JACKSON, Minn. -- The United States Modified Touring Series National Tour will begin next week with the first stop of the tour at the Jackson Speedway in Jackson, Minn. This race will be the first of the 19-day tour that will feature 17 races.

The race at Jackson will be the first visit at the Jackson Speedway since 1999. The first time the series visited the speedway it was 110 degrees outside and forty cars showed up for the racing action.

This season after four great years the USMTS growth has been great with more than 50 cars per event and more competitive racing. So far in 2003 the USMTS has produced fifteen different winners this season. Only four drivers have won more than one race this season.

The first national tour ran last season and record number of cars during the 17-day swing was on hand for the racing action. We have had several calls from several drivers that will be coming to race this big swing that will pay out more than $200,000 during the 19 days.

Two travel days will be part of the racing action. The race at Jackson will feature all the local drivers racing against all the nations top modified drivers. Tommy Myer has a narrow thirteen point lead on Justin Boney after four nights of racing action in Southern Minnesota.

Kelly Shryock who was more than seventy points behind before the last weekend’s races has narrowed the point lead back to eighteen points behind Myer. The race at Jackson will be just as exciting as all the USMTS races with more than fifty cars expected.

Some of the expected drivers for this race include Kelly Shryock, Tommy Myer, Justin Boney, Johnny Bone, Scott Drake, Jason Hughes, Steve Wetzstein, Bob Timm, Nate Wasmund, Greg Porth, Ron Luitjens, Steve Kosiski, Jason Krohn, John VanDenBerg, Eddie Martin, Mark Noble, Willy Kraft, Jason Krohn and all the local favorites.

Also running will be the Stock Cars running for $500 to win and the Hobby Stocks for $300 to win. Gates will open at 5 p.m. with hot laps slated for 7.

The modified main event will pay $2,000 to the winner.

This will be the only visit to the Jackson Speedway in 2003 so fans will want to come out early to visit with the USMTS drivers that will be on hand. Some of the top stock cars drivers will also be on hand as well. This last weekend at Kasson, Minn., saw more than 70 modifieds check in for the racing action and it should be no different this Tuesday night when the USMTS rolls into the Jackson Speedway.

For more information call the USMTS office at 515-832-7944.