By Pete Walton
LEWISBURG, TN – August 9, 2014 – Anthony Nicholson is making a habit of holding off seasoned veterans to win races. Nicholson, the 2008 United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Rookie of the Year from Bartlett, Tennessee, rocketed out to the early lead from the K&N Filters Pole Position and then held 10-time series champion Terry Gray off in traffic to win Saturday night’s 25-lap Duel at the Duck A-main at Duck River Raceway Park, leading every lap of the caution-free feature in the process of reaching the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane for the $2000 payday..
\
The victory was Nicholson’s third USCS win of the season, the most he has ever had in a single year on the tour, as well as his seventh career USCS triumph all-time. “We had ran up top all night long and kept watching, kept watching, kept watching and the late models just knocked (the top) off. On the start of the race, we hit the bottom and the car didn’t feel real good down there, but it worked out for the best and we’re in Victory Lane so I can’t complain too much,” Nicholson explained in www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane after the race.
Gray, also from Bartlett, Tennessee had to settle for chasing Nicholson to the checkered flag and finished in second place. His teammate, Cordova, Tennessee’s Morgan Turpen, rounded out the podium in third place. Ripley, Mississippi driver Jeff Willingham who was the series 2012 USCS Rookie of the Year, tied his career-best USCS finish with a fourth place effort and veteran USCS racer Aubrey Black, out of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, completed the top five finishers.
A third Bartlett, Tennessee native, Curt Terrell, ended the night in sixth place and regular www.rockauto.com USCS 600 Sprint Car Series contender and USCS sprint car Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Amerson from Montgomery, Alabama finished in seventh place. Jacksonville, Florida pilot Terry Witherspoon crossed the line in eighth, with Grovetown, Georgia’s Jay Dunham behind him in ninth place. Bob Auld, from Largo, Florida, completed the field in tenth.
Morgan Turpen kicked off the evening’s racing action by winning the Hoosier Tire Speed Dash, and her teammate Terry Gray scored the win in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. Anthony Nicholson rolled to the victory in the fully-inverted Butlerbuilt Second Heat.
Nicholson was the provisional polesitter after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, and after a zero came up in the K&N Inversion Draw, he also received the K&N Filters Pole Award. Jeff Willingham passed the most cars in the A-main (four) to grab the Willwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.
The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N continues their 2014 Outlaw Thunder Tour schedule next Saturday, August 16th at Clayhill Motorsports in Atwood, Tennessee.
The United Sprint Car Series management and staff would like to thank the Duck River Raceway Park management and staff and all the great race fans that turned out in spite of much less than favorable weather predictions this event.
For rules and updated schedule information about the United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters, please visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series office at 770-460-7223.
RESULTS: USCS Sprint Car Series “Duel at the Duck”; Duck River Raceway Park; August 9th, 2014
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: Morgan Turpen, Anthony Nicholson, Terry Gray, Jeff Willingham, Curt Terrell, Terry Witherspoon.
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Terry Gray, Anthony Nicholson, Morgan Turpen, Curt Terrell, Kyle Amerson, Jeff Willingham, Terry Witherspoon, Aubrey Black, Bob Auld, Jay Dunham.
Butlerbuilt Second Heat: Anthony Nicholson, Morgan Turpen, Terry Gray, Curt Terrell, Terry Witherspoon, Kyle Amerson, Bob Auld, Aubrey Black, Jeff Willingham, Jay Dunham (DNS).
USCS Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N Duel at the Duck A-main: 25-laps
- #16 – Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN
2. #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
3. #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
4. #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
5. #21 – Aubrey Black, Lookout Mountain, GA
6. #27 – Curt Terrell, Bartlett, TN
7. #29 – Kyle Amerson, Montgomery, AL
8. #43 – Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
9. #51 – Jay Dunham, Grovetown, GA
10. #83 – Bob Auld, Largo, FL
USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: #10M – Morgan Turpen
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: #10 – Terry Gray
Butlerbuilt Second Heat: #16 – Anthony Nicholson
K&N Filters Pole Award: #16 – Anthony Nicholson
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: #28 – Jeff Willingham (4th place)
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: #10M – Morgan Turpen
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: #28 – Jeff Willingham
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award: #21 – Aubrey Black
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: #27 – Curt Terrell
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: #29 – Kyle Amerson
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: #83 – Bob Auld
The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters would like to gratefully thank its sponsoring partners for their involvement in the 2014 and 18th anniversary USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour: K&N Filters, www.rockauto.com,Engl
er Machine and Tool, Butlerbuilt, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Saldana Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends. KSE Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, DSR Fuel Systems, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions and Safety-Kleen.