Stock car racing has been a tough sell at the Dodge County Speedway in Kasson in recent years.
Now, the only show scheduled for this summer at the track on the Dodge County Fairgrounds has been called off.
The United States Modified Touring Series' annual Labor Day weekend show in Kasson has been moved to Cresco, Iowa, the series officially announced this week.
Racing was last held on a regular basis in Kasson at the start of the 2012 season, but promoters Brian and Mike Madsen — the latest in a string who attempted to make racing go at the track — shut down operations in late June.
The event initially scheduled to be held in Kasson, on Sept. 1, will now be held at Cresco Speedway, marking the first time the USMTS has visited Cresco in two years.
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The show will mark the next-to-last points race in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup. The Hunt concludes Sept. 17-19 at Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley.
The USMTS will make two other stops in the area on Labor Day weekend, racing at Chateau Raceway in Lansing on Aug. 30 and at Deer Creek on Aug. 31.
The series is in action tonight at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis.
Points races heating up
If you're not sure which division will offer the most drama over the final two weeks of points racing at Deer Creek Speedway, well, pick one at random.
With two points nights remaining on the 2013 schedule, the top two drivers in all six divisions are separated by 20 points or less. The second-place driver in three of the six divisions is within six points of the leader.
That means it will be a battle for every point — every finish in a heat race or a feature — over the final two weeks.
The closest competitors, as always seems to be the case, are in the Wissota Super Stocks class. Rochester's Jeff Brauer, a former track champion, is three points ahead of Kelly Anderson and 13 ahead of Tommy Richards. Brauer has five feature wins at Deer Creek this season and has not finished outside of the top-5 in an A Main there this year.
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Mike Blowers of Waseca also holds a slim three-point lead in the Wissota Street Stocks division. Dan Richards is on his tail, while Shaun Mann is just 11 points behind Blowers as the season winds down.
The race that could provide the most excitement is in the USRA Modifieds field, where a pair of former track champions, Jason Cummins and Brandon Davis, are in a tight battle. Cummins holds a six-point lead (792-786), with no other driver within striking distance. Davis has captured six points races at Deer Creek this year, while Cummins has won just once, but has seven top-five finishes in 10 starts.
Other points battles at Deer Creek include the Wissota Late Models, where Mike Prochnow leads Kyle Jumbeck by 11 points and Nate Beyenhof by 14; Wissota Midwest Modifieds, where Dustin Scott has a 13-point advantage over Jared Boumeester; and the USRA B-Modifieds, where Jacob Bleess leads Cole Queensland by 20 points.
• Tight battles at Chateau Raceway include the Midwest Modifieds, with Jason Born holding an eight-point lead over Robbie Franklin and a 10-point lead over Greg Pfeifer Jr.; and Pure Stocks, where Cole Lonergan has a narrow four-point lead over Matt Brooks and a 14-point advantage over Brady Krohnberg.
• At Mississippi Thunder Speedway, the best battle is in the Super Stocks class. Tommy Richards of Mondovi holds just a two-point lead (526-524) over Rochester's Brauer.
