From Pete Walton
Gastonia, NC – September 29, 2010 – This weekend’s Carolina Thunder Nationals 2010 United Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear winged sprint car event matches the historic April 23, 2010 Carolina Speedway USCS event as the USCS race for the most ever female sprint car entries (3)in the series 14-year history. But, the significance may just not stop there. Two of the three of the female sprint car drivers have the real potential to land in victory lane at the end of either of the nights around the red clay 4/10 mile oval.
Possibly the most well known of the three drivers is Erin Crocker Evernham from Mooresville, North Carolina. The former Erin Crocker had her name change since last August after marrying famed NASCAR Championship Crew Chief and car-owner Ray Evernham. Erin Crocker Evernham has a resume that includes not only Superspeedway experience in two of NASCARs top divisions and as a driver in ARCA, but is more noted for her accomplishments in winged sprint cars.
Erin Crocker was the first woman to ever qualify for the Knoxville Nationals or to win a World of Outlaws main event. She made the rich and prestigious main event again during the 2010 Goodyear 50th annual Knoxville Nationals as well. She has a number of victories in winged sprint cars in other series as well. She finished third in the April 23, 2010 USCS main event at Carolina Speedway in a field of 29 cars.
Morgan Turpen from Bartlett, Tennessee is the seventeen year-old USCS Rookie of the Year point’s leader and is presently in second place in the United Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear National point standings while leading the chase for Rookie of the Year. She is also in the runner-up position in the USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series. She also has one sprint car feature win in a non-wing sprint car at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas. Morgan Turpen has had a number of very impressive driving performances. The talented teenage rookie driver has won heat races and Goodyear Speed Dashes throughout the 2010 season, but is still looking for her first USCS presented by Goodyear main event win. She has led several main events and victory lane would appear not too far out of sight for her.
Twenty-two year-old sprint car rookie, Holly Jackson from Birmingham, England who currently resides in Timmonsville, South Carolina is entered to compete in her first dirt track sprint car race at Carolina Speedway this weekend. Jackson finished in seventh place in her impressive career-first sprint car event at Anderson Motor Speedway on September 10, 2010. She readied for the faster cars by competing in the Mini Stock division at Florence Motor Speedway in Timmonsville, South Carolina over the past year. Her brother, Adam Jackson who was the 2008 USCS Asphalt Thunder Tour paved track series Rookie of the Year will also compete against the women along with about twenty other guys.
All three of these sprint car racers who just happen to be women will compete for the win on Friday and again on Saturday night at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, NC www.carolinaspeedway.net A top ten finish by all three women drivers is a very real possibility either night. For a complete USCS sprint car schedule please visit www.uscsracing.com