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JIMMY SPENCER ADDS EXCITEMENT TO NASCAR NIGHTS AT CRESCO,
OSKALOOSA
CRESCO, Iowa (July 14) - As the cars and stars of the
O'Reilly USMTS National Tour continue to blaze a trail
throughout America's heartland this summer, fans and
drivers alike can expect some added excitement from the
stars of NASCAR at a pair of upcoming events.
United States Modified Touring Series officials announced
today that the colorful and legendary Jimmy Spencer will
join in the fun when fellow NASCAR veterans Ken Schrader
and Kenny Wallace take on the Masters of Modifieds at a
pair of legendary ovals in the Hawkeye State.
The trio will appear at back-to-back O'Reilly USMTS events
later this month, making a stop at the Cresco (Iowa)
Speedway on Tuesday, July 29, then traveling south to the
Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday, July 30.
At both shows, all three drivers will be signing
autographs for the fans. While Schrader and Wallace will
strap into their own high-powered Modifieds to take on the
best the division has to offer, Spencer will serve as both
Grand Marshall and Master of Ceremonies as "Mr.
Excitement" will flag races, entertain the crowd and who
knows what else.
Spencer, who turned 51 this past February, began his
career racing asphalt modifieds in the Northeast, and was
nicknamed "Mr. Excitement" for his sometimes aggressive
racing style. He is currently a co-host with John Roberts
and Kenny Wallace on SPEED Channel's pre-race and
post-race NASCAR shows: NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory
Lane. Originally from Berwick, Pa., Spencer is one a
handful of drivers to have won a race in all three of
NASCAR's top series: Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and
Craftsman Truck Series. He has also briefly served as a
driving mentor to Brent Sherman and Stuart Kirby as well
as many other drivers throughout his career.
While they are best known for circling America's
superspeedways with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Schrader
and Wallace are equally accomplished short track racers
that cut their teeth on the bullrings of the Midwest. They
won't be looking for show up points at Cresco and
Oskaloosa, they'll be looking to make an appearance in
victory lane.
It was on the dirt tracks of the Midwest where Schrader's
career began. He started out driving mostly open-wheel
cars and won in every division he raced, including two
USAC championships. Schrader is a veteran
second-generation racer and appears as a television
analyst on Inside Nextel Cup on SPEED Channel, and is also
the owner of Ken Schrader Racing, which fields entries for
himself in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the
Whelen All-American Series for Chris Bristol. Schrader is
also the owner of I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.
Wallace works as an on-air personality for SPEED Channel
on shows such as NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane.
He was also featured on the show NASCAR Drivers: 360 on
FX. He has two brothers who are also current or former
NASCAR drivers: Rusty Wallace and Mike Wallace. As a
child, Wallace's boisterous behavior earned him the
nickname "Herman," after a mischievous cartoon character
named Herman the German. Last season, Wallace was voted in
by fans to compete in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge
at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
The rugged road warriors of the O'Reilly USMTS National
Tour will be led into battle by Jason Hughes, Tim
Donlinger, Al Hejna, Zack VanderBeek, Mark Noble and Kelly
Shryock as he seeks his unprecedented ninth O'Reilly USMTS
National Championship. Other drivers expected for these
barnburners include Brandon Kenny, Steve Wetzstein, Alan
Mondus, Tommy Myer, Jay Noteboom, Dereck Ramirez, Bob
Timm, Dan Bohr, Mike Sorensen, Jason Krohn, Dean
Mahlstedt, Bryan Rowland, Corey Dripps, Doug Hillson, Jake
Neal, Ryan Gustin, Joey Schaefer, Kevin Pittman, Steve
Stewart, Jay Poidinger, Brad Waits, Shawn Peterson, Nate
Wasmund, Josh Reisch, Tom Paulson, Joe Wernecke, Ryan
York, Ryan Ruter, Jeff Schluetter, Jay Ihrke, Terry
Timmerman, Brady Peterson, Carey Umbarger, Jacob Dahle,
T.J. Stalker, Scott Green, Tommy Weder Jr., Mike
Wedelstadt, Layne Meyer, Julie McDermid, Ron Konkel, Brady
Peterson, Mick Glenn, Ron Ver Beek, Donovan Lodge, Colt
Mather, Richie Gustin Jr., Cale Sponsler, Brad Pinkerton,
Chris Spieker, Nate Caruth, Josh Truman, Michael Long,
Brandon Banks, Steve Kosiski, David Holder, Scott Dickey,
Matt Waugh, and Jerry King.
TUESDAY, JULY 29 - CRESCO SPEEDWAY
The Mighty Howard County Fairgrounds speedplant will host
the final event for the Yeager Machine Upper Midwest
Region and will qualify the second group of O'Reilly USMTS
National Tour drivers to be a part of The Casey's General
Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship. In
addition to the grandstands and the pits, race fans can
purchase a one-of-a-kind Party Pass. For just $20 per
person, drive your vehicle inside the track and watch the
races from the infield! Bring your own food, drinks and
grills! First come first served for infield spots.
Passenger cars and trucks only. No scaffolding.
The infield opens for Party Pass fans at 4 p.m., as well
as pits. Grandstands open at 5 p.m. and the V.I.P.
Autograph Session will be from 5 to 5:30. Schrader,
Spencer and Wallace will be signing autographs for the
fans from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Hot laps begin at 6:45 with a
full night of racing action to follow. In addition to the
O'Reilly USMTS Modifieds, the USRA Casey's General Stores
Weekly Racing Series featuring USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock
Cars, USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods, USRA Hobby Stocks and
Outlaw Hobbys will be in action with all three classes
racing for USRA national and track points.
Race day info is available by calling the track hotline at
(563) 547-3400 or visit www.rlpromotions.com/cresco
online. The Cresco Speedway is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay
oval located 0.2 miles north of SR 9 on SW 7th (at the
Howard County Fairgrounds).
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 - SOUTHERN IOWA SPEEDWAY
The Mahaska County Half-Mile Monster will host the first
of four straight nights in the O'Reilly USMTS Central
States Region and will qualify the third group of O'Reilly
USMTS National Tour drivers to be a part of 'The Hunt'
which begins Aug. 8.
Also on tap will be the USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly
Racing Series featuring USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars
($400 to win), USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods ($300 to win)
and USRA Hobby Stocks ($300 to win), with all three
classes racing for USRA national and track points. Pit
gates open at 4:00 p.m. and grandstand gates open at 5:00
p.m. The V.I.P. Autograph Session will be from 5:00 to
5:30, and fans can take part in an autograph session in
front of the grandstands from 6:00 to 6:45. Hot laps begin
at 7:00 with the first green flag slated to wave at 7:30.
The Southern Iowa Speedway is a half-mile semi-banked clay
oval located 0.5 mile west of US 63 on SR 92, then four
blocks north on N. I St. (at the Southern Iowa
Fairgrounds). For day-of-race information, call the track
hotline at (507) 634-4281 or visit
www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa online.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring
Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit
www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information
from the USMTS - America's Hottest Ticket on Dirt.
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TITLE SPONSOR: O'Reilly Auto Parts.
PRESENTING SPONSOR: Casey's General Stores.
OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Race Tires, Arizona Sport
Shirts, Awesome Race Suits, Bear Tire Company, BRODIX
Cylinder Heads, Childhelp, Gressel Racing, Houston
Specialty Products Co., Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans &
Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest Web Solutions,
Q.E.M., Inc., TrackTek Racing Fuel, Western Flyer Xpress.
PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Boom Drilling, Day Motor Sports,
Kraft/Ramirez Race Cars, Olympic Fire Protection, Rookies
Rockin' Sports Bar, Ruter Farms, Yeager Machine.
CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Belleville
Motorsports, Bert Transmission, BSB Manufacturing, COMP
Cams, Duralite Racing Wheels, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, GRT
Race Cars, Hawk Performance, Holley Performance Products,
Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh
Racing Wheels, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race
Parts, Real Racing Wheels, US Brake.
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