ARDMORE, Okla. (May 15) – Up next for the USMTS National Championship Series is another pair of $4,000-to-win events at two premier dirt ovals in Oklahoma and Texas.

On Friday, May 18, the world’s Best of the Best in open-wheel dirt modified racing invades the new and improved Southern Oklahoma Speedway in Ardmore, Okla., and then on Saturday, May 19, it’s a return to the state-of-the-art Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas.

Southern Oklahoma Speedway promoter and off-and-on USMTS competitor John Webb is enjoying a successful freshman year at the former Lake Country Speedway.

Purchasing the facility from long-time owner Virgil Page around mid-season last year, Webb jumped right in and started making improvements to the facility that was badly needed.

“This track has tons of potential, it just needed somebody to come in, spend some money and time and get it to where it needs to be,” said Webb.

Among the noticeable changes are new infield lights, painted buildings, a new concession stand with a bigger kitchen as well as an inside eating area on the spectator side and remolded bathrooms on both the pits and grandstand area.

Gates for this Friday’s USMTS National Championship Series event open at 5:00 with hot laps at 7:00 and racing action set for 7:30. The track’s weekly divisions of Limited Modifieds and Stock Cars will also be competing.

KENNEDALE, Texas (May 12) – It took just two races for Johnny Scott to find a groove with his new team, and it paid off with a $4,000 paycheck after the 22-year-old from Las Cruces, N.M., found the winners circle at the Cowtown Speedway Saturday night.

RICE LAKE, Wis. (April 23) – The Rice Lake Speedway played host to the stars and cars of the USMTS for the first time in its 54-year history last year during the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s Cup, and a huge crowd was on hand to witness Ryan Gustin score the 46th win of his USMTS career and 22nd triumph of the season en route to claiming the title.

In 2012, two visits by the USMTS are on tap at the longest-running racetrack in Northern Wisconsin,
and it kicks off this Thursday, April 26, for the third leg of the USMTS National Championship Series.

The stakes are even higher this time around as the nation’s elite open-wheel dirt Modified drivers descend on the high-banked 1/3-mile clay oval for the first of three straight $4,000-to-win, $400-to-start events over three days.

Pure Stocks and Midwest Mods are also scheduled to compete. Race time is slated for 7 p.m.

The Rice Lake Speedway is a located 1 mile north of Rice Lake between Hwy. 48 and Barron County SS. The track phone number is 715-236-2002 and more information can be obtained by calling 715-205-2861 or by checking the speedway website at www.ricelakespeedway.net.

On Friday, April 27, Fastenal Company is joining forces with the Mississippi Thunder Speedway to present the USMTS National Championship Series as part of the track’s 2012 season opener.

The Mississippi Thunder Speedway is embarking upon its fourth season of top-notch dirt track action in Fountain City, Wis. The 3/8-mile dark clay high-banked oval is one of the best speedways in the upper Midwest, presenting dirt track racing in a fan and family friendly atmosphere every Friday night throughout the racing season.

USMTS Media PR PhotoGRAIN VALLEY, Mo. (April 20) – Ryan Gustin rolled into victory lane for the first time in six months Friday night as the defending USMTS National Champion scored his first USMTS Casey’s Cup Series win of the 2012 campaign at the Valley Speedway.

After five runner-up finishes this year, the 21-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, was a man on a mission in the 40-lap main event, coming from tenth on the starting grid to overtake polesitter Ken Schrader for the lead with just ten laps in the books.

Determined not to settle for another bridesmaid result like he did last year here, Gustin used every inch of the racing surface to slice his way through lapped traffic while current points leader Rodney Sanders shadowed him in and out of the back-markers for the final 30 circuits.

A caution with four laps to go bunched the field for a final sprint to the finish, but ‘The Reaper’ was too tough to tame tonight as he roared away for a 1.680-second win over ‘The Rocket’ while Schrader held on for a third-place finish.

Kelly Shryock finished fourth while Stormy Scott saw his string of three straight wins end with a fifth-place paycheck. Sixth was Dereck Ramirez and Johnny Scott recovered from a next-to-last lap slide over the embankment while running third to claim the seventh spot. Rusty Griffaw, Bryan Rowland and Jeremy Payne rounded out the top ten.

Rowland, who hails from tornado-ravaged Woodward, Okla., passed twelve cars from his original starting position to earn the Mesilla Valley Transportation Hard Charger Award.

Gustin’s 49th career triumph was worth $2,000 and solidified his position on the all-time wins list behind Shryock (176 wins) and Jason Hughes (106).

His first win came less than four years ago on August 28, 2008, at the Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa. That win made him the youngest winner in USMTS history at 17 years, 10 months and 13 days old – a record that stands today.

Buck Monson Photography | USMTS Media PRby Jeff Nunn (USMTS Media PR)
Stormy Scott parlayed a perfect preliminary night on Wednesday into a storybook ending Saturday night as he captured the checkered flag in the King of America II Modified Nationals at the Humboldt Speedway and took the $15,000 top prize back home to Las Cruces, N.M.

With the best overall points total after three days of qualifying, Scott started the 75-lap main event from the pole position, but it was Friday’s preliminary winner – Terry Phillips – who seized command at the drop of the green flag.

While Phillips set the pace, Scott shadowed him around the 3/8-mile clay oval for the opening circuits with brief cautions on the laps 4 and 15 slowed the action and kept the rest of the field within striking distance of the leaders.

However, as drivers were getting ready to take the green flag to restart the race, Phillips headed for the pit area – a victim of a broken brake rotor.

Scott took over the reigns for the restart and quickly distanced himself from his pursuers, but the race’s third caution waved with 23 laps down just as Scott was catching the back of the pack.

Thursday’s winner William Gould, defending USMTS National Champion Ryan Gustin, defending USRA Modified National Champion Johnny Bone Jr., Zack VanderBeek, Jason Hughes, Steven Whiteaker Jr., Ryan Ruter, defending King of America winner Kelly Shryock and Jon Tesch filled out the rest of the top 10 as the race went back to green.

Again Scott shot out to a big lead as a flurry of drivers swapped positions behind him, but none were able to close the gap until VanderBeek secured second from Gustin with 18 laps to go and started chipping away at the leader’s advantage.

With time running out and the margin too large to overcome, VanderBeek got the break he needed when the race’s final caution occurred with four laps remaining when Gould suffered mechanical troubles in turn 2.

Chris Bork Photography | USMTS Media PRby Jeff Nunn (USMTS Media PR)
With a good qualifying effort and a brilliant performance in his heat race, Terry Phillips earned himself the pole position for the USMTS Modified main event Friday night at the Humboldt Speedway.

Thirty-five laps later, the 45-year-old from Springfield, Mo., crossed the finish line first to capture the victory and earn himself a front-row start for Saturday’s 75-lap, $15,000-to-win King of America II Modified Nationals championship race.

Five cautions slowed Friday’s feature race, but Phillips was up to the task on each restart as he held off early challenges from Steve Wetzstein and late-race charges from Lucas Schott and Randy Timms.

Schott shadowed Phillips for most of the race before dropping the second spot to Timms with five laps to go. Timms wound up with the runner-up finish behind Phillips, with Schott, 18th-starting Johnny Scott and 14th-starting Jason Hughes rounding out the top 5.

Sixth through tenth were Tim Donlinger, John Anderson, Jon Tesch, Al Purkey and Colt Mather.

The top six points earners for the night – Phillips, Timms, Schott, Scott, Hughes and Anderson - garnered a guaranteed starting spot somewhere in the first nine rows of Saturday’s finale, with Phillips’ points total putting him on the outside of Stormy Scott on the front row.

These six join the other 12 drivers already qualified for Swan Energy Championship Night at the King of America II Modified Nationals on Saturday evening.

Saturday’s program will feature an “alphabet soup” of main events that will culminate with a 30-car starting field for the 75-lap championship race. Even if a driver has some tough luck during qualifying, he or she still has the chance to climb the ladder of main events on Saturday to earn a spot in the finale.