Late Caution Dooms Shryock, Lifts Hughes To Third USMTS Speedweek Win

[CPG Marketing]

GREENWOOD, La. (June 14) – The USMTS Southern Series wrapped up the 2009 edition of Speedweek Sunday at the Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, La., with another nail-biting finish to cap off the six-day, six-track swing.

As the final checkered flag of the season waved for the grueling East Region campaign, the outcome told the tale of two seasons for the two winningest drivers in United States Modified Touring Series history.

As the sun began to set on the 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located just west of Shreveport, the green flag flew to start the 30-lap Sunoco “A” Main with polesitter Garrett Durrett of Simsboro leading his first lap of the season. His reign was short-lived, however, as Fertile, Iowa's Kelly Shryock bolted from his second row starting spot to take the lead on lap 2.

From there, Shryock took off from the field as he left the rest of the 23 starters to battle it out for second place. Meanwhile, current USMTS Southern Series points leader Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla., was making his way through the field from eighth on the starting grid.

With five laps to go and a lead of nearly seven seconds on Hughes, Shryock appeared to be on his way to ending the longest winless streak of his career. But instead of the win he so desperately wanted, Shryock got the caution flag he didn't want.

“Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year points leader Wes Armstrong had his engine expire in the middle of turn 4, which brought out the yellow flag and erased Shryock's advantage. One lap after the restart, Hughes powered by Shryock to snare the top spot and go on to score his third win of Speedweek.

Bobby Malchus turned in his best performance of the season with a third-place showing, Bryan Rowland snuck by Durrett for fourth and Randy Timms notched a sixth-place finish. Provisional starters Rodney Sanders and Steven Whiteaker Jr. gave the fans a show as they raced from 23rd and 24th on the starting grid to finish seventh and eighth, respectively. Chris Henigan took ninth and Dustin "Tater" Hyde rounded out the top-10.
For Shryock, it was his fifth straight top-5 finish of the week but extended the eight-time USMTS National Champion's hiatus from the winners circle to 49 events, including 25 in the USMTS Southern Series where his last win came at the Houston Raceway Park in the 2007 season finale.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sunday's $2,000 victory was the ninth for Hughes in the USMTS Southern Series this year, and an even dozen overall when factoring in his three additional wins in the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Tour.

Combined, the pair of chassis-building Modified aces own more than 200 USMTS-sanctioned wins and came into Sunday's contest ranked first and second in the USMTS Southern Series East Region points and left the Boothill Speedway in the same order.
Hughes came into Speedweek ranked sixth in the East Region and trailing points leader Jack Sullivan by 55 markers. He leaves with the East Region title, beating Shryock by 29 points (947 to 918). Sanders wound up third with 877, followed by Whiteaker (836), Johnny Bone Jr. (804), Henigan (786), Sullivan (759), Dereck Ramirez (738), B.J. Robinson (721) and Durrett (709).

Hughes is the defending USMTS Southern Series Champion and Shryock claimed the crown during the inaugural season for the series in 2007.
The top-10 in points — plus any other drivers with perfect attendance in the East Region — are now qualified for The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship which features 11 nights of racing at four tracks in the Lone Star State to determine the 2009 USMTS Southern Series Champion.

With perfect attendance, fourteen additional drivers join the top-10 finishers in the Class of 2009: Morgan Bagley, Scott Green, Hyde, Michael Robertson, William Gould, Steve Holzkamper, Jason and Wes Armstrong, Malchus, Chad Davis, Shane Hebert, Jeff Huckaby, Jamie Burford and Kyle Schmidt.

The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship will kick off Oct. 1-3 at the Battleground Speedway in Highlands, followed by Round 2 on Oct. 23-24 at the Gator Motorplex in Willis. Round 3 takes place at the Texana Raceway Park in Edna, Nov. 27-29, and the season concludes with the crowing of the 2009 USMTS Southern Series Champion at the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Dec. 3-5.

USMTS officials are looking at possible dates in August for scheduling and/or rescheduling two or three events in Texas which will complete the West Region. In the event that no dates can be arranged, the West Region points will become final with seven races in the books and Hughes securing the West Region title.

Twenty-two drivers in the West Region are currently qualified for The Hunt for the USMTS Southern Series Championship, including Hughes, Shryock, Sanders, Whiteaker, Hebert, Bagley, Ramirez, Malchus, the Armstrong brothers, Gould, Timms, Schmidt and Davis, plus Bryan Rowland, Jon Tesch, Bumper Jones, Eddie Martin, John O Whittington, Kevin Sustaire, Alan Sharpensteen and Cody Smith.

Up next for the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Tour is a Great Plains Region tripleheader in South Dakota. Tuesday, June 16, takes the touring titans to the Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson before trekking to the Casino Speedway in Watertown on Wednesday and the Huset's Speedway in Brandon on Thursday.

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 (East Region)
3rd Annual USMTS Southern Speedweek - Event #6 of 6
Boothill Speedway, Greenwood, La.
Sunday, June 14, 2009

SUNOCO “A” MAIN (30 laps):
1. 12 - Jason Hughes -- Westville, OK (8)
2. 3 - Kelly Shryock -- Fertile, IA (3)
3. 4m - Bobby Malchus -- Red Oak, TX (4)
4. 20r - Bryan Rowland -- Woodward, OK (9)
5. 05x - Garrett Durrett -- Simsboro, LA (1)
6. 5t - Randy Timms -- Wheatland, OK (12)
7. 20 - Rodney Sanders -- Happy, TX (23)
8. 89 - Steven Whiteaker Jr. -- Corpus Christi, TX (24)
9. 16 - Chris Henigan -- Marshall, TX (10)
10. 8j - Dustin Hyde -- Texarkana, TX (5)
11. 96 - Michael Knighten -- Shreveport, LA (22)
12. 25 - Scott Green -- Derby, KS (13)
13. 18 - Jack Sullivan -- Greenbrier, AR (11)
14. 7x - Chris Dawson -- Post, TX (2)
15. 1st - Johnny Scott -- Las Cruces, NM (14)
16. 02x - B.J. Robinson -- Shreveport, LA (15)
17. 12h - Jeff Huckaby -- Texarkana, TX (21)
18. 40 - Greg Garrett -- Texarkana, TX (16)
19. 75 - Patrick Daniel -- Wills Point, TX (18)
20. 2g - Kenny Gaddis -- Hallsville, TX (6)
21. 5a - Wes Armstrong -- Marshall, TX (19) DNF
22. 1 - Brett Frazier -- Haughton, LA (7) DNF
23. 27 - Mike Washburn -- Shreveport, LA (20) DNF
24. L1 - Larry Clevenger -- Greenwood, LA (17) DNF

Lap Leaders: Durrett 1, Shryock 2-27, Hughes 28-30.
Total Laps Led: Shryock 26, Hughes 3, Durrett 1.

AFCO Pole Winner: Shryock.
Provisional Starters: Sanders, Whiteaker.
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger: Knighten (started 22nd, finished 11th).

East Region Points (final): Hughes 947, Shryock 918, Sanders 877, Whiteaker 836, Bone 804, Henigan 786, Sullivan 759, Ramirez 738, Robinson 721, Durrett 709.
Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year Points: W. Armstrong 262, J. Armstrong 253, Davis 223, Durrett 215, Henigan 214.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: Mullins 140, a.s.i. 128, Sput’s 103, Young’s 82, Rowland 67.
Chassis Builders Championship Points: Hughes 159, Skyrocket 146, Ramirez 120, TRE 115, GRT 114.

Contingency Awards:
AFCO Racing Products – Shryock.
American Racer – Frazier.
Fast Shafts – not awarded.
KSE Racing Products – Knighten.
Marsh Racing Wheels – Clevenger.
Nitroquest – Malchus.
Quarter Master – Hughes, Whiteaker.
QuickTime Performance Parts – Sanders.
Real Racing Wheels – J. Armstrong, Mullins.