Malden, MO - March 21, 2009 – Local favorite Jerrod Hull from Sikeston, Missouri charged from the twentieth starting position in the Parts Plus United Sprint Car Series 30-lap A-Main into the lead on lap seventeen and held on for the victory over seven time USCS National Champion Terry Gray in the sprint car portion of the 3rd Annual Bootheel 200 on Saturday night. Hull who has won four times in USCS competition at Malden Speedway over the past four seasons put on quite a show for the near capacity crowd on a chilly overcast evening. Hull had a challenging evening because of mechanical failure in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. While leading the heat race he dropped out and had to start the main event in the eleventh row.
Sixteen year-old young gun Brad Greer from Coulterville, Illinois started from the K&N Filters Pole after winning the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat Race and drawing a zero pill in the K&N fliters Pole award drawing. Greer then led laps one through seven in the main event before veteran Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee who won the six-lap Parts Plus USCS Power Dash and the 10-lap Bar’s Leaks Third Heat Race passed him low in turn one for the lead. Gray held the point for ten laps while Hull and 1998 Parts Plus USCS Champion, Eddie Gallagher used the high line around the race track to reel in Gray who was using the bottom groove.
Gallagher from Piperton, Tennessee and Hull moved past Brad Greer for the runner-up spot and third position on lap twelve. On lap fourteen Hull charged past Gallagher into second place. On lap seventeen the determined Hull charged past Gray on the outside of turn four for the lead. He then raced the final thirteen laps to victory.
Gray crossed the line in the runner-up position followed by Gallagher who garnered his best Malden finish in recent memory. Another past series Champion, Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas followed in fourth place and 2008 I-30 Speedway Track Champion, Justin Sturch from Benton, Arkansas rounded out the top five finishers.
Lee Sowell from Nesbit, Mississippi recovered from a night that started with a roll-over on lap one of the Butlerbuilt Second Heat to finish sixth in the main event. Bryce Vowan from Forrest City, Arkansas duplicated his finish in the season opener on March 7th with a seventh place finish in this feature race. Early race-leader Brad Greer finished in the eighth position in his Parts Plus USCS debut. The 2007 Rookie of the Year, Don Young from Bartlett, Tennessee charged from twenty-first position to finish ninth. Kent Buckley from Farmington, Missouri rounded out the top ten after mechanical woes earlier in the evening sent him to the pits in his heat race.
Terry Gray kicked off the evening with a hard fought win over Justin Carver in the Parts Plus Power Dash. Brad Greer won the 10-lap Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. Wade Oliver from Southaven, Mississippi charged to the win in the 10-lap Butlerbuilt Second Heat. Gray worked on a clean sweep with the victory in the 10-lap Bar’s Leaks Third Heat. Lee Sowell garnered the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race honors for his efforts.
Hull garnered the Lunati “Crank It Up” Award for his spectacular charge past twenty-one cars into victory lane in the main event. RE Technologies Rookie of race honors went to the talented Carver for the second race in a row. The Dynotech Tough Luck award went to Oliver who started on the front row beside Greer and had the sway bar bracket on his front-end break in the first turn of the main event sending him to the side-lines
The next Parts Plus United Sprint Car Series racing event is on Saturday, March 28th in the “Cordele Clash 2009” at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Georgia. The event is both a National points and Asphalt Thunder pavement series event.