The Highway 3 Raceway in Allison, Iowa, and Mineral City Speedway in Fort Dodge, Iowa, will roll out the red carpet to kick off the 2012 season as the legendary dirt ovals welcome back fans and drivers for their season openers later this month.

The season-opening event at the Highway 3 Raceway will take place on Saturday, April 21, while the following Friday, April 27, will see the Mineral City Speedway open its doors for the first race of the 2012 campaign.

And while both tracks will be opening their doors to race fans for an exciting new season, officials will also be opening up their wallets to welcome new and returning competitors alike.

Both tracks will present the unparalleled action of the USRA Weekly Racing Series featuring A-Mods, Stock Cars, B-Mods and Hobby Stocks with the following payouts posted for both season-opening events:

USRA A-Mods: 1. $1000, 2. $650, 3. $450, 4. $300, 5. $250, 6. $200, 7. $170, 8. $150, 9. $140, 10. $130, 11. $120, 12. $110, 13-24. $100, Tow $60.

USRA Stock Cars: 1. $700, 2. $450, 3. $260, 4. $220, 5. $170, 6. $140, 7. $130, 8. $120, 9. $110, 10. $100, 11. $90, 12. $80, 13-24. $75, Tow $50.

USRA B-Mods: 1. $600, 2. $350, 3. $250, 4. $200, 5. $170, 6. $140, 7. $120, 8. $100, 9. $90, 10. $80, 11. $70, 12. $65, 13. $60, 14. $55, 15-24. $50, Tow $40.

USRA Hobby Stocks: 1. $500, 2. $320, 3. $220, 4. $170, 5. $140, 6. $110, 7. $90, 8. $80, 9. $75, 10. $70, 11. $65, 12. $60, 13. $55, 14-24. $50, Tow $35.

Friday nights in Fort Dodge will also have local Econo Stocks and Hornets as part of the program, with the following payouts posted for the season opener on April 27:

Econo Stocks: 1. $150, 2. $100, 3. $80, 4. $70, 5. $65, 6. $60, 7. $55, 8. $50, 9. $45, 10. $45, 11. $40, 12. $40, 13. $40, 14. $35, 15. $35, 16-24. $30, Tow $25.

Hornets: 1. $100, 2. $75, 3. $60, 4. $50, 5. $45, 6. $40, 7. $40, 8. $35, 9. $35, 10. $30, 11. $30, 12. $30, 13. $30, 14-24. $25, Tow $15.

There is no entry fee in any division at either track for the “Welcome Back” season openers.

On Saturday, April 21, at the Highway 3 Raceway, pits open at 4 p.m., grandstand gates open at 5 and hot laps begin at 6 with racing to follow. Adult grandstand tickets are $10, kids ages 6-12 are $3 and children under 6 get in for free. Pit passes are $25.

On Friday, April 27, at the Mineral City Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., grandstand gates open at 5 and hot laps start at 7 with racing to follow. Adult grandstand tickets are $10, kids ages 13-16 are $6 and children under 13 get in for free. Pit passes are $25.

The Highway 3 Raceway will host a test ‘n’ tune session one week earlier on Saturday, April 14. Fan Fest and a practice session will take place at the Mineral City Speedway on Sunday, April 22.

USRA A-Mods will compete for a track points fund worth up to $1,500 to the season champion at each track. USRA Stock Cars will compete for $600 to win the points battle while USRA B-Mods and USRA Hobby Stocks will each square off for a $500 to the 2012 track champion at each of these historic facilities.

The USRA A-Mods will utilize the “alternative” rules package for Modifieds, while all other USRA rules will apply to all four classes.

The Highway 3 Raceway is located 0.3 miles north of SR 3 on S. Main St. (at the Butler County Fairgrounds). For more information check out www.highway3raceway.com online.

The Mineral City Speedway is a 1/2-mile semi-banked dirt oval located 0.9 mile north of US 20 on US 169, then 0.5 mile east on 230th. For more information check out www.mineralcityspeedway.com online.

To learn more about the USRA, visit www.usraracing.com or call 515-832-6000.