Tyler Townsend (12) won the USRA Modified main event last month over Chris Henigan (16) in the American Racer USRA Modified Series event.

He was one of the best to ever compete in a part of the country where talent lurks in every corner. This weekend, they’ll pay tribute to a Modified legend, as officials host the 4th Annual Billy Robinson Memorial on Friday and Saturday at Ark-La-Tex Speedway presented by Genuine RV & Powersports.

Since Robinson drove the potent No. 01 Modified, it’s these ground-pounders who’ll be in the spotlight this weekend. With two full shows each night, teams will battle for $1,501-to-win on Friday, then compete for a $2,001 lion’s share on Saturday evening.

Also on the card this weekend are the USRA Limited Mods (USRA B-Mods are welcome), Sunoco USRA Factory Stocks and USRA Tuners competing in the Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series, along with Pro-Mods and Sportsters. The Sportsters and USRA Tuners will compete on Saturday only.

With top teams from around the area planning to attend, this promises to be one of the hottest two-day shows on tap in 2024.

Chris Henigan is among the seasoned USRA Modified veterans preparing his car for battle this weekend.

“We’ve had three wins so far this year, but didn’t start off all that strong,” he said. “We went out to Vado and weren’t very good, then we raced around here for a while, and still weren’t particularly good. I think here lately though, we finally got our car dialed in.

“We’ve finished second a few times, so I feel like we’re getting there. What’s cool is the fact my son has been outrunning me. He just won the feature this past weekend. He’s been playing baseball this Spring, so he hasn’t been able to race very often. I think the other night showed how much he’s matured.”

Josh Baucom is hoping to bring his USRA Limited Mod entry this weekend, yet was still repairing a pair of bent race cars in his shop earlier this week.

“The Pro-Mod is in pretty rough shape, but damage to the Limited was mostly cosmetic,” he explained. “I’m hoping I can get the Limited ready to go, but time will tell. We’ve been really good the first part of this year; although there’s still room for improvement.

“The Limited has been solid. We ended up winning one at Boothill, and I don’t know how many times we’ve run second. It seems like a lot. But I race when I have time, since family takes a priority. So as a part-timer, I’m doing my best. We’ve won three in the Pro-Mods so far, which is pretty cool.”

Colby Mewborn is another skilled Limited pilot planning to bring his machine to Vivian this weekend.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been a pretty rough start to our season,” he said candidly. “I got a new-to-me car this year, I put a new motor in it and the engine lasted two nights and blew up. So I’ve been out of it for a month, that was such a big setback.

“I took off from work last weekend and went to Boothill. I won my Heat race and ended up fourth in the feature. That was the first race in this car I got to finish this year, as hard as that is to say. It’s been rough, to say the least. But this IRP has a ton of potential, so I’m confident going into this weekend.”

The USRA Limited Mod and Sunoco USRA Factory Stock teams will compete for $701 to win on Friday, bumped up to $801 for each division on Saturday night. While it’s the USRA Mods in the spotlight, that’s still good money for those guys. It’s a safe bet to say we’ll see two- and even three-wide battles in every class both nights.

Hot laps get under way at 7 p.m. both nights, with racing to follow. Once they wave that initial green flag, fans will have plenty to watch in every division all weekend long.

If you can’t attend in person, you can catch every lap with a membership at RaceON.com. With over 450 events on the schedule this year, it’s home to a huge variety of oval racing content. Members may choose a favorite or home track, then start enjoying tons of great action while supporting that track with our revenue sharing program.

For more than two decades, the United States Racing Association has attracted more and more racetracks and dirt track racers each year through fair, logical and cost-effective rules accompanied by an organization that puts the racers, racetracks and their fans first. During the 2023 Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series, more than 60 of America's finest dirt ovals hosted more than 1,000 nights of racing.

To learn more about the USRA, check out USRAracing.com. Follow our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. To get USRA news and exclusive promotions delivered to your inbox, click here.

USRA competitors can register and purchase a license for the 2024 Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series online at USRAracing.com/Register or call (515) 832-6000 to register by phone. You can also download the application at USRAracing.com/Downloads and then submit your completed form by email at office@usraracing.com or fax at (515) 832-7958.

USRA OFFICIAL SPONSORS: American Racer Racing Tires, Beyea Headers, Chevrolet Performance, Christie Door Company, Fast Shafts, FK Rod Ends, KSE Racing Products, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Nitroquest Media, PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain, RacinDirt, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels.

USRA PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: ARMI Contractors, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, PBM Performance Products, YouDirt.com.

USRA CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Bryke Racing, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Deatherage Racing Opticians, Edelbrock, Gorsuch Performance Solutions, Gunshepherd.com, Hyperco, Integra Racing Shocks & Springs, JE Pistons, Keyser Manufacturing, Landrum Performance Springs, MD3, MSD Performance, Performance Bodies & Parts, QA1, Quarter Master, QuickCar Racing Products, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, Rush RaceGear by Austin Witt, Sweet Manufacturing, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Total Power, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes Day Motor Sports, KS Engineering.

USRA RACETRACKS: 81 Speedway, Alien Motor Speedway, Ark-La-Tex Speedway, Arrowhead Speedway, Boothill Speedway, Caney Valley Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Centerville Super Speedway, Chateau Speedway, Crawford County Speedway, Creek County Speedway, Cresco Speedway, Deer Creek Speedway, Diamond Park Speedway, Eagle Valley Speedway, Elk City Motorsports Park, Fairmont Raceway, Fayette County Speedway, Hamilton County Speedway, Humboldt Speedway, Hunt County Raceway, I-35 Speedway, I-90 Speedway, Lakeside Speedway, Lawton Speedway, Legacy Speedway, Longdale Speedway, Lucas Oil Speedway, Mason City Motor Speedway, Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Monett Motor Speedway, Proctor Speedway, Rapid Speedway, Rocket Raceway Park, Route 66 Motor Speedway, Sabine Speedway, Sandia Speedway, Sports Park Raceway, Super Bee Speedway, Texarkana 67 Speedway, Tri-State Speedway, Tulsa Speedway, Vado Speedway Park, Winneshiek Raceway.