COLUMBUS, Miss. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — USCS photo —

After rainouts claimed much of the opening portion of the 2015 USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional schedule, Benton, Ark. veteran Tim Crawley proved once again that he is the master of the Mid-South in a 360ci winged sprint car.

After starting third, Crawley charged past fellow Arkansas native and K&N Filters polesitter Derek Hagar on lap seven of Friday night’s 30-lap “Fast Friday” presented by Carl Hogan Toyota A-main event and never looked back despite heavy lapped traffic in the final ten laps en route to his first United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N victory of the year and the 72nd of his impressive career.

The event was also the fourth round of the 10th anniversary USCS Sprint Speedweek. Both round two at Greenville Speedway and round three at the Talladega Short Track were rained out.

Hagar, from Marion, Ark., made one last ditch effort down the backstretch with two laps to go to take the lead, but could not work past for the top spot and had to settle for second after winning the opening Speedweek round at Jackson Motor Speedway on May 23.

Bartlett, Tenn. racer Anthony Nicholson rounded out the podium in the third spot, followed by fellow Bartlett native and 11-time USCS national champion Terry Gray in fourth. Gray’s teammate Morgan Turpen, from Cordova, Tenn., rounded out the front five.

1999 USCS champion and Marion, Ark. pilot Marshall Skinner led the next group of drivers with a sixth place result, chased by Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s Lee Moore in seventh. 15-year-old young gun Taylor Tidmore, out of Hernando, Miss., brought the FSR Radiators No. 32B home in eighth and another Hernando area driver, Jerod Roller, raced to a ninth place finish. Another Bartlett, Tenn. driver, 2013 USCS Rookie of the Year Curt Terrell, rounded out the top ten.

Entering the night, Charlotte, N.C. hotshoe Eric Riggins Jr. was tied for the national championship lead with 11-time titlist Gray, however Riggins struggled throughout the main event and came home in 14th.

Leading USCS Rookie of the Year contender Nick Snyder, from Marco Island, Fla., was running fourth in the feature when he lost a motor on lap 12 to bring out the first yellow flag of the night. The failure forced the young gun pitside and out of the event; Snyder was credited with 20th at the checkered flag.

The only other caution of the race flew at lap 16 when Buster Dickerson spun his No. 86 machine to slow the pace for the final time.

Hagar kicked off the night’s racing action by taking the win in the six lap Hoosier Speed Dash. Snyder rolled to the win in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat, and Crawley claimed the Butlerbuilt Second Heat. Hagar stole the show to take the checkers in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat, and also claimed the K&N Filters Pole Award after a zero was rolled on the K&N Inversion Die.

The 2015 United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N season continues with the finale to the 10th annual Sprint Speedweek on Saturday night, May 30 at the Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.

For rules and updated schedule information about the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour, visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series office at 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.

RESULTS: USCS Sprint Car Series “Fast Friday” pres. by Carl Hogan Toyota; Magnolia Motor Speedway; May 29, 2015

Hoosier Speed Dash: Derek Hagar, A.G. Raines, Terry Gray, Nick Snyder, Morgan Turpen, Jerod Roller.

Engler Machine and Tool Heat One: Nicholas Snyder, Eddie Gallagher, Anthony Nicholson, Jeff Willingham, Buster Dickerson, Stephen Russell, Bill Mason.

ButlerBUILT Heat Two: Tim Crawley, Marshall Skinner, A.G. Raines, Morgan Turpen, Jerod Roller, Eric Riggins Jr., Justin Webb.

Schoenfeld Headers Heat Three: Derek Hagar, Howard Moore, Terry Gray, Taylor Tidmore, Curt Terrell, Lee Moore, Tristan Lee

USCS Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N Fast Friday A-main: 30-laps

1. #88 – Tim Crawley, Benton, AR
2. #9JR – Derek Hagar, Marion, AR
3. #16 – Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN
4. #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
5. #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
6. #26 – Marshall Skinner, Marion, AR
7. #1A – Lee Moore, Tuscaloosa, AL
8. #32B – Taylor Tidmore, Hernando, MS
9. #5 – Jerod Roller, Hernando, MS
10. #27 – Curt Terrell, Bartlett, TN
11. #1 – Eddie Gallagher, Olive Branch, MS
12. #40 – Howard Moore, Memphis, TN
13. #3 – A.G. Raines, West Memphis, AR
14. #47 – Eric Riggins Jr., Charlotte, NC
15. #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
16. #91 – Stephen Russell, Springfield, IL
17. #B52 – Bill Mason, Richland, MS
18. #00 – Tristan Lee, Gulfport, MS
19. #86 – Buster Dickerson, Caledonia, MS
20. #116 – Nick Snyder, Marco Island, FL
21. #31 – Justin Webb, Drummonds, TN

USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:

Hoosier Tire Speed Dash:  #9JR – Derek Hagar
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat:  #116 – Nick Snyder
Butlerbuilt Second Heat:  #88 – Tim Crawley
Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat:  #9JR – Derek Hagar
K&N Filters Pole Award:  #9JR – Derek Hagar
JE Pistons Top Guns Award:  #9JR – Derek Hagar (2nd place)
Bell Helmets Focus Award:  #9JR – Derek Hagar
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award:  #16 – Anthony Nicholson
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Fourth Place Award:  #10 – Terry Gray
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award:   #1A – Lee Moore
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award:  #10M – Morgan Turpen
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award:  #26 – Marshall Skinner
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award:  #1A – Lee Moore
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award:  #27 – Curt Terrell