On Aug. 28, 2008, his win at the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa, made Gustin the youngest winner in USMTS history at 17 years, 10 months and 13 days old. The win was a formal announcement of Gustin’s presence as a major player in the dirt modified world.

The Marshalltown, Iowa, speedster garnered six wins during the 2009 campaign where he finished second in points, sandwiched right between Shryock and Jason Hughes — the two winningest drivers in USMTS history.

A testament to his success this season, Gustin's image will adorn the latest issue of Dirt Modified Magazine, which is rolling off the presses as this story is being written.

This will be Gustin's first USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series event, and his first time ever racing in the in the Lone Star State. That formula worked out well for another Hawkeye hauler last year when Zack VanderBeek of New Sharon, Iowa, captured he finale at the 2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals.

The best of the best dirt modified drivers from all across America are heading for the Houston Raceway Park this weekend for the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals. The tripleheader will be the final event of the Hunt for the USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series Championship presented by Dirt Modified Magazine.

The main event will pay $2,000 to win on Thursday, with $3,000 earmarked for Friday's winner and $5,000 to win on Saturday.

In addition to the touring open-wheeled titans of the USMTS, the racing card will feature Limited Modifieds racing for $500, $700 and $1,500 to win, respectively.

Early entries are coming in at a record clip, according to event officials. Last year, a field of 95 different drivers competed over the three days — the second-largest car count in USMTS history behind the Featherlite Fall Jamboree. Nearly 80 different Limited Modified drivers also competed in the 2008 event.

Paul White won the first-ever USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series event at Houston Raceway Park in 2007. Since then, trips to victory lane have also been made by Alan Mondus, Shryock, Hughes, Tommy Weder Jr., Johnny Bone Jr. and VanderBeek.

On Thursday and Friday, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 5 and racing begins at 6:30. On Saturday, pit gates open at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 4 and the first heat race hits the track at 6 p.m. Hot laps each day will begin approximately one half-hour before race time.

The Houston Raceway Park is a state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.

Located in Baytown, Texas, the track is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SR 99 (Grand Parkway), then 0.3 mile west on FM 565. Speedway entrance located at Gate 3.. For more information, call the track office at 281-383-RACE or visit www.houstonraceway.com online.

Free grandstand tickets for Friday and Saturday night are available at Marshall Mobile Homes in Marshall, Day Motorsports in Tyler and at dozens of O'Reilly Auto Parts locations throughout Texas and Louisiana.

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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