BOISE, IDAHO (December 21, 2011) The Rocky Mountain Challenge Series will kick off its ninth season of competition Saturday, April 21 at the third-mile oval of Magic Valley Speedway. The 2012 schedule will feature eleven races at three unique ovals within the intermountain region.

Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, ID has staged 29 previous RMCS races since 2004 and will host the season opening event for the ninth straight season. Local hotshoe Bobby Latham leads all active drivers with four wins at the popular third-mile banked oval where Dave Minegar is the track record holder in qualifying.

The series will visit MVS on three other occasions during the season with stops on June 16, August 11, and the traditional season finale on September 15. The August 11 date will feature a must see 200-lap race, the longest of the season, where Bobby Latham is the previous race winner at that distance.

The series will also visit Rocky Mountain Raceways located outside Salt Lake City, UT on four Saturday's during the season. The first trip takes place on May 5 with return visits slated for June 2, July 7, and a new date on September 1. The September date will showcase the series in a 125-lap event.

Steve Jones leads all active drivers with four wins at RMR while Brian Levant from Canada is the qualifying record holder at the ultra-fast 3/8-mile high banked oval.

Meridian Speedway will host three races on two different weekends for the series in 2012. The first trip is Saturday, May 19 with a return trip on Friday and Saturday July 27-28. The July weekend will feature two complete individual race programs on both days.

In ten previous races staged at Meridian's tight and tricky quarter-mile paved oval, Dave Minegar is the only two-time series winner. He is also the track record holder for qualifying with a lightning fast lap of 13.145 seconds.

"I am really happy with the 2012 schedule," offered Mike Minegar, President of the RMCS. "We made a few changes in order to control travel costs with a lot of input from our drivers. I can't thank Mike Eames (RMR), Eddy McKean (MVS), and Adam Nelson(Meridian) enough for their hard work and dedication to the series. We look forward to a great 2012."

The RMCS is unique among most Late Model touring series in that it has an inclusive rule book allowing just about every combination of Late Model type race car to compete. The popular 20-car invert and event purse payout based on total event point accumulation continues to draw interest from throughout the region with new competitors joining the series from Canada, Colorado, and Oregon.

While 2012 plans are still in the air for many drivers, 2011 champion Zan Sharp plans to compete in a handful of races while concentrating on new business ventures. Brett Thompson and Jonathon Gomez, both from the Twin Falls area, plan to return to full-time competition in the series where they are both previous winners.

Fan favorite drivers Bruce Quale, Travis Monett, Jeff Hillock, Steve Jones, John Newhouse, and Lynn Hardy will also be at many of the races throughout the season. Newhouse is the career leader with 63 series starts followed Sharp with 61 and Minegar with 60. Newhouse has scored 34 top five and 50 top ten finishes in his 63 starts.

Dave Minegar is the career money winner leader and also tops the stats sheet with 23 career Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Awards. More than double the next closest competitor.

The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The RMCS inverts the full starting field putting the fast qualifiers at the back to start the race. This format ensures race fans see what they paid for and that is passing. Each driver is awarded three points per position gained in the event. Points are also awarded for qualifying and heat race finishes. Throughout the history of the series, the winning driver has averaged a 15th place starting position. To ensure competition, the RMCS pays it purse based on total point accumulation for the event and provides several special performance awards at each race. Century Boatland in Twin Falls is a major sponsor to the series providing significant support  all season long.

The Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows all competitors to race and gain experience on different types of racetracks. It is a high-quality professional racing series that offers maximum opportunity at an affordable price serving the intermountain West. The motto of the series is to "Race Hard and Have Fun!" For all the latest news and information regarding the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series log on to our website at www.rmcsracing.com. You can also follow the series on Facebook.