Bridges scores first career O'Reilly USCS win at Florence Motor Speedway
6-17-2006 Florence, SC. - Johnny Bridges from Cherryville, North Carolina won the O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series 35-lap main event at Florence Motor Speedway Friday night. Bridges who started in the number two spot and has limited racing experience on paved ovals raced past pole-starter Ryan Myers from Eaton, Ohio into the lead in turn one of the 4/10 mile asphalt oval. Bridges then held on over a talented field of pavement sprint car drivers from five states for the next thirty-five laps to win his first-ever O'Reilly USCS main event. Bridges victory came aboard a car that is designed to race primarily on dirt surfaces. The O'Reilly USCS is the only winged outlaw style sprint car series in the World that races on both dirt and paved ovals. The O'Reilly USCS rules are designed to allow winged dirt sprint cars to be competitive with true winged pavement machines without the need for exotic modifications.
Johnny Bridges from Cherryville, NC won his first ever O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series feature by winning the O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder main event at Florence Motor Speedway on Friday night. Bridges lead every lap to capture the 35 lap event in his pure dirt sprint car, winning over more exotic pavement only sprint cars. Picture with Bridges is long-time crew chief Jason Day. (USCS photo by Pete Walton).
Bridges known as the 'Wild Child" lead every lap of the race and was challenged in the early laps by his own cousin, Lance Moss also from Cherryville, North Carolina for the lead several times as lapped traffic came into play. Three caution periods including a red flag bunched the field closely behind Bridges but the 1998 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year and 2003 AOAS Champion raced away each time.
Four-time O'Reilly USCS National Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee raced past Moss and then passed twenty year-old Danny Martin, Jr. in the last three laps to challenge Bridges over the final lap but could not get close enough to pass him. Gray who had set fast time, but started sixth after the K&N Pole Award inversion draw finished in the runner-up spot. The Hoosier Tire Young Gun points leader, Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida finished third. Another Hoosier Tire Young Gun nineteen-year old Ryan Myers from Eaton, Ohio who qualified sixth followed in fourth. Keith Butler from Riverview, Florida started the race in eighth position and raced home in the fifth position.
Moss who appeared to have tire problems near the end, lead the next five in sixth place. Veteran Florida sprint car star, Stan Butler from Bushnell, Florida who won the Engler Tool and Machine First Heat came home seventh. Seventeen year-old Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida had a problem after the initial push off and had to be pushed off again after visiting the pits on the parade laps. He was relegated to the rear of the field but raced back to eighth place past fourteen cars. The "Buckeye Bandit", Doug Berryman from Mansfield, Ohio was ninth and Ray Bragg who recently transplanted from Tampa, Florida to Greensboro, North Carolina rounded out the top ten finishers.
A red flag was brought out on lap thirteen when a delay was needed for a second ambulance to arrive after a pit road accident. The incident involved an injury suffered by Danny Martin, Sr. father of O'Reilly USCS driver Danny Martin, Jr. The senior Martin was struck by a car exiting the track on lap nine. Danny Martin, Sr. was transported to the hospital for his injuries, but released at approximately 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning after testing and determined to have no serious injuries.
Stephen Darvalics of Venice, Florida captured the O'Reilly Auto Parts 12-lap B-Main event.
Terry Gray was the CnB Mushroom Farms Fast Qualifier with a fast lap of 13.814 around the 4/10 mile paved oval barely over the track record of 13.798 set by Kevin Swindell on June 17, 2005. The 10-lap Engler Tool and Machine First Heat was won by Stan Butler from Bushnell, Florida. The 10-lap Butlerbuilt Second Heat went to Doug Berryman, Mansfield, Ohio. The 10-lap FSR Racing Products Third Heat Race was won by Jason Kemp of Mansfield, Ohio. Terry Gray won the six-lap Lucas Oil Power Dash.
The evening's Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award went to Tom Winegardner from Pierson, Florida who passed nine cars in the A-Main. Of note, Matt Tiffany was relegated to the rear of the starting order before the race started and then passed fourteen cars and finished eighth. Danny Martin was awarded the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race (for drivers under 25 years old). The K&N Filters Pole Award recipient was Ryan Myers from Eaton, Ohio. Lance Taylor from Tampa, Florida was the Robison Racing Rookie of the Race.
OFFICIAL RESULTS Florence Motor Speedway
- Florence, SC 6/16/06:
PS ST CR# DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
1 2 07 Johnny Bridges Cherryville, NC 35
2 6 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN 35
3 3 00 Danny Martin Jr Sarasota, FL 35
4 1 56r Ryan Myers Eaton, OH 35
5 8 19 Keith Butler Riverview, FL 35
6 4 7 Lance Moss Cherryville, NC 35
7 10 18 Stan Butler Bushnell, FL 35
8 5 19t Matt Tiffany Daytona Beach, FL 35
9 11 1R Doug Berryman Mansfield, OH 35
10 14 66 Ray Bragg Greensboro, NC 35
11 13 39 Charlie Ladner Brandon, FL 35
12 9 19B Shane Butler Bushnell, FL 34
13 22 11 Tom Winegardner, Sr. Pierson, FL 32
14 16 32 Stephen Darvalics Venice, FL 29
15 7 21B Larry Brazil, Jr. Tampa, FL 19
16 18 6 Lance Taylor Tampa, Fl 19
17 12 7X Jason Kemp Mansfield, OH 18
18 19 10G John Gatten Mansfield, OH 8
19 15 1B Brian Maddox Brandon, FL 8
20 17 12B Brian Eckley Tampa, FL 8
21 21 11T Tom Winegardner. Jr. Pierson, FL 8
22 20 8X Doug Gold Oakboro, NC 8
Did not start A-Main:
#0 Clarence Cox Midlothian, VA
#1 Ben Basinger Salisbury, NC
#6 Skeeter Faulconer Lutz, FL
#8 Adam Shaeff Eaton, OH
#59 Danny Statter Deltona, FL
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER: Terry Gray
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Ryan Myers
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: tom Winegardner
(started 22nd and passed 9 cars)
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF RACE: Danny Martin
(Top finisher under 25 yrs.)
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:
Lance Taylor
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Danny Martin
(3rd place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Danny Martin
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Ryan Myers
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: Keith Butler
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Lance Moss
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7 TH-PLACE AWARD: Stan Butler
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Doug Berryman
FSR TOP 10 AWARD : Ray Bragg
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD: Tom Winegardner, Jr.
ENTRIES: 27
PROVISIONAL: two
LEAD CHANGES: none
LAP LEADERS: Johnny Bridges Lap # 1-35
CAUTIONS: two
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH: 6 Laps - 1. Terry Gray; 2. Danny Martin; 3. Matt Tiffany; 4. Charlie Ladner; 5. Stephen Darvalics; 6.Ryan Myers.
HEAT RACES:
ENGLER TOOL AND MACHINE 1ST HEAT: 1. Stan Butler; 2. Danny Martin, Jr.; 3 Terry Gray; 4.; Charlie Ladner; 5. Larry Brazil, Jr.; 6. Stephen Darvalics; 7. Clarence Cox; 8. Danny Statter; 9. Adm Shaeff.
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 1. Doug Berryman; 2. Ray Bragg; 3. Johnny Bridges; 4. Keith Butler; 5. Matt Tiffany; 6. Lance Taylor; 7. Skeeter Faulconer; 8. Doug Gold.
FSR RACING PRODUCTS 3RD HEAT: 1. Jason Kemp; 2. Shane Butler; 3. Ryan Myers; 4. Brian Maddox; 5. Lance Moss; 6. Brian Eckley; 7. John Gatten; 8. Ben Basinger.
O'REILLY AUTO PARTS USCS B-Main 12 LAPS : 1. Stephen Darvalics; 2. Brian Eckley; 3. Lance Taylor; 4. John Gatten; 5. Doug Gold; 6. Tom Winegardner, Jr.; 7. Adam Shaeff; 8. Skeeter Faulconer; 9. Danny Statter; 10. Tom Winegardner; 11. Clarence Cox; 12. Ben Basinger - DNS.
