September 25, 2005
LEXINGTON, TN - Kenny Adams of Malabar, FL posted his 15th O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series win of the season Saturday night in the 30-lap main event at Thunder Ridge Speedway driving the Milk Movers, Inc./Goodson Farms Shaw/Ott. Adams held off a strong challenge from Mike Ward of Memphis, TN.
Ward was able to catch Adams in heavy lapped traffic and briefly take the lead away from the "Malabar Missile" on lap 21, but Adams came right back to reclaim the point, and lead the rest of the way for his 90th career O'Reilly USCS win.
Ward had to settle for second in the AMC Maxim/McCarver. Adams and Ward led the way for the veteran drivers, but right behind them were a trio of SpeedMart Young Guns under the age of 20.
Nineteen-year-old Danny "The Hammer" Martin Jr. finished third in the Martin Structures, Inc./Food Grade Transport Schnee/ZRE, and 17-year-old Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Olive Branch, MS was fourth in the Fast Effects J&J/Dynotech. Rounding out the top five was 15-year-old Hunter Schuerenberg of Sikeston, MO in the Minor's Harley-Davidson Maxim/Foxco.
The 1999 O'Reilly USCS National Champion Marshall Skinner of West Memphis, AR finished sixth in the Parts Plus Maxim/Ott, and Ernie Ainsworth of Bartlett, TN drove the H&H Enterprises Eagle/Dickens to a seventh-place finish.
The defending and four-time O'Reilly USCS National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN took the ninth spot in the Wendy's/C&B Mushrooms Maxim/Wesmar. Bryn Gohn of Malabar, FL finished ninth, and the Robison Racing Products Rookie of the Race in the Milk Movers, Inc./Goodson Farms Shaw/Ott. Ron Blair of Troy, OH was tenth in the Double Jay Construction Maxim/Blair.
Adams won the Engler Machine and Tool first eight-lap heat race and drew the zero for a straight-up start for the feature and K&N Filters Pole Award. Adams led Ward into the first turn and seemed to have the field covered, as SpeedMart Young Guns Martin, Stenhouse, and Schuerenberg gave chase behind Adams and Ward.
Stenhouse made an early race move on Martin to take over the third spot on lap four, and then began to reel in Ward. By lap 15, Ward began to pull away from Stenhouse and close in on Adams, as he worked heavy lapped traffic. Ward was on Adams' rear nerf bar by lap 20.
Coming off the fourth turn on lap 21, Ward got under Adams to take the lead, but Adams came right back, throwing a slider on Ward in turn one to retake the lead. Adams attempted to pull away, but a caution flag came out on lap 26 when Ronny Howard of Southaven, MS stalled the Tenn-Line Howard/Howard in turn two.
Adams had a cushion of two lapped cars between himself and Ward for the restart. When the field went green for the five-lap dash to the finish, Adams pulled out to a full straightaway advantage before Ward could clear the lapped cars. Also on the restart, Martin was able to pass Stenhouse for the third spot.
Ward won the ButlerBuilt second eight-lap heat race, and Schuerenberg won the Koolbeans Trophies third eight-lap heat race. Garry Bell of Memphis, TN started 15th and finished 11th to earn the Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award.
The next event for the O'Reilly USCS National Outlaw Thunder Tour will be the Championship Race at I-20 Speedway in Batesburg, SC on September 30 and October 1.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 41 AT THUNDER RIDGE SPEEDWAY IN LEXINGTON, TN ON 9/24/05:
| POS |
STRT |
CAR# |
DRIVER |
HOMETOWN |
LAPS |
| 1. |
1 |
4a |
Kenny Adams |
Malabar, FL |
30 |
| 2. |
2 |
88 |
Mike Ward |
Memphis, TN |
30 |
| 3. |
4 |
00 |
Danny Martin Jr. |
Sarasota, FL |
30 |
| 4. |
5 |
40 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Olive Branch, MS |
30 |
| 5. |
3 |
35 |
Hunter Schuerenberg |
Sikeston, MO |
30 |
| 6. |
6 |
26 |
Marshall Skinner |
West Memphis, AR |
30 |
| 7. |
7 |
94 |
Ernie Ainsworth |
Bartlett, TN |
30 |
| 8. |
9 |
10 |
Terry Gray |
Bartlett, TN |
30 |
| 9. |
8 |
4b |
Bryn Gohn (R) |
Malabar, FL |
30 |
| 10. |
11 |
35b |
Ron Blair |
Troy, OH |
29 |
| 11. |
15 |
32 |
Garry Bell |
Memphis, TN |
29 |
| 12. |
13 |
11 |
Don Young |
Bartlett, TN |
29 |
| 13. |
12 |
18c |
Scott Bolden |
West Memphis, AR |
29 |
| 14. |
16 |
27 |
Wesley Hale |
Memphis, TN |
28 |
| 15. |
14 |
10w |
Tony Wilson |
Paris, TN |
28 |
| 16. |
19 |
25 |
Ray Bugg |
Iuka, MS |
27 |
| 17. |
10 |
44 |
Ronny Howard |
Southaven, MS |
24 |
| 18. |
18 |
14x |
Eric White |
Horn Lake, MS |
5 |
| 19. |
21 |
44x |
Greg Merritt |
Nesbitt, MS |
1 |
| 20. |
17 |
58 |
Mike McElya |
Bartlett, TN |
0 |
| 21. |
20 |
85 |
Dennis Lykins Jr. |
Thomaston, GA |
0 |
ENTRIES: 21
K&N POLE AWARD: Adams
LEAD CHANGES: 2
LAP LEADERS: Adams, 1-20; Ward, 21; Adams, 22-30
LAPS LED: Adams, 29; Ward, 1
CAUTIONS: 1
SPEEDMART YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Martin
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Gohn
OUTLAW RACING DISC BRAKES FAST BRAKE AWARD: Adams
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: Bell (started 15th and finished 11th)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Martin
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Stenhouse
SPEEDMART TOP FIVE AWARD: Schuerenberg
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Skinner
FSR 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Ainsworth
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Gray
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Blair
FSR PERFORMANCE AWARD: Wilson
WELD RACING PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Lykins
AIR FLOW RESEARCH POWER DASH - 6 LAPS: 1. Ward; 2. Adams; 3. Skinner; 4. Schuerenberg; 5. Ainsworth; 6. Gray.
ENGLER MACHINE AND TOOL 1ST HEAT - 8 LAPS: 1. Adams; 2. Martin; 3. Ainsworth; 4. Howard; 5. Young; 6. Hale; 7. Bugg.
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT - 8 LAPS: 1. Ward; 2. Stenhouse; 3. Gohn (R); 4. Blair; 5. Wilson; 6. McElya; 7. Lykins.
KOOLBEANS TROPHIES 3RD HEAT - 8 LAPS: 1. Schuerenberg; 2. Skinner; 3. Gray; 4. Bolden; 5. Bell; 6. White; 7. Merritt.
O'REILLY USCS NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS
THROUGH 9/24/05:
| POS. |
DRIVER NAME |
POINTS |
| 1. |
Kenny Adams |
5855 |
| 2. |
Danny Martin Jr. |
5475 |
| 3. |
Terry Gray |
5344 |
| 4. |
Bryn Gohn (R) |
5251 |
| 5. |
Matt Tiffany (R) |
4749 |
| 6. |
R.J. Johnson |
4600 |
| 7. |
Skeeter Faulconer |
3432 |
| 8. |
Ryan Myers |
2828 |
| 9. |
Johnny Bridges |
2820 |
| 10. |
Chad Allum |
2754 |
O'REILLY USCS MID-SOUTH THUNDER TOUR POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 9/24/05:
| POS. |
DRIVER NAME |
POINTS |
| 1. |
Kenny Adams |
1452 |
| 2. |
Mike Ward |
1423 |
| 3. |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
1421 |
| 4. |
Danny Martin Jr. |
1411 |
| 5. |
Marshall Skinner |
1410 |
| 6. |
Bryn Gohn (R) |
1343 |
| 7. |
Wesley Hale |
1335 |
| 8. |
Ray Bugg |
1293 |
| 9. |
Hunter Schuerenberg |
1288 |
| 10. |
Mike McElya |
1282 |
R - Denotes Robison Racing Products Rookie of the Year Candidate
