Officials from the United States Modified Touring Series unveiled next year’s schedule of events today, highlighted by a record top prize of $50,000 awaiting the 2018 USMTS National Champion.

The 20th anniversary season featuring the Best of the Best in dirt modified racing features a points fund of more than $160,000 while the USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental has 41 nights of racing penciled in at 39 of America’s most popular dirt ovals.

The runner-up in 2018 will pocket $30,000, third place will pay $20,000, fourth gets $15,000 and the fifth-place finisher in the final standings will earn $12,000.

Only a handful of dirt racing series at any level pay $10,000 to win their points championship, but that’s what the sixth-place driver will take home at the end of the USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup in 2018. Seventh through 15th get $8,000, $7,000, $6000, $5000, $4500, $4000, $3500, $3000 and $2500, respectively.

Any driver that competes in every USMTS points race—regardless of where he or she finishes in the final points standings—will earn the same as the 10th-place finisher, which is currently a $5,000 points fund check at season’s end.

Since altering the format in 2007, the USMTS has had multiple regional points races leading up to “The Hunt”—a final flurry of 15 to 20 races in August and September to determine the USMTS National Champion, but in 2018 the regions are gone and there will be one single national tour where every race counts.

While the stakes are higher, the number of USMTS events will be drastically fewer in 2018. The 2017 schedule had 63 points races and as many as 80 have been held in past years. The 2018 schedule of events for the USMTS national series will feature about 40 events.

“One of the things we had to address going forward was the number of shows were were holding,” Staley added. “Twenty Hunt races in less than a month is simply too brutal on drivers’ families and team members. That had to change. We also took note of the fact that during The Hunt a fan, depending on where they live, could travel less than four hours and see 17 of the Hunt races. That’s simply too much saturation, too much tax on the average fan’s budget and it forces them to choose between shows.”

2018 USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental schedule:

Fri Mar 9 ... Jackson Motor Speedway, Byram, Miss.
Sat Mar 10 ... Whynot Motorsports Park, Meridian, Miss.
Sun Mar 11 ... Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, Miss.
Thu Mar 15 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Fri-Sun Apr 20-22 ... Southern New Mexico Speedway, Las Cruces, N.M.
Fri Apr 27 ... West Texas Raceway, Lubbock, Texas
Sat Apr 28 ... Route 66 Motor Speedway, Amarillo, Texas
Sun Apr 29 ... Enid Speedway, Enid, Okla.
Fri May 4 ... TBA
Sat May 5 ... TBA
Sun May 6 ... Creek County Speedway, Sapulpa, Okla.
Fri May 18 ... I-94 Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Sat May 19 ... Ogilvie Raceway, Ogilvie, Minn.
Sun May 20 ... Mason City Motor Speedway, Mason City, Iowa
Fri May 25 ... Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis.
Sat May 26 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Sun May 27 ... Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, Iowa
Thu Jun 7 ... 81 Speedway, Park City, Kan.
Fri Jun 8 ... Dodge City Raceway Park, Dodge City, Kan.
Sat Jun 9 ... Salina Speedway, Salina, Kan.
Thu Jun 14 ... Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis.
Thu Jun 28 ... Nobles County Speedway, Worthington, Minn.
Fri Jun 29 ... Brown County Speedway, Aberdeen, S.D.
Sat Jun 30 ... Devil’s Lake Speedway, Crary, N.D.
Tue Jul 17 ... Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa
Wed Jul 18 ... Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, Iowa
Thu Aug 2 ... Springfield Raceway, Springfield, Mo.
Fri Aug 3 ... Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Sat Aug 4 ... Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo.
Thu Aug 16 ... TBA
Fri Aug 17 ... Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Sat Aug 18 ... Salina Highbanks Speedway, Pryor Creek, Okla.
Fri Aug 24 ... Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa
Sat Aug 25 ... Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D.
Sun Aug 26 ... Casino Speedway, Watertown, S.D.
Fri Aug 31 ... Fayette County Speedway, West Union, Iowa
Sat Sep 1 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Sun Sep 2 ... Cresco Speedway, Cresco, Iowa
Thu Sep 20 ... Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.

In addition to a 40-race national schedule—give or take, depending on Mother Nature—the USMTS will continue to have several non-points crown jewel events.

King of America VIII is set for March 15-17 at the Humboldt (Kan.) Speedway. The $50,000-to-win Masters returns to the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., June 14-16, and the I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., hosts the Silver Dollar Nationals for the USMTS Modifieds and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the eighth straight year on Friday and Saturday, July 20-21. The 20th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree takes place at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Sept. 20-22, where the USMTS National Champion will once again be crowned at the conclusion of Thursday’s night opener..

The 3rd Annual Grant Junghans Memorial will return to the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., on Friday, Aug. 17. It was also also announced today that the 2018 Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year will earn a record $5,000.

A new crown jewel event will close out the 2018 racing season with the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Nationals at the Kennedale Speedway Park, Nov. 1-3. The event will also be the final points race in the Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series.

2018 USMTS Crown Jewel events:

Thu-Sat Mar 15-17 ... King of America VIII - Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kan.
Thu-Sat Jun 14-16 ... 20th Annual Masters - Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis.
Fri-Sat Jul 20-21 ... 8th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals - I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb.
Fri Aug 17 ... 3rd Annual Grant Junghans Memorial - Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
Thu-Sat Sep 20-22 ... 20th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree - Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn.
Thu-Sat Nov 1-3 ... Summit USMTS Southern Nationals - Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas

With events in Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, the Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series presented by Production Jars will have it’s own lucrative points fund and crown a champion at season’s end. Except for the three-day mega-event in November, all Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series points races will be in the books before Memorial Day Weekend.

2018 Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series presented by Production Jars schedule:

Fri-Sat Feb 23-24 ... South Texas Speedway, Corpus Christi, Texas
Sun Feb 25 ... Texana Raceway Park, Edna, Texas
Thu Mar 1 ... Grayson County Speedway, Bells, Texas
Fri Mar 2 ... Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas
Sat Mar 3 ... Superbowl Speedway, Greenville, Texas
Fri Mar 9 ... Jackson Motor Speedway, Byram, Miss.
Sat Mar 10 ... Whynot Motorsports Park, Meridian, Miss.
Sun Mar 11 ... Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, Miss.
Fri-Sun Apr 20-22 ... Southern New Mexico Speedway, Las Cruces, N.M.
Fri Apr 27 ... West Texas Raceway, Lubbock, Texas
Sat Apr 28 ... Route 66 Motor Speedway, Amarillo, Texas
Sun Apr 29 ... Enid Speedway, Enid, Okla.
Thu-Sat Nov 1-3 ... Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas

More big announcements will be coming soon. Watch for the latest news on the USMTS website at www.usmts.com and our social media channels.

The 2018 season kicks off with the first Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series event on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24, at the South Texas Speedway in Corpus Christi, Texas. The first points race in the USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup happens two weeks later on Friday, March 9, at the Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss., which will also be a Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series points race.

Awards Banquet approaching: The United States Modified Touring Series will celebrate the sponsors, crew members, drivers and their families at the annual USMTS awards banquet on Saturday, January 27, 2017, at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Mo.

A record crowd of nearly 300 people attended last year’s gala, and this year’s party will once again be a joint effort for both the USMTS and United States Racing Association (USRA). Fans and members of the media are invited to attend too.

Those attending this year’s celebration are encouraged to reserve their rooms as soon as possible to take advantage of huge savings. For reservations, call the Ameristar Casino Hotel at (816) 414-7435 and request the USMTS discounted room rate.

In addition to the awards ceremony, the evening’s meal will feature a luxurious and plentiful selection of fine food, plus a huge dessert bar. A cash bar will also be available. Tickets will go on sale this week.

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. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS by joining our email list at www.usmts.com/subscribe.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Argo Manufacturing, Casey’s General Stores, Chix Gear Racewear, CP-Carrillo, Deatherage Opticians, Fast Shafts, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products, Leaf Racewear & Safety Equipment, Malvern Bank, MSD, Pace Performance, RacerWebsite.com, RacinDirt.com, RacingJunk.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, SToK Cold-Brew Coffee, Summit Racing Equipment, The Joie of Seating, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, ElbowsUp.com, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Oreo, Production Jars, Rancho Milagro Racing, RHRSwag.com, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: 905 Ink, AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Beyea Custom Headers, BigDeal Car Care, BSB Manufacturing, Day Motor Sports, Dickson Racing Shocks, E3 Spark Plugs, Edelbrock, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Holley Performance Products, Hooker Custom Harness, Integra Shocks & Springs, Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts, Keyser Manufacturing, Out-Pace Racing Products, QA1 Precision Products, Real Racing Wheels, Simpson Performance Products, Sweet Manufacturing, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Tire Demon, Wehrs Machine & Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes.