Competitors can now preregister for the 2009 AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships, set for June 27-July 4 in Du Quoin, Ill. An online registration form and event supplemental regulations are available in the Amateur Championships section of www.amaracing.com.

In addition, AMA Racing has announced an additional event for the AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championship Holeshot Series, which offers amateur racers an opportunity to get a head start on the competition for the national titles that will be won in Du Quoin. Riders who compete in all races in their class at one of the Holeshot Series events will earn five bonus points toward that class' national title.

The new round, a half-mile event, will be held June 6 and 7 at the Pickaway County Fairgrounds in Circleville, Ohio. The full schedule for the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championships Holeshot Series can be found in the Featured Series & Events section of www.amaracing.com.

"Ohio riders don't want to miss this chance to bank some bonus points for the AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships," said AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant. "We encourage all racers with national championship aspirations, as well as those who just want to ride on a classic Ohio pea-gravel half-mile, to come out and race at the Circleville event."

The AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships is the premier amateur dirt-track racing event in the country. The week of racing features competition in all four dirt-track disciplines -- short track, TT, the half-mile and the mile -- and crowns national champions based on their accumulated points from each individual event.

"With interest in the Holeshot Series going strong and online registration now available for the AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships this summer, all aspects of this year's AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships are coming together," Saillant said. "This season is quickly shaping up to offer more racing opportunity than any in recent memory."

Racers from around the country will converge on Du Quoin, Ill., this summer to battle for national championship honors, as well as the AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award, which honors the amateur racer poised to make a statement on the pro level.