The road warriors of the USMTS log a lot of miles while putting on thrilling shows for dirt racing fans.
For many weekly racers, it almost sounds like something out of a dream – taking your rig from state to state, testing new tracks nearly every weekend throughout the summer, and making racing your full-time job from February until November. This particular dream happens to be a reality for the road warriors of the United States Modified Touring Series.
The USMTS has 61 scheduled events (some of which include multiple race days) through 11 states from Louisiana to South Dakota. The majority of the events take place in the Central time zone, but there are plenty of opportunities to log miles from race to race. There is no shortage of interest either. According to the USMTS web site, in 2014 the series welcomed more than 700 different drivers from 26 states at its events.
A Brief History of the USMTS
After five seasons the United States Modified Series (USMS) was about to go defunct. Enter Todd and Janet Staley, employees of the series who grabbed the reigns and took it over in 1999.
“I didn’t want to quit so in 1999 we started our own deal and just added the ‘T’ in there,” Todd Staley said of what then became the USMTS. “The first year we had 19 races, paid $2,000 to win at all of our shows. The purse was about $11,000.”
Luckily for Staley, the USMTS is a family endeavor. His wife of 30 years Janet and two sons (Ryan and Logan) share his commitment. Apart from the races on the road, they also oversee the United States Racing Association (USRA) which sanctions 37 weekly tracks around the country.
“We’re probably living on the road over 100 days. It’s fun,” Staley said. “We started in February and we were down in Texas for five weeks. We’re from Iowa so it’s very nice to be down in the warm area for that long. This is our 19th season; we’ve done well with it so hopefully it continues for another 19 years.”
Over this 19-year stretch the series gained credibility, thanks in part to some of the star Modified racers who were part of the growth. Kelly Shryock set an early tone as he rose to stardom with over 170 feature wins and 10 Championships. The next group of standouts and Champions were waiting in the wings during Shryock’s dominant years. Champions the likes of Jason Krohn, Tim Donlinger, Jason Hughes, and Ryan Gustin would soon break through. Gustin took the Championship in 2011 at the ripe age of 20.
With so much buzz created by the USMTS throughout the years, it’s no surprise that growth was inevitable. Aside from growing the number of races and tracks, the series also found some stability with promoters.
“We used to rent about 70 percent of the tracks, now we rent about 30 percent of the tracks,” Staley said. “Now we do about 80 races a year.”
The Dollars and Cents
Having been on the road and in constant communication with his teams, it’s evident to Staley that the funding has to add up for drivers to chase the USMTS all season long.
“It costs a lot to go up and down the road,” Staley adds. “We pay $3,000 to win, $550 for Tenth Place and $300 to start if you’re a licensed driver. It’s important to us to make sure everyone on the road is making money.”
To that point, Staley says, it is a year-long effort of securing sponsorship dollars and contingencies. In 2017 the series has over 40 different backers. He said it’s also very important that those prizes are spread out among drivers, and not just given to the top finishers at every race.
“We’re working with sponsors all the time,” Staley said. “By the time the year is over we usually pay out about $2.4 million in payouts. Our point fund is about $170,000 just for the Modifieds. You have to have sponsors to make that all possible.”
Aside from a massive amount of contingencies and strong payouts at each USMTS race, there is plenty of prize money awaiting point racers at the end of the season. Drivers have the opportunity to capture regional Championships and an overall National Championship. The Hunt for the Championship – which is the final 25 races of the season – pays $25,000 to the winner. Staley said it is possible for a driver to secure $45,000 in point fund money through the USMTS National points.
The Driver Perspective
All of the leg work done by Staley and his team of seven full-time employees with the USMTS isn’t ignored by the racers who compete. Zack VanderBeek has been one of the beneficiaries this season of what prize money and contingencies are available. The New Sharon, Iowa driver is the point leader of the Hunt for the Championship and USMTS Northern region as of this writing.
“A lot of people like to help the USMTS. It has a good draw and a lot of people watch it, and it’s good racing,” VanderBeek said.
It doesn’t hurt that the series will throw out a few big money shows – just ask former series Champion Ryan Gustin, who collected $50,000 earlier this season in a race at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin. A massive win like that, coupled with some others throughout the season, helps keep the dream of being a full-time racer alive.
“When you collect a big pay check like that it makes things a lot easier, a lot less stressful,” Gustin said. “You have your bills paid up. It’s definitely a relief.”
Life on the road itself isn’t easy. Drivers are away from their homes for nearly a third of the year and have to watch the dollars and cents very closely. Not only that, there is a large amount of work that goes into preparing race cars to perform against some of the best Modified drivers in the country night in and night out.
“It’s a lot of work, no doubt,” Gustin, who now drives for Jason Hughes, said. “I’m pretty fortunate that I have two guys that work on basically everything down at the shop. I’ve had rides in the past where I’ve had to do everything and it’s a lot of work. It’s not all what people think it is. It’s a lot more work than what you see.”
“It’s definitely a different lifestyle,” added VanderBeek. “We’re not the standard American eight-to-fivers. My personal opinion is that I just enjoy getting away from the house and there is something about getting on the open road and seeing lots of different things and lots of different tracks. It’s something a lot of people don’t do, but it just makes us tick.”
While the purses and contingencies are nice, the racers still have to rely on support for their own teams. Both VanderBeek and Gustin are in the same boat when it comes to sponsorship. Neither have that big sponsor who foots all the bills. It takes contributions from quite a few different companies through cash and products to make it through an entire campaign.
“I try to race as economical as possible,” VanderBeek said. “That means sponsor dollars in and winnings in and try to make it work as well as we can. We maybe have to dip in a little bit to our own money, but for the most part we’re out here trying to run it as a business as much as possible, but still have fun at the same time.”
Gustin added that it’s important to keep track of the funding, but to not get too focused on the tally of the prize money. “I try not to think about it because I would get way too stressed out if I did. We just go day by day, week by week. You take it as it comes. You can’t sit around and stress about that part too much or your results are going to show it.”
Regions and Rules
One of the challenges Staley faced was trying to better accommodate racers who may not have the means to do as much traveling. About six years ago the USMTS split into different regions: the Northern, Southern, and Central. Each has its own point standings with the Hunt for the Championship at the end of the season.
“We just know that it’s impossible for people to run all of the races,” Staley said. “It’s easier for someone to come and hit ten races than it is to hit the whole series. We have some other special events that we do. It helps for the local area drivers.”
Another helpful tool for local drivers is the rule book.
“We’re set up where we have a Brodix spec head. Our drivers spend anywhere between $18,000 and $30,000 on their motors. It’s no different than other series. The more you spend, the more reliability you’re going to have with your motor,” Staley said. “We don’t see many engine failures. Then we have a concept motor that we put together this year. You get a little extra spoiler. You get less weight. That motor runs anywhere from $10-$15,000. Of course we allow the GM crates, the 525 or the 604 motor. We try to make it all work.”
One of the biggest groupings of Modifieds from track to track the USMTS looks to accommodate is the IMCA-type Modified. While some differences may have existed in the past and some in the present, according to Gustin and VanderBeek, the Modifieds are fairly close.
“The rule packages aren’t that far apart,” Gustin said. “Realistically they should be able to bolt on a spoiler and our tires and come run with us. It’s not like we have a space shuttle and they have a Geo Metro.”
“There are a few suspension components that are different, but it’s not that big of a deal,” VanderBeek said. “We have the spec head package that has more power and those other guys are on their IMCA program with the crate engine. People have proven that the crate engine is a really competitive option at times on these little race tracks that get slick up here.”
In their swing through Wisconsin, the USMTS rules accommodated the local IMCA drivers – one of whom was former IMCA Super Nationals Champion Benji LaCrosse. LaCrosse took a Fifth Place finish at his home track, Luxemburg Speedway, with his IMCA tire and a 604 crate engine.
“I was more or less coming to see how we would stack up with the IMCA setup,” LaCrosse said. “The only difference is the 5 inch wing. It’s the only thing I changed.”
All-in-all, on a track that dried out and got slick, LaCrosse was able to find his way to a Top Five thanks to his experience at the facility.
“I think it was a big advantage for me knowing where this track picks up bite, which spots I can go to and cross makes a big difference,” LaCrosse said. “I knew I would have the advantage of knowing where to run.”
From Staley’s perspective, it’s always a positive experience to see local competitors run well in USMTS races.
“We like when we go to these race tracks and the locals do well, because next time we come back it makes them want to race with us,” Staley said. “It’s important that the locals come and support the events. We don’t get to come into the area very much so you get to stack up and see how you are against everyone.”
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