)
8. 14j - Jake Neal -- Omaha, NE (3)
9. 49x - Jay Poidinger -- Somerset, WI (12)
10. 15 - Dan DeMey -- Denison, IA (21) -1 Lap
11. 97 - Rich Lewerke -- Garner, IA (16) DNF
12. 4r - Dereck Ramirez -- Woodward, OK (1) DNF
13. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (14) DNF
14. 12h - Mike Hansen -- Alton, IA (15) DNF
15. 3b - Jason Briese -- Cleghorn, IA (23) DNF
16. 7k - Jason Krohn -- Slayton, MN (6) DNF
17. Z3 - Mike Albertsen -- Audubon, IA (11) DNF
18. 10 - Mike Steensma -- Luverne, MN (5) DNF
19. 27 - Don Gerritsen Jr. -- Rock Rapids, IA (17) DNF
20. 555 - Ryan Ruter -- Kanawha, IA (13) DNF
21. X2 - Brian Bolin -- Fort Scott, KS (20) DNF
22. 55d - Nick Deal -- Walnut, IA (10) DNF
23. 3f - Jeff Feaster -- Dakota City, IA (24) DNF
24. 29g - Rich Hesse -- Hinton, IA (18) DNF

Lap Leaders: Neal 1, Dripps 2-10, Hejna 11-35.
Total Laps Led: Hejna 25, Dripps 9, Neal 1.
AFCO Pole Winner: Ramirez.
Provisional Starters: DeMey, Junghans, Briese (track), Feaster (promoter).
Ruter Farms Long Tow: Bolin (380.70 miles).
PBM Performance Products Hard Charger: Lineberry (started 19th, finished 6th).
Next Race: Friday, June 5, Murray County Speedway, Slayton, Minn. (Great Plains Region).
Great Plains Region Points: Myer 210, Shryock 187, Dripps 177, Tesch 175, Hejna 165, Green 156, Lewerke 145, Neal 143, Lineberry 139, Ramirez 139.
DandyLand Farms Rookie of the Year Points: Junghans 244, Hansen 199, Lewerke 151, Cole 124, Shields 109.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Sput’s 173, Mullins 145, a.s.i. 140, JR 68, Pro Power 58.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Skyrocket 173, Hughes 161, Ramirez 159, GRT 76, TRE 75.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Ramirez.
American Racer – Briese.
Isky Racing Cams – Hejna.
KSE Racing Products – Hejna
PBM Performance Products – Lineberry.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Hesse.
Nitroquest – Dripps.
Out-Pace Racing Products – Lewerke.
Quarter Master – Hejna, Neal.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Junghans.
Real Racing Wheels – Bolin.
Ruter Farms – Bolin.

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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.