(Savannah, GA)   The new Championship Modified Tour (CMT) will have it’s 2006 inaugural race calendar bookended with a pair of races at the historic half mile speedway Oglethorpe Speedway Park.  The open wheel stock cars have been known for some of the most dynamic racing at the clay oval for the past several years during special events.  The North Carolina based tour will open it’s schedule the first weekend of February at OSP and then conclude their season at the track’s 9^th Annual “Showdown on the Coast” in October.

            “We have hosted open wheel races at our Winternationals events the past five years,” said track promoter Ted Austad.  “They have created some of the best racing with lots of side by side, wheel popping excitement.  Our fans wanted to return and a lot of modified drivers wanted to race here, so we added them to our schedule.”

            The tour will open at OSP during the track’s 5^th Annual Winternationals on February 2, 3 and 4.  This event also coincides with the Coca-Cola Young Guns Shoot-Out and the IMCA Modified Winternationals.  Drivers competing in the CMT race events will compete in nightly features paying $1200 to win each.

            “We were coming for the Young Guns races to defend our title,” said Zak VanderBeek of New Sharon, Iowa. “Now, we will run both the CMT races and the Young Guns races at OSP.”

            Drivers ages 23 and younger are invited to compete in both the Young Guns Shoot-Out ($1000 to win on Saturday night) and the Championship Modified Tour ($1200 to win Friday and Saturday night).  A few drivers have even said they may drive all three race events including the IMCA Modified Winternationals races ($1000 to win Friday and $1200 to win on Saturday).

            “It’s modified madness that weekend at OSP,” added Austad.  “You can count on some exciting racing action throughout all the modified events.”

            Rules and information for the new Championship Modified Tour can be obtained by contacting tour director Jim Long at 910-484-5505 or by visiting their website at www.champmodtour.com.

            Information on the race events for the weekend of February 2, 3 and 4 at Oglethorpe Speedway Park are available at the speedway by calling 912-964-8200 or by visiting their website at www.ospracing.net.