Ricky Stenhouse captures O'Reilly USCS Hooker Hood Sprint Car Shootout Finale
April 15, 2006
FOR IMMEDITE RELEASE FROM THE O'REILLY USCS:
Ricky Stenhouse captures O'Reilly USCS Hooker Hood Sprint Car Shootout Finale
April 15, 2006 Luray, TN - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. from Olive Branch, Mississippi stormed into the lead from his third place start on lap one of the Hooker Hood Sprint Car Shootout at Garnertown Speedway on Saturday night to capture the finale of the event honoring one of the Mid-South's most legendary open wheel drivers of all times. Stenhouse bested the nineteen cars from five states in the O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series sanctioned 30 lap A-Main to garner the $2499 top prize. He also increased his points lead in O'Reilly USCS Mid-South Thunder title chase. Stenhouse also collected a $299 "Salute to Hooker Hood" bonus for his win from the second row in the #40R Dynotech powered J&J Auto Racing car. The always popular eighteen-year old high school Senior enjoyed the spoils of victory lane in front of a rousing welcome from the fans and in front of the man whose name the event bore, Hooker Hood. Stenhouse continued to show the talent he was recognized for when he was named 2003 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Rookie of the Year. He finished in third place in the 2005 O'Reilly USCS Mid-South Thunder standings and declared from victory lane that " The track was great and I just need to keep winning so I can take the USCS Mid-South title this time around."
Photos by Phil Bowden
Photos by Phil Bowden
Defending O'Reilly USCS Champion Kenny Adams from Malabar, Florida and another O'Reilly USCS regular Tom Winegardner from Pierson, Florida started on the front row, but were unable to contain Stenhouse's charge on the initial start. Stenhouse raced into the lead down the backstretch on lap one . Then, on lap three Winegardner's team-mate twenty-year old Tom "TJ" Winegardner, Jr. also from Pierson, Florida rolled his blue and yellow #11T off of the top of turn three to bring out the red flag. After the clean-up and determination that "TJ" was okay, the green flag fell on the final caution-free twenty-two laps. Stenhouse was challenged for several laps by Adams before the Malabar Missile started to experience problems with a steering leak.
Adams charge started to fade around lap twelve and eventually retired to the infield on lap twenty while running sixth. By then Stenhouse was pulling away while lapping cars and streaking toward a victory lane celebration. Nineteen-year old Lee Sowell from Nesbitt, Mississippi, who had started fourth replaced Adams in second place and took up the chase with Mike Ward from Memphis, Tennessee in third, Terry Gray the O'Reilly uSCS National points leader from Bartlett, Tennessee who started ninth in was in fourth followed by the previous night's winner Marshall Skinner from west Memphis, Arkansas who started eighth after the inversion draw rounding out the top five on lap twenty.
On lap twenty-one Danny Martin, Jr. who started seventh moved past Skinner into the top five. Skinner headed the second five at the finish line followed by Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida finished in seventh. Travis Senter from Osceola, Arkansas rallied from a sixteenth place start to finish in eighth and to capture the Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award for the evening. O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year candidate Brad Bowden from Hernando, Mississippi garnered his first top ten finish in ninth position and was awarded the Robison racing Rookie of the Race award. The 2005 O'Reilly USCS.
Sowell who was impressive all night won the Engler Tool and Machine First Heat Race. Ward won the Butlerbuilt Second Heat to lock himself into the inversion draw as well. The ten drivers were locked in via their feature finish on Friday and/or the top three finishers in heat races on Saturday. Each driver drew for their Salute to Hooker Hood bonus starting positions from a group of numbers fom one through ten. Adams captured the K&N Filters Pole Award by drawing the number one inversion pill placing himself on the pole next to Tom Winegardner.
Adams won the Lucas Oil Power Dash that pits the top six cars from the previous O'Reilly USCS event in a six car / six lap Shootout. Stenhouse was the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race.
Hooker Hood signed over 500 autographs for his legion of fans in attendance at Garnertown Speedway and his presence brought a great spirit to the event with young and old fans alike seen sporting the legendary open wheel drivers special event T-Shirts. Several vintage race cars will be on display at that time.
The O'Reilly USCS sprints, next event is at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga this coming weekend on Friday April 21st and Saturday April 22nd. Each night will feature a full racing program for the sprint cars including the Lucas Oil power Dash, qualifying heats and features. The cars will also time trial on Friday night with a new all time track record expected at the ½ mile clay oval located 12 miles west of I-95 on US 82. For directions to Golden Isles Speedway visit http://www.goldenislesspeedway.com/ . for ticket info call 912-778-3767. For O'Reilly USCS info visit www.uscsracing.com or call 404-886-5913.
OFFICIAL RESULTS - ROUND SIX - O'REILLY USCS OUTLAW
THUNDER TOUR AT GARNERTOWN SPEEDWAY IN LURAY, TN ON
4/15/06:
POS ST CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
1. 3 40R Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Olive Branch, MS 30
2. 4 51 Lee Sowell Nesbitt, MS 30
3. 6 51 Mike Ward Memphis, TN 30
4. 9 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN 30
5. 7 00 Danny Martin, Jr. Bartlett, TN 30
6. 8 26 Marshall Skinner West Memphis, AR 29
7. 5 19T Matt Tiffany Daytona Beach, FL 29
8. 16 22 Travis Senter Osceola, AR 28
9. 13 15b Brad Bowden - R Hernando, MS 28
10. 12 4b Bryn Gohn Malabar, FL 28
11. 14 58 Mike McElya Bartlett, TN 28
12. 15 14x Eric White Southaven, MS 27
13. 2 11 Tom Winegardner Pierson, FL 27
14. 17 96 Nick DeFeo - R Marietta, GA 24
15. 1 4A Kenny Adams Malabar, FL 20
16. 18 3d Marion Jacobs Tuscumbia, AL 15
17. 11 25 Ray Bugg Iuka, MS 4
18. 10 11T Tom Winegardner, Jr. Pierson, FL 1
19. DNS 18c Scott Bolden W. Memphis, AR DNS
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Tom Winegardner, Jr.
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: Mike Ward (started 15th
and passed 7 cars)
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Ricky Stenhouse.
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Brad Bowden
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (1st place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Mike Ward
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Terry Gray
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: Danny Martin, Jr.
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Marshall Skinner
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7TH-PLACE AWARD: Matt Tiffany
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Brad Bowden
FSR TOP 10 AWARD : Danny Martin, Jr.
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD: Tom Winegardner, Jr.
ENTRIES: 19
PROVISIONAL: None
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADERS: Stenhouse 1-30
CAUTIONS: 1 - on lap three
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH - 6 Laps: 1. Kenny Adams. ; 2. Marshall Skinner; 3. Ricky Stenhouse: 4. Tom Winegardner, Jr.; 5. Terry Gray; 6. Lee Sowell.
ENGLER TOOL AND MACHINE 1ST HEAT: 1. Sowell; 2. Martin; 3. Winegarner, Sr ; 4. Bugg; 5. Bowden; 6. White; 7.DeFeo; 8. Bolden DNS - Motor Problem
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 1. Mike Ward; 2 Tiffany; 3 Gray; 4.Gohn; 5. McElya; 6. Senter; 7. Jacobs.
Four cars locked in from Friday night's A-Main and only hot lapped - Marshall Skinner, Kenny Adams, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Tom Winegardner, Jr.
