Tony Stewart claims Bubba Raceway Park in USCS Spring Speed Explosion finale

Bubba Raceway Park, United Sprint Car Series
Tony Stewart USCS photo

 

By Pete Walton

Tony Stewart
USCS photo

Ocala, FLORIDA – April 1, 2017 – Tony Stewart raced to career-first United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters main event win at Bubba Raceway Park in the USCS Spring Speed Xplosion finale at Bubba Raceway Park on Saturday night. Stewart battled to the front from a tenth-place starting position and took the lead from 2016 USCS Florida State Champion Danny Martin, Jr. on lap nineteen. Stewart then held off Martin after a lap twenty-five caution/re-start and raced the final eight laps to the finish line and the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane in the the 33-lap contest that honored legendary Florida sprint car driver David Steele who used the number 33 on his race car. Stewart bested a talented field of twenty-seven drivers from seven states and Canada for the win.

 

Danny Martin, Jr. finished in the runner-up position followed by former Southern Ontario Sprints and Ohsweken Speedway Champion, Mitch Brown from Brantford, Ontario, Canada in third place after starting thirteenth. Amazing fourteen-year-old Tyler Clem from St. Petersburg, Florida, who was Friday night’s feature winner, was involved in a mishap earlier in the race while battling for the lead and rallied to finish in fourth place. Clem had earlier re-started at the rear of the field. Veteran Florida USCS racer Terry Witherspoon from Jacksonville, Florida rounded out the top five drivers after starting eleventh.

 

The year 2000 USCS Rookie of the Year, and defending Southern Outlaw Sprints Champion, Michael Miller from Ocean Springs, Mississippi led the next group in sixth place. The defending and 2-time USCS National Champion, Morgan Turpen from Cordova, Tennessee finished in seventh place followed by Shawn Murray from Jacksonville, Florida in eighth place. Mark Ruel, Jr. also from Jacksonville, followed Murray in ninth place. Turpen’s team-mate and 11-time USCS Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee rounded out the top ten drivers.

 

Heat race victories went to Thomas Kennedy in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat and to 216 National Champ, Morgan Turpen in the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat. The Butlerbuilt Third Heat checkers was claimed by Terry Gray.

The KSE Racing Products B-Main win went to 2016 USCS Rookie of the Year, Danny Sams III of Englewood, Florida.

 

The K&N Filters Pole Award and pole position was garnered by Tyler Clem. Mitch Brown collected the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars in the main event when he cruised from thirteenth to third place.

 

The next USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour event is a USCS Carolina double-header at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, NC on Friday, April 7th and on the following night (Saturday, April 8th) at Lancaster Speedway in Lancaster, SC. For updated schedules and other USCS info please visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series 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 2017 and 21st USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour: K&N Filters, www.rockauto.com, Engler Machine and Tool, Butlerbuilt, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Saldana Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends. PRO Shocks, KSE Racing Products, DHR Suspensions, Schoenfeld Headers, Bell Helmets, DSR Fuel Systems, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Arizona Sport Shirts and Hero Graphics.

 

USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters at Bubba Raceway Park on SATURDAY 4-1-2017 results:

 

Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: – (10 Laps)

  1. 21k-Thomas Kennedy [1]; 2. 14c-Tyler Clem [8] ; 3. 43-Terry Witherspoon [2] ; 4. 6s-Robbie Smith [5] ; 5. 82-Matt Kurtz [3] ; 6. 116-Nick Snyder [9] ; 7. 99-Tanner Witherspoon [4] ; 8. 21b-Brandon McLain [6] ; 9. 67-Brian Thomas [7].

 

Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat: – (10 Laps)

  1. 10M-Morgan Turpen [1] ; 2. 14m-Jordon  Mallett 4] ; 3. 3a-AJ Maddox [7] ; 4. 22-Shawn Murray [6] ; 5. 24d-Danny Sams III [5] ; 6. 1-Matt Carr [2] ; 7. 33-Joe Larkin [9] ; 8. 83a-Bob Auld [3] ; 9. 28-Jeff Willingham [8].

 

ButlerBuilt Third Heat: – (10 Laps)

  1. 10-Terry Gray [2] ; 2. 24-Danny Martin Jr [9] ; 3. 14-Tony Stewart [3] ; 4. 43m-Michael Miller [6] ; 5. 10B-Mitch Brown [7] ; 6. 22G-Johnny Gilbertson [5] ; 7. 34-Darren Orth [4] ; 8. 3G-Garrett Green [1] ; 9. 83-Mark Ruel Jr [8].

 

USCS Hoosier SPEED DASH: – (6 Laps)

  1. 14c-Tyler Clem [4] ; 2. 14m-Jordon  Mallett [2] ; 3. 14-Tony Stewart [1] ; 4. 21k-Thomas Kennedy [3] ; 5. 10B-Mitch Brown [6] ; 6. 3a-AJ Maddox [5].

 

KSE Racing Products B Main – (12 Laps)

.1. 24d-Danny Sams III [1] ; 2. 82-Matt Kurtz [2] ; 3. 22G-Johnny Gilbertson [4] ; 4. 83-Mark Ruel Jr [11] ; 5. 1-Matt Carr [5] ; 6. 21b-Brandon McLain [8] ; 7. 34-Darren Orth [7] ; 8. 67-Brian Thomas [12] ; 9. 3G-Garrett Green [13] ; 10. 33-Joe Larkin [3] ; 11. 99-Tanner Witherspoon [6] ; 12. 28-Jeff Willingham [10] ; 13. 83a-Bob Auld [9].

 

USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour A-Main – (33 Laps)

  1. 14-Tony Stewart [10] ; Brownsburg, IN
  2. 24-Danny Martin Jr. [2] ; Sarasota, FL
  3. 10B-Mitch Brown [13] ; Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  4. 14c-Tyler Clem [1] ; St. Petersburg, FL
  5. 43-Terry Witherspoon [11] ; Jacksonville, FL
  6. 43m-Michael Miller [9] ; Ocean Springs, MS
  7. 10M-Morgan Turpen [7] ; Cordova, TN
  8. 22-Shawn Murray [8] ; Jacksonville, FL
  9. 83-Mark Ruel Jr [18] ; Jacksonville, FL
  10. 10-Terry Gray [4] ; Bartlett, TN
  11. 3a-AJ Maddox [3] ; Tampa, FL
  12. 116-Nick Snyder [14] ; Marco Island, FL
  13. 24d-Danny Sams III [15] ; Englewood, FL
  14. 21k-Thomas Kennedy [6] ; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
  15. 34-Darren Orth [21] ; Jacksonville, FL
  16. 67-Brian Thomas (22] ; Pendergrass, GA
  17. 1-Matt Carr (19] ; Fayetteville, NC
  18. 82-Matt Kurtz [16] ; Jacksonville, FL
  19. 14m-Jordon Mallett (5] ; Greenbrier, AR
  20. 22G-Johnny Gilbertson [17] ; Riverview, FL
  21. 6s-Robbie Smith [12] ; Tampa, FL
  22. 21b-Brandon McLain [20] ; Indian Trail, NC

 

DNS Main Event:

3g Garrett Green, Valrico, FL

99 Tanner Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL

33 Joe Larkin, Suwanee, GA

83 Bob Auld, Largo, FL

28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS

 

 

USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: Tyler Clem

Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Thomas Kennedy

Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat: Morgan Turpen

K&N Filters Pole Award: Tyler Clem
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: (4th Place) Tyler Clem

PRO Shocks Champion Choice Award: (5th Place) Terry Witherspoon
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: Mitch Brown
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: A.J. Maddox (started 13th and finished 3rd)
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: Michael Miller

Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: Morgan Turpen

DHR Suspension Eighth Place Award: Shawn Murray
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: Terry Gray