KNOXVILLE, Iowa (April 7, 2003) - Jeff Richards, general manager of Auto Trader Magazines in Des Moines, is pleased to announce that this August’s eight straight nights of non-winged, 360- and 410-cubic-inch sprint car racing at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa and the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville will now be known as the 2003 Auto Trader Southern Iowa SprintWeek. As a result of this announcement, the promotional partners of the second annual “Mr. Sprint Car” title competition, McTwo Promotions, the Marion County Fair Association, and the National Sprint Car Museum, have made it known that the August 9-16 Auto Trader Southern Iowa SprintWeek point champion will now receive $2,500. Ricky Logan of Arkansas is the defending champion.

According to Richards, “Auto Trader Magazines is very excited about having the opportunity to become involved as the title sponsor of Southern Iowa SprintWeek. It is literally a once-a-year opportunity for motorsports fans to watch and marvel at the caliber of talent that will be assembled for eight consecutive nights of the greatest sprint car racing in the world, and it is all in southern Iowa!”

The 2003 Auto Trader Southern Iowa SprintWeek point championship opens at Knoxville on Saturday, August 9, with Casey’s General Stores Night. The track’s regular 410 sprint car field, which is annually beefed up by many regional invaders, will compete in their traditional “Saturday Before the Nationals” program. The 360 show that night will be an invitational, named the “Night Before the Tournament”, and will feature many of the same stars and cars that will run the Sunday night Brodix Tournament of Champions (ToC). A record fifteen sanctions will participate in the Sunday, August 10, ToC: American Outlaw Action Sprints (AOAS), American Sprint Car Series (ASCS), ASCS-Gulf South, ASCS-Rocky Mountain, ASCS-Sooner, Eagle Sprint Touring Series (ESTS), Empire Super Sprints (ESS), Knoxville 360’s, Montana Sprint Tour (MST), Northern Sprint Tour (NST), Sprint Invaders Association (SIA), United Racing Club (URC), Winged Outlaw Warriors (WOW), and WISSOTA Promoters Association (WISSOTA).

The focus of the “Mr. Sprint Car” title hunt will then head 26 miles east to the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds in Oskaloosa for the Monday, August 11, Front Row Challenge. The All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) sanctioned event is promoted by Terry McCarl and Bill McCroskey of McTwo Promotions, and it will pay $5,000 to the winner. However, it will pay $50,000-to-win if one of the front row drivers accepts the challenge to start at the back of the pack. On Tuesday, August 12, the same Osky track hosts the non-winged Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) for the $30,000-to-win Ultimate Challenge. This innovative event is part of the prestigious Non-Winged World Championship (NWWC) tour.

The eight straight nights of racing is concluded back on the Marion County Fairgrounds with the 43rd annual Knoxville Nationals, August 13-16. It will pay $125,000 to the winner of the O’Reilly World of Outlaws (WoO) Series sanctioned finale on Saturday, which will be seen live on the Speed Channel. The Wednesday and Thursday preliminary night features pay $12,000 to win each , while the Friday night Kele World Challenge invitational, for the best drivers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, pays $10,000 to win.

Trader Magazines family of publications, highlighted by their flagship, Auto Trader Magazine, is distributed throughout Iowa and most of the United States. Trader Magazines are highly targeted and specialized publications and, in addition to Auto Trader Magazine, include such titles as Boat and RV Trader, Cycle Trader, Big Truck Trader, Heavy Equipment Trader, Old Car Trader and Walneck’s Classic Cycle Trader. Trader’s family of magazines are used by more people when buying or selling a vehicle than any other media in the United States. Auto Trader magazines and sister publications can be found at most convenience stores and major grocery stores.

Those seeking information on the second annual Auto Trader Southern Iowa SprintWeek, should contact Tom Schmeh at tschmeh@sprintcarhof.com. Those wishing to purchase race tickets should contact McTwo Promotions (Oskaloosa) at 515-957-0020, and the Marion County Fair Association (Knoxville) at 641-842-5431, respectively.