USCS MODIFED “NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS” HONORS RASDON-COOPER-ROBERTS-BOX

USCS MODIFED “NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS” HONORS RASDON-COOPER-ROBERTS-BOX

Memphis, TN – January 6, 2010 - Over $25,000 in cash and contingencies were awarded as the United Speed Contest Sanction (www.uscsracing.com ) honored USCS Modified Series drivers from five states during its 2009 and fourth anniversary USCS Modified Series “Night of Champions” Awards Banquet held in the Crump-Handy ballroom at the Holiday Inn Select Memphis-East in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday night.

A gathering of 140 people honored twenty-five of the Nation’s best open wheel modified drivers including 2009 Rislone USCS Modified Touring Series Champion Hunter Rasdon from Jonesboro, Arkansas who captured his first USCS Modified Touring Series Championship and USCS Modified Weekly Racing Series Champion Matt Cooper from McKenzie, Tennessee. Also honored were 2009 Rislone USCS Modified Touring Series Rookie of the Year, Justin Roberts from Paragould, Arkansas and 2009 USCS Weekly Racing Series Rookie of the Year, Grant Box from Whitehall, Arkansas.

Also recognized at the annual activity were the balance of the top ten drivers in the final USCS Modified Touring Series standings from the twenty-one event 2009 Tour and the top fifteen drivers that competed in the 2009 USCS Modified Weekly Racing Series .

Rasdon earned his first Rislone USCS modified Touring Series Championship by driving his ATG Contractors GRT by Rasdon #R5 open wheel modified to three feature wins. He collected a total of sixteen top five and nineteen top ten finishes in twenty-one series events. In addition to the feature wins Rasdon finished in the runner-up spot four times in Touring Series events. He finished the season with 3112 Championship points. Rasdon was the best of 236 different drivers who competed in the USCS Modified Touring Series during the 2009 season.

Rasdon's Championship was worth over $5000 in cash and merchandise awards including the Champion's share of the point's fund and the $100 appearance money per event that he will receive as the defending series Champion at each 2010 event.

Rasdon said, "We just had a great year in the USCS series thanks to my car owner and sponsor, Mike Hall and because of the help I got from my sponsors and my team”. Although Rasdon (who didn’t miss a lap all season) dominated the point standings with 3112 Championship points, the second through fifth positions in the final standings were close.

Joseph Leister from Olive Branch, Mississippi finished in the runner-up position in the USCS Modified Touring Series standings with 2367 points. It was Leister’s second year in a row to finish in the runner-up position in the series standings. Leister additionally finished the 2009 season in the USCS Weekly Racing Series standings. These two accomplishments garnered the young driver the USCS Modified “Driver of the Year” Award.

Richard Kinney from Bells, Tennessee garnered 2317 Championship points to follow Leister in the third position during his first season on the Tour. Rookie of the Year, Justin Roberts finished just six points behind with 2309 points. 2006 USCS Modified Touring Series Champion, Ben Reed from Munford, Tennessee rounded out the top five drivers in the standings with 2215 points.

The 2008 series Champion, Ashley Newman from Ripley, Tennessee led the next group of drivers in sixth place. Craig Vaughn from Hernando, Mississippi earned enough points to garner the seventh position in the Championship standings. T.J. Herndon from Atwood, Tennessee was the 2nd annual USCS Modified Touring Series Speedweek 2009 Champion and finished eighth in the standings. 2008 USCS modified Series Rookie of the Year, Mike Palasini, Jr. from Leland, Mississippi finished in a tie for the ninth position with Mid-South open wheel modified hot-shoe Robby Arnold from Paragould, Arkansas .

Justin Roberts from Paragould, Arkansas who finished a successful season in the fourth position in the standings was honored as the 2009 USCS Modified Touring Series 2009 Rookie of the Year. Mark Roberts was honored as the Rislone USCS Modified Touring Series Rookie of the Year Crew Chief.

The top fifteen drivers in the new Weekly Racing Series for USCS Modified race cars were honored as well. Matt Cooper from McKenzie, Tennessee bested over 300 different drivers who competed in the seven-track series for the title. Cooper tallied nine feature wins (the most of any WRS driver during 2009) at his home track, Camden Speedway in Camden, Tennessee.

USCS veteran Modified racer, Junior Lemmings from Jackson, Tennessee competed mostly at Camden Speedway as well and collected 721 points to finish in the runner-up position in the USCS Modified WRS standings. The 2009 USCS Modified Series “Driver of the Year” Joseph Leister from Olive Branch, Mississippi competed regularly at Riverside International Speedway and also traveled to several other tracks awarding WRS points to collect enough points to finish in the third position in the USCS Weekly Racing Series standings. Eighteen year-old Grant Box from Whitehall, Arkansas competed weekly at Drew County Speedway and finished fourth in the final WRS point standings. Craig Vaughn from Hernando, Mississippi rounded out the top five drivers in the weekly standings. Vaughn added this to his top ten ranking in the USCS Modified Touring Series.

Craig Vaughn’s Father and team-mate, Murray Vaughn also from Hernando, Mississippi collected enough Weekly racing series points at Riverside Speedway to finish sixth in the 2009 final standings.
Eighteen year-old Seth Reed from Rison, Arkansas finished seventh in the WRS rankings racing mostly at Drew County Speedway in 2009. The 2009 Drew County Speedway track Champion, Richard Anders from Eldorado, Arkansas finished in the eighth position. Rookie driver Cole Long from McKenzie, Tennessee raced his way into the top ten out of 300 drivers competing regularly at Camden Speedway to finish in the ninth position. Matt Stacy from Crossett, Arkansas competed at Drew County Speedway and completed the top ten drivers in the inaugural USCS Weekly Racing Series standings.

Camden Speedway regular, Michael Turner from Paris, Tennessee finished in the eleventh position in the final 2009 USCS Weekly Racing Series standings. The 2008 and 2009 Malden Speedway track Champion, Paul Reeder from Malden, Missouri finished in the twelfth position. The 2008 Rislone USCS Modified Touring Series Champion, Ashley Newman from Ripley, Tennessee gathered enough points to place thirteenth in the 2009 WRS standings. Newman was followed by Jody Davidson from West Monroe, Louisiana who competed at Drew County Speedway in fourteenth position. Columbus Speedway track Champion, Lee Ray from Columbus, Mississippi finished in the fifteenth position in the final USCS Weekly Racing Series point standings.

Eighteen year-old Grant Box was honored as the 2009 USCS Modified Weekly Racing Series Rookie of the Year. Box raced at drew County Speedway on a weekly basis. Rodney Box was honored as the series Rookie Crew Chief of the Year for his assistance.

Series sponsors contributed a large amount of awards that were distributed at the awards banquet. Particpating series sponsors included: Aero Race Wheels, Bars Products, Comp Cams, FSR Racing Products, K&N Filters, KSE Racing Products, Raceceiver, R.H.S. / Racing Head Service, Rislone Oil Stabilizer, Schoenfeld Headers, and Tennison Brothers Metals, Inc.

The series announced several pending rules changes that included a topless option for all USCS modified Touring Series events allowing the use of a 6 inch spoiler assembly on the rear of the car if running roofless. “This will allow fans to see something different when the USCS Modified Touring Series rolls into town” stated series Founder and President Pete Walton. Race fns (and many of the drivers) like the open cockpit style of these cars that allows the fans to see the driver in action.

Additionally, Walton stated that front frame rails will need to be in stock location in 2009. Although we believe that turning the frame rails up on the right front side is for a measure of safety, we would like for our cars to conform to the industry standard in this area of technical rules so that drivers from other series and tracks can feel they are on a level playing field when they come to compete at a USCS event.

It was announced that for safety reasons and to speed up re-start alignments at USCS events, starting in 2010 the USCS Modified Touring Series will utilize the popular Raceceiver driver communications system. Walton stated that "Raceceivers are used on the United Sprint Car Series race cars and by major racing organizations throughout the country as well as at many race tracks. It's just time to move our Modified series into the modern era and speed up the shows."

The USCS Modified Touring Series released a thirty plus night 2010 schedule of events. Highlights on the schedule included the seven -race USCS Modified Speedweek 2010. A four-race Independence Day weekend schedule of events starting on Thursday, July 1st at Riverside International Speedway through Sunday, July 4th at Camden Speedway. Additional special events include the Carolina Thunder Nationals at Nathan Rettig Memorial Cotton Bowl Cup Speedway on October 1st and 2nd at Malden Speedway. The 4th annual Gumbo Nationals at Greenville Speedway are scheduled on November 4th through 6th. Additionally, the series announced the USCS dirt track season finale, the 2nd annual $50,000 USCS Fall Nationals scheduled for November 12th and 13th at Riverside International Speedway.

For additional info on the USCS Modified Touring Series or the USCS Weekly Racing Series please visit www.uscsracing.com or call the USCS office at 770-460-7223.

Media contact:
Pete Walton - Ph. 770-460-7223
Or 770-865-6097 pwaltonuscs@comcast.net

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