From Pete Walton
The defending United Sprint Car Series National Champion Morgan Turpen of Cordova, TN breezed to her second USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented by K&N Filters win of the season on Saturday night at Dixie Speedway. Many have said to win a National Championship in any sport is one thing, but to repeat the feat is something else. The trip to the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane after winning the 30-lap feature race for the “Queen of the Wings” could turn out to be the most important one of the season for Turpen, as she came into the evening with just a two-point lead over her teammate and mentor, 11-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN. Turpen gained another point on Gray, who finished second. The win was Turpen’s ninth of her USCS career.
“We have had some good runs this year, but lately we have had some problems.” Turpen said. “We found out what the problem was this week, fixed it, and everything went well tonight. I had a race won here last year, only to have one of those problems with three laps to go.”
Gray was the first one to Victory Lane to congratulate his teammate and title foe with some tongue-in-cheek reluctance. “I hate running second,” Gray deadpanned. “But if I have to run second, I want to run second to that car!”
There was some urgency in Turpen’s voice as she celebrated the win because her lifestyle will be making a big change this fall when she becomes a fulltime teacher. This season will be her final opportunity to repeat as the USCS National Champion, as she goes into the next USCS event with a three-point lead over Gray.
“I earned my teaching certificate this week, so starting this fall, I will become a full time teacher,” Turpen said. “That means that my time as a full time career race car driver will be over. Every race between now and then becomes special.”
Matt Linder of Hoschlon, GA finished in the K&N Filters Podium Award third place and Eric Riggins Jr. of Charlotte, NC took the fourth spot. Fifth went to Nick Snyder of Marco Island, FL who earlier won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat.
Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC led the next five in sixth place. 2012 USCS Rookie of the Year, Jeff Willingham of Ripley, MS took the seventh spot and Aubrey Black of Lookout Mountain, TN finished eighth after starting the race fourteenth. 2014 USCS Rookie of the Year, Brandon McLain of Indian Trail, NC was ninth and USC veteran racer Joe Larkin of Suwanee, GA rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented by K&N Filters action, Riggins won the six-lap Hoosier Tire Speed Dash. In eight-lap Heat Race action, as previously mentioned, Nick Snyder won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat and Matt Linder won the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat.
After first heat winner Nick Snyder rolled a four on for the K&N Filters Inversion, this placed Matt Linder who earned the most points in the qualifying heats in fourth starting position. That awarded the K&N Filters Pole Award to Morgan Turpen.
The battle for the 2016 USCS National Championship made up the front row for the start of the 30-lap main event with Turpen on the K&N Filters Pole Position and Gray to her right on the outside. Turpen took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Gray, Linder, Willingham, and Riggins.
On lap two, Riggins got by Willingham for the fourth spot, and Snyder moved around Willingham to take the fifth spot on lap three. The first of three caution flags came out on lap six when Brandon Taylor of Cumming, GA spun in turn four. The yellow caution bulb was also lit up on lap eight when Danny Sams III of Englewood, FL stalled on the track.
Jake McLain of Indian Trail, NC had an anxious moment on lap 12 when he lost a wheel to bring out the final caution flag of the race. Turpen led Gray, Linder, Riggins, Snyder, Moss, Willingham, Black, Brandon McLain and Larkin back to the green flag for the restart. The race stayed green for the remaining laps with Turpen able to hold a half straightaway lead over Gray on the way to her ninth career USCS win.
The next two events on the 2016 United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder 20th Anniversary Tour will be this Friday night at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, NC, and this Saturday night at Lancaster Speedway in Lancaster, SC. Both of those events are Round #1 and #2 of the Joe and Jim Summer Sprint Classic held in honor of Joe and Jim McLain.
For rules and updated schedule information about the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour, please visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series office at 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097. You can also like the United Sprint Car Series Facebook page at USCS Racing.
USCS OUTLAW THUNDER TOUR PRESENTED BY K&N FILTERS RESULTS:
FEATURE RACE – 30 LAPS:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN
1. 1 10m Morgan Turpen Cordova, TN
2. 2 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN
3. 4 67 Matt Linder Hoschlon, GA
4. 7 47 Eric Riggins Jr. Charlotte, NC
5. 5 116 Nick Snyder Marco Island, FL
6. 10 23 Lance Moss Cherryville, NC
7. 3 28 Jeff Willingham Ripley, MS
8. 13 21 Aubrey Black Lookout Mountain, TN
9. 14 21b Brandon McLain Indian Trail, NC
10. 11 33 Joe Larkin Suwanee, GA
11. 12 99 Don Warren Oak Grove, KY
12. 8 67m Jake McLain Indian Trail, NC
13. 6 24d Danny Sams III Englewood, FL
14. 9 07t Brandon Taylor Cumming, GA
15. 15 07 Johnny Bridges Cherryville, NC (DNS)