February 03, 2007 Lake City, FL - Wayne Johnson from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma won the 30-lap O'Reilly USCS North Florida Winternationals Finale at North Florida Speedway in Lake City, Florida on Saturday night. It was Johnson's first career O'Reilly USCS feature win. Johnson set a new track record and was the CnB Mushroom Farms fastest qualifier for the event during Friday night's time trial portion of the event. He finished sixth in Friday night's preliminary action leaving him in the fourth position in qualifying points after round one. After being drawn to the front row by high point man Gary Wright from Hooks, Texas, Johnson then dominated the race by leading the last twenty-nine laps leaving the balance of the talent-laden field from nine states and Canadian provinces to fight fo second place while he cruised to victory lane.
After two false starts, Johnson followed five-time O'Reilly USCS National Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee who started on the pole, around the 4/10 mile clay oval with the previous night's winner Kenny Adams from Malabar, Florida and the previous night's runner-up, Gary Wright behind them in that order. Johnson then made the winning move past Gray on lap two and never looked back. Gray, Adams and Wright chased him until lap seven when the first of two cautions flew when Terry Witherspoon from Jacksonville, Florida and Brent Vonk from Sioux Falls, South Dakota both spun nearly blocking the track and Gray crashed into them. All three drivers escaped injury, but all three cars were out of action for the balance of the race.
PHOTO / CAPTION: Wayne Johnson from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma won his first career O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series feature race on Saturday night in the 30 lap-1st Annual O'Reilly USCS North Florida Winternationals Finale at North Florida Speedway driving the H&H Motorsports #94. photo Pete Walton). Media contact: Pete Walton 404-886-5913
On the restart Wayne Johnson started to pull away and at the races mid-point looked to be in command with Kenny Adams, Gary Wright, young gun Justin Barger from Montrose, New York and Travis Rilat from Forney, Texas in the lead pack behind him. On lap seventeen the caution again flew for Stephen Darvalics from Venice, Florida who had spun in water throw up track in turn one. Darvalics restarted after a push-off. On this final restart of the race, Wayne Johnson pulled away and stretched his lead to nearly a straight-a-way lead over Adams, Wright, Barger and then Rilat by lap twenty-five. With two laps to go Wright drove underneath Adams for the runner-up spot. Barger held off Rilat to finish behind Adams in fourth place with Rilat rounding out the top five.
Engler Macine and Tool First Heat winner, T.J. Winegardner from Pierson, Florida finished in sixth place. Seventeen year-old O'Reilly USCS hot shoe, Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida finished seventh after starting eleventh. Ron Blair from Dayton, Ohio rallied to an eighth place finish after starting fourteenth. The 2004 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year, R.J. Johnson from Decatur, Tennessee finished in ninth place and the 2005 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year, Bryn Gohn from Malabar, Florida rounded out the top ten.
Justin Barger captured the six car-six lap Lucas oil Power Dash contested from a field of the top six cars in points from Friday night's races. TJ Winegardner streaked to victory in the Engler Tool and Machine First Heat. Mike Brecht from Lipsic, Ohio captured the Butlerbuilt Second Heat race. Terry Gray was the K&N Filters Pole Award recipient after being drawn to the pole with a four-inversion draw by Wright.
Terry Coddington from Lithia, Florida garnered the events Huggins Cams Hard Charger award after starting eighteenth and passing seven cars. Matt Stegeman from Tampa, Florida advanced past the same number of cars but finished two positions behind Coddington therefore giving the award to Coddington. Justin Barger was again recognized as the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race, which is awarded to the top-finishing driver under twenty-five years old. Gary Wright received the evenings JE Pistons Top Guns Award for his win. The Weld Racing Hard Luck award went to Chris Schmelzle from Victoria, BC.
The next O'Reilly USCS National Championship event will be on pavement when the series makes its first ever visit to Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Georgia on Saturday March 17, 2007. The track will host an open practice the night before so the O'Reilly USCS drivers can become familiar with the speedy ½ mile paved oval located just off Interstate 85 North off Atlanta, Georgia. Included in the two days activities will be a pavement driving and set-up clinic. For more info on this and other O'Reilly USCS events please visit www.uscsracing.com