Terry Gray Schools The Field At Hattiesburg

Hattiesburg, MS - A lull in the recent rounds of Mother Nature's fits allowed a packed pit area to get some racing action going for the first time this season on Friday night at Hattiesburg Speedway. A capacity crowd induldged in a full night of action headlined by the Southern Outlaw Sprinters.  A smooth surface greeted the 80 plus competitors on hand, maintaining just enough mositure to keep the dust to a minimum.

In 360 sprinter action, Terry Gray parlayed his VP Racing Fuels pole starting postion to lead the field in to turn one on the start in the # 10 Berry Construction / J&J car. Outside pole sitter Michael Miller wasted no time in putting pressure on the defending and 11 time USCS champion Gray. Miller actually slid his way in to the lead in turn one before Gray powered back to the lead down the back stretch. Once Gray could use the track surface on his own terms he began to gradually pull away. Morgan Turpen held down third in the # 10M Berry Construction J & J, while most watched Todd Fayard and Shane Morgan pick off cars on their way towards the front.

An early red flag for a multi car pileup in turn one red flagged the field, but everyone managed to stay on their wheels allowing for a speedy clean up and return to racing action. On the restart, Gray got a good jump and put several car lengths on Miller in second. Todd Fayard moved around Turpen for third while Shane Morgan used to restart to continue his forward progress. Miller, aboard his #4m Professional Auto Collision XXX machine, slowly began to chip in to Gray's lead. Turpen followed suit on Fayard, setting up the last half of the race to be most interesting.  Just as everyone began to settle in to a rythem, Freddie McCall's # 1 Engler / Prolong machine suffered a mechanical failure entering turn three, flipping out of the faclity and in to pit road. (photo credit E. Holley Photography)

McCall was uninjured in the incident, with minimal damage to his ride. Once the dust cleared and the green waved for the final time, Gray pulled in to an easy lead, with Miller unable to mount a serious charge for the top spot. Turpen used the restart to edge past Fayard for third, with the #01 Morgan's Equipment and Crane Service / Liquid Nitro J&J sprinter comfortably in 5th from an 11th place starting spot. Morgan earned the Schaeffer Oil Hard Charger Award with his run.
Gray easily held on to the finish, scoring his first Southern Outlaw victory of 2015.  Michael Miller easily scored second place over Turpen, followed by Fayard and Morgan. The series was rained out on Saturday night in Dothan, AL, but is scheduled to return to action on April 4th in Milton, FL. For more information on the Southern Outlaw Sprinters, view their website at www.SOSoutlaws.com

The SOS would like to thank their 2015 marketing partners: VP Racing Fuels by dryslick.net, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Eagle Motorsports, Schnee Chassis, J&J Chassis, Ultrashield, AutoMeter, Saldana Racing Products, Tim's Racing Engines, Schoenfeld, Manikis Performance Parts, Smiley's Racing Parts, and www.dryslick.net

VP Racing Fuel is the official fuel of the Southern Outlaw Sprinters

Schaeffer Oil is the official lubricant of the Southern Outlaw Sprinters