Maryville, TN. – April 23, 2016 – The 2013 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National Champion, Derek Hagar who hails from Marion, Arkansas made his first 2016 visit to the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Hagar charged from his outside the front row starting position past K&N Filters Pole Position starter Brandon Taylor from Cumming, Georgia into the lead in turn one of the thirty-lap main event and led every one of the thirty circuits in the sprint car portion of the speedway’s “Rockin’ with the Stars event presented by Classic Rock 103.5 WIMZ Hagar was the 2007 USCS Rookie of the Year and this was his thirty-seventh career win in the series. Hagar became the sixth different feature winner in the six races contested thus far during the 20th anniversary and 2016 USCS season.
Hagar led every lap in his DHR Suspensions #9Jr,, but, not without being challenged several times in lapped traffic by
2008 USCS Rookie of the Year, Anthony Nicholson from Millington, Tennessee, who won this same event during the series 2014 visit. Nicholson started in third position and chased Hagar for most of the contest, but, had to settle for runner-up in the end. 11-time USCS National Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee collected the K&N Filters Podium Award for third place. 2015 United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour Champion Morgan Turpen from Cordova, Tennessee finished in fourth place, The 2013 USCS Rookie of the Year, Curt Terrell also from Bartlett, Tennessee rounded out the top five.
The 2015 USCS Rookie of the Year, Nick Snyder from Marco Island, FL had a rough start for the evening and missed his heat race. But, undaunted in the main event Snyder rallied from a back row starting position to finish ahead of the next group in sixth place. Jacksonville, Florida sprint car racing veteran Terry Witherspoon brought his #43 across the finish line in seventh place. Another veteran USCS racer, Aubrey Black from Lookout Mountain, Georgia drove his Increte Systems sponsored #21A sprint car to an eighth place finish after battling the entire 30 laps with Witherspoon and ninth place finishing 2014 USCS Rookie of the Year, Brandon McLain from Indian Trail, North Carolina piloting his Allen Tate Realtors #21B machine, The 2012 USCS Rookie of the Year, Jeff Willingham from Ripley, Mississippi completed the top ten finishers.
Morgan Turpen kicked off the USCS winged sprint car portion racing action by winning the six-lap Hoosier Tire Speed Dash. Derek Hagar scored a win in the Engler Machine and Tools First Heat, and past USCS Champion Marshall Skinner from Marion, Arkansas won in the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions (BMRS) Second Heat. The event at Smoky Mountain Speedway was both a USCS Mid South Thunder regional series and USCS Southern Thunder regional series points awarding event. Points were awarded Nationaly for both regions in the Hoosier Speed Dash and A-Main events.
Marshall Skinner was the provisional pole-starter after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, In the re-draw for the top six qualified cars starting positions in the main event, a six was rolled on the K&N Inversion Die. The six inversion awarded Rookie of the Year contender Brandon Taylor the K&N Filters Pole Award. Nick Snyder passed the most cars in the A-main (10) to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.
**Rookie Round-Up:
Brandon Taylor from Cumming, Georgia who is a USCS sprint car division Rookie of the Year contender finished in twelfth place. Yaylor started on the K&N Filters Pole Position for the main event. He then ran with the top five and six postions before droping out with five laps to go with a cut down tire. After several stellar performances fourteen year-old, Danny Sams III from Englewood, Florida continued his quest for the 2016 and 20th anniversary season USCS Rookie of the Year title at Smoky Mountain. He went over the wall in his heat race. With the driver okay but, a damaged car. Sams III wisely took the green and made one points collecting lap iin the main event, before coasting to the infield with rear-end/axle damage from the wreck in his heat race. And was scored 17th in the main event.
**Other notes:
BMRS 2nd Heat winner Marshall Skinner, who was the high passing/qualifying points earner from the heat races, started sixth in the main event and was challenging Terry Gray for third place when his mount suffered a broken U-Joint that exploded ending his gallant run on lap 21.
The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N continues their 2016 and 20th Anniversary schedule on Friday and Saturday, May 13th and 14th when the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour winged sprint cars invade the 4/10 mile red clay oval at Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Georgia for the first-time ever.
For rules and updated schedule information about the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour 20th anniversary season, please visit http://www.uscsracing.com/ or call the series office at 770-865-6097.
The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters would like to gratefully thank its sponsoring partners for their involvement in the 2016 and 20th anniversary USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour: K&N Filters, www.rockauto.com, Engler Machine and Tool, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Saldana Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends, KSE Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, DSR Fuel Systems, Butlerbuilt, and Hero Graphics.
USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters at Smoky Mountain Speedway on April 23, 2016 results:
USCS Hoosier Speed Dash: 10m Morgan Turpen, 9jr Derek Hagar, 10 Terry Gray, 26 Marshall Skinner, 07 Brandon Taylor and 16 Anthony Nicholson,
Engler Machine & Tool 1st Heat: 9jr Derek Hagar, 10 Terry Gray, 16 Anthony Nicholson, 21B Brandon McLain. 10m Morgan Turpen, 21 Aubrey Black, 67 Jake McLain, 28 Jeff Willingham and 24D Danny Sims III.
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions 2nd Heat: 26 Marshall Skinner, 27 Curt Terrell, 43 Terry Witherspoon, 07 Brandon Taylor, 34 Darren Orth, 25 Ray Bugg, 12 Don Ryder, 38 Tony Agin, 116 Nick Snyder and 99 Tanner Witherspoon (DNS),
USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters at Smoky Mountain Speedway, TN
A-main event results after 30 Laps:
1. 9jr Derek Hagar Marion, AR
2. 16 Anthony Nicholson, Millington, TN
3. 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN
4. 10m Morgan Turpen Cordova, TN
5. 27 Curt Terrell, Bartlett, TN
6. 116 Nick Snyder Marco Island, FL
7. 43 Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
8. 21 Aubrey Black Lookout Mtn, GA
9. 21B Brandon McLain Indian Trail, NC
10. 28 Jeff Willingham Ripley, MS
11. 67 Jake McLain Indian Trail, NC
12. 07 Brandon Taylor Cumming, GA
13. 26 Marshall Skinner Marion, AR
14. 12 Don Ryder, Knoxville, TN
15. 25 Ray Bugg Iuka, MS
16. 34 Darren Orth, Jacksonville, FL
17. 24 Danny Sams III, Englewood, FL
18. 38 Tony Agin, Naples, FL (DNS)
19. 99 Tanner Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL (DNS)
USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: #10m Morgan Turpen
Engle Machine and Tool First Heat: #9jr. Derek Hagar
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat: #26 Marshall Skinner
K&N Filters Pole Award: #07 Brandon Taylor
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: #9Jr. Derek Hagar (1st place)
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: #10 Terry Gray
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: #116 Nick Snyder
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award: #27 Curt Terrell
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: #116 Nick Snyder
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: #43 Terry Witherspoon
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: #28 Jeff Willingham