WEBSTER CITY, Iowa -- Officials from the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series announced today the addition of two more events to the most thrilling schedule ever for the nine-year-old series, bringing the total number of O’Reilly USMTS National Events this season to 60.

America’s Premier Modified Series will invade the Gage County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, Aug. 8, as the Beatrice (Neb.) Speedway welcomes the rugged O’Reilly USMTS road warriors to the semi-banked 3/8-mile oval for the first time in seven years. The facility boasts some of the country’s toughest weekly Modified racers, including Johnny Saathoff, Dave Trauernicht and more. Officials expect a huge field of cars with a pedigree-rich line-up of drivers when the “best of the best” take on the area’s top dogs.

The Beatrice Speedway event will be a pivotal piece of the O’Reilly USMTS championship puzzle as well. It will be the final race in the highly-competitive Western Region -- the ninth of 13 straight days of $2,000-to-win events -- and two days before the start of the ‘The Hunt’ for the O’Reilly USMTS National Championship on Friday, Aug. 10, at the Bolivar (Mo.) Speedway USA.

Support classes, ticket prices and start times will be announced in the near future. The Beatrice Speedway is located 1.7 miles west of US 77 on US 136, then 0.3 miles south on Logan St. for more information, call (402) 223-3158 or surf on over to www.beatricespeedway.com online.

Also added to the 2007 O’Reilly USMTS schedule is a date at the Echo Valley Speedway in West Union, Iowa, on Wednesday, Aug. 15., for another $2,000-to-win tilt. Lee and Sue Hansmeier’s 4/10-mile high-banked clay oval is a popular stomping ground for competitors and fans alike, providing a lot of speed with a lot of side-by-side racing. The Echo Valley Speedway battle will be the fifth of 16 events in ‘The Hunt’ as the Midwest’s Modified masters slug it out for the O’Reilly USMTS crown.

The Echo Valley Speedway is a USRA Casey’s General Stores Weekly Racing Series member track and is located 1.4 miles east of SR 150 on US 18. For more information, call (563) 568-4881 or visit www.echovalleyspeedway.com on the World Wide Web. Support classes, ticket prices and start times will be announced in the near future.

As many as five more dates may yet to be added to the 2007 O’Reilly USMTS slate. Kelly Shryock will look to capture his unprecedented ninth O’Reilly USMTS crown in 2007 while a host of newcomers and veterans alike will try to become the first to dethrone the Fertile, Iowa, veteran. Last year’s O’Reilly USMTS National Championship runner-up Zack VanderBeek will be back on the trail in 2007, as well as 2006 ‘Hunters’ such as Jason Friesen, Tommy Myer, Jon Tesch, Al Hejna, Brad McEwan, Mike Hejna, Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar Rookie of the Year Jay Poidinger, Dean Mahlstedt and Mark Noble. Other drivers planning a full National Events schedule and anticipating the opportunity to become the first driver to dethrone Shryock include Steve Arpin, Jay Noteboom, Mike Wedelstadt, Corey Dripps, Mike Spaulding, Willy Kraft, Kevin Larkins, Jim Horejsi and many more.

The 2007 season is scheduled to begin with the 4th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw at the Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., on Friday and Saturday, March 9-10. To learn more about the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters office at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.USMTS.com online.

See the complete O’Reilly USMTS schedule at www.usmts.com/events.asp.