By Pete Walton
Atlanta, GA – June 29, 2016 – The 20th Anniversary United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters (www.uscsracing.com) “Freedom 40” Salute to America race and a Holiday FIREWORKS show headline the action at historic Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas on this Saturday, July 2nd at 7:30pm. The race at the 1/4-mile high-banked gumbo clay oval facility for the USCS drivers was to be the second scheduled 2016 season appearance at the historic facility located just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee but, their first 2016 event on June 4th was rained out weather forecasts for this Saturday are much more promising.
The race will be the second round of a three race Holiday weekend mini-series at tracks located in the state of Arkansas. This event is also set to be race number twenty-one on the 2016 schedule for the Nationally touring USCS sprint car drivers. The Riverside International Speedway event is expected to draw a large field of winged sprint car drivers. Drivers from six states and from as far away as Florida are entered for the three events
An action packed program awaits fans at Riverside International Speedway on Saturday night as the USCS presented by K&N Filters sprint car racing format will include test and tune hot laps followed by the evening’s first sprint car race, the Hoosier Speed Dash that showcases the top six cars from the previous USCS main event in an edge-of-your-seat six-car, six-lap shootout. Next up will be qualifying heat races followed by Last Chance/B-Main race(s). The evening’s grand finale will be the challenging 40-lap USCS “Freedom 40” Salute to Freedom winged sprint car A-main event.
The race will award USCS presented by K&N Filters National Championship points as well as USCS Mid-South Thunder regional series Championship points. The USCS Mid-South Thunder regional series primarily consists of races in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and West Tennessee.
Just a few of the noted drivers who are entered include Eleven-time USCS National Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee who is the current National points leader. Also entered is defending (2015) USCS National Champion, Morgan Turpen from Cordova, Tennessee who made history in 2015 as the only woman to ever be crowned as the Champion of a major sprint car series when she swept not only the National title but both USCS regional series Championships as well.
Other entries include, local favorite Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas who won twice during the 2016 USCS Sprint Car Speedweek 5-race mini-series and followed that with a win in the USCS Randy Helton Memorial Race on June 18th at East Alabama Motor Speedway. Hagar currently leads the USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional point standings and is the series
Also entered are 2012 USCS National Champion Tim Crawley from Benton, Arkansas and past series National Champion Marshall Skinner also from Marion, Arkansas. The 2015 Riverside International Speedway track Champion, Andy McEhannon from Hernando, Mississippi and Past Riverisde track Champions A.G. Rains from West Memphis and Cody Gardner from Benton, Arkansas are also entered.
The current UCS Rookie of the Year points leader, Brnadon McLain from Cumming, Georgia will be at Riverside and he ranks fourth in the National point standings. The 2012 USCS Rookie of the Year, Jeff Willingham from Ripley, Mississippi who ranks seventh in the current standings is entered as is 2013 USCS Rookie of the Year Curt Terrell from Bartlett, Tennesseee. Veteran drivers Ray Bugg from Iuka, Mississippi and USCS regular Ronny Howard from Nesbit, Mississipi are both entered.
Also on the racing program Saturday evening are three of Riverside’s weekly Saturday night racing divisions including the Limited Late Models, Open Wheel Modifieds and Riverside Stock Cars.
Track owner Clayton Allen has promised a spectacular Fireworks show to Celebrate our Nation’s Freedom!
For more information on Riverside International Speedway visit www.riversideinternationalspeedway.com The office number is 901-840-1970 or 901-508-6200 and the race day phone number is 870-735-8071. For more information on the USCS including the full 2016 schedule, please visit www.uscsracing.com Call the USCS Office at 770-865-6097.