Ward captures third O'Reilly USCS feature in a row at North Alabama Speedway
August 18, 2006, Tuscumbia, AL - O'Reilly Auto Parts United Sprint Car Series www.uscsracing.com Mid-South Thunder points leader Mike Ward from Memphis, Tennessee bested a field that included many of the Nation's top-ranked sprint car drivers from seven states to capture his third feature win in his last three O'Reilly USCS starts Friday night at North Alabama Speedway. Ward also ran his 2006 O'Reilly USCS season feature win total to four. That is one more than any other driver in the series which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary season with its most competitive racing ever. The 30-lap race at the 1/3 mile northern Alabama clay oval was a combined O'Reilly USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour, Mid-South Thunder Tour and Southern Thunder Tour points event. Ward started on the pole and survived six caution periods including two red-flag incidents in the early going. Ward held of hard-charging Darren Stewart from Bixby, Oklahoma on a lap eighteen restart to cruise home with the win. Current O'Reilly USCS Carolina Thunder regional series and Hoosier Tire Young Guns points leader Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida grabbed the other podium spot in third place after starting eighth. Matt Linder from Hoschton, Georgia who started thirteenth followed in fourth place and sensational O'Reilly USCS rookie points leader, fifteen year-old Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas rounded out the top five.
Current O'Reilly USCS National points leader Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee was in the runner-up spot through lap eighteen but had a wing tree collapse during the lap eighteen caution and had to re-start at the rear of the field but hustled back to sixth place. Seventeen year-old Matt Tiffany from Daytona Beach, Florida was seventh followed by 2005 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year, Bryn Gohn from Malabar, Florida in eighth. Marshall Skinner who turned over on lap one in an incident with defending O'Reilly USCS Champion Kenny Adams from Malabar, Florida and Joe Spencer from Myrtle , Mississippi made repairs and returned to the field on lap two to finish ninth. Lee Sowell from Nesbit, Mississippi rounded out the top ten.
Four time O'Reilly USCS National Champion, Terry Gray started the night's racing action by winning the six-lap Lucas Oil Power Dash. Marshall Skinner won the 10- lap Engler Tool and Machine First Heat Race. Mike Ward won the 10-lap Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race. Darren Stewart from Bixby, Oklahama garnered the events Huggins Cams Hard Charger award for his charge from the last starting position into the runner-up spot. Derek Hagar was awarded the Robison Racing Products Rookie of the Race after finishing fifth. Gray collected the K&N Filters Pole Award after Skinner drew a four inversion pill.
Twenty-three year-old Darren Stewart was also recognized as the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race, which is awarded to the top-finishing driver under twenty-five years old. The Weld Racing Hard Luck award went to Joe Spencer who was taken out on a lap one caution.
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The next O'Reilly USCS National points event is Saturday night at Atomic Speedway in Lenoir City, Tennessee located just off Interstate 40 at Exit 364. For more info visit www.atomicspeedway.com. For O'Reilly USCS info visit www.uscsracing.com
OFFICIAL RESULTS - O'REILLY USCS OUTLAW THUNDER
TOUR ROUND THIRTY TWO AT NORRTH ALABAMA SPEEDWAY
ON August 18, 2006.
PS STRT CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
1 3 88 Mike Ward Memphis, TN 30
2 18 91 Darren Stewart Bixby, OK 30
3 8 00 Danny Martin, Jr. Sarasota, FL 30
4 13 1x Matt Linder Hoschton, GA 30
5 9 9jr Derek Hagar Marion, AR 30
6 2 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN 30
7 14 19T Matt Tiffany Daytona Beach,FL 29
8 10 4B Bryn Gohn Malabar, FL 29
9 4 26 Marshall Skinner W. Memphis, AR 29
10 1 4A Lee Sowell Nesbit, MS 12
11 15 11 Tom Winegardner Pierson, FL 10
12 12 11T Tom Winegardner,Jr Pierson, FL 5
13 6 32 Stephen Darvalics Venice, FL 5
14 16 3d Marion Jacobs Tuscumbia, AL 3
15 11 15b Brad Bowden Hernando, MS 0
16 5 4A Kenny Adams Malabar, FL 0
17 17 19 Jerry Jones Clermont, FL 0
18 7 12 Joe Spencer Myrtle, MS 0
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER: Terry Gray
K&N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Terry Gray
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: Darren Stewart
(started 18th and passed 16 cars)
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Darren Stewart
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Derek Hagar
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Mike Ward (1st place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Marshall Skinner
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Matt Linder
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: Lee Sowell
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Terry Gray
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7 TH-PLACE AWARD: Matt Tiffany
AIR FLOW RESEARCH 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Marshall Skinner
FSR TOP 10 AWARD : Lee Sowell
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD: Joe Spencer
ENTRIES: 18
PROVISIONAL: none
LEAD CHANGES: none
LAP LEADERS: Ward. 1-30
CAUTIONS: six
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH - 6 Laps: 1. Terry Gray;
2. T.J. Winegardner; 3.Marshall Skinner;
4. Stephen Darvalics; 5. Matt Tiffany;
6. Danny Martin, Jr..
HEAT RACES:
ENGLER TOOL AND MACHINE 1ST HEAT: 1 Marshall Skinner
2. Terry Gray 3. Kenny Adams; 4. Joe Spencer;
5. Derek Hagar; 6. Brad Bowden; 7. Matt Linder;
8. Tom Winegardner; 9. Jerry Jones
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 1. Mike Ward 2. Lee Sowell;
3. Stephen Darvalics; 4. Danny Martin, Jr.;
5. Bryn Gohn; 6. T.J. Winegardner; 7. Matt Tiffany;
8. Marion Jacobs; 9. Darren Stewart DNS.
