From Pete Walton
Paragrould, AR — (July 3, 2014) — Two weeks ago, Tim Crawley was 0-for-the 2014 season in USCS wins. Since then, he’s two-for-two. Crawley, the Benton, Arkansas native driving for renowned team owner Mike Ward, started on the K&N Filters Pole Position and sprinted away from Marshall Skinner following a restart at the halfway point of Thursday night’s United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N Glen Francis Memorial Cup 30-lap A-main, never looking back en route to a wire-to-wire win and trip to www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane ahead of fellow Arkansas native Zach Pringle. The triumph was Crawley’s second straight USCS sprint car victory, and 67th career series win.
“I’ll tell you, this is redemption after how the first half of our season went,” said Crawley, who also won the Glen Francis Memorial Cup during its inaugural running in 2012. “We’ve got a lot of great people behind us; Mike Ward, all these guys on the crew; it feels really good to get them a win tonight.”
“The track took a lot of rubber in the second half of the race; it could almost pass for asphalt now, and everyone knows I hate running asphalt,” Crawley quipped, “but this was a good track tonight and I’m grateful to have our season back on track.”
The event was slowed by caution five times over the course of the 30 laps, with the first yellow flying at Lap 7 when Cody Gardner jumped the cushion in turn four and ended up coming to a stop on top of the hill overlooking the race track. He was able to continue. The second caution flew three laps later when Terry Gray came to a stop in turn four along with the No. 22 of Cody Howard, whose night was ended by a bent right-front axle.
The race’s final three cautions all occurred in a two-lap span just before halfway, with a two car spin on the backstretch and a subsequent spin in turn four by Joe B. Miller drawing consecutive yellows on lap 13, and then a spin by the No. 99 of Blake Jenkins slowing the pace for the final time on Lap 14, setting up the second half sprint to the finish.
Behind Crawley and Pringle, Marion, Arkansas native and 1999 USCS champion Marshall Skinner completed the podium in third after running second to Crawley most of the night. Hernando, Mississippi driver Brad Bowden finished fourth, and 2008 series Rookie of the Year Anthony Nicholson, from Bartlett, Tennessee rounded out the top five.
Howard Moore sailed home in the sixth position, with female hotshoe Morgan Turpen, out of Cordova, Tennessee finishing seventh. A.G. Rains held down the eighth spot at the checkered flag, Justin Webb ended the night in ninth, and defending Rookie of the Year and Bartlett native Curt Terrell completed the top ten.
Crawley kicked off the evening’s racing action by winning the Hoosier Tire Speed Dash, and followed that up with a win in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. Marshall Skinner rolled to the victory in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat, and Zach Pringle netted the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat win. Brad Bowden grabbed the checkered flag in the www.rockauto.com Fourth Heat. After the inversion draw, Crawley received the K&N Filters Pole Award, with Arkansas young gun Jordon Mallett taking the win in the 12-lap Saldana Race Products B-main. Howard Moore passed the most cars in the A-main (ten) to grab the Willwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.
The United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N continues their 2014 schedule Friday night with their second event of a three-race Arkansas swing, the Duel at the Diamond at Diamond Park Speedway in Nashville, Arkansas.
RESULTS: USCS Sprint Car Series “Glen Francis Memorial Cup”; Crowley’s Ridge Raceway; July 3rd, 2014
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: Tim Crawley, Terry Gray, Morgan Turpen, Anthony Nicholson, Curt Terrell, Andy McElhannon.
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Tim Crawley, Morgan Turpen, Anthony Nicholson, Curt Terrell, Todd Fayard, Ronny Howard, 14R, Blake Jenkins.
Butlerbuilt Second Heat: Marshall Skinner, A.G. Rains, Terry Gray, Cody Gardner, Howard Moore, Eddie Gallagher, Tim Sites, Cody Howard.
Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat: Zach Pringle, Joe B. Miller, Jordon Mallett, Greg Merritt, Jeff Willingham, Kevin Hinkle, Taylor Tidmore (DNS).
www.rockauto.com Fourth Heat: Brad Bowden, Justin Webb, Johnny Gardner, Jan Howard, Andy McElhannon, Robert Richardson, Samantha Gargus-Sites.
USCS Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N Glen Francis Memorial Cup A-main: 30-laps
1. #88 – Tim Crawley, Benton, AR
2. #2J – Zach Pringle, Bryant, AR
3. #26 – Marshall Skinner, Marion, AR
4. #39 – Brad Bowden, Hernando, MS
5. #16 – Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN
6. #40 – Howard Moore, Memphis, TN
7. #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
8. #3 – A.G. Rains, West Memphis, AR
9. #31 – Justin Webb, Drummonds, TN
10. #27 – Curt Terrell, Bartlett, TN
11. #17G – Cody Gardner, Benton, AR
12. #44 – Ronny Howard, Nesbit, MS
13. #46 – Jan Howard, Marion, AR
14. #51B – Joe B. Miller, Millersville, MO
15. #14 – Jordon Mallett, Greenbrier, AR
16. #42 – Andy McElhannon, Nesbit, MS
17. #99 – Blake Jenkins, Benton, AR
18. #12M – Greg Merritt, Nesbit, MS
19. #21 – Kevin Hinkle, Cabot, AR
20. #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
21. #1 – Eddie Gallagher, Olive Branch, MS
22. #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
23. #22 – Cody Howard, Byhalia, MS
24. #13 – Todd Fayard, Biloxi, MS (DNS)
Did Not Start A-main:
#96S – Samantha Gargus-Sites, Memphis, TN
#14R – Ryan Roy, Dyersburg, TN
#31G – Johnny Gardner, Benton, AR
#88S – Tim Sites, Memphis, TM
#32X – Robert Richardson, Searcy, AR
#13T – Taylor Tidmore, Hernando, MS