Malden, FL - April 20, 2007 - Wayne Johnson from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma won the 30-lap O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series www.uscsracing.com Mid-South Thunder Tour regional event at Malden Speedway www.maldenspeedway.com on Friday night. Johnson was made his first visit to the speedway a profitable one. The win was Johnson's second in 2007 O'Reilly USCS competition. Johnson also won at North Florida Speedway on February 2nd.
Johnson may have been making his first visit to the speedway, but he was driving the #94 H&H Motorsports ride that was familiar to victory lane at the 3/8-mile Missouri Bootheel clay oval. The same team visited victory lane twice in 2006 at the track with Jerrod Hull from nearby Sikeston, Missouri at the helm
Johnson who started outside the front row next to Jason Evans from Sikeston, Missouri raced into the lead down the backstretch on lap one and led every lap. He had a comfortable margin with Mike Ward in pursuit until lap nine when Terry Gray moved into the runner-up spot and started to reel Johnson in through lapped traffic. On lap fourteen, Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas passed Gray for the second position and as the duo raced each other for the second spot they rapidly closed in on Johnson. On lap twenty-eight Skinner nosed up beside Johnson midway between turns three and four with Gray on his tail. But, Johnson accelerated away and held on for a three to four car length victory.
Following Skinner and Gray across the line was 1998 O'Reilly USCS Champion, Eddie Gallagher from Memphis, Tennessee. Gallagher started in the seventh row and then used his smooth driving style to charge back into the top five. Defending O'Reilly USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional Champion, Mike Ward from Memphis, Tennessee rounded out the top five.
Five talented young drivers followed the veterans in the balance of the top ten. Jason Evans finished sixth, Phillip Faulkner from Drums, Tennessee was seventh and 2006 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas was eighth. Rookie Don Young from Memphis, Tennessee and Brian Bell also from Memphis passed nine cars after starting dead last to finish tenth. .
Mike Ward won the six cars, six laps Lucas Oil Power Dash and then followed that up by winning the eight-lap Butlerbuilt 2nd Heat Race. Wade Oliver from Southaven, MS won the eight-lap Engler Machine and Tool 1st Heat Race. The eventual feature winner, Wayne Johnson garnered the win in the FSR RACING PRODUCTS 3rd Heat.
Eddie Gallagher garnered the Huggins Cams Hard charger Award after starting fourteenth in the A-Main and advancing ten positions to finish fourth. Jason Evans received the K&N Pole award after first heat race winner Wade Oliver drew a four in the inversion. The JE Pistons Top Guns Award, which rotates from first through third positions in the A-Main, also went to Marshall Skinner. The Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race award went to the sixteen-year-old Derek Hagar.
The O'Reilly USCS www.uscsracing.com returns to action on Friday, May 18th and Saturday May 19th at New Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia with an O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder points event. New Senoia Raceway is located 4 miles West of Senoia, Georgia on Highway 16. For additional info visit www.newsenoiaraceway.com or call 770-599-6161. For O'Reilly USCS info please visit www.uscsracing.com or call 404-886-5913.
O'Reilly USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour winged sprint cars OFFICIAL RESULTS at Malden Speedway in Malden, MO on Friday, 4/20/07:
USCS LUCAS OIL POWER DASH - 6 Laps - 1. Mike Ward; 2. Wade Oliver 3.; Terry Gray; 4. Marshall Skinner; 5. Doc Sloan; 6. Bryce Vowan.
USCS HEAT RACES:
ENGLER MACHINE AND TOOL 1ST HEAT: 8 laps: 1. Wade Oliver; 2. Jason Evans; 3. Dustin Barks: 4. Andy McElhannon; 5. Rob Hartman; 6. Phillip Faulkner; 7. Jay Adams.
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 8 laps 1. Mike Ward; 2. Terry Gray; 3. Marshall Skinner; 4. Don Young; 5. Eddie Gallagher; 6. Bryce Vowan; 7. Brian Bell
FSR RACING PRODUCTS 3RD HEAT: 8 laps 1. Wayne Johnson; 2. Derek Hagar; 3. Chris "Doc" Sloan; 4. Ronnie Howard ; 5. Dylan DeJournett; 6. David DeJournett DNS;
O’Reilly USCS Main Event - 30 laps
PS ST CR# DRIVERHOMETOWN LAPS
1 2 00 Wayne Johnson OKC, OK 30
2 8 26 Marshall Skinner W. Memphis, AR 30
3 5 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN 30
4 14 1 Eddie Gallagher Memphis, TN 30
5 3 88 Mike Ward Memphis, TN 30
6 1 88E Jason Evans Sikeston, MO 30
7 16 35 Phillip Faulkner Drummonds, TN 30
8 6 9jr Derek Hagar Marion, AR 30
9 12 75 Don Young Memphis, TN 30
10 19 23 Brian Bell Memphis, TN 30
11 9 59 Doc Sloan Imperial, MO 30
12 10 0 Andy McElhannon Hernando, MS 30
13 13 44 Ronnie Howard Southaven, MS 12
14 17 7x Bryce Vowan Forest City, AR 12
15 15 7D Dylan DeJounett Essex, MO 11
16 11 07H Rob Hartman Ozark, MO 9
17 4 58 Wade Oliver Southaven, MS 9
18 18 44H Jay Adams Southaven, MS 7
19 7 22 Dustin Barks Farmington, MO 4
20 DNS 2m David DeJournett Essex, MO DNS
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER: # 88 Mike Ward
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Jason Evans
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: Phillip Faulkner
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Derek Hagar(Top finisher under 25 years old)
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Don Young
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Marshall Skinner (2nd place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Terry Gray
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Eddie Gallagher
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: Mike Ward
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Jason Evans
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7 TH-PLACE AWARD: Phillip Faulkner
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Don Young
FSR RACING PRODUCTS TOP 10 AWARD: Brian Bell
ENTRIES: 20
PROVISIONAL: none
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADERS: Wayne Johnson, #1-30
CAUTIONS: None
Photo/Caption #2: Wayne Johnson won his 2nd USCS Outlaw Thunder Tur main event of 2007 at Malden Speedway on Friday night. (USCS photo).