By Pete Walton
Milton, Florida- November 14, 2020 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. from Olive Branch, Mississippi started from the K&N Filters Pole Position then led wire to wire in the USCS “Battle at the Beach” World Finals 40-lap finale to pickup $6000 for his victory. The torrid-paced main-event went caution free from green to checkers with 20 of the 23 main event starters finishing the race before Stenhouse parked his NOS Energy #17 sprint car in the www.RockAuto.com USCS Victory Lane in the final 2020 USCS main-event. It was Stenhouse’s career-ninth USCS victory.
Veteran sprint car racer, Justin Barger from Cornelius, North Carolina, who appeared to be closing on Stenhouse at the end of the race, finished in second place where he started the 40-lap contest.
The Nation’s leading 360 sprint car feature winner during 2020 and 15-time 2020 USCS feature winner Mark Smith from Sunbury, Pennsylvania advanced from a seventh place start to grab the final podium spot in third place. The 2020 USCS Mid-South Thunder regional series Champion Dale Howard from Byhalia, Mississippi followed in fourth place and Dover, Ohio’s R.J. Jacobs completed the top five finishers.
The USCS 2020 Rookie of the Year and USCS Southern Thunder regional series Champion, Conner Leoffler from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina lead the next group in sixth place after starting eleventh. Former www.RockAuto.com USCS 600 Sprint Car Series Champion Connor Morrell from Bradenton, Florida was seventh followed by 2013 US CS National Champion, Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas in eighth place. Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee and 7-time Knoxville Raceway (IA) Champion, Terry McCarl from Altoona. Iowa finished 9th and the 2017 USCS Mid-South region Rookie of the Year, Chase Howard from Nesbit, Mississippi rounded out the top ten finishers.
12-time and now 13-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee clinched the National Championship crown by coming home in the eleventh position to outdistance phenominal USCS National Rookie of the Year, Conner Leoffler by a margin of only 41 points in the title chase.
Mark Smith kicked off the evening’s sprint car action by winning the USCS Hoosier Speed Dash for the top six cars from Friday night.
Heat race wins went to Dale Howard in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat, Justin Barger won the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat. Then, Ohioan R.J. Jacobs won the Butlerbuilt Third Heat and eventual feature winner, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. won the Schoenfeld Headers Fourth Heat.
Derek Hagar won the 15-lap Hero Graphics B-Main to earn the 15th stating position in the A-Main.
Derek Hagar was also the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger for the event after starting 15th in the A-Main and advancing seven positions to finish 8th in the season finale.
The USCS “Battle at the Beach” World Finals 2020 was the final event on the Covid-19 shortened schedule for the United Sprint Car Series.
The United Sprint Car Series completed 35 events during an unusual season that began at Hendry County Motorsports Park in Clewiston, Florida on Febuary 7th and 8th when Mark Smith parked in the www.RockAuto.com USCS Victory Lane on both nights.
This weekend’s season finale at Southern Raceway in Milton, Florida just saw NASCAR Cup Series veteran racer, the 2003 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Rookie of the Year and former USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour racer Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. steal the win from talented Florida racer, Hayden Campbell with a last lap pass on Friday night and comeback to win Saturday night’s finale in dominating fashion after starting from the K&N Filters Pole Position.
For more USCS info please visit www.uscsracing.com or liked the USCS Racing Facebook page. You can also follow USCS on Twitter @uscsracing To speak to USCS Management please call 770-865-6097 during regular business hours between 9am and 5pm Eastern time.
Engler Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 47-Dale Howard[2]
2. 13-Chase Howard[4]
3. M1-Mark Smith[6]
4. 4M-Michael Miller[1]
5. 9JR-Derek Hagar[5]
6. 4-Danny Smith[3]
DNS: 7E-Eric Gunderson
BMRS Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 5-Justin Barger[2]
2. 24-Terry McCarl[4]
3. 20-Jim Shuster[1]
4. 28M-Conner Morrell[6]
5. 88N-Frank Neill[3]
6. 14M-Michael Magic[7]
7. 07-Brandon Taylor[5]
Butlerbuilt Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 18J-RJ Jacobs[4]
2. 29-Kyle Amerson[3]
3. 10-Terry Gray[6]
4. 16B-Zane Devault[5]
5. 44-Ronny Howard[1]
6. 88-Brandon Blenden[7]
7. 28-Jeff Willingham[2]
HERO Graphics Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 17JR-Ricky Stenhouse Jr[2]
2. 5C-Hayden Campbell[3]
3. 22-Connor Leoffler[5]
4. 43-Terry Witherspoon[6]
5. 49-Mallie Shuster[7]
6. 00-Harley Zimmerman[1]
7. 97-Dale Day[4]
Hoosier Speed Dash (6 Laps)
1. M1-Mark Smith[1]
2. 9JR-Derek Hagar[2]
3. 17JR-Ricky Stenhouse Jr[4]
4. 22-Connor Leoffler[5]
5. 5C-Hayden Campbell[3]
Feature (40 Laps)
1. 17JR-Ricky Stenhouse Jr[1]
2. 5-Justin Barger[2]
3. M1-Mark Smith[7]
4. 47-Dale Howard[3]
5. 18J-RJ Jacobs[4]
6. 22-Connor Leoffler[11]
7. 28M-Conner Morrell[12]
8. 9JR-Derek Hagar[15]
9. 24-Terry McCarl[6]
10. 13-Chase Howard[5]
11. 10-Terry Gray[8]
12. 4M-Michael Miller[18]
13. 16B-Zane Devault[14]
14. 5C-Hayden Campbell[10]
15. 29-Kyle Amerson[9]
16. 4-Danny Smith[19]
17. 20-Jim Shuster[16]
18. 88-Brandon Blenden[17]
19. 14M-Michael Magic[21]
20. 28-Jeff Willingham[23]
21. 43-Terry Witherspoon[13]
22. 49-Mallie Shuster[20]
23. 44-Ronny Howard[22]