Bowyer and Newman will dish dirt tonight

Race week at Lowe's Motor Speedway kicks off tonight across the street from the 1.5-mile oval at The Dirt Track.

NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman are among those scheduled to compete when 800-horsepower super late model stock cars from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series compete in the Jani-King Southern Showdown.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with practice laps beginning at 6:45 p.m. The top three in each of six heats, which begin at 7:30, advance to a 50-lap feature scheduled to begin just after 10 p.m.

Scott Bloomquist, who won The Dirt Track's first late model race in 2000 and has back-to-back $50,000 victories in the Colossal 100, is also entered. So is Jimmy Owens, who won the prestigious World 100 at Eldora Speedway.

Drivers will draw for positions in the feature, and if the winner's official entry form was submitted by Sept. 15, that driver will pick up a $10,000 first prize along with $1,000 multiplied by his starting spot. In effect, the winner could get $1,000 for every position gained.