NORMAN PARK, GA (May 19, 2017) – The Queen of the Wings continues her flight of victories, as the defending and two-time United Sprint Car Series National Champion Morgan Turpin of Cordova, TN drove to her fifth straight USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by KN Filters winged sprint car win for the 2017 season on Friday night at Needmore Speedway.
The school teacher who taught 10th Grade English during the school year, took a driver that is young enough to be one of her students to school in lapped traffic to take the lead. Danny Sams III of Englewood, FL, the 14-year-old 2016 USCS Rookie of the Year, led the first 17 laps of the 25-lap race, before losing the lead to Turpen.
Sams had to settle for second and third place and the K&N Filters Podium Award went to 11-time USCS National Champion and Turpen’s teammate Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN. Danny Martin Jr. of Sarasota, FL cadme back from a lap three spin to finish fourth and fifth went to USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series point’s leaer Jordon Mallett of Greenbrier, AR.
Shawn Murray of Jacksonville, FL finished sixth, and Brandon McLain of Indian Trail, NC was seventh. Scott Hunter of Concord, NC drove to an eighth-place finish, with Terry Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL taking the ninth spot, and Matt Kurtz of Jacksonville, FL rounding out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Gray won the six-lap Hoosier Tire Speed Dash and the winners of the three eight lap Heat Races were Martin in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat, Sams in the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat, and Turpen in the Butlerbuilt Third Heat.
At the drop of the green flag to start the 25-lap A-Main race, the K&N Filters Pole Award recipient Danny Sams III took the lead into turn one followed by Turpen, Gray, Brandon Taylor of Cumming, GA and Murray. Lance Moss of Cherryville , NC stalled on the front stretch and Martin spun in turn four on lap three to bring out the caution flag.
Both drivers would return to action, and after starting the race in the 23rd spot, Moss would finish the race in 12th to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award. Joey Schmidt of Ellisville, MS spun on the restart to light up the caution bulb for the second time.
Sams continued to lead when the field went back to green flag action, and Murray passed Taylor for the fourth spot on lap five. Sams was approaching the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap six, and Turpen began to close the gap to set up a battle for the lead.
Just when Sams had to start making some big decisions as to where to go around lapped cars, the caution came out and the lapped cars went away. Schmidt made hard contact with the front straightway wall at the exit of the fourth turn to bring out the third and final caution flag of the race on the eighth lap.
While Schmidt was uninjured, his damaged race car was done for the night. Sams lined up for the restart with Turpen, Gray, Murray, Taylor, Mallett, McLain, Witherspoon, Jake McLain of Matthews, NC and Hunter lined up behind him in the top ten. Martin had come from the back of the pack up to 11th in just six laps.
Mallett got by Taylor on the restart to move up to the top five and Martin dusted off the outside groove to drive up to the eighth position by the tenth lap. Sams continued to lead Turpen, but by lap 12, lapped traffic loomed ahead.
Sams put a lapped car between himself and Turpen on lap 15, but Turpen worked around the lapped car and zeroed in on the leader. Turpen was right on Sams rear nerf bar on lap 16, and as the leaders entered turn one on lap 17, Sams got pinned behind a lap car, as Turpen filled in his only passing zone on the inside.
Turpen took the lead in turn two, and never looked back. Martin settled into the fourth spot on lap 19 and battled with Gray for the third position in the final six laps of the race. Gray was able to hang on for the show position at the checkered flag.
In RockAuto.com USCS 600 Mini Sprint action, Gregg Jones of Navarre, FL took the lead on lap two, and pulled away to take the win in the 20-lap A-Main race. Robby Hoffman of Lithia, FL finished second, and third went to John Craddock of Orlando, FL. Paige Moss of Deland, FL took the fourth spot and Conner Morrell of Palmetto, FL was fifth.
Bobby Zaiontz of Columbus, MS finished sixth and Trynt Lloyd of Jacksonville, FL drove to a seventh-place finish. Dirk Miller of Sanford, FL took the eighth spot, Zach Gorski of Jacksonville, FL was ninth, and David Hall of Casselberry, FL rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Jones won the six-lap Hoosier Tire Seed Dash, while Miller won the Engler Machine and Tool First Eight-Lap Heat Race, and Hoffman won the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Eight-Lap Heat Race.
The USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented by K&N Filters sprint cars and the RockAuto.com USCS 600 Mini Sprints will return to Needmore Speedway for another complete show on Saturday night.
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.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF USCS OUTLAW THUNDER PRESENTED BY K&N FILTERS AT NEEDMORE SPEEDWAY IN NORMAN PARK, GA ON 5/19/17:
A-MAIN: 25 LAPS:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN
1. 4 10m Morgan Turpen Cordova, TN
2. 1 24d Danny Sams III Englewood, FL
3. 3 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN
4. 6 24 Danny Martin Jr. Sarasota, FL
5. 8 14 Jordon Mallett Greenbrier, AR
6. 5 22 Shawn Murray Jacksonville, FL
7. 10 21b Brandon McLain Indian Trail, NC
8. 16 1x Scott Hunter Concord, NC
9. 9 43 Terry Witherspoon Jacksonville, FL
10. 11 92 Matt Kurtz Jacksonville, FL
11. 12 67m Jake McLain Matthews, NC
12. 23 23 Lance Moss Cherryville, NC
13. 15 83r Mark Ruel Jr. Jacksonville, FL
14. 13 28 Jeff Willingham Ripley, MS
15. 14 34 Darren Orth Jacksonville, FL
16. 18 99 Tanner Witherspoon Jacksonville, FL
17. 17 67 Brian Thomas Pendergrass, GA
18. 19 38 Tony Agin Fort Myers, FL
19. 20 83 Bob Auld Largo, FL
20. 2 07 Brandon Taylor Cumming, GA
21. 7 1s Joey Schmidt Ellisville, MS
22. 21 0x Clint Weiss Jesup, GA
23. 22 43m A.J. Parrish Jacksonville, FL
2. 1 24d Danny Sams III Englewood, FL
3. 3 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN
4. 6 24 Danny Martin Jr. Sarasota, FL
5. 8 14 Jordon Mallett Greenbrier, AR
6. 5 22 Shawn Murray Jacksonville, FL
7. 10 21b Brandon McLain Indian Trail, NC
8. 16 1x Scott Hunter Concord, NC
9. 9 43 Terry Witherspoon Jacksonville, FL
10. 11 92 Matt Kurtz Jacksonville, FL
11. 12 67m Jake McLain Matthews, NC
12. 23 23 Lance Moss Cherryville, NC
13. 15 83r Mark Ruel Jr. Jacksonville, FL
14. 13 28 Jeff Willingham Ripley, MS
15. 14 34 Darren Orth Jacksonville, FL
16. 18 99 Tanner Witherspoon Jacksonville, FL
17. 17 67 Brian Thomas Pendergrass, GA
18. 19 38 Tony Agin Fort Myers, FL
19. 20 83 Bob Auld Largo, FL
20. 2 07 Brandon Taylor Cumming, GA
21. 7 1s Joey Schmidt Ellisville, MS
22. 21 0x Clint Weiss Jesup, GA
23. 22 43m A.J. Parrish Jacksonville, FL
USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: Gray
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: Gray
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Martin
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat: Sams
Butlerbuilt Third Heat: Turpen
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat: Sams
Butlerbuilt Third Heat: Turpen
K&N Filters Pole Award: Sams
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: (1st Place): Turpen
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: (1st Place): Turpen
PRO Shocks Champion Choice Award (2nd Place): Sams
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: Gray
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: Moss (started 23rd and finished 12th)
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: Murray
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: B. McLain
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: Gray
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: Moss (started 23rd and finished 12th)
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: Murray
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: B. McLain
DHR Suspension Eighth Place Award: Hunter
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: Kurtz
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: Kurtz
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash (6 Laps): 1. Gray; 2. Mallett; 3. Thomas; 4. Schmidt; 5. Willingham.
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat (8 Laps): 1. Martin; 2. Te Witherspoon; 3. Gray; 4. Mallett; 5. Ruel; 6. Schmidt; 7. Auld; 8. Parrish.
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat (8 Laps): 1. Sams; 2. Murray; 3. Taylor; 4. Orth; 5. J. McLain; 6. Thomas; 7. Weiss; 8. Moss.
Butlerbuilt Third Heat (8 Laps): 1. Turpen; 2. B. McLain; 3. Hunter; 4. Kurtz; 5. Willingham; 6. Ta. Witherspoon; 7. Agin.