SPRING VALLEY, Minn. -- Officials from the United States Modified Touring Series today revealed results from the testing of tires confiscated from the top 5 finishers at the World Modified Dirt Track Championship presented by Hanson Tire Service on July 30.

“After some very rigorous and expensive testing, we are pleased to announce that all five drivers’ tires were legitimate and have passed every benchmark we threw at them,” said USMTS president Todd Staley. “The results of the race stand, and the drivers will be paid immediately.”

Staley also noted that the USMTS has spent thousands of dollars this season on laboratory testing and research in an effort to keep the playing field level and root out teams that may be “doping” their tires.

“We have had some interesting findings in the last three weeks, to say the least,” he added. “Along with the samples we have submitted from dozens of racers, we have included samples from known clean tires as well as new unused tires as a control group. In some cases, even the clean tires came back with traces of Toluene on them.”

Toluene is a clear, water-insoluble liquid widely used as a solvent. It occurs naturally at low levels in crude oil and is usually produced in the process of making gasoline.

In addition to studying the tires themselves, USMTS officials have been working together with other sanctioning bodies in performing research on the actual testing labs and their procedures, as well as the tire manufacturers themselves.

Exhaust from headers pointing at the tires and fuel in the trailers with heat indexes of more than 105 degrees have been some of the causes of the unexpected readings.

Going forward, the USMTS will have a benchmark that will be used to determine an acceptable reading of banned substances. Reinforcing the message that tire cheating will not be tolerated, Staley added that any driver that is caught deliberately cheating tires will be banned indefinitely from both the USMTS and the series’ sister sanction United States Racing Association (USRA).

“When putting tires together or cleaning them, we recommend using water only,” said USMTS Technical Director Trevor Rash. “We will have a baseline on all tire testing, and when a driver signs his name on the sample that we took, that driver knows and understands the rules and guidelines that we use. We will not tolerate cheating of tires to enhance performance.”

The Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship powered by Swan Energy continues with a five-night swing through Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin this week. On Wednesday, Aug. 17, the Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, Minn., plays host to the USMTS Modifieds for the first time ever, followed by the series debut appearance on Thursday at the Rice Lake Speedway in Rice Lake, Wis.

Friday finds the USMTS Modifieds back at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., and then treks to the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa, on Saturday. The weekend wraps up on Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Nobles County Speedway in Worthington, Minn., to put the first one-third of ‘The Hunt’ in the books.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.

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USMTS TITLE SPONSORS: Casey’s General Stores, Swan Energy.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Race Suits, Cheetos, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, RACEceiver, SLAP Energy, Snickers.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, DAY Motor Sports, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, Dirt Track Racing School, DrySlik Dirt Trak Racewear, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Karl Performance Parts, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Race Cars, Ruter Farms, Schwab’s Tinker Shop, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, COMP Cams, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, Erson Cams, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Harness, Hypercoil Springs, ISKY Racing Cams, The Joie of Seating, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, RHS – Racing Head Service, Tiger Rear Ends, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, WIX Filters.