Texas Speedzone - Inaugural Texas Winter Challenge @ Texana Raceway Park, 11/20/08

Inaugural Texas Winter Challenge, United States Modified Touring Series @ Texana Raceway Park, 11/20-22/08

By J M Hallas

Edna, Tx.(November 20th, 2008) The thunder of horsepower roared at Texana Raceway Park as the USMTS rolled into town, with nearly fifty Modifieds for opening night of the Inaugural Texas Winter Challenge. Drivers and teams from nine states packed the pits for the first of three big nights of racing on the 5/16 black clay track.

Five heat races helped set the field for the 25-lap, $1,000 to win opener, with the top 12 in passing points transfering, and the rest delegated to one of two B-mains. Each of the B-mains would take the top five, with two provisionals added to fill the 24-car A-main.

Green Goes Green to Checkers
Scott Green made the long tow from Derby, Kansas pay off early as he took round one of three day show holding off points contender, Steve Holzkamper and "Rookie of the Year" chaser Morgan Bagley. Green got out front on the drop of the green, going wire to wire for the victory.

At the start of the 25 lapper, Green out-raced polesitter, Dustin Hyde into turn 1 for the lead, while Hyde was challenged by Holzkamper on the low side for second. Hyde dropped another position on lap 1 when Bagley got by for third. In the pack, Shawn Brassfield, Jamie Burford and points leader, Jason Hughes battled three wide for twelveth. Eddie Martin was next to put Hyde back a spot, grabing fourth on lap 2.

Yellow waved on lap 3 after the middle of the pack checked up causing a chain reaction that left Tommy Weder jr., Allen Chickering, Tim Culp, Randy Timms and Derrick Ramirez wadded up in turn 1. The green was just about to wave again when Burford stopped on the back stretch just short of the pit exit.

Once back to green Holzkamper took a quick look under Green, but fell back into line while Martin and Bagley stayed wheel to wheel for third. As the duo slugged it out on lap 4, Kelly Shryock snuck a peek on both, but Bagley secured the spot on lap 5. Shane Hebert brought out yellow on lap 9 when he slowed with a flat, then pitted for repairs.

On the restart Shryock got by Martin for fourth, while Hughes and Jack Sullivan ran side by side for eighth. By lap 10 the top 9 had sorted out single file with Hyde, Paul White, Johno Whittington and Ken Schrader battling for tenth on back. At the halfway point it was Green inching away from Holzkamper, who had a small gap back to Bagley, Shryock and Hughes sneaking into the tgop five mix.

As the laps clicked off, the top three stayed separated by about three to four car lengths each. Green got a little more breathing room after Holzkamper slipped in turn 4 allowing Bagley to close that gap. Just out of the top five, Martin and local hotshoe, Steve Whiteaker jr. swapped sixth. Coming to the checkers it was Green in the Gressel Motorsports, Bear Tire & Auto, Gressel Oilfield Service, Midwest Hearing Aids, RCG Graphics, Chad Mullins powered, Hughes Chassis taking the win.

"It was a good smooth race track, " commented Green. "That helped alot. We were fortunate enough to qualify good and start up front and we had an awful good racecar.After we hot-lapped we made a couple of adjustments and were fortunate enough to get the car right and get a good starting spot"

"We'll usually try to compare tracks to others with similar configurations to help find our set up. We looked at this as kind of a longer South Texas Speedway. The straighaway are a little longer, but the corners about the same. So we went with that set up. We changed gears three times before we came up with the right one."

"In the race we usually try to take care of ourself and not worry about the locals or guys we race with frequently. That's a pretty full time job."

"It's going to take a lot of luck to sweep the weekend. A good racecar, and a lot of luck. We were fortunate to have to both tonight. Our car gets around this track pretty good so we have good baseline to go off of."

USMTS Modified A-main(25 laps) Unofficial
1. 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan.
2. 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry Ark.
3. 5R Morgan Bagley, Longview, Tx.
4. 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa
5. 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla.
6. 51 Eddie Martin, Amarillo, Tx.
7. 89 Steve Whiteaker jr., Corpus Christi, Tx.
8. 18 Jack Sullivan, Greenbriar, Ark.
9. 14. Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.
10. 5w Johno Whittington, Vidor, Tx.
11. 9 Ken Schrader, Concord, N.C.
12. 71a Ryan Aho, Chisholm, Minn.
13. 02 Tommy Weder jr. Woodward, Okla.
14. 2w Paul White, Temple, Tx.
15. 5T Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla
16. 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarakana, Tx.
17. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Tx.
18. 4R Derrick Ramirez, Woodward, Okla
19. 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
20. 26x Allen Chickering, Okarche, Akla.
21. 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Tx.
22. 91b Shawn Brassfield, Ada, Okla.
23. C8 Tim Culp, West Monroe, La.
24. 19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La.

USMTS B-mains(Top 5 to A-main)
B-Main #1
19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La.
5w Johnon Whittington, Vidor
9 Ken Schrader, Concord, N.C.
26x Allen Chickering, Okarche, Okla
5T Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla.

B-Main #2
12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla.
20 Rodney Sanders, Happy
4M Bobby Malchus, Red Oak
17a Ryan Aho, Chisholm, Minn.
4R Derrick Ramirez, Wodward, Okla

USMTS Heats(top 3 finishers---top 12 in passing points transfer to A-main)
Heat 1
14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.
2w Paul White, Temple
9 Ken Schrader, Concord, N.C.

Heat 2
5R Mogan Bagley, Longview
19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La.
89 Steve Whiteaker jr, Corpus Christi

Heat 3
3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa
9 Shane Hebert, Lafayete, La
26x Allen Chickering, Okarche, Okla.

Heat 4
5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark.
18 Jack Sullivan, Green Briar, Ark.
51 Eddie Martin, Amarillo

Heat 5
8J Dustin Hyde, Texarana
25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan.
20 Rodney Sanders, Happy

Jennings Jubilant after second big win for Novemember

To say Corpus Christi's J J Jennings has had a good November might be somewhat of an understatement. The month began with Jennings taking his first I-37 Raceway win and $1,000 "bucks", last week Jennings finished a respectable 12th at Rio Grande Speedway's "Battle on the Border" and started the big three day Texana Raceway Park weekend off with another big payday.

Jennings had to battle lapped traffic in the final laps, as well as holding off two of the top Modified pilots in the nation, Shane Hebert and Eddie Martin. Unduanted the Corpus young gun held steady and once clear of slower car put distance on Hebert coming to the checkered flag.

Jennings was first into turn 1 as the 24-car, 20-lap A-main rumbled to life. Jensen Pray, Hebert and Jason Hughes fell in line, with Martin and Jamie Burford side by side for fifth. Martin and Burford split a slowing Hughes on lap 1 for fourth and fifth. Hughes puled to the infield on lap 2, while Hebert was looking inside Pray for second.

Hebert finally got past Pray for second on lap 5, but Jennings had already checked out on the field. Lap 6 saw Martin find his way around Pray for third. Jennings still held a good lead over Hebert and Martin, who were breaking away from the rest of the pack. At the crossed flags it was Jennings, with Hebert closing, Martin, Pray and Rodney Sanders in the top five.

Herbert had cut Jenning's advantage in half by lap 12, with Martin following in his wake. On lap 14, Hebert slipped up in turn 4 giving back some of the margin he had just made up, but Jennings was just hitting lapped traffic. Herbert quickly closed the gap on Jennings getting to his rear bumper on lap 18.

As the white flag waved Jennings, Hebert and Martin all cleared slower cars. With clear track ahead Jennins pulled Hebert off turn 2 quickly getting away from the two veteran drivers. At he checkers it as Jennings in the G&M Oilfield Services, 3MM Builders, Tank 1 Services, Hammerhead Construction, H&E Equipment, Ross Stafford Trailer Sales, Wraps by Sybesma, Pflugerville/Glen Olsen Race Engines, Rush Chassis grabbing another big win.

"The car was excellent," replied Jennings. "It was another lucky draw and starting on the pole. It was easy to drive. A little snug tight, but it would come off the corners good. Just a lot of luck again in the draw, just like Pleasanton(I-37)."

" I really never heard anyone coming. If you're running with Shane Hebert and Eddie Martin you now you're running pretty good. Those guys do this all the time and we're just a "weekend warrior" team. We just try to come out, have fun and roll the car on th trailer."

"Anytime you can run and beat Eddie, that guy has 100's of wins, and Shane runs USMTS all the time, it's pretty gratifying. We were thinking about buying one of those Big Chief Chassis', but this old Rush chassis has been running pretty good the past three races. It's going to be hard to give her up."

"I've talked to Aaron(Hudgeons) about shocks and springs quite a bit. We've changed springs up a lot. Steve Whiteaker has preached to me about how to set this up. I've had a lot of good help. I saw all these haulers here when I showed up and tought we'd get our tail whooped.

"Tomorrow we're going to have Lawrence(Mikulenck) and Howard Willis here, plus anyone else that had to work. It's going to take another good draw and if I don't mess up myself, we might be able to win again."

Limited Modified A-main(OFFICIAL)
1. 26g J J Jennings, Corpus Christi, Tx.
2, 99 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La.
3. 211 Eddie Martin, Amarillo, Tx.
4. 57 Jensen Pray, McAllen, Tx.
5. 120 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Tx.
6. 19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La.
7 216 Paul White, Temple, Tx.
8. 63 Shane Hoefling, McAllen, Tx.
9. 00 Derrick Flora, Ingram, Tx.
10. 5 David Jackson
11. 10 Aaron Hudgeons, Cuero, Tx.
12. 77 Bobby Maupin, Weslaco, Tx.
13. 79 Bruce Beddoe, Corpus Christi, Tx.
14. D00 Dustin Brandl
15. 133 Jason Zarbock
16. 6 Vince Louden, Shiner, Tx.
17. 121 Dean Hollier
18. 888 Aaron Lunsford, Victoria, Tx.
19. 46 Randy Bridges
20. 150 Joe Collier
21. 9 David Meredith
22. 48 James Dashnaw
23. 76 Mike Carlock, Corpus Christi, Tx.
24, 146 Jason Hughes, Westvile, Okla.

Limited Mod B-Mains(top 6 transfer)
B#1
77 Bobby Maupin
76 Mike Carlock
121 Dean Hollier
888 Aaron Lunsford
46 Randy Bridges
6 Vince Louden

B-Main #2
10 Aaron Hudgeons
133 Jason Zarbock
79 Bruce Beddoe
150 Joe Collier
33 Bobby Fehring
9 David Meredith

Limited Modifieds
Heat Winners
1. 26g J J Jennings
2. 57 Jensen Pray
3. 146 Jason Hughes
4. 99 Shane Hebert