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 28, 2017, at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.

Headlining the honorees, Jason Hughes will be celebrated for capturing the 2016 USMTS national championship—his second straight and third overall—following the closest finish in the 18-year history of the series.

A record 228 people attended last year’s ceremony. 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 gala 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.

Individual tickets are $40 each and will go on sale this Monday, Nov. 21. To order tickets, call the USMTS offices at (515) 832-7944 during normal business hours. The deadline to order tickets is January 14.

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.

The Ameristar Casino Hotel is an entertainment hub that offers something for everyone with huge casino floors, nine restaurants ranging from casual to fine dining, a luxury hotel, 18 movie screens, supervised child care and more.

Located just east of downtown Kansas City, the property features the largest casino and the most games in the Kansas City area, as well as one of the largest poker rooms in the Midwest. The property includes a 140,000 square-foot casino, seven dining venues, live entertainment in several venues featuring local and regional acts, an 18-screen movie theater and more.

The AAA-rated three-diamond full-service 184-room hotel includes 36 mini and 12 king suites. All rooms feature luxury furnishings, plasma-screen televisions, one king-sized or two queen-sized beds, mini refrigerators and in-room safes. Each king suite contains a bar, an in-room dining area and custom artwork. Non-smoking and wheelchair accessible rooms are available.

The awards banquet will be held inside the Star Pavilion. With more than 12,000 square feet of function space, the Star Pavilion serves a multitude of events including corporate meetings, training seminars, trade shows, social receptions and live performances. The list of entertainers who have appeared on stage could go on forever.

Situated on 183-acres immediately east of the Interstate 435 Missouri River bridge (at 210 Highway), Ameristar Casino Hotel is only seven miles east of downtown Kansas City.

For more information, check out www.ameristar.com. You can also like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Ameristar.Casino.KC and follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AmeristarKC.

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.

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USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: Alpinestars, American Racer Racing Tires, Argo Manufacturing, Casey’s General Stores, Chix Gear Racewear, COMP Cams, CP-Carrillo, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Fast Shafts, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, Kevko Oil Pans & Components, KSE Racing Products, Leaf Racewear & Safety Equipment, Malvern Trust & Savings Bank, MSD, RacerWebsite.com, RacinDirt.com, RealTruck.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, The Joie of Seating, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: AMP Energy Drink, Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, ElbowsUp.com, Erson Cams, I-29 Trailer Sales, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Oreo, Production Jars, Rivers Edge Scrap Management, Snickers, Sour Patch Kids, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, BSB Manufacturing, Driven Racing Oil, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Holley Performance Products, Hooker Custom Harness, Integra Shocks & Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Sheet Metal, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, QA1 Precision Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Sybesma Graphics, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Engineering.