McCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. -- What a difference a year makes.

Last March when the O'Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series visited the Junction Motor Speedway for the season-opener, Corey Dripps arrived with a new car, but left with wadded-up pile of scrap.

When the checkered flag flew on Friday night's 30-lap O'Reilly USMTS main event, Dripps was holding the winner's trophy, a check for $2,000 and a car that was the class of the field.

After handily winning his 10-lap heat race earlier, the Waterlo, Iowa, pilot started third in the Holley "A" Main. It took only one lap for Dripps to take the top spot, and from there he was never heard from again as he dominated the final 29 laps of the caution-free feature race, winning by nearly half a lap and lapping the field up to 11th-place finisher Jon Tesch.

Despite the efforts of Dripps to turn the 30-lapper into a yawner, the fans were kept on the edge of their seats by a pair of determined drives by a pair of Jasons.

After transferring from the "B" Mains, Jason Krohn and Jason Hughes started 19th and 20th, then passed 16 cars apiece to capture the third- and fourth-place finishes at the checkered flag. Krohn's charge earned him the evening's Hard Charger Award by virtue of his higher finishing position.

Defending O'Reilly USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, finished second in the main event, while Tommy Myer of Blooming Prairie, Minn., rounded out the top-5 finishers.

Racing action continues at Junction Motor Speedway on Saturday, with hot laps at 3:30 p.m. and racing at 4. A $3,000 top prize awaits the winner of Saturday's 35-lap O'Reilly USMTS feature.

RESULTS

FIRST HEAT (10 laps):

1. 3 Kelly Shryrock, Fertile, Iowa

2. 7K Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.

3. 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa

4. 1K Tim Karrick, Bashor, Kan.

5. 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.

6. 7N Jay Noteboom, Orange City, Iowa

7. 9R Robby Haines, Benkelman, Neb.

8. 02 Chad VanHoutan, Ozawkie, Kan.

9. 20 Dustin Boney, DeSoto, Kan.

10. L99 Loren Dauer, Lindsborg, Kan.

11. 12X Trent Jackson, Corning, Iowa

SECOND HEAT (10 laps):

1. 1M Julie McDermid, Fremont, Wis.

2. 4 Roger Hadan, Omaha, Neb.

3. 23 Matt Gilbertson, Montevideo, Minn.

4. 49 Bob Timm, Rolling Stone, Minn.

5. 33Z Zack Vanderbeek, New Sharon, Iowa

6. 75 Jon Thompson, Superior, Neb.

7. 50 Brad Bakken, Garner, Iowa

8. 37 Scott Ward, Watertown, S.D.

9. 44 Aaron Wiersma, Pierre, S.D.

10. 83 Jesse Cowles, Sioux City, Iowa

11. 12 Jason Hughes, Colcord, Okla.

THIRD HEAT (10 laps):

1. 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa

2. 35 Tim Echevarria, Junction City, Kan.

3. 29 Greg Metz, Washington, Kan.

4. 5M Dave Nutt, Fairmont, Minn.

5. 55 Brian Shaw, Brownsdale, Minn.

6. 68 Alan Dix, Stockton, Kan.

7. 14J Jake Neal, Omaha, Neb.

8. 40C Mike Chasteen, Creve Coeur, Ill.

9. 21 Wade Cross, Doniphan, Neb.

10. 1X Bill Flegg, Omaha, Neb.

11. 97M David Murray Jr., Oberlin, Kan.

FOURTH HEAT (10 laps):

1. 26 Brad McEwan, Storm Lake, Iowa

2. 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.

3. 11 Steve Burch, Junction City, Kan.

4. 64 Dusty Blake, Carleton, Neb.

5. Z62 Danny McKeighan, Carter Lake, Iowa

6. 8R Mike Rumsey, Brownsdale, Minn.

7. 11L Ricky Stangl, Raytown, Mo.

8. 3L Bub Lerette, Council Bluffs, Iowa

9. E85 Greg Schuster, Phillips, Neb.

10. 89 Jerry Warner, LaVista, Neb.

11. 2K Darrick Klima, Belleville, Kan.

FIFTH HEAT (10 laps):

1. 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa

2. X Mike Wedelstadt, Hortonville, Wis.

3. 2 Joe Cleveland, Bennington, Kan.

4. 1F Jason Friesen, Sutton, Neb.

5. 19J Jeff Jones, Council Bluffs, Iowa

6. 5M Gary March, Hinton, Iowa

7. X4 Tim Vogt, Elmwood, Neb.

8. 6S Brant Fastnacht, Grand Island, Neb.

9. 12A Matt Aarsvold, Oronoco, Minn.

10. 186 Jeremy Payne, Tucson, Ariz.

11. 12G Jerry Goebel, Estherville, Iowa

SIXTH HEAT (10 laps):

1. 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.

2. 21M Dean Mahlstedt, Garner, Iowa

3. 19 Mike Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.

4. 96 Johnny Saathoff, Beatrice, Neb.

5. 33Y Justen Yeager, Green River, Wyo.

6. 12N Lynn Nilsson, Nunda, S.D.

7. 8 Justin Bell, Wichita, Kan.

8. 07 Mike Goldfuss, Sutton, Neb.

9. 71J Jeff James, Stanton, Iowa

10. 7E Neil Eckhart, New Sharon, Iowa

FIRST "B" FEATURE (12 laps):

1. 1K Tim Karrick, Bashor, Kan.

2. 7K Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.

3. 12 Jason Hughes, Colcord, Okla.

4. 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa

5. 1F Jason Friesen, Sutton, Neb.

6. 50 Brad Bakken, Garner, Iowa

7. 68 Alan Dix, Stockton, Kan.

8. 40C Mike Chasteen, Creve Coeur, Ill.

9. 8R Mike Rumsey, Brownsdale, Minn.

10. 44 Aaron Wiersma, Pierre, S.D.

11. 14J Jake Neal, Omaha, Neb.

12. 83 Jesse Cowles, Sioux City, Iowa

13. 3L Bub Lerette, Council Bluffs, Iowa

14. Z62 Danny McKeighan, Carter Lake, Iowa

15. E85 Greg Schuster, Phillips, Neb.

16. 11L Ricky Stangl, Raytown, Mo.

17. 186 Jeremy Payne, Tucson, Ariz.

18. 12G Jerry Goebel, Estherville, Iowa

SECOND "B" FEATURE (12 laps):

1. 20 Dustin Boney, DeSoto, Kan.

2. 7N Jay Noteboom, Orange City, Iowa

3. 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.

4. 97M David Murray Jr., Oberlin, Kan.

5. 19J Jeff Jones, Council Bluffs, Iowa

6. X4 Tim Vogt, Elmwood, Neb.

7. 71J Jeff James, Stanton, Iowa

8. 6S Brant Fastnacht, Grand Island, Neb.

9. 1X Bill Flegg, Omaha, Neb.

10. 07 Mike Goldfuss, Sutton, Neb.

11. 8 Justin Bell, Wichita, Kan.

12. 29 Greg Metz, Washington, Kan.

13. 5M Gary March, Hinton, Iowa

14. 33Y Justen Yeager, Green River, Wyo.

15. 5M Dave Nutt, Fairmont, Minn.

16. 7E Neil Eckhart, New Sharon, Iowa

DQ - 33Z Zack Vanderbeek, New Sharon, Iowa (did not weigh)

THIRD "B" FEATURE (12 laps):

1. 49 Bob Timm, Rolling Stone, Minn.

2. 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.

3. 75 Jon Thompson, Superior, Neb.

4. 2K Darrick Klima, Belleville, Kan.

5. 12X Trent Jackson, Corning, Iowa

6. 37 Scott Ward, Watertown, S.D.

7. L99 Loren Dauer, Lindsborg, Kan.

8. 55 Brian Shaw, Brownsdale, Minn.

9. 9R Robby Haines, Benkelman, Neb.

10. 23 Matt Gilbertson, Montevideo, Minn.

11. 12N Lynn Nilsson, Nunda, S.D.

12. 12A Matt Aarsvold, Oronoco, Minn.

13. 02 Chad VanHoutan, Ozawkie, Kan.

14. 64 Dusty Blake, Carleton, Neb.

15. 21 Wade Cross, Doniphan, Neb.

16. 21M Dean Mahlstedt, Garner, Iowa

17. 89 Jerry Warner, LaVista, Neb.

HOLLEY "A" MAIN (30 laps):

1. 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa

2. 3 Kelly Shryrock, Fertile, Iowa

3. 7K Jason Krohn, Slayton, Minn.

4. 12 Jason Hughes, Colcord, Okla.

5. 65 Tommy Myer, Blooming Prairie, Minn.

6. 555 Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa

7. 26 Brad McEwan, Storm Lake, Iowa

8. 19 Mike Sorensen, Rochester, Minn.

9. 1K Tim Karrick, Bashor, Kan.

10. 1M Julie McDermid, Fremont, Wis.

11. 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D.

12. 49 Bob Timm, Rolling Stone, Minn.

13. 35 Tim Echevarria, Junction City, Kan.

14. 33Z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa

15. 11 Steve Burch, Junction City, Kan.

16. 75 Jon Thompson, Superior, Neb.

17. 7 Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa

18. 74 Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn.

19. 7N Jay Noteboom, Orange City, Iowa

20. 96 Johnny Saathoff, Beatrice, Neb.

21. 20 Dustin Boney, DeSoto, Kan.

22. X Mike Wedelstadt, Hortonville, Wis.

23. 2 Joe Cleveland, Bennington, Kan.

24. 4 Roger Hadan, Omaha, Neb.

Lap Leaders: McEwan 1, Dripps 2-30.

Provisional Starters: VanderBeek, Hejna.

Hard Charger: Krohn (started 19th, finished 3rd).

Next Race: March 12, Junction Motor Speedway, McCool Junction, Neb.