SOUTHERN IOWA SPEEDWAY CANCELED FOR AUG. 15; USRA LATE MODELS ON TAP NEXT WEDNESDAY

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (Aug. 14) — Back To School Night featuring the USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 15, at the Southern Iowa Speedway has been called off.

“The small amount of rain we got last night and today was enough to do us in,” said promoter Todd Staley. “The sprint car show with all the rain last week really damaged the track surface. The mess is just too much for us to be able to give the fans a good show and the drivers a safe racetrack this week.”

Next Wednesday, Aug. 22, the Mahaska County Half-Mile Monster will host a wild barnburner as the lightning-fast USRA Late Models invade Oskaloosa. The event will be the first of three races at three tracks in four days that will determine the first-ever USRA Late Model national champion.

Chris Smyser of Lancaster, Mo., Chad Simpson of Mt. Vernon and Tommy Elston of Keokuk are locked in a tight points battle that is up for grabs. While Smyser remains winless through the first seven races of the season, Elston has captured two main events this season while Simpson won the most recent event last Friday at the Cresco (Iowa) Speedway.

Other drivers expected to compete in next week's tripleheader include Denny Eckrich, who won at Oskaloosa when the USRA Late Models last visited on May 16, Brian Harris, Chris Spieker, Jeff Aikey, Troy McKee, Todd McKee, Curt Schroeder, Jason Utter, Justin Reed, Chris Fontana, Jacob Murray, Denny Woodworth, Gary Wilson, Todd Shute, Chris Simpson, Paul Glendenning, Kurt Kile, Kevin Kile, Jeff Guengerich, Ryan Vicker, Ricky Frankel, Jill George, Robby Warner, Ron Binning, T.J. Criss, Nick Ingalls, Craig Roberts, Ben Nadding, Gordy Grubb and likely some other big surprises!

Wednesday's main event for the USRA Late Models will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum of $250 to start.

Also on tap will be the USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series featuring MUSCO Lighting USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars, USRA B-Mods and USRA Hobby Stocks, with all three classes racing for USRA national and track points in the next-to-last points race of 2007. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and grandstand gates open at 5.

The Southern Iowa Speedway is a half-mile semi-banked clay oval located 0.5 mile west of US 63 on SR 92, then four blocks north on N. I St. (at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds). For day-of-race information, call the track hotline at (507) 634-4281 or visit www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa online.