SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., captured the 40-lap main event Saturday in front of hometown fans as the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour invaded the Springfield Raceway for the first time in the 11-year history of America's premier Modified series.

The 42-year-old second-generation dirt track racer wrestled the lead away from his teammate, Jeremy Payne, on lap 11 and never looked back en route to collecting the $2,000 winner's share of the prize money.

Jackie Dalton currently leads the points at the Springfield Raceway in the USRA Modified division, and drew the pole position for the Sunoco “A” Main among the top-8 qualifiers Saturday night. Dalton grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag and paced the first three laps before giving up the top spot to Payne.

Payne's reign at the front was short-lived too as Phillips powered into the lead for good seven laps later.

Current Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region points leader Jason Hughes won the first Real Racing Wheels “B” Main, then passed nine cars in the main event to garner a third-place finish behind the Springfield duo.

The high-powered, mud-slinging Modifieds of the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour now set their sights on the Midway Speedway in Lebanon, Mo., on Friday, May 15, for the first of three nights comprising the 6th Annual Missouri Nationals.

Round 2 of the 6th Annual Missouri Nationals will happen on Saturday, May 16, when the series makes its maiden voyage to the Springfield Raceway in Springfield, Mo., then the tripleheader wraps up on Sunday, May 17, at the Monett Speedway in Monett, Mo.

The main event each night will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum $250 to start.

Friday's event at the Midway Speedway will be the sixth race in the rough-and-tumble Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region where Jon Tesch of Watertown, S.D., and Jason Hughes of Westville, Okla., both have two wins under their belt this season while Steve Holzkamper of Gentry, Ark., also has a victory.

Hughes is on a roll right now, having won six of the races staged in the USMTS Southern Series so far in 2009. He sits atop the rankings for both the USMTS Southern Series and the Bear Tire Mo-Kan Region of the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Tour.

by Jeff Nun
ARDMORE, Okla. -- A USMTS Southern Series tripleheader is on tap for this weekend with a trio of West Region battles worth $2,000 to win each. A big field of cars are expected at each event where local aces have a real chance of keeping the winner's share of the purses close to home.

FRIDAY, MAY 1 - LAKE COUNTRY SPEEDWAY

On Friday, May 1, the Lake Country Speedway in Ardmore, Okla., will host the USMTS Southern Series for a second straight season. Jason Hughes picked up his first USMTS Southern Series victory of the season as 56 top-flight Modified teams duked it out in the inaugural event at Ronny Gould's speedplant. Hughes held off Jamie Burford and Steve Holzkamper in a fireworks-filled feature, then went on to capture the USMTS Southern Series championship crown.

Also on the racing card will be USRA Southern Limited Modifieds and Hobby Stocks with pit gates opening at 4:30, grandstands at 5:00, hot laps beginning at 6:30 and the first heat race slated to take the green flag at 7:00.

by Jeff Nun
HOUSTON -- Officials from the United States Racing Association (USRA) and the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) announced today that the USRA will sanction a new series for Limited Modifieds that will join the full-blown, mud-slinging outlaw-style Modifieds of the USMTS Southern Series as they travel throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

Licensed drivers competing in the USRA Southern Limited Modified Series will battle for a separate points fund that will pay the top-10 spots at season's end, including $1,000 to the series champion, $600 for second, $400 for third, $300 for fourth, $250 for fifth, $200 for sixth, $175 for seventh, $150 for eighth, $125 for ninth and $100 for tenth.

Furthermore, those same drivers will also earn national points for the USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mod class in the American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series, which also pays 10 positions and awards $1,000 to the champion.

by Jeff Nun
BRAINERD, Minn. -- Two dates that were listed as "TBA" (to be announced) on the 2009 USMTS National Tour schedule are now officially "GBT" (gotta be there) events.

Officials announced on Wednesday that the North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn., will host the mudslinging monsters of the United States Modified Touring Series for the first time ever on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18-19.

"There has not been an open Modified race in this part of the state in a very long time," said North Central Speedway promoter Tim Boeder. "We are really looking forward to hosting many of the countries top touring Modified drivers in Brainerd."

The addition of North Central Speedway rounds out the 18-race Casey's General Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship, and precedes the season-ending 11th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree the following weekend.

A $2,000 top prize is on the line for Friday's main event winner while Saturday's victor will pocket $3,000.