TEXARKANA, Texas – Jon "The Catman" Mitchell wrapped up his second consecutive AMP Late Model Series Championship back in October, and now the two-time AMP champion is preparing for this weekend’s O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series finale at Houston Raceway Park, where he will pilot his #5 GRT by Catman modified.

“We had a really good season again this year,” said Mitchell “It is always exciting to win a back to back championship, and this will help set the bar for our 2009 season.

"We will be running two cars in 2009, and we are waiting to see how everyone’s schedules look before committing to anything, but we are looking at running more races next year.”

Mitchell finished the season with five wins in his super late model, two wins his modified and numerous top-5 finishes with both cars.

More information about Mitchell’s is available on his website at www.jonmitchellracing.com.

The 2nd Annual Texas Winter Nationals, Dec. 3-6 at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, saw nearly 70 top-flight racers compete in the inaugural event last year, and officials expect to top that number this year, possibly eclipsing 100 entries.

The event will be the highest-paying O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series event in the two-year existence of the popular tour, with a possible $9,000 to win over three nights. The main event will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum $200 to start on Thursday. A $3,000 top prize is earmarked for Friday's winner with at least $250 going to each main event starter and Saturday's finale will pay an O'Reilly USMTS Southern Series record $4,000 to win with at least $300 guaranteed for each starter.

An open practice will be held on Wednesday night, Dec. 3, and drivers in all classes are invited to participate. Due to the high number of racecars expected for the weekend tripleheader, this will be the only night for hot laps. The pit gate will open at 4 p.m. and practice will be held from 6-10 p.m. Pit passes are $20 and admission to the grandstands will be free.

On Thursday and Friday, gates will open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7:30. On Saturday, gates open at 4 p.m. and the mud starts flying at 6:30.

Defending winners of the Texas Winter Nationals are Paul White (Thursday), Alan Mondus (Friday) and Kelly Shryock (Saturday).

Limited Mods will also be competing all three nights for an increased purse, racing for $500 to win on Thursday, $700 to win on Friday and $1,000 to win on Saturday. More than 60 different Limited Mods competed in last year's event. There is no entry fee on any night for Limited Mods. However, any driver racing in both Modifieds and Limited Mods will pay an entry of $30 on Thursday and Friday, and $35 on Saturday. Must run track rules or SportMod rules to be legal for the Limited Mod class this weekend.

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 0.9 miles SE on FM 1405, then 1.5 miles NE on FM 565. For more information, call the track office at (281) 383-RACE or visit www.houstonraceway.com online.

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.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

TITLE SPONSOR: O’Reilly Auto Parts.

PRESENTING SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.

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

PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Boom Drilling, Buzzard Racing Engines, 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.