HUMBOLDT, Kan. — The O’Reilly USMTS National Tour opened with a thriller, featuring 48 star-studded race teams battling through chilly temperatures Saturday night at Humboldt Speedway.
Jason Hughes set the tone early by earning the AFCO Pole Award and garnering an automatic spot in the first four rows of the Holley A-main. Last year's runner-up in the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship started the main event from the outside of the second row, but he didn't stay there long.
Hughes battled side-by-side with Jon Tesch for 39-straight laps. Hughes hugged the bottom groove while Tesch took to the cushion. The pair encountered lapped traffic for the final time with two laps to go, and Hughes made his move on the final lap to nip Tesch by a car-length at the finish.
Tommy Weder, Jr. was third, Johnny Bone, Jr. finished fourth and eight-time USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock rounded out the top five.
The finish:
Jason Hughes, Jon Tesch, Tommy Weder, Jr., Johnny Bone, Jr., Kelly Shryock, Greg Skaggs, Zack VanderBeek, John Allen, Rodney Sanders, Corey Dripps, Justin Boney, Dustin Boney, Derek Ramirez, Gary Clark, Terry Beckham, Jr., Gary Langworthy, Jr., Al Hejna, Brian Bolin, Steve Becker, Jeremy Rasmussen, Josh Reisch, Jeremy Chambers, Steve Holzkamper, Scott Green.