By Ben Deatherage
WHITE CITY, Ore. – Building on last summer’s record-setting series, the IMCA Wild West Modified Shootout returns in 2017 with eight dates at five different tracks in California and Oregon.
Each main event for the IMCA Modifieds over the course of the June 23-July 1 tour pays $1,000 to win, a minimum of $100 to start and is a qualifier for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot.
The seventh annual Shootout will feature drivers from across the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere in the United States and Canada. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Larry Shaw Race Cars Western Region, Allstar Performance State and special series points will be awarded.
The series kicks off with its only non-Oregon event at Yreka, Calif.’s Siskiyou Motor Speedway on Friday, June 23. Stops at Southern Oregon Speedway and Cottage Grove Speedway precede the June 27 travel day; The Wild West Shootout is at Sunset Speedway Park before concluding with three shows at Willamette Speedway.
The top two finishers in each ‘B’ feature during the series will transfer to the main event field. Tow money will be $50.
Additional information, including the complete nightly payout, will be posted on the Wild West Modified Shootout Facebook page.
More than 90 different Modified drivers saw action over the course of the 2016 tour, dominated by four-time winner Kellen Chadwick. Ryan Gaylord and Mark Wauge won the other two events.
Three-time series champion Jesse Williamson leads all drivers with eight career Wild West Shootout victories.
2017 IMCA Wild West Modified Shootout schedule – Friday, June 23, Siskiyou Motor Speedway, Yreka, Calif.; Saturday, June 24, Southern Oregon Speedway, White City; Sunday, June 25 and Monday, June 26, Cottage Grove Speedway; Tuesday, June 27, travel day; Wednesday, June 28, Sunset Speedway Park, Banks; Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 29-July 1, Willamette Speedway, Lebanon.