LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- It's that time of year; the new year that is. The time when we all begin vowing to drop 10 pounds, drink less, be better with money, etc.

But with so much temptation to throw you off course, there is finally one new year's resolution you can keep: going to the 2011 USRA RHS Modified Winter Meltdown at the Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25-27.

After several years of offering drivers a single day of win it or wear it, Southern New Mexico Speedway co-owner and promoter Royal Jones decided it was time to change things up. With a reputation of always giving back to the racer, Jones has made drastic changes in the way the program will be run, paid and presented.

The first and biggest change will be payouts all three days for the USRA RHS Modifieds with every driver walking away with cash in hand. Where in the past you had to make a C-Main on Sunday just to earn a buck or hope you were in the Lucky Dog Draw, this year will feature a payout that guarantees each driver a chance to get some money back.

Always wanting to keep things interesting however, the USRA Winter Meltdown will give one driver a chance at walking away with $20,000 in the Modified Triple Crown. If a driver can win all three nights, collectively they will walk away with $10,000 in their pocket. But as the track that just keeps giving back, Speedway Management decided that this just wasn't enough so they are going to double that amount to $20,000 to the driver who, at the end of three days of racing, has won every Modified A-Main.

In looking at the pay scale, Friday and Saturday will feature an A-Main that pays $2,000 to win and $150 to start with all non-transferring drivers getting $75. Sunday however will be the day that pays out big as the A-Main purse gets a boost to $6,000 to win and $300 to start with B-Main non transferring drivers receiving $250 and all Last Chance non-transferring drivers receiving $150. To see the full payout log onto www.snmspeedway.com.

On top the new pay structure, the Modifieds will now fly under a new banner in 2011. The United States Racing Association (USRA) is now the official sanctioning body of the Modifieds (and Limited X-Mods) at the Southern New Mexico Speedway. The current rules the Modifieds have run under at the Speedway will stay in place with drivers able to run for lucrative track and national points titles.

This marks the first time a track in New Mexico has run under the USRA banner, with at least five more tracks in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona expected to make the move to USRA which will better allow driver to travel during the course of the 2011 racing season.

Joining the USRA RHS Modifieds will be the Super Trucks and the Legends Cars. The Super Trucks will run the Saturday and Sunday portion of the show and have received a boost in their payout to $1,000 to win on Sunday's finale. The Legends Cars are slated to run all three nights and will again feature a $1,500 to win A-Main during Sunday's finale.

Friday, Feb. 25, gates to the Speedway will open at 5 p.m. with racing getting underway at 6:30. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-17, gates to the Speedway will open at Noon with racing getting underway at 2 p.m. For questions regarding advance ticket sales please call the Speedway at 575-524-7913 or toll free at 800-658-9650.

The Southern New Mexico Speedway is located 11 miles west of Las Cruces at the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds. Take exit 132 off I-10 to the South Frontage Road (Robert Larson Blvd.) then head west. For turn by turn directions, log onto www.snmspeedway.com/maps.php.

To get news on everything happening at the Southern New Mexico Speedway sent straight to you, sign up for the Speedway's E-News letter by logging onto www.snmspeedway.com or by simply texting the word Speedway to 22828. You can also find the Speedway on Facebook and Twitter.