OWATONNA, Minn. - After receiving three inches of rain on Wednesday night and more on the way Thursday, the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour event scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Steele County Speedway in Owatonna, Minn., has been canceled.

The event, held annually during the Steele County Free Fair, will not be rescheduled.

In an effort to keep the total number of events in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Championship at 18, promoter Todd Staley has added a stop at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Tuesday, Sept. 1. This will be the first of six straight nights of racing featuring a top prized of $3,000 at each event … that’s $18,000 for the winner’s share of the purse over the six days!

FRIDAY, AUG. 21 - MISSISSIPPI THUNDER SPEEDWAY

Action continues this Friday, Aug. 21, at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis. Pit gates open at 4:00, grandstands open at 5:00, hot laps begin at 6:30 and the first heat race takes the green flag at 7:00. Also on the evening's line-up will be WISSOTA Midwest Mods, WISSOTA Street Stocks, Hornets, 600 Mods and Mini Mods.

Todd Scharkey, Kelly Shryock and Al Hejna won the three previous USMTS events at the track formerly called Tri-Oval Speedway. Prior to the 2009 season, new promoter Bob Timm reconfigured the track to a 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval. The USMTS Modifieds christened the new surface earlier this season on May 25, with Ryan Gustin turning in a dominating performance for the win.

Race fans can pick up $2-off general admission coupons on Friday at the Casey's General Stores locations in Rochester, Minn., and Sparta. Corey Dripps will be on hand with his new Cheetos-sponsored machine from 12:00 to 2:00 at the 1600 Eastwood Rd. SE location in Rochester on Friday.

The Mississippi Thunder Speedway is located 3.0 miles north of Fountain City on SR 35. For more information, call 608-687-3282 or visit www.mississippithunder.com on the World Wide Web.

SATURDAY, AUG. 22 - UPPER IOWA SPEEDWAY

On Saturday, Aug. 22, the Upper Iowa Speedway in Decorah, Iowa, plays host to round 7 of the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Championship. The 5th Annual Summer Challenge will see gates opening at 5:00, hot laps at 6:00 and the green flag unfurls to start the first heat race at 6:30. Also racing will be USRA Stock Cars, USRA B-Mods and USRA Hobby Stocks racing for national points in the American Racer USRA Weekly Racing Series.

Zack VanderBeek and Al Hejna are both two-time winners at the popular bullring, while Jon Tesch also has a win at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds facility.

Race fans can pick up $2-off coupons on Saturday at Casey's General Stores locations in Cresco, Decorah and New Hampton. Tommy Myer and his Snickers-sponsored Modified will be at the Casey's store in Decorah located at 401 College Dr. from 12:00 to 2:00 to meet fans, sign autographs and answer questions from fans.

The Upper Iowa Speedway is a 1/4-mile semi-banked clay oval located 1.8 miles east of US 52 on SR 9, then 1.0 mile northwest on Montgomery St., then northeast on E. Main St. (at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds). For day-of-race information, call the track hotline at 563-382-9984 or check out www.upperiowaspeedway.com online.

The Hunt for the USMTS Casey's General Stores National Championship:

Tue Aug 11 … LA Raceway, La Monte, MO (winner: Grant Junghans)
Wed Aug 12 … Monett Speedway, Monett, MO (winner: Ryan Gustin)
Thu Aug 13 … Springfield Raceway, Springfield, MO (winner Jeremy Payne)
Fri Aug 14 … Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, KS (winner: Jason Hughes)
Sat Aug 15 … Caney Valley Speedway, Caney, KS (winner: Jason Hughes)
Fri Aug 21 … Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, WI ($3,000 to win)
Sat Aug 22 … Upper Iowa Speedway, Decorah, IA ($3,000 to win)
Tue Sep 1 … Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA ($3,000 to win)
Wed Sep 2 … Highway 3 Raceway, Allison, IA ($3,000 to win)
Thu Sep 3 … Buena Vista Raceway, Alta, IA ($3,000 to win)
Fri Sep 4 … Chateau Raceway, Lansing, MN ($3,000 to win)
Sat Sep 5 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($3,000 to win)
Sun Sep 6 … Dodge County Speedway, Kasson, MN ($3,000 to win)
Fri Sep 18 … North Central Speedway, Brainerd, MN ($2,000 to win)
Sat Sep 19 … North Central Speedway, Brainerd, MN ($3,000 to win)
Thu Sep 24 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($2,000 to win)
Fri Sep 25 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($4,000 to win)
Sat Sep 26 … Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, MN ($6,000 to win)

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.

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USMTS TITLE SPONSOR: Casey’s General Stores.

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Racewear, AwesomeRaceSuits.com, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, COMP Cams, Intensitee Custom Racewear, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, New Vision Graphics, Nitroquest, PBM Performance Products, Sunoco Race Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ASi Racewear, Bear Tire, Big Dog Chassis & Fabrication, DandyLand Farms, Day Motor Sports, Diamond Oil Company, Dirthead.com, Gressel Oil Field Service, Just Say Yes, Ramirez Race Cars, Lone Star Super Gas, Olympic Fire Protection, Ruter Farms, WatchModsLive.com, Yeager Machine.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Dynatech Racing Exhaust, Hyperco, ISKY Racing Cams, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, Out-Pace Racing Products, Quarter Master, QuickTime Performance Race Parts, Real Racing Wheels, US Brake.