Danny Martin, Jr. bags O'Reilly USCS loot in Golden Isles "Clash on the Coast"
For immediate release:
Danny Martin, Jr. bags O'Reilly USCS loot in Golden Isles "Clash on the Coast"
April 22, 2006
Brunswick, GA - Two time O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series www.uscsracing.com championship runner-up Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida may have had a change in his luck over the weekend. The twenty year-old Martin tallied a second place finish in Friday night's 20 lap O'Reilly USCS preliminary main event. He then followed up by winning his first feature of the 2006 season in the 30 lap O'Reilly USCS Clash on the Coast Finale on Saturday night at Golden Isles Speedway near Brunswick, Georgia. Martin who has had some things happen that kept him out of victory lane over the past ten to twelve O'Reilly USCS events had it all together in this weekend's competition. Even an approximate 90 minute rain delay each night and, to borrow a football term "poor field position" couldn't hamper the seventh place starting Martin's course to Saturday night's victory lane.
Prior to Martin's victory lane celebration, it had appeared that most of the event's drama was decided when defending O'Reilly USCS National Champion, Kenny Adams from Malabar, Florida was drawn to the K&N Filters pole position. This happened when the previous night's feature winner, Terry Gray drew an eight inversion number. Now, Gray, the four time O'Reilly USCS National champion from Bartlett, Tennessee and the other top four finishers from Friday night's main event would start in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth positions with the potent Adams on the pole via his second place finish in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat behind super young gun sixteen year-old Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida. On the front row with Adams was Terry Witherspoon from Jacksonville, Florida who looked strong with a second place finish behind 2005 Eastbay Raceway track champion, Sport Allen from Pinellas Park, Florida in the Engler Tool and Machine and Tool Heat One.
Adams who is approaching the century mark in total wins in the O'Reilly USCS with an all-time high of ninety-five feature wins did not disappoint. He took the lead in turn one of the 30 lap A-Main and started to drive away from the field seemingly cruising to win number ninety-six until Matt Tiffany came up to challenge on lap eight when Adams first started encountering lap traffic. Tiffany dogged Adams for eight laps appearing to have the faster car, and taking advantage of lapped traffic and looking way beyond his years in his ability to challenge the veteran Adams. Suddenly on lap sixteen Adams slowed in turn three and went to the infield, the victim of an engine failure. Tiffany inherited the lead and looked to be racing to his first O'Reilly USCS Dirt Cup feature win. He held the point until lap nineteen when he coasted off the track with the same problem under the hood.
This put Danny Martin, Jr. who had been chasing to the two early leaders, at the head of the pack. Martin was gaining momentum and had a comfortable lead over Witherspoon and Gray who had their own battle for second place going on. Two laps later on lap twenty-one, Stephen Darvalics from Venice, Florida who was running fourth at the time, contacted the turn tow inside guardrail and flipped over bringing out the race's first caution flag. Darvalics had to be checked out by the paramedics and had minor injuries mainly on his feet but otherwise had no serious injuries.
When the race resumed for the final nine circuits, Martin pulled away to a comfortable advantage. On lap twenty- five Gray passed Witherspoon and started trying to reel Martin in to no avail. On lap twenty-nine, Tom Winegardner, Sr. suffered a rear-end failure. His progress stopped short of the infield access exiting turn four bringing out the race's second and final yellow flag. This event setup a green-white-checkered finish with one lapped car separating Martin and the previous night's winner Terry Gray. Martin gunned hard and pulled out to a five to six car length margin over the final two circuits over Gray, Witherpoon, Tom Winegardner, Jr.who started tenth and Brian Maddox from Brandon, Florida who had started in the eleventh spot and closed fast to round out the top five.
Bryn Gohn started off the evening by winning his second Lucas Oil Power Dash of the year and the second in two nights. Sport Allen from Pinellas Park, FL was the winner in the Engler Tool and Machine First Heat. Tiffany captured the Butlerbuilt Second Heat. Tom Winegardner, Jr. garnered the events Huggins Cams Hard Charger award for his charge from tenth to fourth place past six cars. Brian Maddox also passed six cars in the A-Main but finished just behind Winegardner. Terry Witherspoon received the evenings JE Pistons Top Guns Award for his third place finish.
Matt Stegeman driving the only Ford powered mount in the field was declared the Robison Racing Products Rookie of the Race. Adams grabbed the K&N Filters Pole Award. Danny Martin was again 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 2004 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year, R.J. Johnson.
The O'Reilly USCS "Million Dollar Thunder" Tour's next event is actually, next weekend as the O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Tour fires back into action with paved oval racing action at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, GA on Saturday April 29th. For more info contact Lanier National Speedway www.laniernationalspeedway.com at 770-967-8600. For more info on the O'Reilly USCS visit www.uscsracing.com .
OFFICIAL RESULTS - ROUND NINE - O'REILLY USCS OUTLAW
THUNDER TOUR AT GOLDEN ISLES SPEEDWAY IN BRUNSWICK,
GA ON 4/22/06:
POS START CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
1. 7 00 Danny Martin, Jr. Sarasota, FL 30
2. 8 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN 30
3. 2 43 Terry Witherspoon Jacksonville, FL 30
4. 10 11T Tom Winegardner, Jr Pierson, FL 30
5. 11 3x Brian Maddox Brandon, FL 30
6. 9 4B Bryn Gohn Malabar, FL 30
7. 6 26 Marshall Skinner W. Memphis, AR 30
8. 12 11 Tom Winegardner Pierson, FL 28
9. 14 19 Jerry Jones Clermont, FL 27
10. 17 10s Matt Stegeman - R Tampa, FL 24
11. 5 32 Stephen Darvalics Venice, FL 21
12. 3 19T Matt Tiffany Daytona Beach, FL 19
13. 1 4A Kenny Adams Malabar, FL 16
14. 16 12B Bryan Eckley - R Tampa, FL 16
15. 15 59 Dan Statter Deltona, FL 9
16. 4 42x Sport Allen Pinellas Park, FL 5
17. DNS 71 R.J. Johnson Decatur, TN DNS
18. DNS 88z Shane Nelson - R Chattanooga, TN DNS
19. DNS 20 Frank Carlsson Oxford, FL DNS
Awards:
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER: Bryn Gohn
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Kenny Adams
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: Tom Winegardner, Jr.
(started 10th and passed 6 cars)
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Danny Martin, Jr.
(Top finisher under 25 years old )
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Matt Stegeman
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Terry Witherspoon. (3rd place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Terry Witherspoon
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Tom Winegardner, Jr.
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: Brian Maddox
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Bryn Gohn
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7 TH-PLACE AWARD: Marshall Skinner
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Jerry Jones
FSR TOP 10 AWARD : Matt Stegeman
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD: R.J. Johnson
ENTRIES: 20
PROVISIONAL: none
LEAD CHANGES: one
LAP LEADERS: Hull 1-19
CAUTIONS: two
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH - 6 Laps: 1. Bryn Gohn ; 2. Matt Tiffany; 3. Marshall Skinner; 4. Danny Martin; 5.Terry Gray; 6. Stephen Darvalics.
HEAT RACES:
ENGLER TOOL AND MACHINE 1ST HEAT: 1. . Sport Allen; 2. Marshall Skinner; 2. Terry Witherspoon; 3. Bryn Gohn; 4. Brian Maddox; 5. R.J. Johnson; 6. Dan Statter; 7. Shane Nelson; DNS 8. Frank Carlsson DNS**
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 1. Matt Tiffany; 2. Kenny Adams; 3. Tom Winegarner, Jr.; 4. Tom Winegardner, Sr.; 5. Jerry Jones;. 6. Bryan Eckley; 7.Matt Stegeman.
4 cars locked in from Friday nights feature; 1. Terry Gray; 2.Danny Martin, Jr. 3. Marshall Skinner; 4. Stephen Darvalics.
PHOTO / CAPTION: Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida won his first O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series feature race of the season in the 30 lap O'Reilly USCS "Clash on the Coast" at Golden Isles Speedway. ( USCS photo).
Media contact: Pete Walton 404-886-5913
