O’Reilly USCS "ASPHALT THUNDER" SPRINT CARS HEADLINE RACING at SOUTHERN NATIONAL RACEWAY PARK THIS SATURDAY NIGHT (June 17th)
Kenly, NC - Wild and exciting winged Outlaw sprint car racing returns to Southern National Raceway Park for the fourth annual “Night of Thunder” this Saturday night, June 17th. The O’Reilly Auto Parts sponsored United Sprint Car Series "Asphalt Thunder" Tour will roar into the famed 4/10 mile paved oval for its sixth paved track event of the season. This will be event number twenty-four on the season for the O’Reilly USCS National touring drivers who also race on dirt ovals. The O’Reilly USCS is the only winged Outlaw sprint car series in the World that races on both dirt and paved surfaces.
The event is expected to bring top winged Outlaw sprint car drivers from at least six states to the Speedway. Their exotic fire breathing, alcohol burning, 700 horsepower open wheel cars weight just 1,300 pounds and will literally fly around the track surface at speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour. It is not uncommon to see O’Reilly USCS sprint cars popping "wheelies" or doing wheel stands because of the brute force of their engines and their huge 18 inch wide rear tires. Saturday night's Outlaw sprint car action will feature a full program that will include time trials, qualifying heat races and an A-main event. The evening's first sprint car race will be the Lucas Oil Power Dash that showcases the top cars from the previous O’Reilly USCS main event in an edge-of-your-seat six-car shootout. Also on the bill will be racing in Southern National most popular divisions, the Late Models, Limited Late Model Stock, Street Stock and Four Cylinders.
Heavy-hitter entries from across the nation including the four-time O’Reilly USCS National Champion Gray and 20 year old Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida who was the 2004 and 2005 runner-up in the O’Reilly USCS National point standings. Gray is the current National points leader and O’Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Tour paved track points leader. He already has eleven national sprint car championships with three different series to his credit and over 300 feature wins. Gray finished in the number eight spot at the end of last season in the final National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Driver of the Year poll. He is also among the top 25 win leaders in the nation over the last five seasons with nearly 70 main event wins. Martin is currently second in the current USCS national point standings and finished last season ranked ninth in the Nation out of 3000 drivers considered. Martin lead the 2005 Southern National event until midway when a rear end failure sent him to the pits.
Another young gun,18-year-old Ryan Myers from Eldorado, Ohio who was the “Cinderella” story of the 2005 O”Reilly USCS pavement season when he used a 10 year old dirt sprint car to finish fourth in the final O’Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder point standings is entered. He will be joined by several other talented USCS Young Guns (drivers under 25) Another young star is seventeen-year-old driving sensation, Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida who finished 5th in the National standings and captured a paved track win in 2005. Tiffany is third in the current National standings. Twenty year-old Tom Winegardner, Jr. from Pierson, Florida who is fourth in the National standings is expected as well. These young speed-demons will be joined by another trio of young challengers from the Buckeye State of Ohio. Those include the “Buckeye Bandit” Doug Berryman and his teammates Joe Rebman and Jason Kemp all from Mansfield, Ohio.
Other notable entries include: Driver and team owner Scott “Skeeter” Faulconer from Lutz, Florida who finished seventh in the National point standings in 2005 will bring a three-car team to the event. Additional out of state entries expected are : The younger Winegardner’s Father and teammate Tom Winegardner, Sr. from Pierson, Florida who is seventh in the point standings. “Chargin’ Charlie Ladner from Tampa, Florida in the Mac Steele owned #0 and Nick Manikis from Tampa who are the O’Reilly USCS point standings ninth and tenth are entered. In addition, Veteran Florida sprint car ace, Stan Butler from Bushnell, Florida and his two son’s Keith and Shane Butler are entered as well. Other expected entries include several North Carolina drivers including Johnny Bridges and Lance Moss both from Cherryville, North Carolina.
