ONAWA, Iowa -- This Friday and Saturday, April 14-15, the stars and cars of the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series will invade the Blackbird Bend Speedway in Onawa, Iowa, for the inaugural CasinOmaha “Double Down” Showdown.

The two-day spectacular will be the first-ever appearance by the O’Reilly USMTS at the popular 5/16-mile clay oval.

“Fans and drivers alike have been asking ‘When will the USMTS be there?’ ever since Blackbird Bend Speedway was built a few years ago,” said series promoter Todd Staley. “Thanks to the efforts of Brad Appleton and his staff, along with support from CasinOmaha, we can now finally give a definitive answer.”

A two-day total purse of more than $25,000 is up for grabs, with $2,000 earmarked for Friday's main event winner and a $3,000 top prize awaiting the driver standing in victory lane on Saturday night. A huge field of modifieds is expected to be on hand for this historic event.

While the CasinOmaha “Double Down” Showdown will feature the best of the best on the track, several drivers will be leaving their helmets in the trailer and strapping on their ‘poker face’ as CasinOmaha hosts the “USMTS All Star Poker Challenge” on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Ten drivers and two special guests will “shuffle up and deal” at CasinOmaha for a No Limit Hold 'Em poker tournament. The tournament winner will pocket $500 from a $1,000 prize pool sponsored by CasinOmaha.

The “USMTS All Star Poker Challenge” will feature the current top-5 drivers in the O’Reilly USMTS points standings following the main event on Friday night. Five additional drivers will earn seats at the poker table by a random draw of all drivers competing in Friday night's races. The final two seats will be awarded to one special guest and one lucky fan whose name will be drawn during Friday night's racing program.

The inaugural CasinOmaha “Double Down” Showdown will be the seventh and eighth of 75 races on the 2006 schedule for the O’Reilly USMTS rugged road warriors -- the fifth and sixth of 14 scheduled events comprising the Western Region slate.

O’Reilly USMTS National drivers expected for this event include current points leader Mark Noble of Blooming Prairie, Minn., as well as second-place points pilot Jon Tesch of Watertown, S.D., seven-time O’Reilly USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock of fertile, Iowa, and many more, including Ryan Ruter, Tommy Myer, Jason Friesen, Brad McEwan, Al Hejna, Mike Wedelstadt, Dean Mahlstedt, Zack VanderBeek, Mike Steensma, Matt Gilbertson, Jeff Schluetter, Jay Poidinger, Kevin Larkins, Josh Reisch, Chevy Hadan, Marlin Kracht, Tommy Weder Jr., Scott Drake, Jeremy Tibben, Dustin Boney, Randy Timms, Alan Mondus, Justin Cooper, Brett LaFollette, Greg Metz, Steve Arpin, Ron VerBeek, Joshua Vinnedge, Jason Hughes, Clayton Christensen, Jake Neal, Chuck Stanton, Joe Bradshaw, Scott Mullen, Johnny Bone Jr., Mike Hejna, Brad Waits, Brad Pinkerton, Mel Saffran, Mike Chasteen, Jim Mathieson, Gary Clark, Julie McDermid, Brandon Morton, Brent Bohmont, Tony Fraise, Ryan York, Dan Chapman, Randy Zimmerman, Corey Dripps, Mark Elliott, John Schwab, Mark Dotson, Ryan Meyer, Steve Stewart, Eric Dailey and Ben McVinua.

O’Reilly USMTS Western Region drivers expected to contend this weekend include Darrick Klima, Jay Noteboom, Dirk Kirk, Mike Lineberry, Grant Junghans, John Allen, Ricky Stephan, Johnny Saathoff, Justin Boney, Tim Karrick, Matt Bonine, Wade Cross, Mike Hansen, Mike Johnson, Matt Richards, Jason Thoennes, Chad Williamson, Reese Coffee and Paul Snyder.

On both nights, gates open at 5 p.m., with hot laps at 6:45 and racing at 7:30. Hobby Stocks and 360 SportMods will join the racing card each night. On Friday, adult tickets are just $12, with kids (ages 6-12) $4. On Saturday, adults are $15 and kids (6-12) get in for $5. Children under 6 are admitted FREE both days. Pit passes are $25 on Friday, and $30 on Saturday.

Several O’Reilly USMTS cars will be on display near the entrance of CasinOmaha on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with drivers on hand to sign autographs and pose for photos with fans.

For more information about Blackbird Bend Speedway, call (712) 423-3700 or visit www.BlackBirdSpeedway.com online. The track is located 35 miles south of Sioux City, Iowa, or 60 miles north of Omaha, Neb., on the Omaha Indian Reservation next to CasinOmaha. From the north, take I-29 south to exit 120, turn right (west) on to K25 for 0.3 mile, then turn left on K42 for 5.5 miles. From the south, take I-29 north to exit 112, turn left (west) to SR-175 for 1 mile, then turn right onto Dogwood Ave. for 1.5 miles, then turn left on K42 for 2.5 miles.

CasinOmaha is a Native American casino in Onawa, Iowa, and is open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. The 30,000 square foot casino features more than 450 slots, video poker and several table games such as craps, roulette, blackjack and poker. For more information, call toll-free 1-800-858-UBET.

To learn more about the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series, call (515) 832-7944 or visit www.USMTS.com online.

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O’REILLY NATIONAL DRIVER STANDINGS:

1. Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn. .... 623

2. John Tesch, Watertown, S.D. .... 557

3. Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa .... 525

4. Ryan Ruter, Forest City, Iowa .... 482

5. Tommy Myer, Bixby, Minn. .... 455

6. Jason Friesen, Sutton, Neb. .... 452

7. Brad McEwan, Storm Lake, Iowa .... 431

8. Al Hejna, Clear Lake, Iowa .... 388

9. Mike Wedelstadt, Hortonville, Wis. .... 384

10. Dean Mahlstedt, Clear Lake, Iowa .... 383

WESTERN REGION STANDINGS:

1. Mark Noble, Blooming Prairie, Minn. .... 412

2. John Tesch, wAtertown, S.D. .... 372

3. Ryan Ruter, Forest City, Iowa .... 346

4. Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa .... 343

5. Jason Friesen, Sutton, Neb. .... 305

6. Tommy Myer, Bixby, Minn. .... 301

7. Brad McEwan, Storm Lake, Iowa .... 268

8. Dean Mahlstedt, Clear Lake, Iowa .... 265

9. Kevin Larkins, Greenwood, Neb. .... 258

10. Darrick Klima, Belleville, Kan. .... 247

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USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: O’Reilly Auto Parts.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Race Tires, Holley Performance Products, Home Pride Companies, Intercomp, Marsh Racing Wheels, Nitroquest Web Solutions, Olympic Fire Protection, R.A. Benson Motorsports, Real Racing Wheels, Reich Concrete, Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar, SpeedNet Direct, UNIJIG, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Racing, Belleville Motorsports, Bert Transmission, Boyer’s Engine Development, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Edelbrock, Fast Shafts, GRT Race Cars, Hyperco, Intensitee Custom Clothing, Isky Racing Cams, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, KSE Racing Products, Larson Racing Specialists, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, RaceQuest, T.A.R. Race Car Bodies, US Brake.