By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

It won't take long to get around the track.

So at the drop of the green flag, expect the action to be fast and furious -- even though that's become the norm in the United Rebel Sprint Series.

But to get to the quarter-mile track at La Crosse on Saturday night, drivers first will have to survive Friday night's races at Jetmore Motorplex. That's the start of five nights of continuous racing for the 305 sprint cars known as the inuagural URSS Speedweek.

"I doubt if anybody out there has raced that many nights in a row before," said Jetmore's Ray Seemann. "It's going to be interesting to see how conservative people are going to be the first two nights to make it through the weekend."

The drivers might be able to be a bit more conservative at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Jetmore on the 3/8-mile dirt oval. But that will all go out the window at 7 p.m. Saturday night at La Crosse -- the only time the Rush County Fairgrounds will host the URSS this summer.

"That's going to be a little bull ring," said URSS promoter Rick Salem. "It's fun to race on, and a lot of the guys like it."

With only a quarter mile -- the same distance as track runners compete on -- from start to finish, the action will be stacked from the get-go.

"You're always in traffic," said La Crosse's Kirby Hagans, who never has won on his hometown track. "Even the guys in the front row are about to catch guys in the back of the pack with 20 cars in the feature."

After Jetmore and La Crosse, the sprinters will head to Liberal for three straight nights to finish off the speedweek.

"It's going to take a lot of luck more than anything" to finish all five nights, said Hagans, who was unsure if he would make the final three nights in Liberal. "Being able to finish five nights in a row will help with points."

The winner also will receive an extra $100 for taking the checkered flag. The $500 that goes to the winner each night could make things interesting.

But being able to survive the five days -- including the track at La Crosse, the only quarter-mile track on the schedule -- might be worth more than the winner's check.

"I really like La Crosse," said Seemann, who hopes to break into the win column this weekend. "I hope the track is smooth so we can put on a better show than last year for the fans. ... The speeds there might not be as fast as at other tracks, but it sure seems like it as quick as you get around there."