By Pete Walton
USCS photo
Atlanta, GA – November 26, 2015 – 22 year-old Morgan Turpen from Cordova, Tennessee made United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters history during the 31-event 2015 season by becoming the first woman to win the series National Championship. To put an exclamation point on the accomplishment, she got out the broom and swept all three available USCS division titles including the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National Championship, the USCS Mid South Thunder Tour and USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series Championships as well.
Turpen has competed with the United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters full time since the 2010 season when she earned the USCS National Rookie of the Year honors. According to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 2014 North American Driver of the Year poll for winged 360 sprint cars, she was the top ranked female winged sprint car driver in North America for last season. Turpen was the only female driver to receive votes among only 32 drivers out of several thousand considered who received multiple votes in that poll.
Turpen has seven total USCS career feature wins including one on September 5th this season at Harris Motor Speedway in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. She has been close to the top of the point standings at the conclusion of three other seasons. She finished in the runner-up position in the USCS National point standings during the 2010, 2011 and 2014 seasons. Other than the 2010 USCS Rookie crown, Turpen also earned the 2014 USCS “Road to Atlanta” Hoosier Asphalt Series Championship.
Morgan Turpen came into the final 2015 USCS event at Riverside International Speedway with the USCS Southern Thunder regional series title already tucked away. She clinched that Championship over 2010 USCS Southern Thunder regional series Rookie of the Year, Eric Riggins, Jr. from Charlotte, North Carolina and team-mate and 11-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee in a close battle for the top spot.
All she had to do to clinch the USCS presented by K&N Filters Outlaw Thunder Tour National title in the season finale was to show up. But, just showing up isn’t what she does. The USCS Mid South Thunder regional series Championship was also still in play during the season’s final event as well…
To sweep the Championship trophy table with the title in all three USCS divisions she would also have to beat out Marion Arkansas’ Marshall Skinner in the battle for USCS Mid South Thunder Tour regional series title. The two drivers were tied in the point standings at 2114 points each going into the final. That could have proved to be a tough task as Skinner is a former USCS National Champion and the 2014 Riverside International Speedway Champion.
Skinner was racing on his “home” track at Riverside where Turpen only competes normally twice per year when the USCS frequents the historic facility. Turpen would have to out run Skinner to the finish line as a tie breaker would go to Skinner who had the most wins on the season.
In the USCS Fall Nationals 40-lap USCS “Fab 40” Turpen finished in 11th place just two spots ahead of Skinner’s 13th place finish in a star-studded field of drivers. That was enough to capture the Championship on the USCS Mid South regional series as well….and complete the title sweep.
Turpen’s 2015 National title run, although showing only one trip to the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane for the September 5th win on her score card, it is filled with nine podium finishes (top three finishers), sixteen top five and twenty-seven top ten finishes. Those finishes were enough to keep her ahead of eleven-time series National Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee who is her team-mate, mentor and car owner as well. The 2015 USCS Rookie of the Year, 16 year-old Nick Snyder from Marco Island, Florida finished behind Gray in third place, She finished the season 140 points ahead of veteran Gray in the National standings with Snyder 241 points behind Gray.
Turpen used a J&J Auto Racing sprint car chassis with Wesmar power during her Championship run. Engler Machine and Tool injection fueled by DSR Fuel System pumps help provide power to the USCS required Hoosier Race Tires on her #10m machine. She also has Don Berry Construction, C&B Chubby and KCB Motorsports plus Wendy’s of Lexington, TN and The Ridge to thank as sponsors of her Terry Gray Racing team effort.
For information on Morgan Turpen’s USCS 2015 results visit www.uscsracing.com For USCS rules, updated schedules and other information, please visit the www/iscsracing.com website as well or you may contact the USCS office at 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.