LA MONTE, Mo. -- The USMTS National Championship Series motors into Missouri for a doubleheader this weekend starting on Friday, May 4, with a return to the LA Raceway in La Monte, Mo., and then moving on to the long-awaited series debut Saturday at the historic West Plains Motor Speedway in West Plains, Mo.

Both events will pay $4,000 to win and are expected to draw the top names in open-wheel dirt Modified racing.

With heat probably still rising from the clay, the USMTS Modifieds return to the LA Raceway just a little more than two weeks since visiting the 3/8-mile clay oval. King of America II Modified Nationals winner Stormy Scott continued his hot streak with a win in what marked the eighth USMTS event at Mike and Carol White’s facility and the fourth time the “A” Main has went green to checkered without a caution.

Jason Hughes and Jeremy Payne are both two-time winners in La Monte. Other former winners include Kelly Shryock, Rodney Sanders and Grant Junghans. Sanders comes into the event where he won his career-first USMTS race as the points leader in the USMTS Casey’s Cup Series.

The Arbor Masters Modified Nationals presented by Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning 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 305 Winged Sprints and Street Stocks.

The LA Raceway is a located 3.5 miles west of SR 127 on Hwy Y. For more information, check out www.laraceway.com online.

Saturday will take the stars and cars of the USMTS National Championship Series to the historic West Plains Motor Speedway. Mother Nature thwarted the series debut here last year, so fans and drivers alike are chomping at the bit to see action on the legendary oval.

After several years sitting dormant, officials welcomed fans, drivers, crew members, sponsors and their families back for the first night of weekly racing in April 2011. Thousands of hours and dollars later, dozens of renovations and upgrades have given the historic dirt track new life.

In its first season under new ownership, the West Plains Motor Speedway boasts one of the best weekly car counts and some of the nation’s toughest competition during their weekly USRA Modified program.

Presented by Mega Motorsports and Mr. Dent Collision Repair, the event will also feature Crate Late Models, USRA B-Mods, Super Stocks and Hobby Stocks. Race time is 7:00.

And while the competitors will be battling for big money, even the fans can get in on the action too as $1,000 in cash will be dropped from the sky, and fans get to stand underneath and see how much you can catch!

The West Plains Motor Speedway is a 100-acre motorsports facility with an exciting 3/8-mile red clay oval surrounded by seating that will accommodate more than 12,000 fans. Fans can enjoy the action from their choice of molded contour seating, ground level bleachers or high-rise stadium style seating.

On-site camping is available free of charge with clean restrooms, showers, water fill and a dump station for motor homes. Full service food and souvenir concessions are conveniently located within the facility along with acres of free parking.

The West Plains Motor Speedway is located 6 miles south of West Plains on US 63. For more information, call the track office at 417-522-9891 or 417-257-2112 on race day. The track's website can be found at www.westplainsdirt.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.

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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, 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, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Tiger Rear Ends.