By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

Terry Beckham II, with major help from friends, won the A feature in the modified class at Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Saturday night.

The previous three nights had been almost total disappointment for the Webb City driver on the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series.

It was the 37-year-old Beckham’s third straight victory at I-44.

Beckham, who caught up with the USMTS on Wednesday night at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, finished 13th in the A feature that was won by Jason Krohn of Slayton, Minn.

Ken Schrader was fourth, Kenny Wallace sixth, Kelly Shryock 15th and Clint Bowyer 17th.

But Beckham, beset by car troubles, didn’t qualify on Thursday night at Knox County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Ill.

Beckham’s race car, the next night at Mountain Dew Bloomfield (Iowa) Speedway, lost a drive shaft in a heat race. Beckham and a friend from Webb City, Casey Schutterle, repaired the racer only to have it encounter rear suspension problems.

Beckham then decided to head for Lebanon

“A bunch of guys met me at Lebanon (for more repairs),” Beckham said. “We missed the hot laps and heat races (in starting back in the pack in the feature). I even had to borrow parts from Justin Neuman.”

Beckham wound up beating Neuman (Crocker, Mo.) in the A feature.

“The track (I-44 Speedway) is getting a little slicker and drier,” Beckham said. “That’s what I prefer.”

Beckham, who also has won a regular weekly show at the Bolivar Speedway in 2007, said the USMTS returns to Southwest Missouri this week at Bolivar, I-44 and the Monett Speedway.

“It’s a super competitive series,” Beckham said. “It opens up windows, as well as giving you a great feeling,”