Starks Wins USCS Feature at Carolina Speedway

GASTONIA, NC – September 30, 2016 – Trey Starks of Puyallup, WA put on a dominating performance on Friday night at Carolina Speedway in Jeff McCall’s #23 J&J Auto Racing sprint car to take his second United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented by K&N Filters win of the season.  The third time was a charm for Starks, as he came so close to victory in his first two races at Carolina Speedway. When Starks parked in the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane to accept the $2000 winner check it ran his career USCS win total to four in just seven tries.

            Friday night’s performance was so dominant, Starks lapped all but the top five cars in the 24-car field, and he was never challenged, leading all 30 laps of the main event on the USCS 20^th Anniversary Tour after charging to the point on the first lap from his sixth starting spot.

            “It’s awesome to be able to come back here and get a win like this,” Starks said.  “Last year, we ran second, and we blew an engine with four laps to go in April.  This one is also special because my Grandpa is with us, and tonight is his 72^nd birthday, so this is his present from me tonight.”

            Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC finished second and third went to National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee Danny Smith of Chillicothe, OH who won the April USCS event at the track.  The defending USCS National Champion and current point leader Morgan Turpen of Cordova, TN took the fourth spot and Eric Riggins Jr. of Charlotte, NC was fifth and the last car on the lead lap.

            K&N Filters Pole Award Winner Mitch Brown of Brantford, ON Canada finished sixth and 11-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN started 15^th and finished seventh to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.  Brandon McLain of Indian Trail, NC took the eighth spot and Terry Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL came home in ninth.  Tim Perry of Mooresville, NC rounded out the top ten.

            In preliminary action, Tony Agin of Naples, FL won both the six-lap Hoosier Tire Speed Dash and the six-lap Mystery Dash.  The winners of the three eight-lap Heat Races were Brown in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat, Brian Thomas of Pendergrass, GA in the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat and Moss in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat.

            Starks shot into the lead at the drop of the green flag to start the 30-lap main event with a bold move from his sixth starting spot.  He set a pace so fast; he was lapping the cars on the tail of the lead lap by the fourth tour.

            One of those early lapped cars, Brad Wickham of Rutherfordton, NC caught a rut and flipped in turn one on lap five and collected fourth-place Johnny Bridges of Cherryville, NC.  That brought out the red flag.  Both drivers were O.K., but their race cars were done for the evening.  Starks led Moss, Brown, Smith, Thomas, Riggins, McLain, Turpen, Perry and Gray back to the green flag.

            Starks picked it up where he left off and pulled away from Moss.  By the halfway point, Moss had lost contact with Starks, who plowed his way around and through lapped traffic.  Smith passed Brown for the third spot on lap 18, and Turpen got by Brown for fourth on lap 20.  Riggins got by Brown on lap 22 to move into the top five.

            The only thing that could slow Starks down was the second and final caution flag of the race on lap 23 when Shawn Murray of Jacksonville, FL stalled on the backstretch.  Now, with only five cars on the lead lap, it was Starks, Moss, Smith, Turpen, and Riggins, who was almost lapped before the yellow flag came out, left to settle the deal in the seven lap dash to the finish.

            The green light blinked on, and Starks said, “See Ya!”  Starks breezed home for his second USCS win of the season to go with his first win in April at Lancaster Speedway in Lancaster, SC.  The 20^th Anniversary USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented by K&N Filters will be in action on Saturday night at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, SC.

            In www.RockAuto.com USCS 600 Mini Sprint action on Friday night at Carolina Speedway, Jim Young of Johnstown, PA scored a wire-to-wire win in the 20-lap main event.  Matt Carr of Fayetteville, NC finished second and third went to current Rookie of the ear points leader Connor Morrell of Bradenton, FL.  Tampa, FL drivers David Hall and Dirk Miller finished fourth and fifth respectively.

            Matt McCullough of Atlanta, GA took the sixth spot and defending series Champion, Remeno Loyal of Snellville, GA was seventh.  Tim Nye of Charlotte, NC finished eighth, and John Kahl of Ocala, FL came home in the ninth spot.  Eddie Moss of Jacksonville, FL rounded out the top ten.  In preliminary action, the five-lap Hoosier Tire Speed Dash was won by Loyal and the eight-lap RockAuto.com Heat Race was won by Hall.

            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     START            CAR # DRIVER                      HOMETOWN
1.         6          23s      Trey Starks                 Puyallup, WA
2.         3          23m     Lance Moss                Cherryville, NC
3.         9          4s        Danny Smith               Chillicothe, OH
4.         10        10m     Morgan Turpen           Cordova, TN
5.         5          47        Eric Riggins Jr.           Charlotte, NC
6.         1          10b      Mitch Brown               Brantford, ON, Canada
7.         15        10        Terry Gray                  Bartlett, TN
8.         4          21b      Brandon McLain        Indian Trail, NC
9.         11        43        Terry Witherspoon     Jacksonville, FL
10.       7          36        Tim Perry                    Mooresville, NC
11.       12        22b      Troy Betts                   Mechanicsburg, PA
12.       16        67m     Jake McLain               Indian Trail, NC
13.       2          67t       Brian Thomas             Pendergrass, GA
14.       20        38        Tony Agin                   Naples, FL
15.       13        21k      Greg Smyre                Hickory, NC

16.       18        33        Joe Larkin                   Suwanee, GA
17.       17        22m     Shawn Murray            Jacksonville, FL
18.       21        28        Jeff Willingham         Ripley, MS
19.       19        4m       Jimmy Mabe               Fayetteville, NC
20.       8          29        Johnny Bridges           Cherryville, NC
21.       14        6t         Brad Wickham           Rutherfordton, NC
22.       22        24d      Danny Sams III           Englewood, FL
23.       23        83        Bob Auld                    Largo, FL DNS
24.       24        25        Ray Bugg                    Iuka, MS DNS

USCS SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE AWARDS:

Hoosier Tire Speed Dash:   TonyAgin
Mystery Dash:  Tony Agin
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat:  Mitch Brown
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat:  Brian Thomas
Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat:  Lance Moss

K&N Filters Pole Award:   Mitch Brown
JE Pistons Top Guns Award:  (1^st Place) Trey Starks
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award:   Danny Smith
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award:  Terry Gray (started 15^th and finished 7^th)
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award:   Eric Riggins
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award:  Mitch Brown
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award:  Terry Gray
DHR Suspension 8^th-Place Award:  Brandon McLain
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: Tim Perry

FEATURE RACE – 20 LAPS:

POS     STRT  CAR # DRIVER                      HOMETOWN
1.         2          8          Jim Young                  Johnstown, PA

2.         3          93        Matt Carr                    Fayetteville, NC

3.         1          28        Conner Morrell           Bradenton, FL

4.         4          67        David Hall                  Tampa, FL
5.         5          68        Dirk Miller                 Tampa, FL
6.         8          14        Matt McCullough       Atlanta, GA
7.         7          2x        Remeno Loyal            Snellville, GA
8.         6          42        Tim Nye                      Charlotte, NC
9.         9          13        John Kahl                    Ocala, FL
10.       10        66        Eddie Moss                 Jacksonville, FL DNS

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