By Pete Walton
Lavonia, GA – May 15, 2010 – Matt Linder raced to his second career United Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear feature win at Lavonia Speedway on Saturday night. The second generation sprint car racer from Hoschton, Georgia out gunned K&N Filters Pole Position starter Anthony Nicholson from Bartlett, Tennessee to turn one and led every lap of the 30-lap main event.
Nicholson, who won the Butlerbuilt Second Heat, was awarded the pole position after the evening’s top passing points collector Lance Moss from Cherryville, North Carolina drew a four inversion in the K&N Filters Pole Award drawing. This placed defending series Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee in the third starting position and Moss outside the second row starting in fourth position.
Linder jumped into the lead in turn one with Moss, Gray, Nicholson and Matt Kurtz from Jacksonville, Florida comprising the top five on laps one and two. Kurtz spun in lap three and Johnny Bridges from Cherryville, North Carolina moved his Roush-Yates Ford powered mount into the top five. On lap four Bridges moved past Nicholson after the restart for Brandon Rekow’s spin in turn two. This placed Bridges in the fourth position while Linder led over Moss and Gray.
The top five order remained the same through lap seventeen when seventeen year-old rookie, Morgan Turpen from Bartlett, Tennessee spun in turn two while running sixth. The field bunched behind Linder with Moss, Gray, Bridges, Nicholson, C.J. Miller from Denver, North Carolina, Brian Thomas from Pendergrass, Georgia comprising the top seven cars.
The caution once again displayed for a spinning Joe Larkin from Suwannee, Georgia with two laps to go on lap twenty-eight. The veteran Gray had just passed Moss for the runner-up position, but, was re-aligned in third position. On the re-start Johnny Bridges coasted to a stop in turn one with a flat right rear tire, once again bringing out the yellow cloth and creating another green-white and checkered finish.
Linder was at the front of the order with victory lane just two laps ahead. The lapped car of Brad Wickham from Rutherfordton, North Carolina was in behind Linder in the restart order. Lance Moss was in second place in the race order ready to challenged Linder for the win with Gray, Nicholson, Turpen, Miller and Thomas on the lead lap behind them.
When the green flag waved, the leaders raced around the 3/8 mile red Georgia clay oval toward the white flag, Moss was unable to drive past, the lapped car of Wickham who was the first car one lap down and appeared to be racing the leaders. After passing under the white flag on the final lap as Wickham and Moss entered turn one, Moss drove low and underneath the lapped car of Wickham and set his sights towards turns three and four. The two (Moss and the lapped Wickham) raced down the back stretch with Terry Gray in pursuit just behind them.
Moss raced on the outside of the track down the final backstretch in second place with the lapped car of Brad Wickham and Gray behind him. As Moss entered turn three in the middle groove Wickham, who was still challenging the runner-up car, entered turn three low and went up the track, crashing into Moss’ car. Both cars flipped violently with Moss ‘mount hitting the outside wall on the vulnerable left side of the car.
Moss remained in the car for some period of time while the wing was removed and he was checked out by emergency personnel. He was then transported to the Hospital with injuries from the wreck. He was released on Sunday morning.
After the wild last lap finish Linder found his way to the USCS victory lane for the first time in 2010. Terry Gray followed Linder in the runner-up spot after entering the final lap in third position. Anthony Nicholson from Bartlett, Tennessee drove Jay Hancock’s #1A to a third place finish. Morgan Turpen rallied from her lap seventeen spinout to finish in fourth place. The evening’s KSE Racing Products Hard Charger, Brian Thomas who started the A-Main event in twelfth position, rounded out the top five.
The next group was headed by Matt Kurtz from Jacksonville, Florida who finished in sixth place. Goodyear Speed Dash winner C.J. Miller followed in seventh place and Nick DeFeo from Marietta, Georgia followed in the eighth position. Fifteen year-old rookie driver Eric Riggins from Charlotte, North Carolina finished ninth. Lance Moss from Cherryville, North Carolina rounded out the top ten finishers.
C.J. Miller kicked off the evening’s action by winning the 6-cars, 6-laps Goodyear Speed Dash. Terry Gray won the 10-lap Engler Machine and Tool First Heat Race. Anthony Nicholson raced to victory in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race. Brian Thomas garnered the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award passing seven cars in the main event. Morgan Turpen garnered the Goodyear, Rookie of race honors.
The next United Sprint Car Series racing event is the USCS Sprint Speedweek Round One on Saturday, May 29th at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas. For more information on that event please visit www.riversideinternationlspeedway.com . For info on all USCS Sprint Speedweek 2010 events please visit the series official website at www.uscsracing.com or call 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.
USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by Goodyear Results for May 15, 2010 – Lavonia Speedway
Goodyear Speed Dash: C.J. Miller, Eric Riggins, Jr., Morgan Turpen, Terry Gray, Lance Moss and Johnny Bridges.
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Terry Gray, Lance Moss, Tim Perry, Matt Kurtz, Eric Riggins, Jr., Brian Thomas, Nick DeFeo, David Thorman and Joe Larkin.
Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race: Anthony Nicholson, Matt Linder, Morgan Turpen, Johnny Bridges, C.J. Miller, Aubrey Black, Brad Wickham and Brandon Rekow.
USCS Main event – 30 laps:
11 – #1x – Matt Linder, Hoschton, GA
1 – #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
3 – 1A – Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN
4 – #80 – Morgan Turpen, Bartlett, TN
5 – #67 – Brian Thomas, Pendergrass, GA
6 – #92 – Matt Kurtz, Jacksonville, FL
7 – #9 – C.J. Miller, Denver, NC
8 – #96 – Nick Defeo, Marietta, GA
9 – #47 – Eric Riggins, Jr., Charlotte, NC
10 – #23 – Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC
11 – #5 – David Thorman, Greenville, SC
12 – #07 – Johnny Bridges, Cherryville, NC
13 – #33 – Joe Larkin, Suwannee, GA
14 – #6 – Brad Wickham, Rutherfordton, NC
15 – #21 – Aubrey Black, Lookout Mtn., GA
16 – #36 – Tim Perry, China Grove, NC
17 – #69 – Brandon Rekow, Mooresville, NC
GOODYEAR SPEED DASH WINNER: C.J. Miller
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Anthony Nicholson
KSE Hard Charger AWARD: Joe Larkin (started 12th finished 5th)
GOODYEAR RACING TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Morgan Turpen (Rookie)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Morgan Turpen
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Terry Gray (2nd place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Anthony Nicholson
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Morgan Turpen
Dynotech TOP FIVE AWARD: Brian Thomas
ENTRIES: 17
PROVISIONALS: None
LAP LEADERS: Matt Linder Laps 1-30