(October 12, 2011 - Springfield, MO) The Great American Dirt Track in Jemtore, KS recently announced the dates for "The Showdown" during the 2012 season. This will be the third running of the largest Dirt Late Model race west of Missouri. Action will get underway on Friday April 27th with the "Showdown Preview." This will be held in lieu of a practice session. The race will pay $1,500 to the winner, with 27 cars starting the feature.  This will be run under a standard passing point format. "We wanted to try to improve the whole event," stated owner and promoter Patrick Johnson. "We wanted to give the Late Model drivers some more time on our track before the big event. The practice session in the past was ok, but it didn't give the drivers a true perspective of whether their adjustments we're working or not. We also have the fans in mind, as they will now get to see a pretty good preview of what the big night has in store. The "Showdown Preview" will only make the second night that much better."

The big one rolls out on Saturday April 28th. The stakes have been raised this time around as drivers will be battling for a share of a purse in excess of $50,000. $12,000 has been marked for the winner, with $1,200 guaranteed just to make the 27 car feature. "The goal of this race from day one was to raise the purse," said Johnson. "We wanted to put on an event not just a race. We had to get the drivers attention, to get more fans in the stands. I want this race to become something talked about nationwide. This is our third year into it and we have seen greater interest from our industry partners who want to be a part of the event, which also allows us to put more into the purse for the drivers. "

The drivers will time trial amongst their heat race competitors, with the top four qualifiers in each group inverted for the heat race. "The basic part of the format is the same as in past years," Johnson said. "We want to be as fair to the drivers and put on a great show for the fans. The time trials will really take away the luck of the draw. There is a level of fairness in this format, but we're not giving the heats away either because of the top 4 inversion."

Johnson will be building on past success with this mega event. "It's been one step at a time with this event and the track itself. I think if you want a shining example of an event, you look at the Show Me 100, and go back to where it started at West Plains motor Speedway. We have taken a lot of what they did in the past. I would love to have a $50,000 to win race a few years down the line."  More marketing dollars must be in order for it to happen though. "We're seeking more partners and without them we wouldn't be able to grow the event. They've been extremely receptive so far in the planning stages for the race next spring. Last year I kind of felt the momentum coming, our car count almost doubled, as did our fan base. We have the right track to do this event too. It's clean, the track is racy, our pits are paved and we don't have to worry about a curfew."