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Jacob Seelman 0 398

BENTON, AR – Story, audio and photo by Managing Editor Jacob Seelman for Speed77 Radio and Race Chaser Online – Fireworks exploded both on and off the race track on Saturday night at I-30 Speedway, and when the dust finally settled, Tim Crawley had every reason to cue the celebration again.

Crawley, the 2012 United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour filtercharged by K&N champion out of Benton, Arkansas, streaked to the lead in turn three ahead of a spinning Terry Gray after the two banged wheels going down the backstretch during the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish in Saturday night’s “Hammerdown at Hammer Hill” 30-lap feature event.

Crawley then held off Bryant, Arkansas driver Zach Pringle on the second green-white-checkered attempt to take home the victory after starting the race from the seventh position, completing a weekend sweep of three USCS Arkansas features in front of his hometown fans.

The win was Crawley’s fourth straight USCS feature victory dating back to last weekend at Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and his 69th career USCS win overall.

“We’re not gonna talk about the crybabies or (what happened in turn three) right now, we’re gonna talk about that drive,” Crawley said in www.rockauto.com Victory Lane amidst a standing ovation from his home crowd. “I gotta thank Mike Ward; he stepped out of this seat about eight years ago and let me drive this thing and it’s been great. We fought hard for this one tonight; the track was tough around the bottom, and we needed a couple of yellows and got them. We started the year off slow and I had my head buried in the sand; I couldn’t win anything, but this team never gave up and I never gave up, and look where we are now.”

Just before the celebration, Crawley and Gray exchanged a war of words, with Gray extremely frustrated about the way his race ended. Regarding the incident, Crawley was straight to the point after the checkered flag.

“We drove a hard race. I guess (Terry Gray) is a little upset, but you know; if he gets over it, that’s fine. If he doesn’t get over it, that’s fine too.”

Gray left the track without comment after the incident.

Zach Pringle took the lead on the initial start from K&N Filters polesitter Gray on the outside of the race track, but the ten-time series champion would overhaul the No. 14Z of Pringle on Lap 6 to return to the top spot. The race’s first caution flew at Lap 10 when 2011 series Rookie of the Year Jordon Mallett spun off the exit of turn 4, slowing the pace as Crawley sat mired in the fifth position.

On the restart Gray bolted away from the field as Crawley began to march, and when the field hit lapped traffic on Lap 18, Crawley picked off A.G. Rains and Pringle before setting his sights on the No. 10 of Gray. The veteran’s efforts were aided by a red flag on Lap 29 of the scheduled 30-lap distance, brought out when the No. 14 of Mallett turned over on the backstretch. Mallett was uninjured in the crash.

That set up the final dash to the checkered flag and Crawley’s last-ditch effort that ultimately won him the event, which was officially pushed one lap beyond its scheduled distance at the checkered flag.

Behind Crawley and Pringle, Arkansas drivers combined to create a Razorback State lockout of the top five finishing positions. 1999 series champion Marshall Skinner, from Marion, came home in third and former USCS feature winner A.G. Rains, out of West Memphis, finished in fourth. Benton native Cody Gardner rounded out the top five at the checkered flag.

Anthony Nicholson was the first non-Arkansan to cross under the twin checkers; the Bartlett, Tennessee driver ended the night in sixth. Justin Sturch notched a seventh-place result in his return to USCS competition, and Cordova, Tennessee’s Morgan Turpen grabbed eighth place on the evening. Ninth went to Ernie Ainsworth, who scored a USCS feature win back in 2005, and Tulsa, Oklahoma driver Brandon Hahn completed the top ten finishers.

Anthony Nicholson kicked off the evening’s racing action with a win in the Hoosier Speed Dash, breaking a string of three straight dash wins by Tim Crawley. Justin Webb notched the win in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat, and Terry Gray drove to victory in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat. A.G. Rains held off Crawley for the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat triumph, and Brandon Hahn collected the checkers in the JE Pistons Fourth Heat.

14-year-old Hernando, Mississippi driver Taylor Tidmore was the provisional polesitter for the first time in his career after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, but after first heat winner Webb pulled a four in the K&N Filters Inversion Draw, Terry Gray garnered the K&N Pole Award.

Howard Moore grabbed the win in Saldana Racing Products B-Main #1, and Robert Richardson hung on to take the victory in www.rockauto.com B-Main #2. Justin Sturch advanced the most positions in the A-main (twelve) to collect the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.

The United Sprint Car Series is back in action next Saturday night, July the 12th, at the Riverside International Speedway for the rescheduled USCS Sprint Speedweek Finale event, after rain forced postponement of the race at the end of May. Jordon Mallett is the defending winner of the event.

For rules, schedules and more information on the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour, please visit www.uscsracing.com or call 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.

 

RESULTS: United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N at Diamond Park Speedway; July 4th, 2014

Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: Anthony Nicholson, Jordon Mallett, Cody Gardner, Tim Crawley, Terry Gray, Marshall Skinner

Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Justin Webb, Taylor Tidmore, Jeremy Middleton, Robert Richardson, Todd Fayard, Cody Howard, Jeff Willingham, Jordon Mallett, Brandon Kilpatrick (DNS)

Butlerbuilt Second Heat: Terry Gray, Marshall Skinner, Cody Gradner, Jan Howard, Joe Young, Howard Moore, 5X, Andy McElhannon, Greg Merritt

Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat: A.G. Rains, Tim Crawley, Dalton Davis, Tommy Snellgrove, Chris Williams, Justin Sturch, Johnny Gardner, Jim Perricone, Rick Pringle

JE Pistons Fourth Heat: Brandon Hahn, Anthony Nicholson, Zach Pringle, Morgan Turpen, Mark Huddleston, Ernie Ainsworth, Blake Jenkins, Kevin Hinkle, Curt Terrell

 

Saldana Racing Products B-Main #1:  12-laps (4 transfer)

  1. #40 – Howard Moore, Memphis, TN
  2. #33 – Mark Huddleston, Mesquite, TX
  3. #9 – Justin Sturch, Benton, AR
  4. #42 – Andy McElhannon, Nesbit, MS
  5. #8X – Chris Williams, Memphis, TN
  6. #38 – Rick Pringle, Benton, AR
  7. #31G – Johnny Gardner, Benton, AR
  8. #13 – Todd Fayard, Biloxi, MS
  9. #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
  10. #12M – Greg Merritt, Nesbit, MS
  11. #10P – Jim Perricone, San Antonio, TX

www.rockauto.com B-Main #2:  12-laps (4 transfer)

  1. #32X – Robert Richardson, Searcy, AR
  2. #14 – Jordon Mallett, Greenbrier, AR
  3. #91A – Ernie Ainsworth, Bartlett, TN
  4. #12T – Joe Young, Benton, AR
  5. #5X – Tyson Hall, Longview, TX
  6. #22 – Cody Howard, Byhalia, MS
  7. #4 – Tommy Snellgrove, Little Rock, AR
  8. #21 – Kevin Hinkle, Cabot, AR
  9. #99 – Blake Jenkins, Benton, AR (DNS)
  10. #27 – Curt Terrell, Bartlett, TN (DNS)
  11. #2 – Brandon Kilpatrick, Strayhorn, MS (DNS)

 

USCS Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N “Hammerdown at Hammer Hill” Main Event: 31-laps; extended due to green-white-checkered finish

  1. #88 – Tim Crawley, Benton, AR
  2. #14Z – Zach Pringle, Bryant, AR
  3. #26 – Marshall Skinner, Marion, AR
  4. #3 – A.G. Rains, West Memphis, AR
  5. #17G – Cody Gardner, Benton, AR
  6. #16 – Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN
  7. #9 – Justin Sturch, Benton, AR
  8. #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
  9. #91A – Ernie Ainsworth, Bartlett, TN
  10. #29 – Brandon Hahn, Tulsa, OK
  11. #12 – Dalton Davis, Millington, TN
  12. #42 – Andy McElhannon, Nesbit, MS
  13. #40 – Howard Moore, Memphis, TN
  14. #13T – Taylor Tidmore, Hernando, MS
  15. #32X – Robert Richardson, Searcy, AR
  16. #46 – Jan Howard, Marion, AR
  17. #15J – Jeremy Middleton, North Little Rock, AR
  18. #12T – Joe Young, Benton, AR
  19. #12M – Greg Merritt, Nesbit, MS
  20. #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
  21. #33 – Mark Huddleston, Mesquite, TX
  22. #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
  23. #14 – Jordon Mallett, Greenbrier, AR
  24. #31 – Justin Webb, Drummonds, TN

 

Did Not Start A-Main:

#8X – Chris Williams, Memphis, TN
#5X – Tyson Hall, Longview, TX
#38 – Rick Pringle, Benton, AR
#22 – Cody Howard, Byhalia, MS
#31G – Johnny Gardner, Benton, AR
#4 – Tommy Snellgrove, Little Rock, AR
#13 – Todd Fayard, Biloxi, MS
#21 – Kevin Hinkle, Cabot, AR
#10P – Jim Perricone, San Antonio, TX
#99 – Blake Jenkins, Benton, AR
#27 – Curt Terrell, Bartlett, TN
#2 – Brandon Kilpatrick, Strayhorn, MS

 

USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:

Hoosier Tire Speed Dash: #16 – Anthony Nicholson
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: #31 – Justin Webb
Butlerbuilt Second Heat: #10 – Terry Gray
Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat: #3 – A.G. Rains
JE Pistons Fourth Heat: #29 – Brandon Hahn
K&N Filters Pole Award: #10 – Terry Gray
JE Pistons Top Guns Award: #14Z – Zach Pringle (2nd place)
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award: #26 – Marshall Skinner
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award: #9 – Justin Sturch
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award: #17G – Cody Gardner
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award: #16 – Anthony Nicholson
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award: #9 – Justin Sturch
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award: #29 – Brandon Hahn

Jacob Seelman

Jacob Seelman, 24, is the founder and managing editor of 77 Sports Media and a major contributing writer for SPEED SPORT Magazine. He is studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. and also serves as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.

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