The summer heat is upon us, and it will be even hotter this Saturday, July 20, at the Hamilton County Speedway driven by Spangler Automotive.

But fear not as it’s Firefighters Appreciation Night featuring a $1,500-to-win main event for the Cook Racing Supplies USRA Hobby Stocks and all firefighters getting in for free.

On-track action will see the Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series featuring USRA Modifieds, American Racer USRA Stock Cars, Out-Pace USRA B-Mods, Cook Racing Supplies USRA Hobby Stocks and USRA Tuners plus Super Late Models presented by Malvern Bank.

J.D. Auringer of Waterloo is seeking a second straight track championship and sits atop the USRA Modified standings with a 56-point lead over Nate Hughes of Humboldt while Hartford’s Jacob Murray is 120 points back in third.

The American Racer USRA Stock Cars continue to be paced by Reid Keller of Webster City, but his margin is a mere 31 points over Dylan Suhr of Waterloo and 92 markers ahead of Rick Todd of Des Moines.

Doug McCollough of Webster City holds down the top spot in the rankings for the Out-Pace USRA B-Mods, but his lead is just four points over fellow Webster City speedster Ty Griffith who is looking for his second track title in a row.

Not far behind, Jason Bass of Fort Dodge has been a consistent top-runner and is just 19 points out of first place.

On the strength of his four feature wins this season, Eric Stanton of Carlisle appears headed toward a second straight track championship in the Cook Racing Supplies USRA Hobby Stock division.

Last week’s winner, Jamie Songer of Ankeny, is 52 points back while Scott Dobel of Manly is 69 points behind Stanton.

In the championship chase for the USRA Tuners, Oliver Monson of Clear Lake holds a comfortable 97-point lead of Fort Dodge’s Matt Oberhelman of Fort Dodge while Mychal Gorham of Boone is 136 points back in third.

Pit gates open at 4 p.m. this Saturday and spectator gates swing open at 5. The drivers meeting is slated for 6:45 with hot laps at 7 and racing to follow at 7:30.

Tickets are $15 for adults 17 and older, juniors (12-16) are just $10 and kids (11 & under) get in for free. Pit passes are $30 for ages 11 and older while youth (6-10) are $20 and kids (5 & under) are free.

Fair Weather Fans: The Hamilton County Fair starts Tuesday, July 23, and a lot of action is scheduled to take place on the historic half-mile of dirt.

Wednesday, July 24, are the annual Wild Card Races and Thursday, July 25, will feature Harness Racing. On Friday, July 26, CPD Racing Shocks presents the Season Championships plus Kids Night fueled by Good Life RV, and then on Sunday, July 28, it’s the wildly popular Eve of Destruction Demo Derby & Trailer Races presented by POET.

The Hamilton County Speedway driven by Spangler Automotive is located off US 20 at exit 140, then 1.2 miles north, then 0.5 mile east on Bank St., then 0.4 mile south on Bluff St. to the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Webster City, Iowa. The physical address is 1200 Bluff St, Webster City, IA 50595.

For more information, call (515) 832-6000 or check out HamiltonCoSpeedway.com. You can also get social on Facebook at facebook.com/RaceWebsterCity or Twitter at twitter.com/HamiltonCoSpeed (@HamiltonCoSpeed).

If you're staying overnight with us, there are several great lodging destinations in Webster City. Call the AmericInn at (515) 832-3999 or America's Best Value Inn at (515) 832-3631 or Super 8 at (515) 218-2289 to make reservations. Check out HamiltonCoSpeedway.com/track for more info.

Opening in July 1910, the Hamilton County Speedway is the oldest speedway in the state of Iowa. In 1938, work began on the current location at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. The semi-banked half-mile dirt track was completed in the spring of 1939, and the first races were held on the track in September of that year.