FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. -- The 2nd Annual USRA Modified Nationals presented by Elmer's Auto Salvage is finally upon us, and the hottest open-wheel Modified drivers in the nation will converge on the Mississippi Thunder Speedway this Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 8-10, in search of the $10,000 top prize.

Mississippi Thunder Speedway officials have been readying the facility in anticipation of the week's attack on the high banks starting Thursday night with an open practice session for all drivers and culminating with the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win main event on Saturday night.

Also on the racing card this weekend will be the USRA Karl Performance Parts B-Mods racing for $500 to win Friday and $1,000 to win Saturday.

Although nearly 200 drivers are expected to compete during the weekend, the USRA Modified Nationals is all about quality, not quantity. High dollars are on the line and high speeds are on the menu for the Modified event that puts its money where its mouth is.

Among the pre-entered drivers is racing legend Kenny Schrader who will be racing his USRA RHS Modified both Friday and Saturday nights. In addition to his on-track competition, Schrader will also be driving the NAPA Two-Seater Modified each night that for some lucky fans.

Rodney Sanders is the defending champion of the event the 21-year-old from Happy, Texas, will be looking to make it two straight. Others expected to challenge for the title include Jon Tesch, Ryan Gustin, Tim Donlinger, Zack VanderBeek, Jay Ihrke, Nate Wasmund, Brad Waits, Lucas Schott, Josh Angst, Jason Cummins, Mike Sorensen, Steve Wetzstein, Terry Phillips, Johnny Scott, Tommy Myer, Bobby Swanson, Mark Noble, Al Hejna, Doug Hillson, Mike Steensma, Ron Schreiner, Jeremy Payne, Dereck Ramirez, Kelly Shryock, Corey Dripps, Chris Spieker, Joel Alberts, Bill Clemens, Chase Junghans, Andy Bohnstengel, Brandon Aggen, Jason Krohn and more.

Fan will also have the chance to test their skills in "The Beast" Modified Simulator at the track both days. The Beast is a full-scale dirt modified virtual motion simulator that you will find nowhere else!

In addition to Saturday's $10,000 winner's share of the purse, the 2nd Annual USRA Modified Nationals presented by Elmer's Auto Salvage will also have a $1,000-to-win main event on Friday night. On top of that, Saturday's 50-lapper will feature a ten-minute red-flag pit stop at lap 20 to allow drivers and their teams to make adjustments for the final 30-lap dash for the cash. The leader at the lap-20 break will earn a $1,000 bonus courtesy of Sunshine Sanitation.

Start times for both days will be 7 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30. Pit gates will open at 3 p.m. and grandstands will open at 5 p.m. both days.

On-site camping is available for the entire weekend. Contact the Mississippi Thunder Speedway office at 507-429-9638 for reserved camping registration. For more information about the event or to order tickets, check out www.mississippithunder.com on the World Wide Web.

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

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

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 Race Cars.

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

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