The engines have been silent since November, but the Best of the Best is less than two weeks away from kicking off the 2018 campaign with the 9th Annual Summit USMTS Winter Speedweeks presented by MSD Performance.

The Summit USMTS Southern Series presented by Production Jars will open the season with a doubleheader at the South Texas Speedway in Corpus Christi on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24. Then on Sunday, Feb. 25, the action moves to the Texana Raceway in Edna. The South Texas Speedway will also host an open practice on Thursday, Feb. 22, from 6-9 p.m.

Limited Mods and Pure Stocks will join the USMTS both nights at the South Texas Speedway. Two separate and complete shows await two of the most popular racing divisions in South Texas during this big event. Limited Mods will pay $600 to win Friday and $700 to win Saturday. Pure Stocks are $400 to win Friday and $500 to win Saturday (no entry fee either class). Southern/Northern Sport Mods or USRA B-mods are welcome to come race, but must completely conform to your class rules.

Spectator gates open at 6 p.m. both Friday and Saturday with hot laps at 7 and racing at 7:30.

Friday’s USMTS payouts: Licensed – 1. $3000, 2. $1600, 3. $1100, 4. $900, 5. $700, 6. $600, 7. $500, 8. $450, 9. $425, 10. $400, 11. $375, 12. $350, 13. $325, 14. $300, $275 to start, $90 tow; Non-Licensed – 1. $3000, 2. $1500, 3. $1000, 4. $700, 5. $600, 6. $500, 7. $400, 8. $375, 9. $350, 10. $325, 11. $300, 12. $275, 13. $250, $225 to start; $75 tow.

Saturday’s USMTS payouts: Licensed –1. $3000, 2. $1700, 3. $1200, 4. $1000, 5. $800, 6. $700, 7. $600, 8. $500, 9. $450, 10. $400, 11. $375, 12. $350, 13. $325, $300 to start, $90 tow; Non-Licensed – 1. $3000, 2. $1500, 3. $100, 4. $800, 5. $700, 6. $600, 7. $500, 8. $450, 9. $400, 10. $350, 11. $325, 12. $300, 13. $275, $250 to start, $75 tow.

The South Texas Speedway is a 1/4-mile dirt oval located east on I-37 to exit 4A, then 3.4 miles south on FM 665/Old Brownsville Rd., then merge onto S. Padre Island Dr., then right onto FM665 W/Old Brownsville Rd., then 2.6 miles west. For more information, call (361) 548-0669 or visit www.southtxspeedway.com.

Sunday’s show at the Texana Raceway will also feature Limited Mods and Pure Stocks racing for $750 and $500 to win, respectively, with a car/driver entry fee of $55.

Gates open at 1 p.m., hot laps start at 4:30 and racing begins at 5. General admission tickets are $20 and pit passes are $35.

Sunday’s USMTS payouts: Licensed – 1. $2500, 2. $1500, 3. $1000, 4. $700, 5. $600, 6. $500, 7. $450, 8. $400, 9. $375, 10. $350, 11. $325, 12. $300, 13. $275, $250 to start, $90 tow; Non-Licensed – 1. $2500, 2. $1200, 3. $800, 4. $600, 5. $500, 6. $400, 7. $350, 8. $300, 9. $275, 10. $250, 11. $225, $200 to start, $75 tow.

The Texana Raceway is a 5.16-mile high-banked dirt oval located 2.0 miles east of Edna on SR 111, then left on Haines Rd. (FM 412). For more information, call (979) 758-4440 or visit www.texanaraceway.com.

The boys are back at it again the following Thursday, March 1, at the Grayson County Speedway in Bells, Texas, with an open practice on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 2, will find the mud-slinging Modified monsters at the Kennedale Speedway Park and Saturday, March 3, at the Superbowl Speedway in Greenville.

This will be the only swing through the Dallas-Fort Worth area until the inaugural Summit USMTS Southern Nationals returns to Kennedale on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-3. Prior to that, these first six races in the Lone Star State are the only Summit USMTS Southern Series events not tied in with the USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup national series.

The first points race in the USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental happens two weeks later on Friday, March 9, at the Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss., which will also be a Summit USMTS Southern Series points race.

The first race for the USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup will happen on Friday, March 9, when both series clash at the Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss. There will be a practice on Thursday from 6-9 p.m.

On Saturday, March 10, the series will move to the ‘House of Hook’ in Meridian, Miss., at the Whynot Motorsports Park, with the final stop of the 9th Annual Summit USMTS Winter Speedweeks taking place at the Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss.

Twenty-one races are on the schedule for the Summit USMTS Southern Series and a driver’s best 15 performances will apply toward the final standings and year-end points funds. The Summit USMTS Southern Series champ is staring at a minimum $5,000 payday at year’s end, and any driver that competes in at least 18 of the 21 races is guaranteed to earn at least $1,000 in points fund money regardless of finishing position.

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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