USCS News

Jerrod Hull wins first O’Reilly USCS feature in Mid-South season opener at Malden Speedway

April 3, 2004
Malden, MO - Jerrod Hull from nearby Sikeston, Missouri won the 30-lap O’Reilly United Sprint Car Series Mid-South Thunder Tour season opener 3Saturday night before a capacity crowd at Malden Speedway in Malden, Missouri. Hull bested a twenty-seven car field from five states for the win. He led every lap in the H & H Enterprises # 94 Avenger/Wesmar from his outside front row starting position after beating eighteen year old hot-shoe Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. to turn one on the initial start. The two then raced side-by-side for the first three laps before Hull started to put some daylight between himself and the 2003 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Rookie of the Year from Olive Branch, Mississippi.

On lap three of the main event Stenhouse was joined in pursuit of Hull by current O’Reilly USCS National points leader, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee in third, 2005 Mid South Thunder runner-up Mike Ward from Memphis, Tennessee in fourth place and 1999 USCS Champion, Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas in fifth. The 1998 USCS National Champion Eddie Gallagher also from Memphis was sixth and now current O’Reilly USCS Dirt Cup points leader, Jason Sides from Bartlett, Tennessee who had started in eleventh place was in the lead pack in seventh. After a caution for a spinning car on lap six Sides gained momentum and moved past Eddie Gallagher into the top six on lap eight.

After several cautions kept the field tight, on lap sixteen Hull started to encounter heavy lapped traffic. Hull mastered the lapped traffic and this helped to put distance between he and Stenhouse. On lap sixteen he was able to put six cars a lap down. Stenhouse was driving through heavy traffic as well and managing to put several lapped cars between Gray and himself. On lap twenty Sides got by Skinner into the top five and started to look like as factor in the race. On lap twenty-three Sides moved past Ward into fourth. On lap twenty-four he move past Gray into third.

Then on lap twenty-six second year racer Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida spun and set up a four-lap dash to the checkers by Hull who had collected six lapped cars between he and Stenhouse as a defense against a late surge by the young gun. On lap twenty-eight, Jason Sides passed Stenhouse and moved into the runner-up spot.

A caution on lap twenty-nine for a spin by rookie Derek Hager set up a dramatic green-white-checker finish with the hard charging Jason Sides just three cars back of Jerrod Hull. Hull raced hard to the finish line for the well-deserved win while Sides chased him down eliminating all but a one lapped car advantage at the finish line finishing eight car lengths back. Stenhouse, Gray and Ward rounded out the top five. Skinner, Gallagher, Lee Sowell from Nesbit, Mississippi, Scott Bolden from Paul Sides from Bartlett, Tennessee completed the top ten finishers.

Tom Winegarner, Jr. from Pierson, Florida started off the evening by winning his first Lucas Oil Power Dash of the year. Ricky Stenhouse won the Engler Tool and Machine First Heat. Jerrod Hull captured the Butlerbuilt Second Heat. Mike Ward raced home first in the FSR Racing Products Third Heat and Eddie Gallagher won the JE Pistons Fourth Heat. O’Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year contender Brad Bowden from Hernando, Mississippi captured the victory in the 12 lap B-Main event after battling with early contender Kent Buckley from Farmington, Missouri who went to the sidelines with mechanical problems.

Jason Sides garnered the events Huggins Cams Hard Charger award for his charge from eleventh to second place. He also received the evenings JE Pistons Top Guns Award for his second place finish. Bowden was the Robison Racing Products Rookie of the Race. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was awarded both the K&N Filters Pole Award and the K&N Filters 3rd place feature finisher award. Stenhouse was also recognized as the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race, which is awarded to the top-finishing driver under twenty-five years old. The Weld racing Hard Luck award went to Josh Baker from Earle, Arkansas.

The next O’Reilly USCS National points event and O’Reilly USCS Mid-South Thunder points event is the Hooker Hood Sprint Car Shootout at Garnertown Speedway in Luray, Tennessee on April 14th and 15th. The biggest event in Garnertown Speedway history will feature a full sprint car racing program with the Lucas Oil Power Dash, qualifying heat races, B Main(s) and A-Main each evening. Also on the racing card will be the star-studded USCS open Wheel Modified, Street Stock and Hummer Cup divisions.

OFFICIAL RESULTS - ROUND ONE - O’REILLY USCS MID SOUTH THUNDER TOUR AT MALDEN SPEEDWAY IN MALDEN, MO ON 4/01/06:

25 - Ray Bugg, Iuka, MS
c 12 - A.J Courtney, Memphis, TN
1b - Kent Buckley, Farmington, MO
7x - Dylan DeJounett, Sikeston, MO
7- Kenny Pope Dexter, MO

LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER: Tom Winegardner, Jr.
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: Jason Sides (started 11th and passed 9 cars)
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Ricky Stenhouse.
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Brad Bowden
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Jason Sides (2nd place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Terry Gray
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: Mike Ward
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Marshall Skinner
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7 TH-PLACE AWARD: Eddie Gallagher
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Scott Bolden
FSR TOP 10 AWARD : Paul Sides
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD: Josh Baker
ENTRIES: 27
PROVISIONAL: Tom Winegardner, Sr.
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADERS: Hull 1-30
CAUTIONS: 4

LUCAS OIL POWER DASH - 5 Laps: 1. Tom Winegardner, Jr.; 2. Terry Gray; 3. Ricky Stenhouse. Jr. 4. Tiffany; 5. Mike Ward; 6. Tom Winegardner, Sr.

B - MAIN EVENT - 12 Laps - 1. Brad Bowden; 2 Scott Bolden; 3. Derek Hager; 4. Dustin Barks; 5. Tyler Thompson; 6. Tom Winegardner, Sr.; 7. A.J Courtney; 8. Kent Buckley; 9. Ray Bugg; 10. Kenny Pope.

ENGLER TOOL AND MACHINE 1ST HEAT: 1. Stenhouse; 2. Schrock; 3. R. Howard; 4.Sowell; 5. Bowden; 6. Pope; 7. Bugg.

BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 1. Hull; 2. Gray; 3. Tiffany; 4. Winegarner, Jr.; 5. Bolden; 6. Winegardner, Sr.; 7. A.J. Courtney

FSR RACING PRODUCTS 3RD HEAT: 1. Ward: 2. Skinner; 4. J. Sides; 4. P. Sides; 5. Barks; 6. Hager.

JE PISTONS 4TH HEAT: 1. Gallagher; 2. Senter; 3. White; 4. Baker; 5. Buckley; 6. Thompson.

DRIVER	HOMETOWN	POINTS
Jerrod Hull	Sikeston , MO	150
Jason Sides	Bartlett , TN	148
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	Olive Branch, MS	146
Terry Gray	Bartlett , TN	144
Mike Ward	Memphis , TN	142
Marshall Skinner	W. Memphis , AR	140
Eddie Gallagher	Memphis , TN	138
Lee Sowell	Nesbit , MS	136
Scott Bolden	W. Memphis , AR	134
Paul Sides	Bartlett , TN	132
Eric Schrock	Lake Ozark , MO	130
Ronny Howard	Southaven , MS	128
Tom Winegardner, Jr	Pierson , FL	126
Matt Tiffany	Daytona Beach , FL	124
Travis Senter	Osceola , AR	122
Josh Baker	Earle , AR	120
Brad Bowden - R	Hernando , MS	118
Eric White	Horn Lake , MS	116
Tyler Thompson - R	Cape Girardeau , MO	114
Tom Winegardner	Pierson , FL	112
Derek Hager - R	Marion , AR	110
Dustin Barks - R	Farmington , MO	108
Ray Bugg	Iuka , MS	100
Kent Buckley	Farmington , MO	100
A.J. Courtney	Mamphis , TN	100
Dylan DeJounett	Sikeston , MO	100
Kenny Pope	Dexter. MO	50