USMTS Spring Nationals opener to Spring's Brown

BAYTOWN, Texas (Feb. 13) -- Spring was in the air Thursday night as Chris Brown of Spring, Texas, brought a brand new racecar Royal Purple Raceway, and then brought it to victory lane after a barnburner 30-lap main event to open the 5th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals presented by Double H Bands.

The first half of the feature race for the dirt modifieds of the USMTS Casey's Cup powered by Swan Energy featured a tussle at the top between a trio of drivers from Las Cruces, N.M.

Fito Gallardo got a big jump at the start of the race and powered around the high side of the 3/8-mile clay oval to command the first nine laps while fending off Johnny Scott and Stormy Scott.

After disposing of his younger twin brother, Stormy Scott scooted underneath Gallardo in the middle of turn 3 and then slid up in front of him to lead lap 10.

Brown, who started sixth in his 2014 season debut, got by Gallardo three laps later and then slowly reeled in the leader.

The final ten laps were a spectator's dream as Stormy Scott and Brown raced virtually side by side with each passing lap while Johnny Scott had his hands full with defending USMTS national champion Rodney Sanders and his teammate, 2007 USMTS titlist Jason Krohn.

As the leaders approached the white flag, Brown edged in front to lead for the first time. He carried his momentum into the next corner with Stormy Scott getting a strong run down the back-stretch to pull nearly even as they entered the final turn.

At the finish line, it was Brown getting his eighth career USMTS win while Stormy Scott trailed a mere two-tenths of a second behind.

The win-his second at the Royal Purple Raceway-was worth $2,000 to the 34-year-old driver of a never-before-raced LG21 Race Cars chassis-a customized version of the LG2 Chassis by Jimmy Owens.

It was also the first triumph in USMTS competition for engine builder Durham Racing Engines and Andy Durham who formerly headed-up the dirt modified engine program for Roush Yates Engines.

Stormy Scott's runner-up finish extended his string of top-five finishes to three and added to his lead in the MVT Gulf Coast Border Region presented by Day Motor Sports points standings over Sanders, who finished fourth behind Johnny Scott.

Krohn was fifth, Kelly Shryock finished sixth, Jeremy Payne got his first top-10 with a seventh-place results, Gallardo held on for eighth, dirt late model standout Jimmy Mars wound up ninth in his USMTS debut and Zack VanderBeek passed nine cars en route to a tenth-place paycheck.

Earlier in the program, Mars won his heat race while turning his first-ever laps in USMTS competition. His effort earned him the Sybesma Graphics Pole Award.

The 5th Annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals presented by Double H Bands continues Friday and Saturday at the Royal Purple Raceway. Friday's winners gets $3,000 and Saturday's finale will carry a $4,000 top prize.

USRA Limited Mods will also be on the racing card each night with drivers battling for $1,000 and $1,500 to win, respectively.

On Friday, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 5 drivers meeting is at 6:30 and racing begins at 7 (all times are one hour earlier on Saturday).

Grandstand admission is $15 each night for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and children 5 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35 Friday and $40 Saturday.

For those unable to attend in person, RacinDirt.TV will carry all of the action live online from the Royal Purple Raceway with flag-to-flag action from start to finish. Visit www.RacinDirt.tv for more ordering information.

The Royal Purple Raceway is a modern facility 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.

The track is located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 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.royalpurpleraceway.com online.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts or check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
USMTS Casey's Cup powered by Swan Energy - MVT Gulf Coast Border Region presented by Day Motor Sports
5th Annual Texas Spring Nationals presented by Double H Bands - Night 1 of 3
Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed, money won and reason out (if any). The top 12 drivers in passing points accumulated in the heat races are locked into the "A" Main, with the top 8 re-drawing for starting positions 1-8.

C&R RACING HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (1) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (2) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas.
3. (5) 97 Cade Dillard (R), Robeline, La.
4. (3) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas.
5. (7) 87 Darron Fuqua (R), Mayetta, Kan.
6. (6) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
7. (4) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
8. (8) 4s T.J. Steele (R), Winnsboro, Texas.
9. (9) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, Okla.

JRi SHOCKS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (1) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M.
2. (2) 78 Trevor Egbert, Salado, Texas.
3. (6) 34 Ben Stephens, Hattiesburg, Miss.
4. (7) R5 Hunter Rasdon (R), Jonesboro, Ark.
5. (8) 44 Michael Walker (R), Rosharon, Texas.
6. (5) J17 Jacob Gallardo (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
7. (3) 36 Jeff Conner, Panora, Iowa.
8. (4) 59 Bob Sammann (R), Winona, Minn.

PENN TRANSPORT HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (1) 51 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
2. (5) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
3. (7) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.
4. (8) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
5. (2) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas.
6. (4) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla.
7. (3) 8 Billy Melton, Longview, Texas.
8. (6) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Waukee, Iowa.

PBM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (3) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas.
2. (1) 29d Brad Dierks, Clarence, Iowa.
3. (5) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
4. (7) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
5. (2) 5* Adam Penn (R), Shreveport, La.
6. (6) 51 Tim Thomas, West Fargo, N.D.
7. (4) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
8. (8) L1 Larry Clevenger, Greenwood, La.

S&S FISHING & RENTAL HEAT RACE #5 (8 laps):
1. (3) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan.
2. (2) 77 Garrett Gregory (R), Tomball, Texas.
3. (5) 7d Austin Theiss (R), Hockley, Texas.
4. (6) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
5. (7) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
6. (1) 5 Shane Sprinkle (R), Andrews, Texas.
7. (8) 99jr Rick Henry Jr., Pearland, Texas.
8. (4) 44 Joe Spillman (R), Marble Falls, Texas.

DAY MOTOR SPORTS HEAT RACE #6 (8 laps):
1. (5) 28 Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, Wis.
2. (2) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
3. (8) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.
4. (6) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M.
5. (3) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
6. (7) 89c Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
7. (4) 4 Kyle Cummings (R), Sibley, La.
8. (1) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas.

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #1 (15 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (1) 29d Brad Dierks, Clarence, Iowa.
2. (3) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.
3. (4) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
4. (2) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa.
5. (5) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.
6. (8) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas.
7. (12) 51 Tim Thomas, West Fargo, N.D., Venom/G-Force, $80.
8. (16) 4s T.J. Steele (R), Winnsboro, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $80.
9. (9) 5* Adam Penn (R), Shreveport, La., Hughes/Geddes, $80.
10. (11) J17 Jacob Gallardo (R), Las Cruces, N.M.
11. (7) 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas, Hughes/RoushYates, $80.
12. (13) 99jr Rick Henry Jr., Pearland, Texas, Shaw/Henry, $60.
13. (14) 36 Jeff Conner, Panora, Iowa, Skyrocket/Durham, $80.
14. (18) 44 Joe Spillman (R), Marble Falls, Texas, CAM/Centex, $80.
15. (15) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., LG2/Mullins, $80.
16. (10) 89c Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, Hughes/Mullins, $400.
17. (6) 9 Jimmy Ray, Las Cruces, N.M., AOS/AOS, $80.
18. (17) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Waukee, Iowa, Hughes/Mullins, $400.
19. (19) 64 Jay Sale, Edmond, Okla., Harris/Mullins, $60.

REAL RACING WHEELS "B" MAIN #2 (15 laps, top 6 advance):
1. (5) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
2. (7) 87 Darron Fuqua (R), Mayetta, Kan.
3. (10) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas.
4. (1) 77 Garrett Gregory (R), Tomball, Texas.
5. (9) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas.
6. (3) 7d Austin Theiss (R), Hockley, Texas.
7. (18) 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas, Pierce/CB, $80.
8. (4) R5 Hunter Rasdon (R), Jonesboro, Ark., Bandit/Sput's, $80.
9. (15) 4 Kyle Cummings (R), Sibley, La., IRP/EPM, $80.
10. (12) 5 Shane Sprinkle (R), Andrews, Texas, Hughes/RoushYates, $80.
11. (8) 24 Sean Jones, Mansfield, Texas, LG2/Brooks, $80.
12. (17) L1 Larry Clevenger, Greenwood, La., Skyrocket/PTS, $80.
13. (13) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustom/Mullins, $80.
14. (14) 8 Billy Melton, Longview, Texas, Skyrocket/Shoulders, $80.
15. (6) 44 Michael Walker (R), Rosharon, Texas, Kraft/AARE, $80.
16. (11) 87 John Webb, Pauls Valley, Okla., MBCustom/Mullins, $80.
17. (16) 59 Bob Sammann (R), Winona, Minn., Hughes/KSE, $80.
18. (2) 97 Cade Dillard (R), Robeline, La.

CASEY'S GENERAL STORES "A" MAIN (30 laps):
1. (6) 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas, LG2/Durham, 30, $2000.
2. (4) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., LG2/ProPower, 30, $1500.
3. (2) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., Ramirez/ProPower, 30, $1000.
4. (18) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustom/Geddes, 30, $900.
5. (8) 7k Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn., MBCustom/Sput's, 30, $700.
6. (3) 51 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, Skyrocket/PTS, 30, $600.
7. (15) 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 30, $500.
8. (1) G17 Fito Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M., LG2/AOS, 30, $450.
9. (7) 28 Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, Wis., MBCustom/Geddes, 30, $400.
10. (19) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, LG2/Sput's, 30, $350.
11. (14) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Hatfield, 30, $325.
12. (21) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Ramirez/ProPower, 30, $300.
13. (13) 29d Brad Dierks, Clarence, Iowa, Skyrocket/Sperry, 30, $275.
14. (25) J17 Jacob Gallardo (R), Las Cruces, N.M., GRC/BMS, 30, $400.
15. (5) 22b Rick Beebe, Shawnee, Kan., MBCustom/Mullins, 30, $400.
16. (16) 87 Darron Fuqua (R), Mayetta, Kan., Venom/Driskell, 30, $250.
17. (11) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Sunnyvale, Texas, LG2/Mullins, 30, $250.
18. (22) 18s Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas, CAM/Chase, 30, $250.
19. (24) 7d Austin Theiss (R), Hockley, Texas, LG2/Mullins, 30, $250.
20. (20) 77 Garrett Gregory (R), Tomball, Texas, Hughes/105, 30, $250.
21. (23) 51 Tracy Denby Jr., Vidor, Texas, Skyrocket/CB, 29, $400.
22. (12) 78 Trevor Egbert, Salado, Texas, Hughes/Sput's, 29, $250.
23. (17) 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., LG2/ProPower, 25, $250, overheating.
24. (10) 34 Ben Stephens, Hattiesburg, Miss., Hughes/Mullins, 19, $250, mechanical.
25. (26) 97 Cade Dillard (R), Robeline, La., Sidebiter/PTS, 18, $400, mechanical.
26. (9) 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn., Kraft/Gaerte, 15, $250, mechanical.

(R) = Rookie of the Year contender.

Lap Leaders: F. Gallardo 1-9, S. Scott 10-28, Brown 29-30.
Total Laps Led: S. Scott 19, F. Gallardo 9, Brown 2.
Margin of Victory: 0.246 second.
Provisional Starters: J. Gallardo, Dillard.
Sybesma Graphics Pole Award: Mars.
Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger: Sanders (started 18th, finished 4th).
Next Race: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15, Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.
MVT Gulf Coast Border Region Points Standings: S. Scott 288, Sanders 254, J. Scott 245, Krohn 236, Beebe 229, J. Gallardo 225, Shryock 215, Dillard 208, VanderBeek 207, Denby 197.
Rookie of the Year Points: J. Gallardo 225, Dillard 208, Steele 171, Theiss 168, Fuqua 160.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year Points: ProPower 26, Sput's 23, Geddes 23, Mullins 19, BMS 14.
Manufacturers Championship Points: LG2 28, MBCustom 27, Ramirez 20, Hughes 18, GRC 17, Skyrocket 17.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer - Whiteaker.
Beyea Custom Headers - F. Gallardo.
Brass Monkey Racing Products - Smith.
C&R Racing - J. Scott.
Edelbrock - J. Scott.
FK Rod Ends - Beebe.
Forty9Designs.com - J. Gallardo, Theiss.
Fuel Safe - Shryock.
GRT Race Cars - Phillips.
Hooker Harness - Dierks.
JRi Shocks - F. Gallardo.
KEVKO Oil Pans & Components - Mars.
Keyser Manufacturing - VanderBeek.
Marsh Racing Wheels - Dillard.
Mesilla Valley Transportation - Sanders.
MSD Ignition - Brown, S. Scott.
PBM Performance Products - Brown, Brown.
Power Lift Racing Products - Dunn.
Real Racing Wheels - all non-qualifiers.
Sybesma Graphics - Mars.
VP Racing Fuels - Brown.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, AMP Energy, Casey's General Stores, COMP Cams, Day Motor Sports, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, MSD Ignition, Nitroquest Media Group, RACEceiver, RacinDirt.com, Snickers, SpiderWeb Modular Storage Solutions, Swan Energy, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Double H Bands, ElbowsUp.com, Erson Cams, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, Major League Bowhunter, Mesilla Valley Transportation, New Vision Graphics, Olympic Fire Protection, Penn Transport, Road Runner Crane, Road Runner Trucking, S&S Fishing & Rental, United Cellular Services.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Bell Racing Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Brass Monkey Racing Products, C&R Racing, CPD Racing Tools, Edelbrock, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Hooker Harness, JRi Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Power Lift Racing Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Sybesma Graphics, Tiger Rear Ends.