LANCASTER, S.C. – Audio and recap by Managing Editor Jacob Seelman for Speed77 Radio, Race Chaser Online and USCS Racing – Chris Seelman photo –
Charlotte, N.C. hotshoe Eric Riggins Jr. got out the broom and completed a sweep of the first United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N doubleheader of 2015 in dominating fashion on Saturday night.
Riggins shot out from the K&N Filters Pole Position and proceeded to stomp out the rest of his competition, leading all 25 laps of Lancaster Speedway’s “Thunder in the Carolinas” North/South Challenge finale to pick up his second victory in two nights over a stout field.
The win was redemption for the 19-year-old, who was leading at Lancaster last April before the car dropped out of gear with six laps to go and cost him a shot at top honors that night.
“This feels great,” Riggins said in www.rockauto.com Victory Lane. “I know last year one slipped away from us there, but tonight the car was so good it made me look good. I’m really proud of this win; this is awesome.”
The victory was Riggins’ second USCS win of the season and 10th career series triumph, moving him into a tie for 10th place on the all-time series win list with fellow series regular Anthony Nicholson.
“That’s a really cool feat [for us],” Riggins added. “We haven’t gotten to race much the last couple of years because we’ve had engine troubles and just haven’t had the financial help to do it, but the times we have raced we’ve certainly made it count.”
The pace was slowed by three cautions; the first came at lap four when Terry Witherspoon spun in turn two while running third. Yellow flag number two flew four laps later when Terry’s son Tanner and teammate Darren Orth tangled in the same spot in turn two, forcing Tanner to the pit area with terminal problems.
Following that caution, the race saw a 13-lap green flag run until the third and final caution came out on lap 21 of the 25-lap event, when 2014 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 360 Rookie of the Year Dane Lorenc smacked the inside wall at the exit of turn four, ending his night after a solid run and setting up a scramble to the finish.
Defending Lancaster winner Lance Moss tried to rally on the race’s final restart with four laps to go, but was unable to mount enough of a run to challenge Riggins for the victory.
“Eric just had the car to beat tonight, hands down,” Moss said. “We crashed last night, and our team did a heck of a job rebuilding this car. It took us all day to just get it rolling, but I’ll take that second. I wish we could have backed up last year with another win, but hats off to Eric again, he just had a super weekend.”
Rookie of the Year candidate Nick Snyder, out of Marco Island, Fla., waged a fierce battle with Terry Gray in the closing stages to come away with his first career 360 podium, scoring a career-best USCS finish of third for his family-owned team.
“It was a great battle with Terry – I’m just sure he wants his rocker arm back now,” Snyder laughed. “After he helped us repair the car, this means a ton. I thought maybe I could have caught Lance for second at the end, but he just had more forward bite off [the corner] than we did. Proud of our team though – this is a good night.”
Gray, from Bartlett, Tenn., settled for fourth at the finish, followed by Mooresville, N.C.’s C.J. Miller, who rounded out the front five in fifth.
Top-ranked female sprint car pilot Morgan Turpen struggled to get a handle on her car, but the Cordova, Tenn. shoe rebounded late to come home sixth, followed by 1998 USCS Rookie of the Year Johnny Bridges, who crossed the line seventh. Defending Rookie of the Year Brandon McLain struggled on the final restart and dropped back to eighth at the finish after running as high as fifth, and Darren Orth soldiered on from his early troubles to be scored ninth at the checkered flag – the last car running.
Bridges kicked off the evening’s racing action by winning his first Hoosier Tire Speed Dash of the 2015 season, and Riggins came from fourth to win the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. Moss rolled to the victory in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat.
Riggins was the provisional polesitter after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, and after he pulled a zero in the K&N Inversion Draw, he also received the K&N Filters Pole Award. Terry Gray passed the most cars in the A-main (three) to grab the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.
The United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N continues their 2015 schedule on Saturday, April 18 with the Tennessee Tangle at the Tennessee National Raceway in Hohenwald, Tenn.
For rules and updated schedule information about the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour, please visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series office at 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.
Audio with race winner Eric Riggins Jr.:
Audio with runner-up Lance Moss:
Audio with third-place Nick Snyder:
Audio with Dane Lorenc during post-race activities:
RESULTS: USCS Sprint Car Series “Thunder in the Carolinas”; Lancaster Superspeedway; April 11, 2015
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: Johnny Bridges, C.J. Miller, Eric Riggins Jr., Terry Gray, Morgan Turpen, Joe Larkin.
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Eric Riggins Jr., C.J. Miller, Johnny Petrozelle, Morgan Turpen, Johnny Bridges, Jay Dunham, Dane Lorenc, Bobby Komisarski, Brad Wickham.
Butlerbuilt Second Heat: Lance Moss, Terry Witherspoon, Nick Snyder, Terry Gray, Brandon McLain, Darren Orth, Tanner Witherspoon, Joe Larkin.
USCS Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N Thunder in the Carolinas – North/South Challenge A-main: 25-laps
- #47 – Eric Riggins Jr., Charlotte, NC
- #23 – Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC
- #116 – Nick Snyder, Marco Island, FL
- #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
- #9 – C.J. Miller, Mooresville, NC
- #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
- #07 – Johnny Bridges, Cherryville, NC
- #21B – Brandon McLain, Indian Trail, NC
- #34 – Darren Orth, Jacksonville, FL
- #59III – Johnny Petrozelle, Denton, NC
- #23L – Dane Lorenc, Lancaster, NY
- #51 – Jay Dunham, Grovetown, GA
- #17 – Bobby Komisarski, Lake Wylie, SC
- #43 – Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
- #43JR – Tanner Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
- #6T – Brad Wickham, Rutherfordton, NC
- #33 – Joe Larkin, Suwanee, GA (DNS)
USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:
Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: #07 – Johnny Bridges
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: #47 – Eric Riggins Jr.
Butlerbuilt Second Heat: #23 – Lance Moss
K&N Filters Pole Award: #47 – Eric Riggins Jr.
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: #116 – Nick Snyder (3rd place)
Bell Helmets Focus Award: #23 – Lance Moss
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: #116 – Nick Snyder
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Fourth Place Award: #10 – Terry Gray
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: #10 – Terry Gray
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award: #9 – C.J. Miller
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: #10M – Morgan Turpen
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: #07 – Johnny Bridges
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: #59III – Johnny Petrozelle
