Ward captures O'Reilly USCS Speedweek 2006 Championship

Atlanta, Ga - Legendary Mid-South veteran sprint car driver Mike Ward from Memphis, Tennessee used consistency to bring home the championship of the 1st annual O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series Speedweek 2006. Ward did not win a single A-Main event but finished in the runner-up spot in races at Malden Speedway on Friday, May 26th and on Thursday night, June 1st at East Alabama Motor Speedway. He then capped off the week of racing by leading twenty-seven laps of the finale event before finishing in the runner-up spot again at Columbus Speedway on Saturday night, June 3rd. Ward lost a cylinder in that event before the final caution allowing Gary Wright from Hooks, Texas to snatch away the Speedweek 2006 victory that seemed to be Ward's until the last three laps. His other finishes were a seventh place finish at Riverside Speedway on Saturday, May 27th, a ninth place finish at Clarksville Speedway on Sunday night, May 28th and his worst finish was an eleventh place finish at Clayhill Motorsports on Monday, May 29th.




Mike Ward from Memphis, Tennessee won the O'Reilly USCS Speedweek 2006 Championship. Ward did not win a feature race in the six-night battle with a tough field of competitors assembled each and every night. His finishes in the A-Main included a second place three times and he also had seventh, ninth and eleventh place finishes as well. (Phil Bowden photo) Media Contact: Pete Walton 404-886-5913 petewalton@bellsouth.net www.uscsracing.com

Ward bested fifty-four different competitors from eight states in the point standings with his total of 846 points compiled over six races in nine days during the Speedweek 2006 competition. Those drivers included four time O'Reilly USCS National Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee and 1999 O'Reilly USCS Dirt Cup Champion Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas who tied for the Speedweek 2006 runner-up spot in the standings. Gray and Skinner finished just six points behind Ward with 840 points each. Skinner won the Round Three A-Main event at Clarksville Speedway on Sunday night, May 28th. Gray leads the O'Reilly USCS National point standings after Saturday night.

Jerrod Hull who won the Round One event at Malden, Missouri finished fourth in the standings with 824 points. Two-time and defending O'Reilly USCS National Champion, Kenny Adams from Malabar, Florida won the Round Five event at East Alabama Motor Speedway on Thursday night and was fifth in the Speedweek 2006 final standings with 814 points. Adams lead the Speedweek points going into the final night and was involved in mishap with another car and ended his night and his Speedweek title chances on lap eleven of the "Columbus Clash".

Although veteran drivers dominated the top five in the standings the second five was loaded with Hoosier Tire Young Guns. Hoosier Tire Young Guns are drivers under twenty-five years old. Leading the second group in sixth place with 808 points was twenty year-old Hoosier Tire Young Gun points-leader Danny Martin Jr. from Sarasota, Florida. Martin is also in second place in the O'Reilly USCS National standings. Another talented Young Gun, nineteen year-old Lee Sowell from Nesbit, Mississippi finished in the seventh spot for the week after totaling 804 points. Talented seventeen year-old second year sprint car ace, Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida who is currently third in the O'Reilly USCS National standings was eighth in the Speedweek 2006 standings with 768 points. Twenty year-old Tom Winegardner, Jr. from Pierson, Florida finished in ninth place out of over sixty drivers that competed through out the week of speed with a total of 752 points. 2005 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year Bryn Gohn from Malabar, Florida rounded out the top ten drivers in the Speedweek 2006 point standings with 678 points.

Tom Winegardner, Sr. from Pierson, Florida who is the teammate of Tom Winegardner, Jr. competed in all of the events and finished in the eleventh position in the Speedweek standings after accumulating 676 points. Eric White from Horn Lake, Mississippi finished in the twelfth position with 658 points and competed in all six races with the other eleven drivers that were above him in the six race point standings. 2004-2005 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 360 sprint car Driver of the Year, Gary Wright from Hooks, Texas was thirteenth in the standings with 594 points after competing in just four events. Wright won the Speedweek Round Four event at Clayhill Motorsports on Monday, May 29th and the Round Seven finale at Columbus Speedway on Saturday night June 3rd. Fifteen year-old Robison Racing Products Rookie of the Year candidate Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas finished fourteenth with 586 points and Raymond Stull from Coldwater, Mississippi, who

Finished in third place, fifth place and sixth twice in four events earned 564 points and completed the top fifteen drivers in the point standings.

Ronnie Howard from Southaven Mississippi finished sixteenth with 456 points, eighteen year-old Rookie of the Year candidate Brad Bowden from Hernando, MS was seventeenth with 448 points. Another O'Reilly USCS Mid-South hot shoe, eighteen year-old Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. from Olive Branch, Mississippi who competed in only three events but won the Riverside Speedway Round Two event on Saturday, May 27th blew a motor on Monday night at Clayhill Motorsports while challenging for the lead in the feature and never returned to action but finished eighteenth in the Speedweek standings with 394 points. Veteran racer Kenny Coke from Olive Branch, Mississippi with 378 points to finish nineteenth and sprint car rookie driver Dustin Barks from Farmington, Missouri earned 368 points to round out the top twenty drivers in the O'Reilly USCS Speedweek point standings.

Five different drivers won O'Reilly USCS Speedweek 2006 events. Fifty-four different drivers from eight states competed in the various O'Reilly USCS Speedweek events. Twelve of those drivers competed in all six events. Twenty-four of the sprint car drivers competed in at least four of the six events. Round Six at North Alabama Speedway was rained out. For more info on the O'Reilly USCS Speedweek 2006 visit www.uscsracing.com

O'Reilly USCS Speedweek 2006 final point standings top 20:

Pos.	Driver/Hometown				points

1st	Mike Ward, Memphis, TN			846
2nd	Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN		840
Tie	Marshall Skinner, W. Memphis, AR	840
4th	Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO		824
5th	Kenny Adams, Malabar, FL		814
6th	Danny Martin, Jr., Sarasota, FL		808
7th	Lee Sowell, Nesbitt, MS			804
8th	Matt Tiffany, Daytona Beach, FL		768
9th	Tom Winegardner, Jr., Pierson, FL	752
10th 	Bryn Gohn, Malabar, FL			678
11th 	Tom Winegardner, Sr., Pierson, FL	676
12th 	Eric White, Horn Lake, MS		658
13th 	Gary Wright, Hooks, TX			594
14th 	Derek Hagar, Marion, AR  **(R) 		586
15th 	Raymond Stull, Coldwater, MS		564
16th	Ronnie Howard, Southaven, MS		456
17th	Brad Bowden, Hernando, MS  **(R)	448
18th	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Olive Branch, MS	394
19th	Kenny Coke, Olive Branch, MS		378
20th	Dustin Barks, Farmington, MO **(R)	368

** (R) Indicates Robison Racing Rookie of the Year candidate

O'Reilly USCS Speedweek 2006 Feature Winners
5/26 - Malden Speedway, Malden, MO		 #94 	Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO
5/27 - Riverside Speedway, W. Memphis, AR	 #40R 	Ricky Stenhouse, Olive Branch, MS
5/28 - Clarksville Speedway, Clarksville, TN	 #26	Marshall Skinner, W. Memphis, AR
5/29 - Clayhill Motorsports, Atwood, TN		  #9	Gary Wright, Hooks, TX
6/01 - East Ala. Motor Speedway, Phenix City, AL #4A	Kenny Adams, Malabar, FL
6/02 - North Ala. Motor Speedway, Tuscumbia, AL	 ---	RAINED OUT
6/03 - Columbus Speedway, Columbus, MS		  #9	Gary Wright, Hooks, TX