HOUSTON (March 15) — Up next for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy is a three-race swing through Texas in and around Houston.
On Friday, March 18, the touring titans invade the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont for round 1 of the Texas Shootout, then head to the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Saturday, March 19, for the second half of the fifth annual event.
The weekend wraps up on Sunday, March 19, at the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown for the finale of the inaugural Texas Spring Nationals which was postponed on Feb. 20 due to dense fog.
Friday and Saturday’s main events will carry a $2,000 top prize with Sunday’s winner pocketing $3,000.
Nearly $50,000 in total prize money is up for grabs during the three days.
Drivers will be battling for points in the Southeast Region where Vidor’s John O Whittington leads the standings over Ryan Gustin, Kelly Shryock, Jason Hughes, Bumper Jones, Chris Brown, Cody Smith, T.J. Herndon, Mark Dotson and Dereck Ramirez.
In last year’s Texas Shootout, Hughes captured the feature win at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park en route to his third straight USMTS Southern Series crown and first USMTS National Championship.
Other former winners at the high-banked 1/4-mile clay oval include 2009 winner Bryan Rowland, and 2008 winner Howard Willis. Four events were held at the track (then called Motorama Speedway) in 2007 with Kelly Shryock, Steve Holzkamper, Tommy Weder Jr. and Hughes each capturing checkered flags.
Pits open at 4 p.m., grandstand gates open at 6 and racing starts at 7:45. Also on the racing card will be Limited Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Street Stocks.
The Golden Triangle Raceway Park is located 9.5 miles west of I-10 on US 90 (SSR). For race day information, call the track hotline at 409-752-7200 or 409-781-2801 or visit www.gtrpbmt.com on the World Wide Web.
The action moves to the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Saturday, where past winners include Greg Skaggs (2007), Holzkamper (2008) and last year’s winner, Willis. Three events were staged in 2009 with Hughes, Whittington and Shryock taking the wins.
Topless Limited Modifieds will be racing for $1,000 to win, with Hobby Stocks, Street Stocks and Pure Stocks also on the menu. For spectator comfort, bring your lawn chair or blanket and watch the races from the hill or the grandstands. And don’t forget to check out the sourdough burgers at the concession stand, along with $1 hot dogs and fountain drinks.
Hot laps begin at 5:30 p.m. and races will start at 6.
The Gator Motorplex is a high-banked 1/4-mile clay oval located off I-45 to Shepherd Hill at exit 98, then east, then 1.4 miles south on SR 75. The track’s official website is online at www.gatormotorplex.net or call 936-588-6127 for more info.
Sunday finds the mud-slinging USMTS Modifieds back at the Royal Purple Raceway for the fog-postponed third and final day of the inaugural Texas Spring Nationals. Gustin and Whittington each picked up wins back in February to kick off the 2011 racing season with 80 entries in the pit area.
Pits open at 3 p.m., grandstands gates open at 4 and racing kicks off at 6:30 p.m.
In addition to the USMTS Modifieds racing for $3,000 to win, Limited Modifieds will also be competing for a top prize of $1,000.
The Royal Purple Raceway is located just east of Houston on I-10 to exit 799, then 2.5 miles south on SH 99 (Grand Parkway), then 0.3 mile west on FM 565. For more information, call the track office at 281-383-7223 or visit www.royalpurpleraceway.com online.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.
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USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Swan Energy.
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Race Suits, Cheetos, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver, SLAP Energy, Snickers.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, DAY Motor Sports, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, Dirt Track Racing School, DrySlik Dirt Trak Racewear, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Karl Performance Parts, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Race Cars, Ruter Farms, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, COMP Cams, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Harness, Hypercoil Springs, ISKY Racing Cams, The Joie of Seating, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, RHS – Racing Head Service, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products.