SPRING VALLEY, Minn. -- When you think of the number 3 what comes to mind? Is it Dale Earnhardt, the legend whom so many of us grew up watching? How about the nine-time USMTS National Champion, #3 Kelly Shryock, a local hard charger such as the #3D of Tim Donlinger, or maybe it’s the number of events that have been cancelled this year due to rain.

Well race fans there’s now another number 3 that will stick in your mind: THE BIG 3.

Deer Creek Speedway, along with officials from the USMTS and WISSOTA are excited to announce that a third event has been added to the already highly anticipated summer calendar making it 3 must see events in 10 days with almost $200,000 in prize money on the line.

“When the Justice Brothers Car Care Products Spring Showdown was rained out we knew we had to do something,” said track president Randy Queensland. “After a lot of discussion and hard work between the sanctioning bodies and sponsors we feel we’ve come up with an exciting solution.”

The event was originally slated for April 28 but Mother Nature had different plans.

The once-named “Spring Showdown” has now become the first of the BIG 3 and will kick off this powerful string of events on Wednesday, June 27. On the card for the event will be the USMTS National Championship Series running for $4,000 to win and $400 to start. An exciting twist to the event is the WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series will be going after a $2,000-to-win payday and fans will also get to see the WISSOTA Street Stocks run for $500 to win.

“A show like this is hard to put together without a sponsor and we couldn’t thank Randy and Patti Eastvold with Hanson Tire enough for yet again showing their support for local racing as they were a big influence on making this happen and will be the title sponsor for the event,” stated marketing director Ryan Queensland.

Hanson Tire Service of Le Roy and Preston, Minn. has extensive wholesale routes covering Southeast Minnesota and Southwest Wisconsin along with Northeast and North Central Iowa. They carry a complete line of passenger, SUV, light truck, commercial truck and OTR tires from many leading tire companies. Hanson Tire is also the largest agricultural tire, rim retailer and wholesaler in the region. Both locations offer service for autos and light trucks for tires, brakes, alignment and complete service checks. Visit them online at www.hansontireinc.com.

There is only one piece of the puzzle left to put in place … What are we going to name it? With everything coming together so fast, officials haven’t had time to come up with a name for the event. Got something in mind? Visit the Deer Creek Speedway Facebook page, look for the contest post and submit your name. If we end up using your name, you and a guest will get into the event for free. The name of the event must include “Hanson Tire.”

TICKETS: Reserved seat tickets are available online or by calling toll-free 877-DCS-RACE or 507-754-6107. Adults grandstand tickets are $20 and kids ages 12 & under are $10. Pit passes are $35.

TIMES: The pit gate opens at 3:00 and the grandstands open at 4:00. Hot laps will start at 6:30 and racing begins at 7:00.

THE BIG 3:

• Wednesday, June 27 – Inaugural Event (name needed) featuring USMTS National Championship Series ($4,000 to win), WISSOTA Challenge Series ($2,000 to win) and WISSOTA Street Stocks ($500 to win).
• Saturday, June 30 – FireCracker featuring WISSOTA Challenge Series ($3,000 to win), plus USRA Modifieds, USRA B-Mods, WISSOTA Super Stocks, WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Street Stocks.
• Saturday, July 7 – NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 featuring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ($10,000 to win) and USMTS Casey's Cup Series ($2,000 to win).

With the addition of the June 27 date at the Deer Creek Speedway, the USMTS Casey’s Cup Series event at the Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge, Iowa, has been moved back one day to Tuesday, June 26, and creates a juicy five-night, five-night swing through Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota. On Thursday, June 28, the series will be at the Fairmont Raceway in Fairmont, Minn., and then trek into Allison, Iowa, on Friday for a show at the Highway 3 Raceway. The pentathlon of power wraps up on Saturday, June 30, with the 2nd Annual USMTS “Donnybrook in Decorah” at the Upper Iowa Speedway in Decorah, Iowa.

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 and follow us on Twitter.

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

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

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arbor Masters, Arnold Motor Supply, ASi Racewear, Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Dirthead.com, DirtKnights.com, Erson Cams, Farm Boy BBQ Sauce, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Mesilla Valley Transportation, O’Brien Enterprises, Olympic Fire Protection, Ramirez Motorsports, Road Runner Trucking, Ruter Farms, Sybesma Graphics, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AERO Race Wheels, AFCO Racing Products, COMP Cams, CPD Racing Tools, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Harness, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Quarter Master, Real Racing Wheels, Tiger Rear Ends.