Superbowl, Timberline, Ark-La-Tex next for USMTS road warriors

GREENVILLE, Texas (March 18) -- Dirt modified racing's Best of the Best are in for a test this weekend as the United States Modified Touring Series ventures into uncharted territory to kick off the S&S Fishing & Rental Southern Region presented by Day Motor Sports.

With three events at three tracks that boast some of the toughest and most talented local and regional drivers on a weekly basis, the tireless touring USMTS titans will have to be elbows up and flat-footed if they hope to take a majority of the $50,000+ prize money out of those counties.

The USMTS Casey's Cup powered by Swan Energy will make its debut this Thursday, March 20, at James and Becky Bryant's Superbowl Speedway in Greenville, Texas.

The 1/4-mile semi-banked dirt oval plays host to some top notch USRA Modified pilots every Saturday night, including Cody Smith who scored the first feature win of 2014 at Superbowl less than two weeks ago. Other contenders such as Billy Brierton, Josh Landers, Billy Melton Jr. and Matt Deaver will also have their eyes on the top prize of $2,000.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with races starting at 7 p.m. Adult grandstand tickets are $15, kids ages 7-11 are $10 and children 6 and under get in for free. Pit passes are $35. Limited Mods and Factory Stocks will also be in action.

The track will host an open practice on Tuesday, March 18, from 6-9 p.m. for any drivers wanting to get some seat time before Thursday night's clash.

The Superbowl Speedway is located 5.0 miles south of Greenville on SR 34, then west on FM 1903. For more information call 903-883-2504, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/superbowlspeedway or visit them online at www.superbowlspeedway.com.

Twenty-four hours later, the USMTS Modifieds make their first-ever visit to the Timberline Speedway in Corley, Texas, and although the 3/8-mile semi-banked red clay oval will be virgin territory for the series regulars, some familiar faces have some valuable experience at the two-year-old track.

"I'm really looking forward to the USMTS coming to our hometown track and the opportunity to defend our home turf against the best in the business," said Texarkana's Dustin 'Tater' Hyde, a regular competitor at Timberline and frequent USMTS flyer. "Billy and Kim White (owners) and Chris Green (promoter) have done great things to give this community a great track.."

Chris Henigan scored his first win of 2014 at Timberline two weekends ago, with Scott Hushelpeck, Caleb Shown, R.J. Stroman and Hyde rounding out the top 5 there.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and races start at 7:30. Adult general admission tickets are $20, kids ages 6-12 are $5 and children 5 and under are free. Pit passes are $30. Factory Stocks and Limited Mods will also be racing Friday night.

The Timberline Speedway is located 20 miles west of Texarkana on US 67. For more information call 903-691-4367 or check out www.timberlinespeedway.com on the World Wide Web.

Saturday, March 22, will wrap up the weekend with the 5th Annual Cajun Clash at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., where fans witnessed a thriller one year ago a first-time winner in Henigan, who also captured a win here last weekend with a last-corner pass of David Winslet. Jason Ingalls, Greg Garrett and Hyde will also be among the regional aces with the checkered flag in their crosshairs.

Race time at the 1/4-mile clay oval is 7 p.m. Adult grandstand tickets are $15 and kids ages 10 and under are free. Pit passes are $35. Limited Mods, ProMods, Factory Stocks and Beginners will complete the racing card.

The Ark-La-Tex Speedway is located 0.6 mile south of SR 2 on SR 1, then 0.7 mile west on Airport Rd., then 2.2 miles south on Boyter Lane Rd. For race day information, call the track hotline at 318-375-3470 or click www.arklatexspeedway.net to visit them online.

While Henigan will attempt to defend his dominant win from a year ago, the odds-makers will place the bulk of their wagers on Stormy Scott of Las Cruces, N.M., as he looks to get out of the gate quick in the S&S Fishing & Rental Southern Region in hopes of securing the $100,000 national champion's bonus if he can sweep all four USMTS regions and cap it off by capturing the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's National Championship powered by Swan Energy.

Scott has four wins to his credit this season-all of them on the final night of four multi-day events at four different tracks during the month of February.

Defending USMTS national champion Rodney Sanders of Happy, Texas, finished second to Scott in last month's regional points battle and will be looking to score his first win of the season and stake his claim to back-to-back titles.

Other drivers expected to challenge for the checkers this weekend include Johnny Scott, Dereck Ramirez, Rick Beebe, Daniel Hilsabeck, Bryan Rowland, nine-time USMTS national champ Kelly Shryock, Joe Duvall, Clyde Dunn Jr., Jake Gallardo, Philip Houston, Trevor Egbert, Adam Penn, Shane Sprinkle, Cade Dillard, Larry Clevenger, Steve Whiteaker Jr., Tracy Denby Jr., Chris Brown and more.

For those unable to attend the action in person, RacinDirt.tv will be capturing every lap LIVE every night. Go to www.RacinDirt.tv for ordering information.

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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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, AMP Energy, Casey's General Stores, COMP Cams, Day Motor Sports, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, MSD, Nitroquest Media Group, RACEceiver, RacinDirt.com, Snickers, SpiderWeb Modular Storage Solutions, Swan Energy, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Double H Bands, ElbowsUp.com, Erson Cams, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, Major League Bowhunter, Mesilla Valley Transportation, New Vision Graphics, Olympic Fire Protection, Penn Transport, Road Runner Crane, Road Runner Trucking, S&S Fishing & Rental, United Cellular Services.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Bell Racing Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Brass Monkey Racing Products, C&R Racing, CPD Racing Tools, Edelbrock, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Hooker Harness, JRi Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Power Lift Racing Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Sybesma Graphics, Tiger Rear Ends.