Pivotal four-race Labor Day Weekend swing ahead for USMTS title hopefuls
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa -- The stars and cars of the United States Modified Touring Series embark on their annual Labor Day Holiday swing this week with a possible $20,000 to win over four nights and the closest points race in the history of the series.
Each of the four shows carry a $3,000 top prize, but the winning driver can add another $2,000 cash to his take-home pay by taking part in the Big Dog Buy-In. More than $80,000 in total prize money is up for grabs during the 100-hour trek.
When Monday rolls around, just one event will remain in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup. Rodney Sanders of Happy, Texas, comes into this week's pivotal swing with a slim one-point lead over Johnny Scott of Las Cruces, N.M.
Jason Hughes cut into the leaders' margin Sunday night with his third 'Hunt' win and trails Scott by 39 points while Stormy Scott saw his title hopes take a huge hit when he dropped out of Sunday's feature while running fifth with just one lap remaining. He's now 99 points out of first place. Jeremy Payne is fifth in the points, followed by VanderBeek, Brown, Kelly Shryock, Dereck Ramirez and Schott.
Four of the five final events happen next week with a four-race, four-day, four-track swing through Iowa and Southern Minnesota over the Labor Day Weekend. Action kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 29, at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa, before heading to the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minn., on Friday. On Saturday, the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup returns to the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., and the weekend wraps up on Sunday, Sept. 1, with an invasion of the Cresco Speedway in Cresco, Iowa.
THURSDAY, AUG. 29, 2013
CEDAR COUNTY RACEWAY, TIPTON, IOWA
Action kicks off Thursday night, Aug. 29, at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa. Last year, Stormy Scott kept the trophy in the family, leading the final 42 of 50 laps. Johnny Scott picked up the win in 2011 after a memorable late-race battle with Zack VanderBeek and Jon Tesch.
Hobby Stocks, Sport Mods, Super Bombers, Legends and 4 Stocks will also be running. Pit gates open at 4:30, grandstands open at 5:00, hot laps start at 6:30 and racing begins at 7:00. Adult tickets are $20, seniors are $16, students ages 11-7 are $10 and kids ages 10 and under get in for free with a paid adult. Pit passes are $35.
Coupons good for $2 off adult admission can be found at Casey's General Stores location in Clarence, Mechanicsville, Tipton and West Branch. Lucas Schott and his AMP Energy USMTS Modified will be on hand for a meet 'n' greet from 11:30 to 1:30 on Thursday at the Casey's located at 1107 Cedar St. in Tipton.
The Cedar County Raceway is a high-banked 1/4-mile clay oval located at the west edge of Tipton on 9th St. (at the Cedar County Fairgrounds). For more information, call 563-590-4095 or 563-495-2504 or find them at online at www.darksidepromo.com/ccr.
FRIDAY, AUG. 30, 2013
CHATEAU RACEWAY, LANSING, MINN.
On Friday, Aug. 30, the high-powered mud-slinging monsters return to the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minn. USRA Modified track champion Brandon Davis has captured two of the last three USMTS events at Darin Toot's bullring. Other former winners here include Jason Hughes, Tim Donlinger, Jason Krohn, Tommy Myer, Jon Tesch, Kelly Shryock, Ryan Gustin, Mike Chasteen and Mike Sorensen.
Gates open at 5:00 with hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:00. Also racing Friday night will be USRA B-Mods, Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Pure Stocks. Live music from Decadence will cap the night off following the final checkered flag.
General admission is $18, kids ages 6-12 are $5 and pit passes are $30. Race fans can pick up $2-off grandstand admission coupons on race day at Casey's General Store locations in Austin and Blooming Prairie, and you can see Steve Whiteaker Jr. and his Cheetos-sponsored machine from 11:30 to 1:30 at the Casey's General Store located at 1702 12th St. SW in Austin.
The Chateau Raceway is a semi-banked one-third-mile gumbo clay oval located 5.0 miles north of Austin on US 218 (Lansing Exit), then 1.3 miles east on CR 2, then 0.4 mile south on CR 25, then 0.3 mile east on 266th St. For more information call 507-391-2486 or check out www.chateauraceway.net online.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31, 2013
DEER CREEK SPEEDWAY, SPRING VALLEY, MINN.
Saturday, Aug. 31, the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., hosts the 8th Annual BP Labor Day Dual presented by Baudoin Oil. 'The Creek' sits on 60 acres of scenic rural rolling hills with one of America's most popular state-of-the-art racing complexes and a busy modern campground, and more USMTS events have been staged here than anywhere else in the world.
In addition to the high-speed heroics of the USMTS Modifieds, the on-track action will also showcase the Iron Man Challenge for USRA Stock Cars plus Wissota Midwest Modifieds and Wissota Street Stocks. The pit gate opens at 3:00 and grandstand gates swing open at 4:00 with hot laps at 5:30 and racing at 6:00. Fans arriving early can catch the Slingshots racing on the Button Buck Speedway from 3:00 to 4:00 at no charge.
Adult general admission is $20 while kids ages 12 and under get in for $5. Tickets are available at www.deercreekspeedway.com or at the ticket window. Pit passes are $30. Fans can get their $2 discount coupons at Casey's General Store locations in Preston and Stewartville or Cresco and Riceville in Iowa.
Steve Whiteaker Jr. will have his Cheetos ride on display from 11:30 to 1:30 on Saturday at the Casey's General Store located at 605 S. Main St. in Stewartville.
The Deer Creek Speedway is a high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval located 11.3 miles south of I-90 (exit 209) on SR 16, then 0.7 mile north on US 63. For more information call 507-754-6107 or visit www.deercreekspeedway.com on the World Wide Web.
The final USMTS points race during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup will take place on the first night of the 15th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree on Thursday, Sept. 19, back at the Deer Creek Speedway.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 1, 2013
CRESCO SPEEDWAY, CRESCO, IOWA
After a two-year hiatus, the series will return to the Cresco Speedway in Cresco, Iowa, on Sunday, Sept. 1, for a pivotal race during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup. The Labor Day Weekend tilt will mark the 18th occasion that the lead-footed USMTS Modifieds have invaded the 4/10-mile clay oval at the Howard County Fairgrounds, and the first since Aug. 4, 2011, when Kelly Shryock notched his ninth career win at Cresco.
Mike Spaulding won the inaugural event here in 2002 while Alan Mondus won his first and only USMTS event at Cresco in 2006. Al Hejna and Jason Krohn each have two wins while Zack VanderBeek and Corey Dripps both have tasted victory once at Cresco. Joining the stellar line-up will be the Iron Man Challenge featuring USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods. USRA Hobby Stock will round out the four-class program.
Pit gates open at 4:00, grandstands open at 4:30, hot laps begin at 6:00 and the first heat race gets the green flag at 6:30. Grandstand admission is $17 for adults ages 18 and older, $10 for students ages 13-17 and kids ages 12 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35..jpg)
Fans can save $2 on an adult grandstand ticket with a coupon available on race day at the Casey's General Store located at 601 2nd Ave. SW in Cresco. USMTS competitor Trevor Hunt and his Snickers-sponsored modified will be on hand for a meet 'n' greet with fans from 12-2 p.m.
The Cresco Speedway is located 2 blocks north of SR 9 on SW 7th. Race day info is available by calling 563-547-3400 or at www.mhcfair.com. The Howard County Fairgrounds campground features seasonal camping with water, electrical hook-ups and a sewer dumping station. The camping fee is $10 per night or $50 per week. Long term stays are available for discounted rate.
THE HUNT FOR THE USMTS CASEY'S CUP
POINTS STANDINGS AS OF AUG. 26, 2013
1. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas ... 1126
2. 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M. ... 1125
3. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. ... 1086
4. 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M. ... 1027
5. 186 Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo. ... 994
6. 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa ... 926
7. 21 Chris Brown, Spring, Texas ... 885
8. 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa ... 876
9. 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. ... 855
10. 69 Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn. ... 815
11. 99h Trevor Hunt, Kearney, Mo. ... 808
12. 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa ... 784
13. 89 Steve Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas ... 754
14. 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Adel, Iowa ... 716
15. 01 Joey Galloway, Manor, Sask., Canada ... 711
16. 00 Masen Big Eagle, Manor, Sask., Canada ... 674
17. 31 Corey Dripps, Waterloo, Iowa ... 428
18. V2 Joey Jensen, Forest Lake, Minn. ... 384
19. 91 Joe Duvall, Chelsea, Okla. ... 376
20. 36 Jeff Conner, Panora, Iowa ... 316
 Be sure to stop by a Casey's General Store location before and after the races for all your supplies and needs, and remember to get your $2-off admission coupons available on race day at most events during 'The Hunt.' Check out www.caseys.com for more information or to find the location nearest you.
While the drivers participating in 'The Hunt' will be grappling for their piece of more than $60,000 in year-end points fund cash and thousands in contingency awards, all entrants will lock horns on a nightly basis for at least $3,000 to win ($5,000 to win with the Big Dog Buy-In) and nearly than $400,000 in prize money up for grabs during the 17-race campaign.
More than $40,000 in points fund money has already been doled out to top points-getters in the three regional campaigns, with another $50,000 or more in points funds earmarked for drivers in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup. The champion will pocket at least $15,000, and any driver competing in all events during 'The Hunt' will earn a minimum of $1,000 at season's end.
The 2013 Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup will wrap up on Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., on the first night of the 15th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree.
TOP DOG BONUS: All drivers ranked among the top-10 points in are guaranteed a minimum of $400 in earnings at each event. Each driver must maintain perfect attendance during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup to remain eligible.
BIG DOG BUY-IN: This program give competitors the opportunity to take home an extra $2,000 at every USMTS points race. Each race during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup pays a minimum of $3,000 to win, but for drivers who pay an additional $100 when they register for the event, the winner's paycheck expands to $5,000. The bonus will be in effect whether just one driver takes part or every driver in the field joins the party.
Celebrating its 15th season in 2013, the United States Modified Touring Series is the fastest-growing and most popular dirt modified series in the universe. Attracting the most talented and professional drivers in North America, the fan-friendly format and exciting show creates an enthusiastic and loyal fan base, and the USMTS routinely competes in front of capacity crowds. When it comes to a touring series that features the Best of the Best in dirt modified racing, the USMTS has no equal.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts or check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.
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