Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie, Minn., topped the 10th Annual UPS Store Illinois Challenge Thursday night at the Knox County Fairgrounds as the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour made its annual trek to the big half-mile oval in Knoxville, Ill.
The UPS Store Illinois Challenge has been held each of the last ten years during the Knox County Fair, and is the longest-running annual USMTS event at one track.
The annual blockbuster has been a standing-room-only extravaganza since its inception thanks to dozens of sponsors, a supportive community and the hard work of former USMTS Marketing Director Ed Sheckler, who passed away on Dec. 5, 2006 after a battle with cancer.
Bob Dominacki was the winner of the first event on Aug. 4, 2000, and turned in the best performance during Thursday night’s heat races to capture the AFCO Pole Award.
Dominacki drew the fifth spot for the start of the 30-lap Ed Sheckler Memorial Sunoco “A” Main while eight-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock picked up the pole position with Myer joining Shryock on the front row.
Shryock, a two-time UPS Store Illinois Challenge winner, got the early jump at the drop of the green flag, but Myer blasted around Shryock to lead the third circuit. From that point on, Myer never relinquished his lead and went on to capture his 35th career win under the USMTS banner.
Dean Mahlstedt came from the 10th starting spot to challenge Shryock for the runner-up spot but had to settle for third at the checkered flag. Ryan Gustin was fourth and Zack VanderBeek raced to fifth after starting 14th on the 24-car grid. Sixth through tenth, respectively, were Al Hejna, Corey Dripps, Michael Long, Jon Tesch and Ryan Dolan.
The win, worth $2,000, was the first for Myer since the season opener five months ago at the Junction Motor Speedway.
Thursday night’s event was the next-to-last event in the Central States Region. VanderBeek earned the PBM Performance Products Hard Charger Award and a hefty amount of passing points in Thursday night’s main event to expand his points lead to 33 points (664 to 631) heading into Saturday’s regional finale. Shryock sits second and Tesch is third with 619 markers, followed by Gustin (607), Hejna (579), Myer (537), Dolan (531), Dripps (518), Mahlstedt (512) and Dereck Ramirez (490).
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