Making a first-time visit to Dirt Nation™ LIVE! will be O’Reilly USMTS competitor and Rookies Rockin Sports Bar Rookie of the Year candidate Jay Noteboom of Hinton, Iowa. Noteboom currently sits fourth in National Championship points. Noteboom will join the show to talk about the 2007 season and his racing career. …

Just to refresh your memories some, last May at Batesville’s version of a Modified Madness, many thought Shryock had the best car at the $20,000-to-win event but wound up a $12,000 second after a flat early in the race with his Skyrocket, and Randy Timms in a Taylor-Shaw -- currently fifth in USMTS Southern Series points but looking to improve on that next weekend -- was a $10,000 third. …

The USMTS Southern Series will invade the Batesville Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, May 11-12. The popular Open Wheel Modifieds are the top division at the Batesville Motor Speedway, and the locals will attempt to defend their home turf against the touring stars of the USMTS Southern Series, along with many other top drivers from the region. …

Arizona Sports Shirts of Indianapolis, Ind., a long-time leader in dirt racing apparel and merchandising, has partnered with the O’Reilly USMTS for the 2007 racing season to offer drivers the opportunity to get the finest in apparel for their teams at a discounted rate. Fans too will notice the top-quality merchandise available at the O’Reilly USMTS souvenir trailer and online at www.usmts.com. …

Chris Brown led from start to finish Sunday night to capture his first USMTS Southern Series main event in a 35-lapper at the 105 Speedway in his hometown of Cleveland, Texas. The event wrapped up a successful three-race weekend and the inaugural Rinehart Trucking Texas Shootout. …

Greg Skaggs served notice Saturday night that officials better wait one more night before writing Kelly Shryock's name on the "Pay to the order of" line of the Rinehart Trucking Texas Shootout champion's paycheck. …

Kelly Shryock of Fertile, Iowa, led all 40 laps of Friday night's Rinehart Trucking Texas Shootout main event at Motorama Speedway in Beaumont, Texas. Shryock's fourth triumph in five USMTS Southern Series events was worth $2,000 to the eight-time defending O'Reilly USMTS National Champion. …

Brad McEwan, one of the most popular competitors on the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series circuit, announced today that he is taking some time off from racing. The 2005 Rookies Rockin' Sports Bar Rookie of the Year says he's not retiring, but rather prioritizing. …

Kelly Shryock vs. Howard Willis is worth price of admission right there, especially when one of the shows is at Willis and Russell Moore's school track at Gator Motorplex. Shryock has a lot to overcome. He's never raced at any of these tracks, but if he goes down there and wins two or three of the main events, could anyone argue against him being the best Modified driver in the country right now? …

The Rinehart Trucking Texas Shootout will kick off at Motorama Speedway in Beaumont this Friday, April 27. From there, it's on to the Gator Motorplex in Willis on Saturday, April 28, before winding up at the 105 Speedway in Cleveland on Sunday, April 29. All three events will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum $200 to start. …