O'REILLY AUTO PARTS UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES OPENS AT VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK WINTERNATIONALS
By Katherine Adams
January 23, 2006
(Atlanta, GA) The 2006 racing season for the very popular O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series will open once again during the 35th annual Winternationals featuring Sprint Car Speedweek at the Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida. The O'Reilly USCS 360 sprints will again see two nights of O'reilly USCS National and O'Reilly USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional points racing on Monday, February 6th with the UMP Modifieds and the following night with the All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars opening night of racing.
“We always look forward to cranking up the season in Florida,” said series president Pete Walton. “The competition is always at it's highest when we begin the season at the annual Sprint Car Speedweeks at Volusia. As a plus the weather's usually great too.”
Defending series champion, Kenny Adams ‘The Malabar Missle', will begin his title defense where he has found much success. Last year Adams won the finale of the O'Reilly USCS Florida State Championship event at Volusia Speedway Park in October. The past three years, Adams has picked up three main event wins while travelling to Volusia Speedway Park with the O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series. In 2006, Adams collected nearly $100,000 in prize money on his way to the series title for the second time. He is first on the USCS career win list with 93 victories.
Adams may be looking over his shoulder more this season as Tennessee's ‘Barlett Bullet' Terry Gray and Danny "Hammer" Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida are both primed for a run at the title. Gray is second behind only Adams in career wins with the O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series. He won two races last season to finish third in the final point standings. The veteran sprinter will look to win for the first time in Florida during sprint weeks. The nineteen year old, Martin who was named 2005 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame "Wild Card" driver of the year has put together back-to-back runner-up finishes in the O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series over the last two seasons. Martin also has nine career feature wins in the USCS and has the talent to be a real serious contender again.
The O'Reilly USCS has developed some great young talent over the past few years. Those young drivers known as the Speedmart Young Guns (drivers under 25 years) will be looking to impress the visiting teams with the All-Star Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws. “ We believe that several of our younger stars could hop into any one of those rides with the 410 tours and be successful,” said Walton. “They are a talented bunch of drivers and they have shown their talent with our series for the past couple of years. Our series tests them each and every time they hit the speedway on pavement or dirt.”
The Speedmart Young Guns Arsenal includes Danny Martin, Jr., Matt Tiffany, RJ Johnson, Steven Darvaics, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ryan Myers, Tom Winegardner, Jr. and fifteen year old Jamie Neaves. All have cut their teeth with the O'Reilly Auto Parts USCS and will be ready for the new season to open.
The O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series competes on dirt and asphalt ovals throughout the mid-south and southeastern United States. The 360 Sprint Car Series will tour a schedule of over sixty events this season offering competitors nearly one million dollars in prize money, point funds and contingencies. Additional information on the series can be obtained by contacting the series offices at 404-886-5913 or on line at www.uscsracing.com .
