MASON CITY, Iowa -- After a well-deserved vacation of nearly three weeks, the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy is set to embark on a busy second-half of July beginning this Tuesday, July 12, at the I-35 Speedway in Mason City, Iowa.
A ‘Dozen Dirty Days’ of racing are on tap during the final half of July.
The event at Joe Ringsdorf’s I-35 Speedway was originally slated for June 21 but, like several other shows last month, was a victim of wet weather.
This will be the third straight year the series has invaded the North Iowa Fairgrounds. Ryan Ruter captured the inaugural event in 2009 while Mike Steensma won his career-first USMTS feature in last year’s standing-room-only tilt.
Also running on Tuesday night will be B-Mods. With just two classes on the card drivers and fans can expect a smooth, fast show.
Gates open at 5 p.m. with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30. The I-35 Speedway is semi-banked half-mile clay oval located off of I-35 at exit 194, then 5.1 miles east on SR 122 (at the North Iowa Fairgrounds). For more information, call the track hotline at 641-424-6515 or visit www.i-35speedway.com online.
July is traditionally a rest-and-relax month for the USMTS drivers, but after several rain-outs and a few cancellations the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy will be very busy in July.
On Wednesday the series moves to the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., for the prestigious NAPA Gopher 50 featuring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. This will be a must-see show and the first time that the USMTS Modifieds and World of Outlaws have shared the spotlight on the same night.
On Thursday the campaign moves 40 miles to the west with a stop at the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minn., and then on to the Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., on Friday night before returning to wrap up some unfinished business at the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., on Saturday, July 16, for the final race in the Yeager Machine Upper Midwest Region.
All races next week will pay a minimum $2,000 to win and $250 to start the main event.
The following weekend the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy will compete at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Wednesday, July 20, during the Southern Iowa Fair, and on Thursday will move 45 miles to the south with this year’s only stop at the Davis County Fairgrounds in Bloomfield, Iowa, and the final points race in the Arnold Motor Supply Central States Region.
On Friday and Saturday, July 21-22, all eyes point to the inaugural Silver Dollar Nationals at the I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., for a two-day event during the $25,000-to-win Late Model show and two complete shows for the USMTS drivers and fans that will close the curtain on the Farm Boy BBQ Sauce Great Plains Region and set the final group of drivers to qualify for this year’s Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship powered by Swan Energy.
The race that everybody has been waiting for happens the following Wednesday-Saturday, July 27-30, as more than 150 drivers are expected to descend on the Deer Creek Speedway for the inaugural World Modified Dirt Track Championship presented by Hanson Tire Service.
The most-talked-about event in dirt track racing will see one lucky and talented driver leave the Land of 10,000 Lakes a lot richer. In addition to the whopping $20,000 going to the winner, each of the 30 main event qualifiers will pocket a minimum of $1,500.
(1).jpeg)
