RacinDirt.com owners Austin Krueger and Trenton Berry, in partnership with USRA Track Operations Director Erick Chesterman, have purchased the USRA American Racer Modified Series from Todd and Janet Staley.
The new tour will be known as the USRA Heartland Modified Tour.
“This all came together pretty quickly,” said Berry. “We have been getting deeper in the operations side of the sport the past few years and have formed some great friendships that evolved into partnerships. Todd talked to us about the ARMS Series during the past season. We felt if we were going to do it, we should take care of our home area too with the formation of the new Heartland Modified Tour.”
There is still a lot to figure out. While some event dates have already been confirmed for 2024, much leg work remains to bring the ARMS Series back to action and get the Heartland Modified Tour off the ground.
A marquee event for both the ARMS and Heartland Tour that is booked and series officials are ready to announce is the 2024 edition of Joe Duvall’s Funkadelic Dirt Track & Honky Tonk Extravaganza.
Featuring a head-to-head battle with the stars of each series eying regional touring supremacy, this year’s event expands to two nights taking place on Memorial Day Weekend. The May 24 event will be at Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, Okla., while the May 25 race will be held at the Salina Highbanks Speedway near Salina, Okla.
Chesterman just wrapped up his first year overseeing the ARMS and traveling the country for the USRA and USMTS. He will continue those duties while also serving as the day-to-day contact for both modified series.
“It’s almost unbelievable to get this deal done,” said Chesterman. “Ever since Todd spoke to us about the ARMS series earlier this year, the thought process about what this could be, has been constantly on my mind. To partner with Trenton and Austin with RacinDirt.com is an honor, and I can’t wait to get to work with these guys.”
“The Heartland Modified Tour will cover Eastern Kansas, Western Missouri and Northern Oklahoma,” Chesterman added. “Seeing firsthand how vital the ARMS Series has become to the USRA Modified scene in Texas, Louisiana and southern Oklahoma, we had a desire to bring that into the central part of the American Heartland as well (hence the name). Our sole desire in owning and operating both regional touring series is to promote the overall growth of USRA and USMTS modified racing.”
Both series will utilize the USRA rulebook and not run in conflict with the USMTS schedule.
Both series will feature their own points funds and championship chase, with overall amounts and payback still being finalized.
The goal is for both series to exist in unison and support those racers wishing to compete in the USRA Modified division. Equally important is also allowing individual race tracks to bring in a quality special event at an affordable price point.