Gustin wires USRA Western Flyer HotMod field at Royal Purple Raceway

  • February 23, 2012

BAYTOWN, Texas -- Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, won the 20-lap USRA Western Flyer HotMod main event Thursday night at the Royal Purple Raceway on the first of three nights at the quarter-mile clay oval in Baytown, Texas, for the 3rd Annual Texas Spring Nationals.

Driving one of Shane Hebert’s back-up cars, Gustin drew the pole for the main event and had to hold off a late-race charge by Hebert to take the victory and earn the $500 winner’s share of the prize money.

Twelfth-starting Randy Timms was the benefactor of a last-lap skirmish between Hebert and Steven Whiteaker Jr., and jumped from fourth to second in the final turn. He also picked up an extra $100 for being the race’s Hard Charger Award recipient.

Nine-time USMTS National Champion raced his way to a third-place finish ahead of Hebert while Whiteaker nipped Mike Martin at the finish line for fifth.

Dusty Lout, Gary Weselka, Kevin Dupont and Chad Cambron rounded out the top 10 finishers.

Martin, Lout, Weselka and Dupont also picked up bonuses of $100, $75, $50 and $25, respectively, as the top four drivers that have not raced a USMTS Modified or are not currently a USMTS Modified driver.

The USRA Western Flyer HotMods will again be racing in support of the USMTS Modifieds on Friday and Saturday night with a top prize of $600 and $900 to win, respectively.

Friday’s “Pure HotMod Awards” will be $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25 for the top five and Saturday will pay out an extra $200, $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25 to the top six non-USMTS racers.

A $100 bonus will be paid to any driver racing all three nights and not qualifying for the “A” Main on Saturday, and there is also a Hard Charger Award worth $100 each night too.

The pit gate opens at 3 p.m. on Friday, with grandstands opening at 5 and racing at 7. On Saturday, pit gates open at 2 p.m., grandstands open at 4 and the first heat race hits the track at 5:30.

The Royal Purple Raceway is located just 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. For more information, call the track office at 281-383-7223 or visit www.royalpurpleraceway.com online.

To learn more about the USRA, visit www.usraracing.com or call 515-832-6000. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usraracing or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usraracing.

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OFFICIAL RESULTS
American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series
3rd Annual Texas Spring Nationals – Night 1 of 3
Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas
Thursday, February 23, 2012

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown and money won. The top 4 finishers in the heat races are locked into the “A” Main, with the top 3 from each re-drawing for starting positions 1-12.

USRA WESTERN FLYER HOTMODS

Heat Race #1 (8 laps):
1. (4) 511 Jon Whittington, Vidor, Texas.
2. (2) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa.
3. (1) 07 Keith Wright, Conroe, Texas.
4. (8) 325 Mike Martin, Magnolia, Texas.
5. (5) 0 Justin Collins, Cleveland, Texas.
6. (3) 14t Talon Minten, Lacoste, Texas.
7. (9) 955 Robert Metz, Lumberton, Texas.
8. (10) 29m Matt McDade, Houston, Texas.
9. (7) 78c Kamron Campbell, Breaux Bridge, La.
10. (6) D30 John Heil, Floresville, Texas.

Heat Race #2 (8 laps):
1. (4) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
2. (9) 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas.
3. (7) 66 Gary Weselka, Crosby, Texas.
4. (3) 53 Edward Oakes, Center, Texas.
5. (2) 12m Randy Lovell, Sour Lake, Texas.
6. (8) 9 Ray Doyon, Natalia, Texas.
7. (6) 29 Mike Walling, Crosby, Texas.
8. (1) 14d Derek Legg, Liberty, Texas.
9. (5) 14 Gary Cox, Jacksonville, Texas.

Heat Race #3 (8 laps):
1. (8) 8m Ray Allen Kuhalenk, Houston, Texas.
2. (4) 75 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa.
3. (2) 4r Robby Minten, Lacoste, Texas.
4. (7) 39 Chad Cambron, Alvin, Texas.
5. (1) 15 Tracy Denby, Vidor, Texas.
6. (6) 14k Stan Kraly, Crosby, Texas.
7. (5) 11 Jeff Allgayer, El Campo, Texas.
8. (9) 26 Braydon Dodson, Stephens, Ark.
9. (3) 84 Stacy Tyler, Crosby, Texas.

Heat Race #4 (8 laps):
1. (3) 147 G.W. Hessong, Edna, Texas.
2. (7) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.
3. (2) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas.
4. (5) 39 Dusty Lout, Center, Texas.
5. (9) 3j Kevin Dupont, Carencro, La.
6. (6) 420 Eric Cegielski, Houston, Texas.
7. (8) 24 Derek Ross, Crosby, Texas.
8. (4) 3 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas.
9. (1) 99 Ricky Tankersly, Highlands, Texas.

B Main #1 (10 laps, top 4 advance):
1. (1) 0 Justin Collins, Cleveland, Texas.
2. (5) 955 Robert Metz, Lumberton, Texas.
3. (6) 11 Jeff Allgayer, El Campo, Texas.
4. (3) 14t Talon Minten, Lacoste, Texas.
5. (4) 14k Stan Kraly, Crosby, Texas.
6. (7) 29m Matt McDade, Houston, Texas.
7. (2) 15 Tracy Denby, Vidor, Texas.
8. (8) 26 Braydon Dodson, Stephens, Ark.
9. (9) 78c Kamron Campbell, Breaux Bridge, La.
10. (10) 84 Stacy Tyler, Crosby, Texas.
11. (11) D30 John Heil, Floresville, Texas.

B Main #2 (10 laps, top 4 advance)):
1. (2) 3J Kevin Dupont, Carencro, La.
2. (3) 9 Ray Doyon, Natalia, Texas.
3. (5) 29 Mike Walling, Crosby, Texas.
4. (7) 14d Derek Legg, Liberty, Texas.
5. (4) 420 Eric Cegielski, Houston, Texas.
6. (8) 3 Thomas Downey, Houston, Texas.
7. (1) 12m Randy Lovell, Sour Lake, Texas.
8. (6) 24 Derek Ross, Crosby, Texas.
9. (10) 99 Ricky Tankersly, Highlands, Texas.
10. (9) 14 Gary Cox, Jacksonville, Texas.

“A” Main (20 laps):
1. (1) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, $500.
2. (12) 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla., $400.
3. (2) 75 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, $200.
4. (5) 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La., $170.
5. (7) 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas, $150.
6. (13) 325 Mike Martin, Magnolia, Texas, $230.
7. (16) 39 Dusty Lout, Center, Texas, $185.
8. (9) 66 Gary Weselka, Crosby, Texas, $150.
9. (18) 3j Kevin Dupont, Carencro, La., $115.
10. (15) 39 Chad Cambron, Alvin, Texas, $80.
11. (21) 11 Jeff Allgayer, El Campo, Texas, $70.
12. (22) 29 Mike Walling, Crosby, Texas, $65.
13. (24) 14d Derek Legg, Liberty, Texas, $60.
14. (19) 955 Robert Metz, Lumberton, Texas, $55.
15. (23) 14t Talon Minten, Lacoste, Texas, $50.
16. (4) 511 Jon Whittington, Vidor, Texas, $50.
17. (3) 07 Keith Wright, Conroe, Texas, $50.
18. (17) 0 Justin Collins, Cleveland, Texas, $50.
19. (11) 8m Ray Allen Kuhalenk, Houston, Texas, $50.
20. (14) 53 Edward Oakes, Center, Texas, $50.
21. (10) 19 Randy Seals, Humble, Texas, $50.
22. (20) 9 Ray Doyon, Natalia, Texas, $50.
23. (8) 147 G.W. Hessong, Edna, Texas, $50.
24. (6) 4r Robby Minten, Lacoste, Texas, $50.

Lap Leader: Gustin 1-25.
Total Laps Led: Gustin 25.
Hard Charger: Timms (started 12th, finished 2nd).
Pure HotMod Award: Martin, Lout, Weselka, Dupont.

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