CRESCO, Iowa - As the cars and stars of the O’Reilly USMTS National Tour continue to blaze a trail throughout America’s heartland this summer, fans and drivers alike can expect some added excitement from the stars of NASCAR at a pair of upcoming events.

United States Modified Touring Series officials announced today that the colorful and legendary Jimmy Spencer will join in the fun when fellow NASCAR veterans Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace take on the Masters of Modifieds at a pair of legendary ovals in the Hawkeye State.

The trio will appear at back-to-back O’Reilly USMTS events later this month, making a stop at the Cresco (Iowa) Speedway on Tuesday, July 29, then traveling south to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday, July 30.

At both shows, all three drivers will be signing autographs for the fans. While Schrader and Wallace will strap into their own high-powered Modifieds to take on the best the division has to offer, Spencer will serve as both Grand Marshall and Master of Ceremonies as "Mr. Excitement" will flag races, entertain the crowd and who knows what else.

Spencer, who turned 51 this past February, began his career racing asphalt modifieds in the Northeast, and was nicknamed "Mr. Excitement" for his sometimes aggressive racing style. He is currently a co-host with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace on SPEED Channel's pre-race and post-race NASCAR shows: NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane. Originally from Berwick, Pa., Spencer is one a handful of drivers to have won a race in all three of NASCAR's top series: Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series. He has also briefly served as a driving mentor to Brent Sherman and Stuart Kirby as well as many other drivers throughout his career.

While they are best known for circling America’s superspeedways with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Schrader and Wallace are equally accomplished short track racers that cut their teeth on the bullrings of the Midwest. They won't be looking for show up points at Cresco and Oskaloosa, they'll be looking to make an appearance in victory lane.

It was on the dirt tracks of the Midwest where Schrader’s career began. He started out driving mostly open-wheel cars and won in every division he raced, including two USAC championships. Schrader is a veteran second-generation racer and appears as a television analyst on Inside Nextel Cup on SPEED Channel, and is also the owner of Ken Schrader Racing, which fields entries for himself in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the Whelen All-American Series for Chris Bristol. Schrader is also the owner of I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.

Wallace works as an on-air personality for SPEED Channel on shows such as NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane. He was also featured on the show NASCAR Drivers: 360 on FX. He has two brothers who are also current or former NASCAR drivers: Rusty Wallace and Mike Wallace. As a child, Wallace’s boisterous behavior earned him the nickname “Herman,” after a mischievous cartoon character named Herman the German. Last season, Wallace was voted in by fans to compete in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The rugged road warriors of the O’Reilly USMTS National Tour will be led into battle by Jason Hughes, Tim Donlinger, Al Hejna, Zack VanderBeek, Mark Noble and Kelly Shryock as he seeks his unprecedented ninth O'Reilly USMTS National Championship. Other drivers expected for these barnburners include Brandon Kenny, Steve Wetzstein, Alan Mondus, Tommy Myer, Jay Noteboom, Dereck Ramirez, Bob Timm, Dan Bohr, Mike Sorensen, Jason Krohn, Dean Mahlstedt, Bryan Rowland, Corey Dripps, Doug Hillson, Jake Neal, Ryan Gustin, Joey Schaefer, Kevin Pittman, Steve Stewart, Jay Poidinger, Brad Waits, Shawn Peterson, Nate Wasmund, Josh Reisch, Tom Paulson, Joe Wernecke, Ryan York, Ryan Ruter, Jeff Schluetter, Jay Ihrke, Terry Timmerman, Brady Peterson, Carey Umbarger, Jacob Dahle, T.J. Stalker, Scott Green, Tommy Weder Jr., Mike Wedelstadt, Layne Meyer, Julie McDermid, Ron Konkel, Brady Peterson, Mick Glenn, Ron Ver Beek, Donovan Lodge, Colt Mather, Richie Gustin Jr., Cale Sponsler, Brad Pinkerton, Chris Spieker, Nate Caruth, Josh Truman, Michael Long, Brandon Banks, Steve Kosiski, David Holder, Scott Dickey, Matt Waugh, and Jerry King.

TUESDAY, JULY 29 — CRESCO SPEEDWAY

The Mighty Howard County Fairgrounds speedplant will host the final event for the Yeager Machine Upper Midwest Region and will qualify the second group of O'Reilly USMTS National Tour drivers to be a part of The Casey's General Stores Hunt for the USMTS National Championship. In addition to the grandstands and the pits, race fans can purchase a one-of-a-kind Party Pass. For just $20 per person, drive your vehicle inside the track and watch the races from the infield! Bring your own food, drinks and grills! First come first served for infield spots. Passenger cars and trucks only. No scaffolding.

The infield opens for Party Pass fans at 4 p.m., as well as pits. Grandstands open at 5 p.m. and the V.I.P. Autograph Session will be from 5 to 5:30. Schrader, Spencer and Wallace will be signing autographs for the fans from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Hot laps begin at 6:45 with a full night of racing action to follow. In addition to the O’Reilly USMTS Modifieds, the USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series featuring USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars, USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods, USRA Hobby Stocks and Outlaw Hobbys will be in action with all three classes racing for USRA national and track points.

Race day info is available by calling the track hotline at (563) 547-3400 or visit www.rlpromotions.com/cresco online. The Cresco Speedway is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located 0.2 miles north of SR 9 on SW 7th (at the Howard County Fairgrounds).

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 - SOUTHERN IOWA SPEEDWAY

The Mahaska County Half-Mile Monster will host the first of four straight nights in the O’Reilly USMTS Central States Region and will qualify the third group of O'Reilly USMTS National Tour drivers to be a part of ‘The Hunt’ which begins Aug. 8.

Also on tap will be the USRA Casey's General Stores Weekly Racing Series featuring USRA Karl Chevrolet Stock Cars ($400 to win), USRA Karl Chevrolet B-Mods ($300 to win) and USRA Hobby Stocks ($300 to win), with all three classes racing for USRA national and track points. Pit gates open at 4:00 p.m. and grandstand gates open at 5:00 p.m. The V.I.P. Autograph Session will be from 5:00 to 5:30, and fans can take part in an autograph session in front of the grandstands from 6:00 to 6:45. Hot laps begin at 7:00 with the first green flag slated to wave at 7:30.

The Southern Iowa Speedway is a half-mile semi-banked clay oval located 0.5 mile west of US 63 on SR 92, then four blocks north on N. I St. (at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds). For day-of-race information, call the track hotline at (507) 634-4281 or visit www.rlpromotions.com/oskaloosa online.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, call the headquarters at (515) 832-7944 or visit www.usmts.com online for the latest news and information from the USMTS — America's Hottest Ticket on Dirt.