LAS CRUCES, N.M.—The Land of Enchantment will become the Land of Excitement on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 5-7, when the Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M., hosts the United States Modified Touring Series for the 21st Annual USMTS Winter Meltdown.

The race will be the fourth and final three-day event comprising the MVT Gulf Coast Border Region presented by Day Motor Sports, with the Winter Meltdown winner and USMTS regional champion being crowned on Saturday night.

“We are looking forward to the best modified drivers in the world coming to the Southern New Mexico Speedway, and we’ve got a whole new racing surface waiting for them,” said the track’s General Manager, Rue Stone. “We’ve brought in more than 50 loads of new clay and reshaped turns one and two. It should make for some great racing for our fans.”

Last year in the USMTS debut at the lightning-fast high-banked clay oval, hometown hero Stormy Scott did both—capping off the regional championship with his first-ever victory in the Winter Meltdown. In fact, he led for only about 200 feet during the 40-lap main event as he nipped his twin brother, Johnny Scott, at the finish line.

Race fans can expect to see dozens of the nation’s elite open-wheel dirt modified racers, including Kelly Shryock, Zack VanderBeek, Jason Hughes, Terry Phillips, Bryan Rowland, Dereck Ramirez, Joe Duvall, Cade Dillard, Grant Junghans, Philip Houston, Shane Sprinkle and more.

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

This week’s trio of events for the fire-breathing USMTS modifieds will see Thursday’s feature winner get $2,000 while the first to the finish line Friday earns $3,000 and Saturday’s main event victor pockets $4,000.

Street Stocks, Limited X-Mods and Mini-Sprints will also be in action all three days.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7 on Thursday and Friday. Gates open at 3 p.m. on Saturday with the first heat race going green at 6.

Grandstand admission is $10 on Thursday, $12 Friday and $15 Saturday while kids ages 10 and under get in for free every night. Pit passes are $40 each night.

An open practice is slated for Wednesday night, March 4, from 6-9 p.m. Admission to the grandstands is free while pit passes are just $20.

For those unable to attend this weekend’s clash in person, we’ve got the next best thing. All three nights will be carried live via pay-per-view. Visit www.SpeedShift.tv for ordering information and don’t miss a single lap of the unforgettable action.

The Southern New Mexico Speedway is located 11 miles west of Las Cruces at the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds. Take exit 132, go left and take the frontage road south of I-10 heading west. For more information call 575-524-7913 or 505-524-7913 or visit www.snmspeedway.com online. You can also check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SouthernNewMexicoSpeedway and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SNMSpeedway.

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 check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.