EL PASO, Texas—The Best of the Best will break the ice tonight as the United States Modified Touring Series returns to the El Paso Speedway Park for the 2nd Annual “Ice Breaker” presented by El Luchador.

Drivers turning practice laps Wednesday night and already in the pits locked and loaded for tonight’s shoot-out include some of the marquee names in dirt modified racing.

Jason Hughes comes into the event as the points leader in the MVT Gulf Coast Border Region presented by Day Motor Sports, but this will be the first USMTS Casey’s Cup Series powered by S&S Fishing & Rental.

With 123 career victories, the 2010 USMTS National Champion is second on the USMTS career wins list, but through the first five races this year he has yet to add to that total.

Others already in the house for the start of the three-day clash include two-time defending USMTS National Champion Rodney Sanders, 2007 titlist Jason Krohn and last year’s opening night El Paso winner, Johnny Scott.

Dozens more of the nation’s elite racers are here, including Dereck Ramirez, who has two wins under his belt already this season, Zack VanderBeek, Terry Phillips, Philip Houston, Cade Dillard, Adam Penn, Daniel Hilsabeck, Grant Junghans, Jimmy Ray, Joe Duvall, Eddie Martin, Shane Sprinkle, Ronnie Gould III and more.

The five drivers atop the USMTS Rookie of the Year points battle—Austin Arneson, Jesse Sobbing, Casey Arneson, Ben Kates and Austin Theiss—are also set to strap in for tonight’s lid-lifter.

Slated for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the event will be the third of four tripleheader weekends comprising the MVT Gulf Coast Border Region, and the traveling band of mud-slinging USMTS Modifieds will once again have their hands full with the El Paso Speedway Park regulars from the USRA Modified division.

Local favorites expected to defend their home turf include 2014 USRA Modified National Champion Fito Gallardo and his hotshoe son, Jake Gallardo, plus Royal Jones, Austin Adams, Max Sadler, Tom Georges, Christy Barnett-Georges, Duane Murphy and more.

The three-day USMTS “Ice Breaker” presented by El Luchador will pay $2,000 to win Thursday, $3,000 to win Friday and $4,000 to win Saturday. Limited X-Mods, Mini-Sprints and Casa Nissan Legends Cars will also be in action all three days.

Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7 on Thursday and Friday. Gates open at 3 p.m. with racing at 6 on Saturday. Grandstand admission is $10 Thursday, $12 Friday and $15 Saturday. Kids ages 10 and under get in for free all three days. Pit passes are $40 each night.

An open practice for all classes is scheduled for Wednesday night, Feb. 25. Admission to the grandstands is free. Pit passes are $20 each.

For those race fans unable to attend the 2nd Annual USMTS “Ice Breaker” presented by El Luchador, all three nights will be carried live online via pay-per-view. Visit www.SpeedShift.tv for ordering information.

The El Paso Speedway Park is a 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located 6.0 miles east of FM 375 on US 62, then 0.5 mile north on Krag St., then east on Tangerine Ave. For more information call 915-791-8749 or visit www.epspeedwaypark.com online. You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElPasoSpeedwayPark or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ElPasoSpeedway.

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 or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.

POINTS STANDINGS AS OF FEB. 23, 2015

MVT Gulf Coast Border Region presented by Day Motor Sports:
1. 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla. ... 459
2. 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. ... 415
3. 71 Philip Houston, Odessa, Texas ... 393
4. 10 Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D. ... 392
5. 99 Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood, Iowa ... 388
6. 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa ... 364
7. 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La. ... 352
8. 1* Adam Penn, Shreveport, La. ... 334
9. 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M. ... 331
10. 2 Grant Junghans, Manhattan, Kan. ... 329

Rookie of the Year:
1. 10 Austin Arneson, Fargo, N.D. ... 392
2. 99 Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood, Iowa ... 388
3. 2 Casey Arneson, Fargo, N.D. ... 311
4. 23k Ben Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan. ... 310
5. 7d Austin Theiss, Hockley, Texas ... 282

COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Year:
1. Mullins Race Engines ... 46
2. Sput’s Racing Engines ... 37
3. Cornett Race Engines ... 35
4. Durham Racing Engines ... 31
4. Panhandle Performance Engines ... 31

Manufacturers Championship:
1. Hughes Racing Chassis ... 45
2. LG2 Race Cars ... 42
3. GRT Race Cars ... 41
4. MB Customs ... 39
5. Hilsabeck Chassis ... 23

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Casey’s General Stores, Chix Gear Racewear, COMP Cams, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Fast Shafts, Intercomp, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, MSD, Nitroquest Media Group, RACEceiver, RacinDirt.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Double H Bands, Duvall Electric, ElbowsUp.com, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Olympic Fire Protection, Rivers Edge Scrap Management, Schwab’s Tinker Shop, UMotors Motorsports & Marine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bell Racing Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, BSB Manufacturing, CPD Racing Tools, Crane Cams, Driven Racing Oil, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Holley Performance, Hooker Custom Harness, JRi Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, QA1 Precision Products, Quarter Master, R2C Performance, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Sybesma Graphics, Tilton Engineering, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes.