DES MOINES, Iowa - As the stars and cars of the O’Reilly Auto Parts United States Modified Touring Series blaze a trail throughout America’s heartland this summer, fans and drivers alike can expect some added heat on the track.

NASCAR stars Ken Schrader, Clint Bowyer and Kenny Wallace will appear at several events with the O’Reilly USMTS this summer, signing autographs for the fans and strapping into their Modifieds to take on the best the division has to offer.

While they are best known for circling America’s superspeedways with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, all three are accomplished short track racers that cut their teeth on the dirt ovals of the Midwest.

Ken Schrader: It was on the dirt tracks where Schrader’s career began. He started out driving mostly open-wheel cars and won in every division he raced, including two USAC championships -- 1982 Silver Crown and ’83 Sprint Car. Schrader is a veteran second-generation racer, and currently drives the #21 Motorcraft/Little Debbie Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. He appears as a television analyst on Inside Nextel Cup on the SPEED Channel, and is also the owner of Ken Schrader Racing, which fields entries for himself in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the Whelen All-American Series for Chris Bristol. Schrader is also the owner of I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.

Clint Bowyer: Bowyer, who turned 28 years old on May 30, currently pilots the #07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the #2 BB&T Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Busch Series, both for Richard Childress Racing, as well as the #2 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Incorporated in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Bowyer captured more than 200 wins and numerous championships during his dirt track racing career. In 1996, he began racing street stocks at Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan., and won the Modified championship there in 2000. He racked up 18 wins and 32 top-five finishes on his way to capturing the 2001 Modified track championships at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., and Heartland Park Topeka. Bowyer competed in an open Modified race last year at Heartland Park Topeka where he led early in the race before being passed by eight-time defending O’Reilly USMTS national champion Kelly Shryock.

Kenny Wallace: Wallace currently drives the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. He also works as an on-air personality for SPEED Channel on shows such as NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane. He was also featured on the show NASCAR Drivers: 360 on FX. He has two brothers who are also current or former NASCAR drivers: Rusty Wallace and Mike Wallace. As a child, Wallace’s boisterous behavior earned him the nickname “Herman,” after a mischievous cartoon character named Herman the German. Last week, Wallace was voted in by fans to compete in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Wallace has already tasted victory on dirt this season, beating O’Reilly USMTS competitor Steve Arpin at the Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., in February, and, most recently, winning a UMP Modified feature at the Peoria Speedway in Peoria, Ill., last Wednesday, May 23.

Tentatively, these are the confirmed dates for NASCAR drivers at upcoming O’Reilly USMTS shows:

Mon, Jun 4 - Iowa State Fair Speedway, Des Moines, IA (Schrader, Bowyer)
Tue, Jun 5 - Adams County Speedway, Corning, IA (Bowyer)
Tue, Jun 19 - Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, SD (Schrader, Wallace)
Wed, Jun 20 - Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD (Schrader, Wallace)
Tue, Jul 31 - West Liberty Raceway, West Liberty, IA (Schrader, Bowyer, Wallace)
Wed, Aug 1 - Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA (Schrader, Bowyer, Wallace)
Tue, Aug 14 - Farley Speedway, Farley, IA (Schrader)
Wed, Aug 15 - Echo Valley Speedway, West Union, IA (Schrader)

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.