KANSAS CITY, Kan.—After 20 days since the last checkered flag dropped and Zack VanderBeek was crowned the sixth King of America, the stars of the USMTS Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental are getting set for six straight weekends of intense racing with 20 events spanning 38 days.

The party gets started Friday night at the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., to kick off a tripleheader weekend that will also see the bad boys with fast toys invade the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Mo., on Saturday and a first-ever trip to the Atchison County Raceway in Atchison, Kan., on Sunday for a high-horsepower “cage match.”

All three events will award $3,000 to the main event winner and valuable points in the MSD Central Region presented by Day Motor Sports.

With just one race complete in the region, Jason Hughes holds a slim points lead over Ryan Gustin and newly-crowned King VanderBeek, with Hunter Marriott and Daniel Hilsabeck rounding out the top five.

The 5th Annual Tompkins Industries Rumble on the River’s Edge at the Lakeside Speedway will put the spotlight not only on the USMTS Modifieds but the Iron Man Challenge featuring Holley USRA Stock Cars and Out-Pace USRA B-Mods will also be in action, along with Grand Nationals and Factory Stocks.

Pits open at 4:30, spectator gates open at 5, hot laps start at 7 and racing begins at 7:30. General admission seating is $20 for adults, $15 for kids ages 7-12. Terrace admission is $25 for adults, $8 for kids ages 7-12. Suites are available on a limited basis at $25 for adults and $10 for kids ages 12 and under. Children ages 6 and under get in for free and pit passes are $35 for all ages.

Terry Phillips and Rodney Sanders have each won three of the last six USMTs races at the historic half-mile dirt oval. Jeremy Payne also has three career wins while Phillips leads all with four overall to his credit. Ryan Gustin, Nic Bidinger and Matt Dotson each have one win here.

Fans can save $2 off admission by picking up a commemorative discount coupon at Casey’s General Stores locations in Leavenworth, Lenexa, Platte City and Shawnee. To find the location nearest you, visit www.caseys.com.

The Lakeside Speedway is located 1.0 mile west of I-435 (exit 18) on SR 5 (northwest of Kansas City). For more information, call (913) 299-9206 or visit www.lakesidespeedway.net.

On Saturday, the Randolph County Raceway hosts the 6th Annual Sydenstricker Farm & Lawn Shootout to mark the second year in a row that the USMTS will invade the high banks in Moberly, Mo.

VanderBeek, Jon Tesch, Michael Long, Jason Hughes and Jason Krohn have all tasted victory on the high banks, along with Jesse Sobbing who captured his career-first USMTS win here last year.

Fresh off of an opening night USRA Modified victory, defending track champion Robbie Reed will put his vast knowledge of his home track to good use as he will have a full field of top notch competition.

Also on the night’s racing card will be the Iron Man Challenge for Out-Pace USRA B-Mods, ULMA late Models, Macon Coca Cola 4-Cylinders and Claypoole Construction Hobby Stocks.

Happy hour runs from 5-6 p.m. with all Coca-Cola products, hot dogs and Bud products just $1 each (no beer bucket specials until after 6). So come early, get your favorite seat and enjoy happy hour before the nation’s best dirt track drivers buckle in to put on one awesome night of racing action.

Gates open at 5, hot laps are at 6:15 and racing starts at 7. General admission is $20, kids ages 6-13 are $10 and children 5 and under get in for free.

Fans can pick up $2-off discount coupon at Casey’s General Stores locations in Higbee, Madison, Moberly and Paris. To find the location nearest you, visit www.caseys.com.

The Randolph County Raceway is located 3.5 miles east of US 63 on US 24 (5 miles east of Moberly). For more information, call (660) 651-8599 or check out www.randolphcountyraceway.com on the World Wide Web.

Then on Sunday, April 24, the series makes its debut at the exciting Atchison County Raceway in Atchison, Kan., for the inaugural USMTS “Cage Match” with pit gates opening at 3 p.m., grandstands opening at 4:30, hot laps at 6:45 and the first heat race at 7.

General admission tickets are $20 for adults, youth ages 6-12 are $5 and children 5 and under are free. Pit passes are $35. Fans can pick up $2-off discount coupon at Casey’s General Stores locations in Atchison, Highland, Platte City, St. Joseph and Wathena. To find the location nearest you, visit www.caseys.com.

For the third straight night, the Iron Man Challenge featuring Out-Pace USRA B-Mods will share the spotlight.

The Atchison County Raceway is located 2.0 miles north of Atchison on Sedgewick Rd. (past 302nd St.). For more information, call (913) 370-2520 and see www.acraceway.com online.

After this weekend…

Next will be a trip to the south for two weekends to finish up the Production Jars Southern Region presented by Day Motor Sports.

The first show will take place with a visit to the Superbowl Speedway in Greenville, Texas, on Thursday, April 28, and then the Kennedale Speedway Park in Kennedale, Texas, on Friday, April 29, before making a trek to the east for a stop at the Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, on Saturday, April 30.

The USMTS has been to all of these tracks in the past, but it has been a couple of years with bad weather at Greenville, new promoters at Kennedale and weather not cooperating the last time the series was booked in Kilgore.

After the ownership at the Red River Speedway in Wichita Falls, Texas, abruptly pulled the plug on the 2016 season earlier this month, the Lubbock Speedway in Lubbock, Texas, stepped forward to pick up the Friday, May 6, date. The USMTS finishes up the Production Jars Southern Region on Saturday, May 7, at the Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas.

The kickoff for the RealTruck.com Northern Region will be up next for the USMTS with another three-race weekend slated to start Thursday, May 12, at the Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, Minn. For drivers that have not been to Ogilvie, if you like smooth and slick then this is your track.

On Friday, May 13, the series will make a trip to the I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn., for a warm-up to the Widow Wax Summersota Nationals that will take place June 23-25 and will pay $15,000 to win and $1,500 to start the main event.

This swing will finish up on Saturday, May 14, at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minn., where Brady Gerdes showed us last year how you get around the half-mile and took home the $3,000 paycheck.

Any drivers looking to pick up another race and some extra cash on the way back south can do just that on Sunday, May 15, at the season opener for the new Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa, which pays $1,000 to win the USRA Modified feature.

USMTS action will return on Thursday, May 19, at the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., for an MSD Central Region showdown with the series moving to the Outlaw Motor Speedway in Wainwright, Okla., on Friday, May 20, and then up to the Salina Highbanks Speedway in Pryor Creek, Okla., on Saturday, May 21, before finishing up the weekend with the Allysa Ramirez Memorial at the Longdale Speedway in Longdale, Okla., on Sunday, May 22.

The final weekend of the rugged spring swing happens Memorial Day Weekend with five more races scheduled, starting at the Crawford County Speedway in Denison, Iowa, on Wednesday May 27, and then back to the northeast with the first stop of the season at the Mason City Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 28.

From there, it's on to the first of two shows this season at the Chateau Raceway in Lansing, Minn., on Friday, May 29, and then the first stop of the 2016 campaign at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., on Saturday, May 30.

We wrap up the swing on Sunday, May 31, at the Upper Iowa Speedway in Decorah, Iowa.

After that, a well-deserved break is in store before getting back to business June 14.

Meanwhile, some drivers will forego the rest and relaxation and attend some special events such as the Doug Murphrey Memorial at the Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., the following weekend, or some various USRA Modified shows in and around America's heartland.

USMTS Spring Swing Schedule:

Fri Apr 22 ... Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan., 5th Annual Tompkins Industries Rumble on the River’s Edge [C]
Sat Apr 23 ... Randolph County Raceway, Moberly, Mo., 6th Annual Sydenstricker Farm & Lawn Shootout [C]
Sun Apr 24 ... Atchison County Raceway, Atchison, Kan., Inaugural “Cage Match” [C]
Thu Apr 28 ... Superbowl Speedway, Greenville, Texas, 2nd Annual North Texas Nationals [S]
Fri Apr 29 ... Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas, 2nd Annual Event [S]
Sat Apr 30 ... Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, Texas, 3rd Annual Uproar in Kilgore [S]
Fri May 6 ... Lubbock Speedway, Lubbock, Texas, 2nd Annual Event [S]
Sat May 7 ... Route 66 Motor Speedway, Amarillo, Texas, 7th Annual Amarillo Ambush [S]
Thu May 12 ... Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie, Minn., 2nd Annual Event [N]
Fri May 13 ... I-94 Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn., 2nd Annual Event [N]
Sat May 14 ... Viking Speedway, Alexandria, Minn., 2nd Annual Event [N]
Thu May 19 ... 81 Speedway, Park City, Kan., 5th Annual Event [C]
Fri May 20 ... Outlaw Motor Speedway, Oktaha, Okla., 4th Annual Event [C]
Sat May 21 ... Salina Highbanks Speedway, Pryor Creek, Okla., 4th Annual Event [C]
Sun May 22 ... Longdale Speedway, Longdale, Okla., Allysa Ramirez Memorial [C]
Wed May 25 ... Crawford County Speedway, Denison, Iowa, 5th Annual Event [N]
Thu May 26 ... Mason City Motor Speedway, Mason City, Iowa, Inaugural Event [N]
Fri May 27 ... Chateau Raceway, Lansing, Minn., 9th Annual Guttormson Memorial [N]
Sat May 28 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn., 4th Annual A&A Electric & Underground Southern Minnesota Spring Challenge [N]
Sun May 29 ... Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, Iowa, 9th Annual “Donnybrook in Decorah” [N]

[C] = MSD Central Region presented by Day Motor Sports
[N] = RealTruck.com Northern Region presented by Day Motor Sports
[S] = Production Jars Southern Region presented by Day Motor Sports

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 and Instagram at www.instagram.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Argo Manufacturing, Casey’s General Stores, Chix Gear Racewear, COMP Cams, CP-Carrillo, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Fast Shafts, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, Kevko Oil Pans & Components, KSE Racing Products, Leaf Racewear & Safety Equipment, Malvern Trust & Savings Bank, MSD, RacerWebsite.com, RacinDirt.com, RealTruck.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, The Joie of Seating, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: AMP Energy Drink, Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, ElbowsUp.com, Erson Cams, I-29 Trailer Sales, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Oreo, Production Jars, Rivers Edge Scrap Management, Snickers, Sour Patch Kids, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, BSB Manufacturing, Driven Racing Oil, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Holley Performance Products, Hooker Custom Harness, Integra Shocks & Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Sheet Metal, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, QA1 Precision Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Sybesma Graphics, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Engineering.