Curt Michael captures South vs. North Showdown Round One at Riverside Speedway
Travelers Rest, S.C. - Defending URC Champion, Curt Michael from Ocean View, Delaware won the combined O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series and Bar's Leak URC Sprint Series presented by Advance Auto Parts South vs. North Showdown Round One main event at Riverside Speedway on Friday night. Michael started from the pole after Engler Tool and Machine First Heat winner Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida drew a four inversion. Michael chased early leader nineteen year-old Josh Weller from Mertztown, Pennsylvania before finding the high side of the 4/10 mile clay oval to his liking. Michael moved past Weller on lap ten and used lap traffic to his advantage to lead the rest of the race with Weller coming home in the runner-up spot followed by 1999 O'Reilly USCS Dirt Cup Champion Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas in third and the seventeen year-old hot-shoe Tiffany in fourth. This was the same order in which the front four started. Brook Weibley from York Springs, Pennsylvania who started in the eighth position rounded out the top five.
Curt Michael from Ocean View, Delaware won Round One of the South vs. North Showdown at Riverside Speedway in Travelers Rest, SC. on Friday night. Michael is the defending URC Sprint Series Champion and current points leader. The event pits the O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series and URC Sprint Series in a two night challenge event that will contest Round Two at I-20 Speedway in Batesburg, SC on Saturday night. (photo by John Sellers).
Sean Michael from Allentown, Pennsylvania finished sixth and four-time O'Reilly USCS National Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee was seventh. Gray who is the current O'Reilly USCS National points leader lost an engine while running third in his heat race and started in the twentieth position and garnered the Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award for the event after passing thirteen cars. URC regular Dave Betts from Newark, Delaware finished in the eighth position. O'Reilly USCS Hoosier Tire Young Guns points leader, Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida made contacted with the wall on lap fifteen, but rallied from the rear of the field to finish in the ninth position. Another O'Reilly USCS Hoosier Tire Young Gun, twenty year-old Tom "TJ" Winegardner, Jr. from Pierson, Florida who is currently fourth in the O'Reilly USCS National standings rounded out the top ten.
The initial start was marred by the night's only red flag when Scott Purcell from Frenchtown, New Jersey flipped after making contact with another car in turn one. The caution flag flew twice after that incident, once on lap seven when Mares Stellfox's #56m car from Prospect Park, Pennsylvania halted on the track for mechanical reasons and again when Danny Martin, Jr. contacted the second turn wall on lap fifteen. Of note, Kramer Williamson who is currently second in the URC current point standings left the event while the race was under caution on lap with steering problems. Williamson who was running in the ninth spot at the time has over 60 career URC Sprint Series wins.
Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida won the Lucas Oil Power Dash then continued his streak by winning the 8-lap Engler Tool and Machine First Heat Race. The 8-lap Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race went to Marshall Skinner who is in second place in the O'Reilly USCS Dirt Cup National standings. The JE Pistons Third Heat race was won by Josh Weller. Gray captured the evening's Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award for passing thirteen cars in the A-Main. Josh Weller was awarded the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race (for the highest finishing driver under 25 years old). The K&N Filters Pole Award recipient was Curt Michael.
The O'Reilly USCS and URC Sprint Series returns to action on Saturday night July 8th at I-20 Speedway www.i20speedway.com in Batesburg, South Carolina with Round Two of the South vs. North Showdown. For more info on the series visit www.uscsracing.com or call 404-886-5913.
OFFICIAL RESULTS Riverside Speedway 7/7/06
PS ST CR# DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
1 1 99 Curt Michael Ocean View, Delaware 26
2 2 63 Josh Weller Mertztown, PA 26
3. 3 26 Marshall Skinner West Memphis, AR 26
4 4 19T Matt Tiffany Daytona Beach, FL 26
5 8 56 Brook Weibley York Springs, PA 26
6 7 92 Sean Michael Allentown, PA 26
7 3 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN 26
8 5 22 Dave Betts Newark, DE 26
9 10 00 Danny Martin,Jr Sarasota, FL 26
10 11 11T Tom Winegardner,Jr Pierson, FL 26
11 15 89 Robbie Stillwagon New jersey 26
12 14 56m Mares Stellfox Prospect Park, PA 26
13 16 1x Matt Linder Hoschton, GA 26
14 18 11 Tom Winegardner,Sr Pierson, FL 24
15 6 32 Stephen Darvalics Venice, FL 21
16 9 2D Doug Day Winder, GA 15
17 13 2B Brooke Bowman Chestertown, MD 15
18 17 67 Brian Thomas Auburn, GA 9
19 12 73 Kramer Williamson Palmyra, PA 7
20 21 5 David Thorman Greenville, SC 5
21 19 1 Scott Purcell Frenchtown, NJ 0
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER:
Matt Tiffany
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD:
Curt Michael
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER:
Terry Gray
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF RACE:
Josh Weller (Top finisher under 25 yrs.)
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Skinner
(3rd place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Marshall Skinner
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Matt Tiffany
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: Brook Weibley
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Sean Michael
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7 TH-PLACE AWARD: Terry Gray
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Danny Martin, Jr.
FSR TOP 10 AWARD : TJ Winegardner
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD: Scott Purcell
ENTRIES: 21
PROVISIONAL: none
LEAD CHANGES: one
LAP LEADERS; Josh Weller 1-10, Curt Michael Laps # 11-26,
CAUTIONS: three (one red flag)
