From Roby Helm
NORMAN PARK, GA – June 15, 2024 – The defending and 15-time United Sprint Car Series Presented By K&N Filters National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN moved closer to a series milestone in his National Sprint Car Hall of Fame career by winning his 98th career series win on Saturday night at Needmore Speedway.
Gray started third and took the lead from rookie sensation Trey Meredith of Dade City, FL on lap 21 of the 25-lap Feature Race to post the victory. Tanner Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL rallied from the tenth starting spot to finish second, and earned the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award. Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC took the third spot, and Meredith was fourth.
Brandon Grubaugh of Ocala, FL drove to a fifth-place finish and the previous night’s feature winner, British driver Ryan Harrison of Rothwell, NTH finished sixth.
Kyle Amerson of Montgomery, AL took the seventh spot, and Terry Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL was eighth. Dustin Burtron of Seminole, FL came home in ninth place, and Tyler Porter of Pinellas Park, FL rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Grubaugh earned the Pole Position for the Feature Race with a win in the six-lap Hoosier Racing Tire Speed Dash. The three eight-lap Heat Races were won by Moss in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat, Harrison in the Butlerbuilt Racing Products Second Heat, and Gray in the Racing Electronics Third Heat.
Grubaugh took the lead at the start of the race followed by Meredith, Moss, Gray and Bryce Comer of Apollo Beach, FL. Meredith took over the point from Grubaugh on lap two, and Comer moved up to the third spot on lap four, but he brought out the first of two caution flags on lap six when he stalled on the front straightaway.
Meredith led Grubaugh, Gray, Moss, and Harrison down for the restart. Gray passed Grubaugh for second place when the field went to green flag action. The caution bulb was ignited for the second time on lap 12 when fourth-generation driver P.J. Reutimann of Zephyrhills, FL stalled on the backstretch.
The top five set for the restart were Meredith, Gray, Grubaugh, Moss, and Harrison. Tanner Witherspoon passed Harrison on the restart to move into the fifth spot. Moss passed Grubaugh for third on lap 16 and Tanner Witherspoon got by Grubaugh for fourth on lap 18.
Meanwhile up front, Gray moved in on Meredith to challenge for the lead, and he took the point on lap 21.
Witherspoon passed Moss for third on lap 24, and on the final lap, both Witherspoon and Moss got by Meredith to second and third respectively, Gray took a 2.282 second margin of victory under the checkered flag in a race that took 16 minutes and 43.252 seconds to complete.
The next two events for the United Sprint Car Series Presented By K&N Filters will be on Friday night, June 21 at Buckshot Speedway in Clanton, AL and on Saturday night, June 22 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL.
For more information about USCS, visit their website at uscsracing.com and the series Facebook page, or call the series office at 770-865-6097.
United Sprint Car Series Marketing Partners are K&N Filters, Engler Machine & Tool, Hoosier Racing Tire, Huggins Cams, Hero Graphics, DMI/Bulldog, J&J Supply of NC, Racing Electronics, JE Pistons, DHR Suspension, Wilwood Disc Brakes, KSE Racing Products, PRO Shocks, Schoenfeld Headers, and Arizona Sport Shirts.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY K&N FILTERS EVENT AT NEEDMORE SPEEDWAY IN NORMAN PARK, GA ON 6/15/24:
FEATURE RACE – 25 Laps: 1. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (3); 2. 99 Tanner Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL (10); 3. 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (2); 4. 11 Trey Meredith, Dade City, FL (4); 5. G6 Brandon Grubaugh, Ocala, FL (1); 6. 97 Ryan Harrison, Rothwell, NTH (5); 7. 29 Kyle Amerson, Montgomery, AL (13); 8. 43 Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL (9); 9. 51 Dustin Burtron, Seminole, FL (7); 10. 16 Tyler Porter, Pinellas Park, FL (11); 11. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (16); 12. 6 Bryce Comer, Apollo Beach, FL (6); 13. 33 Joe Larkin, Suwanee, GA (15); 14. 0 Clint Weiss, Jesup, GA (17); 15. 67 Blake Mallette, Vancleve, MS (19); 16. 83 Bob Auld, Largo, FL (18); 17. 00 P.J. Reutimann, Zephyrhills, FL (12); 18. 13 Todd Fayard, D’Iberville, MS (8); 19. 5 Hayden Campbell, Montverde, FL DNS.
HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Grubaugh; 2. Moss; 3. Gray; 4. Meredith; 5. Harrison; 6. Comer.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. Moss; 2. Grubaugh; 3. Meredith; 4. Comer; 5. Larkin; 6. Auld; 7. Mallette.
BUTLERBUILT RACING PRODUCTS HEAT 2: 1. Harrison; 2. Burtron; 3. Te. Witherspoon; 4. Reutimann; 5. Amerson; 6. Willingham.
RACING ELECTRONICS HEAT 3: 1. Gray; 2. Fayard; 3. Ta. Witherspoon; 4. Porter; 5. Campbell; 6. Weiss.