LA MONTE, Mo. (April 17) – The United States Modified Touring Series embark on a four-night, four-track swing this Thursday through Sunday, April 19-22, and the stars and cars of the USMTS Casey’s Cup Series will have even more star power and some added competition as NASCAR veterans Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace throw their hats into the mix.
The series invaded the LA Raceway in La Monte, Mo., on Thursday for the first of seven blockbuster events spanning the final twelve days of the month. On Friday, action moves to the Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., and then heads west to Salina, Okla., and the Salina Highbanks Speedway. The quadrupleheader wraps up Sunday at the Monett Speedway in Monett, Mo.
Wallace, who has 41 career starts with the USMTS, will be on hand Thursday, Friday and Saturday while Schrader will make his 32nd career USMTS start on Friday and then compete Saturday and Sunday too.
Schrader, 56, has been called the consummate race car driver – he can drive anything with wheels, represents his sponsors well and relates to his fans.
“We’ve been trying for quite a while to win one of these,” Schrader said following his lone USMTS victory at the Red River Valley Speedway on July 28, 2010. “What the World of Outlaws are to sprint car racing, these guys are to Modifieds. I love the series and these drivers are as good as it gets.”
Throughout his career, the two-time USAC champion and 1985 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year has been successful at every level of racing in which he has competed, including 27 years as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.
Schrader’s success as a race car driver carries over into other areas of his life. As a race team owner, Schrader has fielded cars in NASCAR, ARCA and several dirt series. As a TV commentator, he has worked with SPEED and ESPN, offering his own perspective as a driver/owner.
While Schrader is often reserved in his demeanor, Kenny Wallace is quite the opposite.
Wallace is a favorite among NASCAR faithful and racing fans everywhere. He cut his teeth racing on asphalt, but has an admirable résumé of racing on the dirt including winning the first Prelude To The Dream charity race at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway and numerous wins in a Modified at Volusia Speedway Park during the Florida Winter Nationals.
He is a successful driver, racetrack owner and television personality, but the 48-year-old is looking to add one more feather to his cap in 2012. With a handful of top-five finishes under his belt, Wallace will be looking to capture his first checkered flag with the USMTS this week.
“Every time that I race with the USMTS, the people are nice and the competition is tough,” said Wallace. “The USMTS is the NASCAR Sprint Cup of Modified racing in the United States. I really respect the drivers and the officials in the USMTS.”
After 41 starts over the course of the last three seasons, “The Hermanator” has 17 top-ten finishes with three of those inside the top five. His two runner-up finishes came in 2009 when he ran second to Jon Tesch at the Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, S.D., on June 16, then followed Ryan Ruter to the checkers eight days later at the I-35 Speedway in Mason City, Iowa.
Thursday, April 19 … LA Raceway, La Monte, Mo.
The 6th Annual Schwab’s Tinker Shop Show-Me Shootout will see gates opening at 4:00, with hot laps starting at 7:00 and the first heat race to follow. Also on the card will be the Iron Man Challenge featuring USRA B-Mods. The LA Raceway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located 3.5 miles west of SR 127 on Hwy Y. For more information, call 660-620-1152 or 660-563-9878 or check out www.laraceway.com online.
Friday, April 20 … Valley Speedway, Grain Valley, Mo.
The pit gate will open up at 4:00 and grandstand seats become available at 5:00 with hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:00. Lightning Sprints and Vintage Cars will also be on the racing card. The Valley Speedway is a 1/3-mile semi-banked dirt oval located 0.9 mile south of I-70 (exit 24) on Main St. (Buckner-Tarnsey Rd.), then 0.4 mile east on Old US 40. For more information, call 816-229-2222 or visit www.valleyspeedway.com online.
Saturday, April 21 … Salina Highbanks Speedway, Salina, Okla.
Gates open at 5:00 with the first green flag waving at 7:00. Support classes for the April 21 event will be Pure Stocks, Factory Stocks, Grand Nationals and 360 Modifieds. The Salina Highbanks Speedway is a high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval located 7 miles east of Pryor on SR 20. For reservations and ticket information, visit the website at www.salinahighbanksspeedway.com or call 918-434-7223.
Sunday, April 22 … Monett Speedway, Monett, Mo.
The 7th Annual Race Brothers Farm & Home Supply Missouri Nationals will mark the 13th appearance of the USMTS Modifieds at Randy Mooneyham’s Monett Speedway. In addition to the USMTS Modifieds, fans will see USRA B-Mods, Pure Stocks and Legends Cars in action too. The pit gate opens at 4:00, grandstand gates open at 5:00, hot laps begin at 6:30 and the first green flag will be unfurled at 7:00. The Monett Speedway is located just south of US 60 on Chapel Dr. For more information, visit www.monettspeedway.com.
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 and follow us on Twitter.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Swan Energy.
USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Race Suits, Cheetos, Dominator Race Products, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver, SLAP Energy, Snickers.
USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arbor Masters, Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, DrySlik Dirt Trak Racewear, Erson Cams, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Mesilla Valley Transportation, O’Brien Enterprises, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Motorsports, Road Runner Trucking, Ruter Farms, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.
USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, COMP Cams, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Harness, Hypercoil Springs, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, The Joie of Seating, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Tiger Rear Ends, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products.