By Pete Walton
Atlanta, GA – August 3, 2016 – The 20th Anniversary United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters (www.uscsracing.com) for winged sprint cars invades Fayetteville Motor Speedway this FRIDAY and SATURDAY nights for the USCS East Coast Sprint Car Nationals. The winged sprint car invasion special event promises plenty of high speed racing action at speeds expected in excess of 130 miles per hour. The Atlanta, Georgia based United Sprint Car Series (USCS) is in its 20th season of competition. This will be the series fourth visit to the famed 4/10 mile clay oval located just off I-95 near Fayetteville, North Carolina. Last season the series made a late July stop at FMS when Eric Riggins, Jr. from Charlotte, North Carolina was the winner in the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour main event and local favorite Matt Carr won the www.rockauto.com USCS 600 Sprint Car Series main event.
Each night features a full program of racing action for the 700+ horsepower USCS winged outlaw style sprint cars plus racing in four of Fayetteville Motor Speedway’s most popular weekly racing divisions. Additionally each night’s racing card features the winged www.rockauto.com USCS 600 Sprint Car Series mini/micro sprints.
The speedway’s Budweiser Late Model, Diet Mountain Dew Modified, Legends Cars and U Cars divisions will join the two USCS winged sprint car divisions with a full racing card of their own on Friday night. On Saturday night the two sprint car divisions return along with the Budweiser Late Models, Diet Mountain Dew Modified and Legends Cars plus the Super Street division makes its first appearance of the busy racing weekend at the speedway.
The USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour winged sprint cars and the USCS 600 Sprint Car Series min/micro sprints will contest a full racing program including their Hoosier Tire Speed Dash, Qualifying Heat races and Main Events EACH NIGHT. All four other divisions will also contest a full program including main events each night as well.
The exotic fire breathing, alcohol burning, 700 horsepower open-wheeled USCS sprint cars weight just 1,300 pounds, and are pound for pound the World’s most powerful short track race cars. The cars will literally fly around the track surface at speeds over 130 M.P.H. It is not uncommon to see the USCS sprint cars popping “wheelies” or doing wheel stands because of the brute force of their engines and their huge 17-inch wide Hoosier rear race tires.
The Fayetteville Motor Speedway USCS East Coast Nationals event expects to bring top winged sprint car drivers from at least five states to the track from as far away as west Tennessee, Florida and even Texas.
The only female in the field, 23-year-old Morgan Turpen from Cordova, Tennessee is the series defending National Champion. Turpen made sprint car racing history when she became the first woman to claim a major sprint car series title as the United Sprint Car Series National Champion. Turpen currently leads the series 2016 National point standings as well in her quest to repeat as Champion of the series. She was the series 2010 National Rookie of the Year. She has nine USCS main e vent wins to her credit. Three of those wins have come during the 2016 season.
Eleven time USCS National Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee is Morgan Turpen’s team-mate. He is also her car owner. Gray trails her in the chase for the National title by only 8 points coming into this weekends’ racing action. Gray who has 89 career visits to the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane. He is a familiar name to area race fans and has wins at nearby speedways.
Twenty-one-year-old, Eric Riggins, Jr. from Charlotte, North Carolina leads a strong contingent USCS Southern Thunder regional series drivers that race in Florida, Georgia, Eastern Tennessee and the Carolinas with the series. Riggins, who was the 2010 USCS Southern Thunder Rookie of the Year has been to the USCS victory lane 13 times including last July at Fayetteville Motor Speedway. the stands on Thursday to cheer for his #47 sprint car. Riggins already has three 2015 USCS victories and comes to East Lincoln Speedway as one of the hottest drivers in the series.
Familiar entries include Johnny Bridges from Cherryville, North Carolina who is a past USCS regional series Champion and USCS Rookie of the Year. Bridges has 14 USCS victories on his score card. He is expected to be one of those drivers to beat this weekend after finishing in the runner-up spot in the 2015 USCS event at FMS.
Other entries include 2014 USCS Rookie of the Year, Brandon McLain from Indian Trail, North Carolina and seventeen year-old 2015 USCS Rookie of the Year Nick Snyder from Marco Island, Florida will be looking for his second USCS series win after being one of the few rookie drivers to ever win in USCS competition. Snyder is currently fifth in the series National point standings. Also entered is current USCS Rookie of the Year contender, 14-year-old, Danny Sams III from Englewood, Florida who ranks fourth in the National point standings.
Other North Carolina area sprint car drivers expected to enter include local driver Jimmy Mabe from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Also entered are two former Carolina Racesaver Sprint Series Champions, Jake McLain from Indian Trail, North Carolina and Johnny Petrozelle from Lexington, North Carolina. Bobby Komisarski from Lake Wylie, South Carolina is also expected.
Other entries include sprint car veteran Joe Larkin from Suwannee, Georgia Jay Dunham from Augusta, Georgia, and veterans Brian Thomas from Pendergrass, Georgia, Florida sprint car drivers include sprint car veteran racers and USCS regular competitors Terry Witherspoon, Shawn Murray, Darren Orth and rookie driver J.D. McClary all from the Jacksonville, Florida area. The long tow award competitor is expected to be J.J. Simmons from Abbott, Texas who is pre-entered as well.
In the www.rockauto.com USCS 600 Sprint Car Series ranks, an all-star line-up is entered as well including last year’s winner Matt Carr and defending series Champion and current points leader, Remeno Loyal from Powder Springs, Georgia. Also entered are three 2016 series feature winner’s, Dirk Miller, David Hall and Robby Hoffman all from the Tampa, Florida area. Young gun Conner Morrell from Bradenton, Florida, who leads the current Rookie of the Year standings in the series and is in the runner-up spot in the standings is also entered as is 2015 USCS 600 sprint Rookie of the Year, Mike Barton from Castilian Springs, Tennessee who is sixth in the current point standings.
Fayetteville Motor Speedway is located at 3407 Doc Bennett Rd. Fayetteville, NC. The track’s website is www.fayettevillemotorspeedway.com For USCS information, please visit the USCS web site at www.uscsracing.com or call the USCS presented by K&N Filters at 770-865-6097.
Friday August 5th will feature:
USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour Sprint Cars
www.RockAuto.com 600cc Mini/Micro Sprints
Budweiser Late Models
Diet Mountain Dew Modifieds
U-Cars
Legends
Gates open- 5pm
Drivers meeting- 7pm
Hotlaps- 7:30pm
Saturday August 6th will feature:
USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour Sprint Cars
www.RockAuto.com 600cc Mini/Micro Sprints
Budweiser Late Models
Diet Mountain Dew Modifieds
Super Streets
Legends
Gates open- 4pm
Drivers meeting- 6pm
Hotlaps-6:30pm
$500 BONUS to any driver in the Budweiser Late Models who can sweep both nights!
$300 BONUS to any Diet Mtn Dew Modified driver who can sweep both nights!
$100 BONUS to any Legend Car driver who can sweep both nights!