By Pete Walton
Atlanta, GA – July 16, 2019 – The 23rd Anniversary and 2019 United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters winged sprint cars invade Carolina Speedway on Friday night (July 19th) at 8 pm. The track has been a USCS driver and fan favorite for over 12 seasons. The USCS Sprint Car Series portion of the event entitled the 6th annual Joe and Jim Summer Sprint Classic that honors the memory and racing legacy of twin brothers Joe and Jim McLain from Indian Trail, North Carolina.
This event is especially important to two other McLain brothers from Indian Trail, North Carolina who are United Sprint Car Series regulars. The brothers, Brandon and Jake McLain are the Grandsons of Joe McLain and Great Nephews of Jim McLain. Both of these third-generation racing brothers are entered for Friday night’s event. Brandon McLain was the 2014 USCS Rookie of the Year. Jake McLain is a former Carolina Racesaver 305 sprint car series Champion. The two USCS sprint car racers and their Dad, Doug McLain, also of Indian Trail, North Carolina, created the event to honor Joe and Jim McLain who were both former racers and the mentors for the younger two McLain generations.
The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters last visited Carolina Speedway on July 20, 2018,when sprint car racing sophomore driver Scott Hunter from Concord, North Carolina was the first to reach the finish line and parked his mount in the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane after the USCS main event to garner his second ever USCS career win. Two other scheduled USCS racess since that time were lost to weather events.
In addition to the McLain brothers and at the top of the entry list is multi-time Carolina Speedway USCS sprint car winner and the current USCS National point’s leader Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee. Gray is an eleven-time USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National Champion is also the current 2019 National points leader.
Right behind Gray on the entry list and in the National point standings is Johnny Bridges from nearby Cherryville, North Carolna. Bridges leads the USCS Southern Thunder regional series point standings in a close battle with Gray and Cornelius, North Carolina’s Justin Barger, who transplanted to North Carolna from New York state. Barger is a former Empire Super Sprints racing series Champion. Only eight points separate the three drivers in the USCS Southern Thunderr regional title chase. Bridges claims Carolina Speedway as his home turf and wil hav lots of fans to cheer him on at the 4/10-mile speed plant.
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Danny Smith, who won the April 2016 USCS event at Carolina Speedway is another expected potent USCS sprint car driver entry. The legendary Smith who won the USCS 2019 season-opener in January has an astounding record of at least one sprint car win each season for forty-five years in a row. Smith ranks third in the USCS National point standings just ahead of Fort Myers, Florida sprint car racer Tony Agin, who is fourth in the National rankings currently and entered for this event.
Entries also include Lance Moss from Cherryville, North Carolina, who is also a previous USCS winner at Carolina Speedway. These eight drivers lead a strong contingent of drivers from at least six states into Friday’s speed contest at the famed Carolina oval looking for a chance to park in the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane.
In addition to the 130 mile per hour USCS winged sprint cars, six of the speedway’s weekly racing divisions will be joining the USCS sprint cars at Carolina Speedway on Friday night’s action-packed racing card. Those include the Terry Worley Super Street, the Terry Worley Renegades plus the S.E.C.A. sanctioned Open Wheel Modifieds, Thunder Bombers and Thunder Sportsman and the track’s Pro 4s division.
For info on Carolina Speedway please visit their website at www.carolinaspeedway.net or call the track at 704-869-0313. For information on the event you may also call the USCS series office at 770-865-6097. For USCS rules, info and updated schedules please visit www.uscsracing.com