By Pete Walton
Atlanta, GA – February 26, 2014 – Wild and exciting winged outlaw sprint car racing, Super Late Models and the K&N Filters Outlaw Modified division will headline this weekend’s USCS “Frostbuster 250” presented by Carl Hogan Toyota at Magnolia Motor Speedway on Friday (2/28) at 8;00pm and Saturday (3/10 at 6:00pm. The United Sprint Car Series “Outlaw Thunder” Tour presented by K&N Filters www.uscsracing.com winged sprint cars will roar into the fast 3/8 – mile high-banked clay oval for the 6th annual event. This event is the season opener for the USCS sprint cars and for the speedway. The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters launches its 18th Anniversary and fifty-one race 2014 schedule over this weekend at “the MAG”.
This is one of two visits scheduled during the 2014 season for the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour winged sprint cars to Magnolia Motor Speedway. The series has opened its season each year for the past five seasons at Magnolia and this year returns to close out the 2014 season on November 7th and 8th as well. This weekend’s race will award USCS National points as well as points in the USCS Mid-South Thunder regional series title chase. The USCS Mid-South regional series contests events in Western Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and West Tennessee.
This event is expected to bring top winged outlaw sprint car drivers from at least five states to the track. The exotic fire breathing, alcohol burning, 700 horsepower open wheel cars weight just 1,300 pounds, and are pound for pound the World’s most powerful short track race cars. The cars will literally fly around the track surface at speeds over 100 M.P.H. It is not uncommon to see the USCS sprint cars popping “wheelies” or doing wheel stands because of the brute force of their engines and their huge 17-inch wide Hoosier rear racing tires.
Saturday night’s USCS Outlaw sprint car action will feature a full program of racing in the Outlaw sprint cars that kicks off with test and tune hot laps. Hot laps will be followed by the Hoosier Speed Dash that showcases the top six cars from the previous USCS main event in an edge-of-your-seat six-car shootout. The qualifying heat races are next on the racing card. The evening’s grand finale will be the USCS 30-lap sprint car A-main event.
Expected entries include several of the nation’s top ranked drivers. The list includes the defending (2013) USCS National and “Frostbuster 250” Champion, Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas who won 10 times in USCS competition in 2013 heads the entry list. 2012 national Champion Tim Crawley from Benton, Arkansas, who has 20 USCS feature wins over the past two seasons, is also entered
Ten-time USCS National Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee, is also at the top of the USCS entry list for the event. Crawley, Hagar and Gray have consistently been ranked in the top ten 360 sprint car drivers in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame annual driver poll. Over 3000 sprint car drivers are considered for ranking in the NSCHOF poll.
Another top competitor is twenty year-old female sprint car hot-shoe, Morgan Turpen from Cordova, Tennessee. Turpen finished in third place in the 2013 USCS National title chase. Turpen was named 2010 USCS National Rookie of the Year and has finished in the runner-up spot in the USCS National point standings for the 2011 and ranked 4th in 2012 season as well. Turpen has four career www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane visits during the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Additional entries include ageless Ray Bugg from Iuka, Mississippi who finished in fifth place in the 2013 standings. 2012 USCS Rookie of the Year, Jeff Willingham from Ripley, Mississippi. The 2013 USCS National Rookie of the Year, Curt Terrell from Bartlett, Tennessee who finished in ninth place in the final 2013 standings is also entered as is 14 year-old Taylor Tidmore from Hernando, Mississippi who finished the 2013 season in tenth place in the USCS National standings and was honored as the USCS Mid South regional series Rookie of the Year.
Other expected entries include past series Champion, Eddie Gallagher from Memphis, Tennessee, Henry Gustavus from Marion, Arkansas, Dalton Davis from Millington, Tennessee, Lee Moore from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Greg Merritt from Nesbit, Mississippi. A Southern, Gulf Coast of Mississippi contingent is lead by Todd Fayard from Saucier, Mississippi and Ryan Moore from Biloxi, Mississippi.
The USCS “Frostbuster 250” kicks off on Friday night at 8:00pm with action in five other divisions. The K&N Filters USCS Outlaw Modifieds headline Friday’s action with a stellar field of entries including two NASCAR veteran drivers. NASCAR veterans Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace, who both have 900 plus NASCAR top division starts each, will be challenged by a number of past USCS Modified series, other series and track Champions entered including last year’s Champion, Cade Dillard.
Ken Schrader was the 2012 “Frostbuster” USCS Modified Champion in only his second ever appearance at the track. Kenny Wallace, who may be as well known for his TV commentary appearances as his race driving, will be making his visit to Magnolia Motor Speedway, but is very capable of being the first to reach the www.rockauto.com USCS victory lane as any driver entered. The Modified event is also co-sanctioned by new Gulf Coast Modified Series.
The drivers of the www.RockAuto.com USCS 600 Sprint Car Series will wage war for superiority with a full racing program of their own. Greenville Speedway’s Nesmith Late Models and Street Stock racing divisions will join both winged sprint car divisions on the action-packed racing program with special events of their own. Also racing on both nights both nights and co-headlines the Friday night portion of the two-day contest will be the popular Nesmith Dirt Late Models. A strong field of entries is expected in that division. Last year’s “Frostbuster 250” Nesmith Late Model division had a field exceeding 35 cars each night. The www.rockauto.com USCS 600 Sprint car series winged mini sprints will wage war for superiority of “the MAG” with a full racing program of their own and driver entries from as far away as Florida, North Carolina and Missouri. Magnolia Motor Speedway’s Street Stock and Mini stock divisions will join the action-packed weekend with full racing programs of special events of their own each night.
Magnolia Motor Speedway is located just five miles west of Columbus, Mississippi at 495 South US Hwy 45 at the intersection of US 82 west. Track phone numbers are 662-574-2572. For USCS rules and info, please visit the Official USCS web site at www.uscsracing.com or call 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.