Marion Clark and Corydon Cooley owned a ranch in Arizona. They decided to play a game of cards and the winner would own the ranch outright. The game lasted all night long and when the last hand began, Clark told Cooley “Show low and the ranch is yours.” Cooley turned up the deuce of clubs, thereby naming Show Low.

SHOW LOW, Ariz. -- USRA RHS Modifieds have found a second place to call home in the State of Arizona as the Thunder Raceway in Show Low will feature the mud-slinging open-wheel machines as part of their weekly Saturday night program.

Just a few weeks ago, the USA Raceway in Tucson signed on the feature the division.

“The past several months we have studied several options for rules and various associations that would be cost effective for our drivers and offer the best benefits,” said Bob Livingston, CEO/President of Thunder Raceway. “The USRA offers the best rules, and equalizing cars and the expense of racing.

“Thunder Raceway is proud to announce our affiliation with the United States Racing Association. We believe our partnership with the USRA will benefit our drivers as well as our fans with the best, most competitive racing ever at Thunder Raceway.”

Drivers in the USRA RHS Modified division will compete for a points fund worth $1,500 at season’s end to the track champion, a $10,000 top prize awaiting the USRA RHS Modified national champion in the USRA Weekly Racing Series, plus thousands in contingency awards earmarked for drivers throughout the country.

Thunder Raceway will join in cooperation with the USA Raceway, Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M., and El Paso (Texas) Speedway Park. The cooperation of scheduling racing events between four of the most popular dirt ovals in the Southwest will offer drivers the opportunity to accumulate national points at all sanctioned tracks and produce an extended racing season.

“During a period when our entertainment dollars must be stretched, the USRA will allow more affordable racing for all drivers while maintaining an exciting and competitive race for our fans,” Livingston added. “The highest quality racing entertainment has always been our number one priority and USRA rules will allow Thunder Raceway to hold to that standard.”

Thunder Raceway’s 2011 racing season will begin April 30 and run through September. A mixture of Sportsmans, Mini Stocks, Factory Stocks, Bombers and Dwarf Cars are also part of the program.

The Thunder Raceway is a quarter-mile semi-banked clay oval located 1.5 miles east of SR 77 on US 60 (east of the airport). For more information, call 928-242-8544 or visit their website at www.thunderraceway.com.

The USRA was founded in 2002 with the sanctioning of Modifieds and Stock Cars at the Thunder Valley Speedway in Fayetteville, Ark. Hobby Stocks were added in 2003 and the organization grew steadily over the next three years with 14 tracks hosting USRA events in 2005. The B-Mod division arrived on the scene in 2006 and since then, USRA Weekly Racing Series national champions have been crowned in all four premier divisions.

To learn more about the USRA, visit www.usraracing.com or call 515-832-6000. You can also follow the USRA on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

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USRA OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Awesome Race Suits, Intercomp, Karl Chevrolet, Karl Performance Parts, KEVKO Oil Pans & Components, NITROQUEST, RACEceiver, RHS – Racing Head Service, Western Flyer.

USRA PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Boubin Tire & Automotive, BRODIX Cylinder Heads, Day Motor Sports, SpeedNet Direct.

USRA CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: COMP Cams, Eibach Springs, Forty9Designs.com, Genesis Shocks, Hooker Custom Harness, KSE Racing Products, Marsh Racing Wheels, PBM Performance Products, Real Racing Wheels, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products.