USMTS set for rock ‘em sock ‘em 2019 slate

The 2019 USMTS campaign begins with a three-night excursion through Texas in March with 48 events featuring 62 nights of racing at 39 race tracks in 13 states along the road to the crowning of the next USMTS National Champion during the first weekend of November back in the Lone Star State.

Along the grueling dirt road that has produced just seven different USMTS National Champions in the previous 20 seasons, fans and drivers will visit legendary facilities hosting long-time USMTS classics, new and exciting venues and some tracks returning to the schedule after a multi-year absence.

It all begins with three nights in Texas starting Thursday, March 14, at the 82 Speedway in Petty. The Kennedale Speedway Park hosts the USMTS touring titans on Friday, March 15, and the Superbowl Speedway in Greenville wraps things up for opening weekend on Saturday, March 16.

One week later, the King of America IX powered by Summit takes place at the Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kan., along with the 5th Annual Battle at the Bullring featuring B-Mods. A top prize of $12,000 awaits the winner of the year’s first crown jewel event.

The second crown jewel on the 2019 schedule happens April 11-13 with the 7th Annual Cajun Clash at Gene Boyter’s Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., and then the USMTS masters of mayhem make their way west for the 2nd Annual Rancho Milagro Short Track Shootout at the all-new Vado Speedway Park in Vado, N.M., May 3-5.

Crown jewel number four happens June 13-15 at the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., for the 20th Annual Masters, and then it’s on to the I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., for the 9th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals and the final event for the USMTS Mid-American Series and USMTS Northern Lights Series on Friday and Saturday, July 19-20, before kicking off this year’s Casey’s General Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship at the 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kan., on the first day in August.

This year’s ‘Hunt’ series will feature 18 nights of racing from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1, and then wrapping up Sept. 19-21 for the sixth crown jewel of the season at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., for the 21st Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree.

But the 2019 USMTS National Champion won’t be decided until the finale of the Summit USMTS Southern Series, Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, at the Kennedale Speedway Park for the 2nd Annual Summit USMTS Southern Nationals.

Besides returning to the 82 Speedway for the season opener, another track returns to the slate with a new name. Scheduled for May 23, the series visits the Spring Lake Speedway in Unity, Wis., where Kelly Shryock was the winner on June 16, 2011, when it was called Central Wisconsin Speedway.

Two dirt ovals are readying for the first-ever USMTS show. Rained out last year, April 7 is the date for the inaugural USMTS event at the Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., and the USMTS will visit the historic Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson on April 26 for the first time. The May 3-5 events at the Vado Speedway Park will see the event move from the Southern New Mexico Speedway to the new state-of-the-art facility under the direction of Royal Jones and General Manager Rue Stone.

Here’s a look at the 2019 Casey’s General Stores USMTS National Championship schedule:

March 14 ... 82 Speedway, Petty, Texas, 2nd Annual Event [S]
March 15 ... Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas, 4th Annual Event [S]
March 16 ... Superbowl Speedway, Greenville, Texas, 3rd Annual Event [S]
March 21-23 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan., King of America IX presented by Summit [M]
April 5 ... Jackson Motor Speedway, Byram, Miss., 3rd Annual Event [S]
April 6 ... Whynot Motorsports Park, Meridian, Miss., 3rd Annual Event [S]
April 7 ... Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, Miss., Inaugural Event [S]
April 11-13 ... Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Vivian, La., 7th Annual Cajun Clash [S]
April 25 ... 81 Speedway, Wichita, Kan., 8th Annual Sunflower State Showdown [M]
April 26 ... Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, Kan., Inaugural Event [M]
April 27 ... Longdale Speedway, Longdale, Okla., 4th Annual Event [M]
May 3-5 ... Vado Speedway Park, Vado, N.M., 2nd Annual Rancho Milagro Short Track Shootout [S]
May 10 ... West Texas Raceway, Lubbock, Texas, 5th Annual Event [S]
May 11 ... Route 66 Motor Speedway, Amarillo, Texas, 10th Annual Amarillo Ambush [S]
May 23 ... Spring Lake Speedway, Unity, Wis., Inaugural Event [N]
May 24 ... Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis., 11th Annual Event [N]
May 25 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn., 17th Annual Southern MN Spring Challenge [N]
May 26 ... Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, Iowa, 12th Annual Nordic Nationals [N]
May 31 ... I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, Ark., 3rd Annual Event [M]
June 1 ... Tri-State Speedway, Pocola, Okla., 6th Annual Event [M]
June 2 ... Creek County Speedway, Kellyville, Okla., 2nd Annual Hair of the Dog 40 [M]
June 7 ... Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D., 9th Annual River City Rumble [N]
June 8 ... Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa, Inaugural Event [N]
June 9 ... Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, Minn., 9th Annual Summer Slam [N]
June 13-15 ... Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis., 20th Annual Masters [N]
July 17 ... Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 12th Annual Summer Classic [N]
July 19-20 ... I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb., 9th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals [M/N]
Aug. 1 ... 81 Speedway, Wichita, Kan., 6th Annual Event [H]
Aug. 2 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan., 14th Annual Summer Fling @ The Bullring [H]
Aug. 3 ... Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo., 10th Annual Slick Mist Show-Me Shootout [H]
Aug. 4 ... Monett Motor Speedway, Monett, Mo., 10th Annual Missouri Nationals [H]
Aug. 9 ... I-94 Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn., 5th Annual Casey's Summersota Nationals [H]
Aug. 10 ... Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie, Minn., 8th Annual Modified Madness [H]
Aug. 11 ... Mason City Motor Speedway, Mason City, Iowa, 8th Annual Event [H]
Aug. 14 ... I-35 Speedway, Winston, Mo., 10th Annual Missouri Meltdown [H]
Aug. 15 ... Salina Speedway, Salina, Kan., 3rd Annual Salina Showdown [H]
Aug. 16 ... Lake Ozark Speedway, Eldon, Mo., 2nd Annual Event [H]
Aug. 17 ... Salina Highbanks Speedway, Pryor Creek, Okla., 7th Annual Salute to Veterans [H]
Aug. 22 ... Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa, 13th Annual Event [H]
Aug. 23 ... Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa, 11th Annual Rapid Rumble [H]
Aug. 24 ... Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, Minn., 2nd Annual Event [H]
Aug. 25 ... Casino Speedway, Watertown, S.D., 10th Annual Summer Slam/Sandy Benson Memorial [H]
Aug. 30 ... Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis., 7th Annual Event [H]
Aug. 31 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn., 14th Annual Labor Day Duel [H]
Sept. 1 ... Fayette County Speedway, West Union, Iowa, 7th Annual War in West Union [H]
Sept. 19-21 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn., 21st Annual Fall Jamboree [H]
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 ... Kennedale Speedway Park, 2nd Annual Summit USMTS Southern Nationals [S]
Nov. 15-16 ... 81 Speedway, Wichita, Kan., 3rd Annual Park City Chisholm Trail Showdown

[S] = Summit USMTS Southern Series powered by MSD
[M] = USMTS Mid-American Series
[N] = USMTS Northern Lights Series
[H] = Casey’s Hunt for the USMTS National Championship powered by Summit

While each of the regional events carry a lucrative points fund and contingency awards, the combined points from all four series will determine the points for the Casey’s USMTS National Championship.

As was announced in December at the Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis, any driver who competes in every USMTS event in 2019 is guaranteed a minimum points fund award of $10,000 at the season-ending awards banquet.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit USMTS.com or call (515) 832-7944. You can also like the USMTS on Facebook, visit us on Instagram, follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn and watch us on YouTube. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS and subscribe to the USMTS e-Newsletter