From Pete Walton
Byran, MS — (May 24, 2014) — The defending United Sprint Car Series (USCS) Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National champion Derek Hagar, from Marion, Arkansas, powered past Tim Crawley’s black-and-blue Mike Ward Racing #88 machine with three laps to go in Saturday’s 16th Annual Ival Cooper Memorial Race presented by Krystal of Byram 30-lap main event at Jackson Motor Speedway and drove away to the checkered flag, first while scoring his third USCS sprint car win of 2014. The race was also the Round #1 opener for the 9th Annual USCS Sprint Speedweek. The win was Hagar’s 24th career USCS victory since joining the USCS tour in 2006 when he was the series Rookie of the Year..
“Man, how about that?” Hagar quipped in www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane after climbing from his car and celebrating with his traditional wing-walk. “We just had a really good race car tonight. We were working lap traffic and I just hit one wrong and Tim got around me there before that caution. I wasn’t sure if we were gonna be able to get back to him but it looked like he got way high up there in three and four and we got back to the bottom and here we are in victory lane again.”
Crawley, the Benton, Arkansas native, came home in second place behind Hagar. After the race, Crawley lamented the mistake that cost him the win. “We just got up on the cushion there and got some mud in the wheel cover and it knocked it right off,” the 2012 USCS champion explained pit side after the race. “Hate it for Mike (Ward) and all my guys; we had a car that should have won tonight. Sometimes it’s just not your night, but we’ll be back. And we won’t be losing that wheel cover again.”
10-time USCS National champion and K&N pole starter Terry Gray, from Bartlett, Tennessee, finished in third, with Bryant, Arkansas’ Zach Pringle coming home in fourth place followed by 1999 USCS champion Marshall Skinner from Marion, Arkansas completing the top five at the finish.
Bartlett, Tennessee’s Jeff Swindell ended his night in sixth place after starting tenth. Swindell followed by 2000 USCS Rookie of the Year Michael Miller from Ocean Springs, Mississippi in seventh, 2008 USCS Rookie of the Year Anthony Nicholson from Bartlett, Tennessee came from the back of the field to finish eighth, followed by young gun Dalton Davis from Millington, Tennessee in ninth place and veteran sprint car racer A.G. Rains from West Memphis, Arkansas rounded out the top ten.
Derek Hagar grabbed the lead from Terry Gray on the opening lap following an aborted start and led the early laps before two red flags slowed the pace, one on lap 2 for Jerod Roller’s hard flip in turn 1 and a second on lap 3 for a second flip in turn one involving the #N2 of Ray Stevison. Both drivers climbed out of their cars uninjured.
Once the field went back to green, ten laps flashed by before the third and final red flag of the night flew for the 42 of Andy McElhannon flipping wildly in Turn 4. Yet again, the safety of the USCS sprint cars was proven as the Nesbit, Mississippi native walked away from his car unscathed.
Another caution flew on Lap 19 before Crawley would snatch the lead from Hagar on Lap 24 with a brilliant outside move in lapped traffic in Turn two. However, a caution for the stopped car of Jan Howard in Turn four with five laps to go would set up the final restart that allowed Hagar to take the lead back for good.
Terry Gray kicked off the evening’s sprint casr racing action with a win in the Hoosier Speed Dash. Hagar won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat, and Zach Pringle won the ButlerBUILT Second Heat. Gray then followed up his dash win with a victory in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat. After Hagar pulled a four in the inversion draw, Gray scored the K&N Filters Pole Award. Anthony Nicholson advanced the most positions in the A-Main (thirteen) to grab the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.
The United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour is back in action Sunday night for Round #2 of their six-race 2014 and 9th annual Sprint Speedweek, at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Mississippi. Pit gates open at 3 PM, with racing beginning at 7:30 PM. Derek Hagar is the defending champion of the Greenville Speedway USCS Speedweek event.
For rules, schedules and more information on the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour, please visit www.uscsracing.com or call 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.
RESULTS: USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters at Jackson Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24, 2014:
Hoosier Speed Dash: Terry Gray, Morgan Turpen, Jerod Roller, Anthony Nicholson, Greg Merritt, Jeff Willingham.
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Derek Hagar, Tim Crawley, Michael Miller, Marshall Skinner, Ronny Howard, Jeff Willingham, Robert Richardson, Kevin Hinkle.
Butlerbuilt Second Heat: Zach Pringle, Jerod Roller, Jan Howard, A.G. Rains, Jeff Swindell, Morgan Turpen, Greg Merritt, Ray Stevenison.
Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat: Terry Gray, Dalton Davis, Andy McElhannon, Curt Terrell, Mark Huddleston, Todd Fayard, Anthony Nicholson.
United Sprint Car Series “Ival Cooper Memorial” at Jackson Motor Speedway Main Event: 30-laps
- #9JR – Derek Hagar, Marion, AR
- #88 – Tim Crawley, Benton, AR
- #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
- #14Z – Zach Pringle, Bryant, AR
- #26 – Marshall Skinner, Marion, AR
- #94 – Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, TN
- #4M – Michael Miller, Ocan Springs, MS
- #16 – Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN
- #12 – Dalton Davis, Millington, TN
- #3 – A.G. Rains, West Memphis, AR
- #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
- #13 – Todd Fayard, Biloxi, MS
- #44 – Ronny Howard, Nesbit, MS
- #27 – Curt Terrell, Bartlett, TN
- #12M – Greg Merritt, Nesbit, MS
- #32X – Robert Richardon, Searcy, AL
- #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
- #33 – Mark Huddleston, Mesquite, TX
- #21 – Kevin Hinkle, Cabot, AR
- #46 – Jan Howard, Marion, AR
- #42 – Andy McElhannon, Nesbit, MS
- #N2 – Ray Stevenison, Biloxi, MS
- #5 – Jerod Roller, Hernando, MS
USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters Race Awards:
USCS Sprint Hoosier Speed Dash: #10 – Terry Gray
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: #9JR – Derek Hagar
Butlerbuilt Second Heat Award: #14Z – Zach Pringle
Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat Award: #10 – Terry Gray
K&N Filters Pole Award: #10 – Terry Gray
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: #26 – Marshall Skinner (5th place)
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: #10 – Terry Gray
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: #16 – Anthony Nicholson
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award: #26 – Marshall Skinner
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: #94 – Jeff Swindell
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: #4M – Michael Miller
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: #3 – A.G. Rains