HIGHLANDS, Texas – With impending wet and cold weather forecasted for the region, officials at the Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, have postponed this weekend's USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series tripleheader to Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19-21.

All times, prices and payoffs will remain unchanged.

With the announcement, the Gator Motorplex in Willis, Texas, will now serve as the venue for the opening event of the Hunt for the USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series Championship presented by Dirt Modified Magazine.

The Halloween Havoc will take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-24.

Thursday will be a test ’n’ tune practice session for all classes, with free admission to the grandstands for fans who want a sneak peek at what's in store for the weekend action. Pit gates will open at 3 p.m. with practice from 6-10 p.m.

Friday will be the opening round of the ’Hunt’ with a $2,000 top prize up for grabs. Pit gates will open at 1 p.m., hot laps start at 3:30. On Saturday, the ante gets upped with a $3,000-to-win main event capping off the evening. Pit gates open at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with hot laps at 1:30 p.m.

Kelly Shryock captured his ninth USMTS National Championship last week during the Featherlite Fall Jamboree, while rival Jason Hughes came up short in his bid for the crown and wound up third in the final standings.

The roles are reversed this time as Hughes leads the charge to the Gator Motorplex as the points leader in the Hunt for the USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series Championship presented by Dirt Modified Magazine, while Shryock is now the pursuer and ranked second. After finishing third and fourth in both the East and West Region points, Rodney Sanders and Steven Whiteaker Jr. come into the ’Hunt’ ranked third and fourth, respectively, while Louisiana's Shane Hebert sits fifth.

THE HUNT FOR THE USMTS DIRTHEAD.COM SOUTHERN SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DIRT MODIFIED MAGAZINE

Points Standings:
1. 12 Jason Hughes, Westville, Okla. ...  50
2. 3 Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa ... 46
3. 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas ... 42
4. 89 Steven Whiteaker Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas ... 38
5. 9 Shane Hebert, Lafayette, La. ... 19
6. 5r Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas ... 18
6. 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla. ...  18
8. 20r Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla. ...  17
9. 16 Chris Henigan, Marshall, Texas ... 15
9. 14 Jon Tesch, Watertown, S.D. ... 15
11. 18 Jack Sullivan, Greenbrier, Ark. ... 14
12. 12b Johnny Bone Jr., Pea Ridge, Ark. ... 12
12. 111 Bumper Jones, Mesilla Park, N.M. ... 12
12. 51 Eddie Martin, Stilwell, Okla. ...  12
12. 02x B.J. Robinson, Shreveport, La. ... 12
16. 05x Garrett Durrett, Simsboro, La. ... 11
17. 57 Jason Armstrong, Marshall, Texas ... 10
17. 5a Wes Armstrong, Marshall, Texas ... 10
17. 52 Chad Davis, Tulsa, Okla. ...  10
17. 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla. ...  10
17. 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas ... 10
17. 10 Kyle Schmidt, Farmington, Ark. ... 10
23. 19 Jamie Burford, Keatchie, La. ... 5
23. 25 Scott Green, Derby, Kan. ... 5
23. 5 Steve Holzkamper, Gentry, Ark. ... 5
23. 12h Jeff Huckaby, Texarkana, Texas ... 5
23. 8j Dustin Hyde, Texarkana, Texas ... 5
23. 05 Michael Robertson, Minden, La. ... 5
23. 75 Alan Sharpensteen, Amarillo, Texas ... 5
23. 18 Cody Smith, Kaufman, Texas ... 5
23. 71k Kevin Sustaire, Emery, Texas ... 5
23. 5t Randy Timms, Wheatland, Okla. ...  5
23. 12t Tyler Townsend, Longview, Texas ... 5
23. 5w John O Whittington, Vidor, Texas ... 5

Schedule of Events:
Round 1 – Fri., Oct. 23 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($2,000 to win)
Round 2 – Sat., Oct. 24 … Gator Motorplex, Willis, TX ($3,000 to win)
Round 3 – Thurs., Nov. 19 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($1,000 to win)
Round 4 – Fri., Nov. 20 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($2,000 to win)
Round 5 – Sat., Nov. 21 … Battleground Speedway, Highlands, TX ($3,000 to win)
Round 6 – Thurs., Dec. 3 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($2,000 to win)
Round 7 – Fri., Dec. 4 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($3,000 to win)
Round 8 – Sat., Dec. 5 … Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX ($4,000 to win)

More dates may be added. Schedule is tentative and subject to change.

Past USMTS Dirthead.com Southern Series winners at the Gator Motorplex include Greg Skaggs (2007), Steve Holzkamper (2008) and Hughes captured the main event earlier this season on May 10.

Local favorites than fans can expect to see defending their home turf are Kevin Sturgess, Bryan Vollmer, Doug Byrns, Keith Wright, Monty Locke, Alan Drewry, Steve Pugh, Derek Knowles, Kalif Sellier, Jeff Wood and others.

Also competing will be USRA Southern Limited Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Pure Stocks.

The Gator Motorplex is a 1/4-mile high-banked clay oval located off I-45 to Shepherd Hill (Exit 98), then east, then 1.4 miles south on SR 75. The track's official website is online at www.gatormotorplex.net or call 936-588-6127 for more information.

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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