CLEVELAND, Texas — The rugged road warriors of the O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series wrap up their five-week spring swing this weekend with a Lone Star State doubleheader on Friday and Saturday, May 16-17.

On Friday, the 105 Speedway in Cleveland, Texas, plays host to some of the hottest Modified drivers in the nation for the 2nd Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts 105 “35” at the 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval.

Last year, local favorite Chris Brown led from start to finish to capture his first O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series main event. Paul White of Temple, took home the runner-up paycheck while Tim Clonch finished third to give the Texas pilots a monopoly of the podium.

On Saturday, Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, will be the locale for the fourth time in the short 14-month history of the O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series. Home of the season-ending Texas Winter Nationals, HRP will serve as the final event before a much-deserved rest for the tireless touring aces before returning to action June 3.

Last year’s inaugural Texas Winter Nationals saw Paul White take the checkers on Thursday while Minnesota’s Alan Mondus captured Friday’s feature race. On Saturday, it was Fertile, Iowa’s Kelly Shryock taking his sixth O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series win of the season and securing the points title.

Shryock is not attempting to defend his crown this season, and has been absent through the first seven O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series events. However, the eight-time O’Reilly USMTS National Tour national champion will make his first show of 2008 this weekend behind the wheel of a Skyrocket Chassis owned by David Horner and sponsored by Houston Specialty Products.

Leading the pack into this weekend is Jason Hughes. Behind the strength of his series-leading three victories in seven starts, the Westville, Oklahoman takes a healthy points lead over Gentry, Ark.'s Steve Holzkamper (688 to 616 points) into Friday's event, while Tommy Weder Jr. of Woodward, Okla., is another 70 points behind in third. Dustin Duncan Memorial “Just Say Yes” Rookie of the Year points leader John O. Whittington of Vidor, Texas, is clinging to fourth with 499 points, followed by Paul White (497), Kyle Pleasant of Natchitoches, La. (491), Shave Hebert of Lafayette, La. (481), David Mitchell of Ashdown, Ark. (464), Bryan Rowland of Woodward, Okla. (459) and Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas (445).

105 Speedway is located 6.0 miles west of US 59 on SR 105, then 0.3 mile north on Fostoria Rd. For more information, call the track office at 281-592-RACE or 281-592-4371 for day-of-race updates. The track website can be found at www.105speedway.net.

Houston Raceway Park is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located east of Houston on I-10 to Exit 798, then 3.0 miles south on SR 146, then 0.8 mile southeast on FM 1405, then 1.5 miles northeast on FM 565. For more information, call 281-383-RACE or visit www.houstonraceway.com online.

Both events will award $2,000 to the main event winner, while all 24 starters in each Holley "A" Main will earn a minimum of $200.

BY THE NUMBERS: Through 7 races this season, a total of $100,475 in prize money has been doled out to 154 different drivers from 8 different States, with 5 different drivers earning the right to be photographed in victory lane.

RULES: All USMTS rules apply. The American Racer KK704 is the Official Tire of the USMTS; however drivers may use the Hoosier G60 but will not earn points or be eligible for contingency awards. Qualifying will be done by heat race passing points and B-mains. Draw for heat race starting spot ends 15 minutes before hot laps start. Roll bar padding plus a window net or arm restraints are required. Aluminum heads are legal, but must have 25 lbs. in front of motor plate. Total weight rule is 2,400 lbs.

LICENSES: There is no requirement to purchase a USMTS license to compete in any USMTS event. However, benefits enjoyed by licensed drivers includes higher event purses and bonus payouts, increased tow money, discounted entry fees, contingency awards, points funds, provisional starting spots, increased media recognition, a personalized driver profile page at www.USMTS.com and more. The cost of a license is $200 for the entire O’Reilly USMTS Southern Series.

O’REILLY USMTS SOUTHERN SERIES
Points Standings (top 20) as of May 15, 2008

1. 12 - Jason Hughes, Westville, OK … 688
2. 5 - Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, AR … 616
3. 02 - Tommy Weder Jr., Woodward, OK … 554
4. 5w - John O. Whittington, Vidor, TX … 499
5. 2w - Paul White, Temple, TX … 497
6. 6x - Kyle Pleasant, Natchitoches, LA … 491
7. 9 - Shane Hebert, Lafayette, LA … 481
8. 13 - David Mitchell, Ashdown, AR … 464
9. 20r - Bryan Rowland, Woodward, OK … 459
10. 17 - Morgan Bagley, Longview, TX … 445
11. 4r - Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, OK … 443
12. 8j - Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, TX … 437
13. 25 - Scott Green, Derby, KS … 414
14. 21b - Brandon Kenny, East Woodward, OK … 412
15. 38r - Jeremy Ross, Locust Grove, OK … 406
16. 19 - Jamie Burford, Keatchie, LA … 400
17. 20 - Rodney Sanders, Happy, TX … 383
18. 1st - Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, NM … 365
19. 05 - Michael Robertson, Minden, LA … 364
20. 5t - Randy Timms, Wheatland, OK … 336

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS — America's Hottest Ticket on Dirt.

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TITLE SPONSOR: O’Reilly Auto Parts.

PRESENTING SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.

OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Race Tires, Arizona Sport Shirts, Awesome Race Suits, Bear Tire Company, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Childhelp, Gressel Racing, Houston Specialty Products Co., KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest Web Solutions, Q.E.M., Inc., TrackTek Racing Fuel, Western Flyer Xpress.

PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Boom Drilling, Day Motor Sports, Kraft/Ramirez Race Cars, Olympic Fire Protection, Rookies Rockin’ Sports Bar, Ruter Farms, Yeager Machine.

CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Belleville Motorsports, Bert Transmission, BSB Manufacturing, COMP Cams, Duralite Racing Wheels, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, GRT Race Cars, Hawk Performance, Holley Performance Products, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, US Brake.