HOUSTON, Texas (Jan. 7) – Officials from the United States Modified Touring Series have announced the 2009 schedule of events for the USMTS Southern Series with a slate of more than 30 shows on tap as the USMTS embarks on a fourth straight season of competition for the premier dirt modified drivers in the South.
With many returning events as well as exciting new venues, 30 dates are currently reserved at 14 top-notch dirt track facilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.
The season will start with some unfinished business from the 2009 season with the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18-20. Due to snow and bitter cold in the Houston area during the first weekend in December, the remaining two nights of the event were canceled after the completion of Thursday night's action. The event was postponed to become the kick-off event for the 2010 season and a true winter-time tilt.
One month later, action moves north into the Sooner State at the Outlaw Motor Speedway near Muskogee, Okla., on Friday, March 19, and the West Siloam Speedway in West Siloam Springs, Okla., on Saturday, March 20. This will be the first visit to the Outlaw Motor Speedway since a two-race weekend on May 8-9, 2003., that saw Jason Hughes and Tommy Myer walk away victorious. Both events are expected to attract a powerful field of entries as both USMTS National Tour and USMTS Southern Series points will be awarded.
A return trip into the Lone Star State happens on Friday, April 16, when the USMTS Southern Series heads to the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, then onto the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Saturday, April 17, and the 105 Speedway in Cleveland on Sunday, April 18.
The stars and cars of the USMTS Southern Series head for the Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Miss., on Friday, April 30, with an accompanying $2,000-to-win event at a venue to be determined soon.
Grand Prairie Speedway in Grand Prairie, Texas, will welcome the touring titans for the first time ever on Friday, May 7, to kick off a tripleheader weekend in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Saturday, May 8, is set for a return trip to the Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas, followed by the third $2,000-to-win event of the weekend at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway near Waco on Sunday, May 9.
The 3rd Annual Southern Speedweek kicks off on Thursday, June 10, at the Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. Friday's venue is yet to be announced, but Saturday, June 12, will feature a return to the Texarkana 67 Speedway in Texarkana, Ark. The week wraps up at Gene Boyter's Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., on Sunday, June 13. More than $60,000 in prize money will be up for grabs during the four-race swing, with a possible $8,000 to win.
At this point, the top-10 drivers in USMTS Southern Series points, along with all other drivers that have perfect attendance at USMTS Southern Series through June 13, will be qualified to compete in the Hunt for the USMTS National Championship, which begins Aug. 13 in Humboldt, Kan., and ends at the 12th Annual Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.
After a summer break, the action heats back up again with three events in and around the Houston area in October. The Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont hosts their second USMTS Southern Series event of the season on Friday, Oct. 8, as does the 105 Speedway in Cleveland on Sunday, Oct. 10. The weekend's third $2,000-to-win show will be sandwiched between these two at a location to be determined.
The Gator Motorplex in Willis hosts the USMTS Southern Series for a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-23, with $2,000 to win on Friday and a top prize of $3,000 up for grabs on Saturday night.
Last month, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver Sam Hafertepe Jr. competed in his first USMTS-sanctioned event at the Houston Raceway Park, leading several laps early in the main event. In 2010 the USMTS Southern Series invades his family's half-mile oval in Kilgore, Texas, for the inaugural event at the Lonestar Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30, with a possible $5,000 to win over the two action-packed nights.
The 2010 season will wrap up back where it started with the 4th Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. The three-day show on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-20, will feature a possible $9,000 to win over the three nights. Thursday's show will be worth $2,000 to the winner, while Friday's main event carries a $3,000 top prize and Saturday's winner takes home $4,000.
The Houston Raceway Park finale will also serve as the setting for the crowning of the 2010 USMTS Southern Series champion.
USMTS SOUTHERN SERIES 2010 SCHEDULE
Thu Feb 18 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Feb 19 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3000 to win)
Sat Feb 20 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($5000 to win)
Fri Mar 19 Outlaw Motor Speedway, Muskogee, OK ($2000 to win)
Sat Mar 20 West Siloam Speedway, West Siloam Springs, OK ($2000 to win)
Fri Apr 16 Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Apr 17 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2000 to win)
Sun Apr 18 105 Motor Speedway, Cleveland, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Apr 30 Greenville Speedway, Greenville, MS ($2000 to win)
Sat May 1 TBA
Fri May 7 Grand Prairie Speedway, Grand Prairie, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat May 8 Cowtown Speedway, Kennedale, TX ($2000 to win)
Sun May 9 Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Waco, TX ($2000 to win)
Thu Jun 10 Tri-State Speedway, Pocola, OK ($2000 to win)
Fri Jun 11 TBA
Sat Jun 12 Texarkana 67 Speedway, Texarkana, AR ($2000 to win)
Sun Jun 13 Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Vivian, LA ($2000 to win)
Fri Oct 8 Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 9 TBA
Sun Oct 10 105 Motor Speedway, Cleveland, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Oct 22 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 23 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($3000 to win)
Fri Oct 29 Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 30 Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, TX ($3000 to win)
Thu Nov 11 TBA
Fri Nov 12 TBA
Sat Nov 13 TBA
Thu Nov 18 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Nov 19 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3000 to win)
Sat Nov 20 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($4000 to win)
Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla. was the most dominant USMTS Southern Series driver in 2009, and he capped off a personal-best record-setting season with his second straight title. Hughes garnered 10 USMTS Southern Series wins during the season plus an additional nine wins in the USMTS National Tour.
Nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock finished second behind Hughes in the standings. Shryock was the first USMTS Southern Series champion in 2007.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS.
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USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Dirthead.com.
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Racewear, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, COMP Cams, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, PBM Performance Products, Sunoco Race Fuels.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Diamond Oil Company, Farm Boy BBQ, Gressel Oil Field Service, Just Say Yes, Ramirez Race Cars, Lone Star Super Gas, Olympic Fire Protection, Ruter Farms, WatchModsLive.com, Yeager Machine.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, SuperFlow, US Brake.
With many returning events as well as exciting new venues, 30 dates are currently reserved at 14 top-notch dirt track facilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.
The season will start with some unfinished business from the 2009 season with the 3rd Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18-20. Due to snow and bitter cold in the Houston area during the first weekend in December, the remaining two nights of the event were canceled after the completion of Thursday night's action. The event was postponed to become the kick-off event for the 2010 season and a true winter-time tilt.
One month later, action moves north into the Sooner State at the Outlaw Motor Speedway near Muskogee, Okla., on Friday, March 19, and the West Siloam Speedway in West Siloam Springs, Okla., on Saturday, March 20. This will be the first visit to the Outlaw Motor Speedway since a two-race weekend on May 8-9, 2003., that saw Jason Hughes and Tommy Myer walk away victorious. Both events are expected to attract a powerful field of entries as both USMTS National Tour and USMTS Southern Series points will be awarded.
A return trip into the Lone Star State happens on Friday, April 16, when the USMTS Southern Series heads to the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, then onto the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Saturday, April 17, and the 105 Speedway in Cleveland on Sunday, April 18.
The stars and cars of the USMTS Southern Series head for the Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Miss., on Friday, April 30, with an accompanying $2,000-to-win event at a venue to be determined soon.
Grand Prairie Speedway in Grand Prairie, Texas, will welcome the touring titans for the first time ever on Friday, May 7, to kick off a tripleheader weekend in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Saturday, May 8, is set for a return trip to the Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas, followed by the third $2,000-to-win event of the weekend at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway near Waco on Sunday, May 9.
The 3rd Annual Southern Speedweek kicks off on Thursday, June 10, at the Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla. Friday's venue is yet to be announced, but Saturday, June 12, will feature a return to the Texarkana 67 Speedway in Texarkana, Ark. The week wraps up at Gene Boyter's Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., on Sunday, June 13. More than $60,000 in prize money will be up for grabs during the four-race swing, with a possible $8,000 to win.
At this point, the top-10 drivers in USMTS Southern Series points, along with all other drivers that have perfect attendance at USMTS Southern Series through June 13, will be qualified to compete in the Hunt for the USMTS National Championship, which begins Aug. 13 in Humboldt, Kan., and ends at the 12th Annual Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.
After a summer break, the action heats back up again with three events in and around the Houston area in October. The Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont hosts their second USMTS Southern Series event of the season on Friday, Oct. 8, as does the 105 Speedway in Cleveland on Sunday, Oct. 10. The weekend's third $2,000-to-win show will be sandwiched between these two at a location to be determined.
The Gator Motorplex in Willis hosts the USMTS Southern Series for a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-23, with $2,000 to win on Friday and a top prize of $3,000 up for grabs on Saturday night.
Last month, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver Sam Hafertepe Jr. competed in his first USMTS-sanctioned event at the Houston Raceway Park, leading several laps early in the main event. In 2010 the USMTS Southern Series invades his family's half-mile oval in Kilgore, Texas, for the inaugural event at the Lonestar Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30, with a possible $5,000 to win over the two action-packed nights.
The 2010 season will wrap up back where it started with the 4th Annual Texas Winter Nationals at the Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. The three-day show on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-20, will feature a possible $9,000 to win over the three nights. Thursday's show will be worth $2,000 to the winner, while Friday's main event carries a $3,000 top prize and Saturday's winner takes home $4,000.
The Houston Raceway Park finale will also serve as the setting for the crowning of the 2010 USMTS Southern Series champion.
USMTS SOUTHERN SERIES 2010 SCHEDULE
Thu Feb 18 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Feb 19 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3000 to win)
Sat Feb 20 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($5000 to win)
Fri Mar 19 Outlaw Motor Speedway, Muskogee, OK ($2000 to win)
Sat Mar 20 West Siloam Speedway, West Siloam Springs, OK ($2000 to win)
Fri Apr 16 Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Apr 17 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2000 to win)
Sun Apr 18 105 Motor Speedway, Cleveland, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Apr 30 Greenville Speedway, Greenville, MS ($2000 to win)
Sat May 1 TBA
Fri May 7 Grand Prairie Speedway, Grand Prairie, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat May 8 Cowtown Speedway, Kennedale, TX ($2000 to win)
Sun May 9 Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Waco, TX ($2000 to win)
Thu Jun 10 Tri-State Speedway, Pocola, OK ($2000 to win)
Fri Jun 11 TBA
Sat Jun 12 Texarkana 67 Speedway, Texarkana, AR ($2000 to win)
Sun Jun 13 Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Vivian, LA ($2000 to win)
Fri Oct 8 Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Beaumont, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 9 TBA
Sun Oct 10 105 Motor Speedway, Cleveland, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Oct 22 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 23 Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($3000 to win)
Fri Oct 29 Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, TX ($2000 to win)
Sat Oct 30 Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, TX ($3000 to win)
Thu Nov 11 TBA
Fri Nov 12 TBA
Sat Nov 13 TBA
Thu Nov 18 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2000 to win)
Fri Nov 19 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3000 to win)
Sat Nov 20 Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($4000 to win)
Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla. was the most dominant USMTS Southern Series driver in 2009, and he capped off a personal-best record-setting season with his second straight title. Hughes garnered 10 USMTS Southern Series wins during the season plus an additional nine wins in the USMTS National Tour.
Nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock finished second behind Hughes in the standings. Shryock was the first USMTS Southern Series champion in 2007.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Dirthead.com.
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Racewear, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, COMP Cams, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, PBM Performance Products, Sunoco Race Fuels.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Diamond Oil Company, Farm Boy BBQ, Gressel Oil Field Service, Just Say Yes, Ramirez Race Cars, Lone Star Super Gas, Olympic Fire Protection, Ruter Farms, WatchModsLive.com, Yeager Machine.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, SuperFlow, US Brake.
