USMTS Announces A Tighter 2018 Schedule

USMTS Announces A Tighter 2018 Schedule

Bigger is not always better. The USMTS has announced a streamlined, 40-race schedule for 2018 that is designed to create closer competition.

Nov 22, 2017 by Dan Beaver
USMTS Announces A Tighter 2018 Schedule

By Race Chapman

Record-breaking cash payouts are enticing drivers for the 20th anniversary of the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) season, and it is sure to make competition for the 2018 championship title fierce.

With a purse exceeding $160,000, the USMTS will pay out a whopping $50,000 to the champion driver, $30,000 to the runner-up, and $20,000 for final podium position. From there, the fourth-place finisher will earn $15,000, and fifth place will win $12,000. While all of those totals are impressive, the monetary difference between the positions incentivizes drivers to push hard to catch their competitors.

As a bonus to full-timers, any driver that competes in every race throughout the season will be awarded $5,000. That's a great benefit to teams that might have otherwise walked away empty handed, as it is awarded regardless of their place in the standings.

Making each race will be easier in 2018 than in years past.

Since 2007, the USMTS had a number of regional races before the 15-20 race-long "Hunt for Casey's Cup” began. In all, there were 63 points races in 2017, and certain seasons had up to 80 races. That is an absolutely exhausting series for everyone involved.

In 2018, there will be a much more manageable 40 events. Instead of the many qualifying series and races, there will be just one 40-race championship series.

Most fans will appreciate the format, as it is less confusing and much easier to follow than in the previous iterations. Drivers will almost universally appreciate the shorter schedule, as it reduces costs on everything from racing parts to travel expenses and allows more time with families and friends and less time on the road.

While everybody loves watching as much racing as possible, most fans cannot afford to spend time and money on watching multiple races in person. By limiting the number of races, it makes each race more important and therefore more valuable for fans.

"Twenty Hunt races in less than a month is simply too brutal on drivers' families and team members," USMTS president Todd Staley said. "That had to change. We also took note of the fact that during 'The Hunt,' a fan — depending on where they live — could travel less than four hours and see 17 of the Hunt races. That's simply too much saturation, too much tax on the average fan's budget, and it forces them to choose between shows."

The 2018 season will feature three races in Mississippi to kick off the season, followed by races in Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin from March through May. In June, USMTS returns to Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and then travels to South Dakota and North Dakota. July and August will feature races in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Then the last three races will be held in September in Iowa and Minnesota.

Aside from the points-paying Hunt for Casey's Cup races, the 2018 season will also showcase a number of Crown Jewel events. Those races include the King of America VIII, the $50,000-to-win Masters, the Silver Dollar Nationals, the 20th Annual Featherlite Fall Jamboree, and the third annual Grant Junghans Memorial.

A new crown jewel will close out 2018 at Kennedale (Texas) Speedway Park. The inaugural Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Nationals will be the final points race in the Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Series.

That tour will feature 13 races total, with eight across the wide breadth of Texas, three in Mississippi, and one each in New Mexico and Oklahoma. The first race of the year will be in Corpus Christi, Texas, to kick off the Summit Racing Southern Series.

The 2018 USMTS series will provide bigger cash prizes and fewer events than any of the last decade of dirt racing. This means the competition will be even more desperate for points than in years past, and the racing will be all the better for it. Fans can count on drivers being even more aggressive than before.

When one considers that 2017 had an on-track brawl involving the series champion, there's no telling what will happen in 2018.

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