With weather forecasts calling for highs at or below freezing temperatures, officials from the Humboldt Speedway have announced the postponement of the Battle at the Bullring V, along with this weekend’s scheduled practice for Saturday, Feb.23.
The Battle at the Bullring will now take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 21-23, creating a colossal doubleheader with the USMTS at the King of America IX Modified Nationals presented by Summit.
“The bad news is that there are a lot of fans and racers who have already made plans to be here next weekend, but everybody would be miserable with the cold weather” said Humboldt Speedway promoter Ryan Whitworth. “The good news is the show will probably be one of the biggest dirt track racing events of the year with the combining of two huge events into one.”
Other than the dates on the calendar, not much will change. USMTS competitors will be seeking a $10,000 top prize while the B-Mods will battle for $8,500 to win Saturday’s main event.
Drivers in both classes will race in two heat races Thursday and two more on Friday from four different starting positions with 10 to 14 cars in each. Each driver’s best three efforts will count toward Saturday’s feature lineups with any tie-breakers, if needed, being determined by the fourth heat race.
The top 12 in heat race passing points from the first two nights will be locked into the Saturday finale with the remainder of the field coming from Saturday’s “B” Mains.
B-Mods will award three provisionals (one each from IMCA, USRA and Wissota national points) from the pool of drivers that fail to qualify for the “A” Main. The B-Mod portion of the show will no longer be a USRA Arnold Motor Supply Iron Man Challenge event.
Any B-mod driver that has already entered the Battle at the Bullring can get a full refund by calling the Humboldt Speedway at (620) 473-3694 no later than Friday, March 8, if you cannot make the new date. Since the early entry deadline has passed, drivers wishing to enter the Battle at the Bullring may do so. The entry fee is $200.
Weather permitting, the track will host an open practice from 6-9 p.m. on March 9 and March 16.
There will be an open practice on Wednesday, March 20, which will be the only time for hot laps during the week’s event. The pits gate opens at noon and practice is from 6-9 p.m. Pit passes are $20 for adults or $10 for kids ages 5-10. Admission to the grandstands is free.
On Thursday and Friday, tech opens at 10:30 a.m., the pit gate opens at noon, grandstands open at 5 p.m., the drivers’ meeting happens at 6:15 and racing starts at 7 p.m. sharp. Pit passes each night are $40 for adults or $20 for kids ages 5-10. Grandstand admission each night is $20 for adults, $15 for juniors (12-16) and seniors (65+) with kids ages 6-11 just $5.
On Saturday, the pit gate opens at 2 p.m., grandstands open at 4, the drivers’ meeting happens at 5:15 and racing starts at 6 p.m. sharp. Pit passes are $40 for adults or $20 for kids ages 5-10. Grandstand admission is $30 for adults, $25 for juniors) and seniors (65+) with kids ages 6-11 just $10.
Any fan that has purchased tickets for the Battle at the Bullring from the Humboldt Speedway will get a full refund and tickets for the new event can be purchased online for the new race or by calling the USMTS office at (515) 832-7944. Any fan that has already purchased tickets from the USMTS for the King of America IX. your tickets will be honored with no added cost.
For those unable to attend the event in person, RacinDirt.com will be gettin’ the dirt for fans with every lap of every race in every division every night broadcast live via pay-per-view.
The Humboldt Speedway is a located 0.1 mile west of US 169 at the Humboldt Exit, then 0.5 mile south, then 0.9 mile east on Georgia Rd. For more information, call (620) 431-2470 or visit www.humboldtspeedway.com.
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts and Instagram at www.instagram.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv. Keep up to speed with everything USMTS by joining our email list at www.usmts.com/subscribe.