USMTS Events at Allison, West Union To Raise Money For Parkersburg Tornado Victims

From USMTS

PARKERSBURG, Iowa (June 6) – When the United States
Modified Touring Series travels into Northern Iowa next
week, race fans will not only have the opportunity to
witness some of the best Modified racers in America,
they'll also be helping out families that were devastated
by a tornado on May 25 that left eight people dead and
destroyed more than 200 houses and damaged hundreds of
others.

While race teams from all across America's heartland will
be driving their rigs into the Highway 3 Raceway in
Allison on Wednesday, June 11, residents of the small town
of Parkersburg, located just 12 miles south of Allison,
will still be busy cleaning up after the disaster and
rebuilding their town.

According to news reports, more than half of Parkersburg -
a town of 1,900 people - was destroyed, including several
hundred homes, the city hall and high school. The path of
the tornado that churned through Parkersburg and several
other communities was up to a mile wide. Two additional
people were killed in New Hartford and nearly 70 others
were injured in the region. Debris from Parkersburg was
discovered as far away as LaCrosse, Wis.

USMTS officials invite the residents of Parkersburg to
take a well-deserved night off and come enjoy an evening
at the races on us.

At both the Allison race on Wednesday, and at the Fayette
County Speedway in West Union on Thursday, the USMTS will
donate $2 from every adult grandstand ticket sold to the
Tornado Relief Fund. In addition, every person with a
Parkersburg drivers license will get into the night's
events FREE of charge.

"This is home base for us," said USMTS president and
promoter Todd Staley. "Our hometown and offices are a
short drive west of here in Webster City, and the
heartbeat of the USMTS is in Northern Iowa and Southern
Minnesota."

In addition to the USMTS, Staley also operates the United
States Racing Association (USRA), which sanctions weekly
auto racing at several tracks in the region.

"My family and I drove through Parkersburg last weekend."
Staley added. "The photos you see on the news and the
Internet don't come close to doing justice to the actual
devastation these folks have suffered. Most of our fans,
drivers and their crew members have friends or family from
that area, or know somebody affected by this disaster.
It's our hope that our small contribution to the relief
efforts will have a positive effect on the people of
Parkersburg and the surrounding towns hit by this
tornado."

In addition to donating $2 from every adult grandstand
ticket to the Parkersburg Tornado Relief Fund, race fans
can also pick up $2 off coupons on race day at Casey's
General Stores locations in Allison, Aplington, Cedar
Falls and Clarksville for the Wednesday, June 11, event at
the Highway 3 Raceway, and at Casey's General Stores
locations in Fredericksburg, Oelwein, Ossian and Postville
for the Fayette County Speedway event on Thursday, June
12.

As part of the festivities each race night, drivers will
walk through the grandstands with their helmets and
collect donations from generous race fans. Already,
several sponsors have also pledged to offer financial
contributions during the events, and a handful of drivers
have expressed that they plan to donate their winnings
each night to the relief effort too.

Come out for some great racing for a great cause!

For those who would like to make a donation directly to
the relief fund, call Lincoln Savings Bank toll-free at
866-235-2098 or make checks payable to "LSB
Foundation/Tornado Relief Fund" and mail to one of the
following locations:

Tornado Relief Fund
c/o Lincoln Savings Bank
242 Tower Park Dr.
Waterloo, IA 50701

Tornado Relief Fund
c/o Lincoln Savings Bank
932 Parriott St.
Aplington, IA 50604

At both O'Reilly USMTS National Tour events, pit gates
open at 4:30 p.m. and grandstands open for general
admission seating at 5:30. Hot laps are slated for 6:30
and the mud starts flying at 6:45.

In addition to the thrilling action of the O'Reilly USMTS
National Tour, the racing card will also feature USRA Karl
Chevrolet Stock Cars, USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods and USRA
Hobby Stocks for a full night of racing.

Fan favorite Mark Noble and his Miller Lite/Casey's
General Stores Modified will appear at the Casey's
location on Wednesday in Allison at 100 Cherry St. from
1-3 p.m., then again on Thursday in Postville at 164 W.
Tildon St. from 1-3 p.m.

The Highway 3 Raceway is a half-mile semi-banked clay oval
located 0.3 miles north of SR 3 on S. Main St. (at the
Butler County Fairgrounds). More information is available
online at www.highway3raceway.com. The Fayette County
Speedway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located 0.9
mile south of US 18 on SR 150, then 0.1 mile east on SR 56
(at the Fayette County Fairgrounds). Visit
www.fayettecofair.com for more information.

The USMTS is celebrating its 10th Anniversary Season in
2008 with many special promotions to show thanks to the
fans, drivers, team members, families and sponsors who
have helped make the USMTS the premier dirt modified
series in the nation.

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.