FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

TURPEN MAKES IT TWO-IN-A-ROW IN USCS COMPETITION WITH CAROLINA WIN

  GASTONIA, NC – July 22, 2016 - Morgan Turpen of Cordova, TN survived a clipped nose wing, a late-race caution, and a swarm of lapped cars to capture her second straight United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented By K&N Filters win and park her Terry Gray racing #10m in the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane for the third time this season on Friday night in the 3rd annual Joe and Jim Summer Sprint Classic at Carolina Speedway leading all 30 laps of the main event. The win was her 10th USCS career win. 

Turpen’s tenth career USCS victory also helped the “Queen of the Wings” in her quest to earn a second straight USCS National Championship.  Turpen came into the race with a slim lead in the USCS National point standings over her teammate, 11-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN.  Gray finished fourth.

For most of the race, Turpen was able to keep at least a half straightaway lead over the second-place driver, but as she encountered heavy lapped traffic late in the race, her options were few and far between to get around the lapped cars.  It was especially difficult when they were spinning in front of her.

“The lapped cars were tough tonight and one spun in front of me and took the front nose wing off,” Turpen said.  “I thought we were screwed after that, but we restarted up front where the clean air was the key with just a couple of laps to go, and we got it done.  It’s great to win here at Carolina Speedway, and it’s my second career win here.”

Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC was able to put the pressure on Turpen in heavy lapped traffic during the closing laps of the 30-lap race, but couldn’t stay with Turpen after the restart with two laps to go, and had to settle for second.  Johnny Bridges of Cherryville, NC took the third spot, and Terry Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL followed Gray in the fifth spot.

Nick Snyder of Marco Island, FL was sixth and Johnny Petrozelle of Charlotte, NC claimed the seventh position.  Jake McLain of Indian Trail,. NC started 18th and finished eighth to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.  Eric Riggins Jr. of Charlotte, NC took the ninth spot and Scott Hunter of Concord, NC rounded out the top ten.

In preliminary action, the six-lap Hoosier Race Tire Speed Dash was won by Brandon McLain of Indian Trail, NC.  In ten-lap Heat Race action, Bridges won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat and Petrozelle won the Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat.

Turpen earned the K&N Filters Pole Award and took the lead at the start of the race followed by Petrozelle, Riggins, Moss and Bridges.  A blazing fast pace had the lead cars catching the cars on the tail end of the lead lap by the fourth tour, and lap five would prove to be disastrous for a top five driver.

The lapped car of Bob Auld of Largo, FL spun up to the outside wall in turn two of lap five.  That was directly in the path of the third-place car, high riding Riggins, who slid into the left side of Auld’s car.  Both drivers were O.K., and Riggins would restart at the back of the pack.  

Turpen led Petrozelle, Moss, Bridges, Gray, Terry Witherspoon, Brandon McLain, Brandon Taylor of Cumming, GA, Snyder and Tanner Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL down for the restart.  When the field went back to green flag action, Turpen opened up a lead on Petrozelle, as Moss moved up to challenge for the second spot.

Moss was able to get by Petrozelle for second on lap eight, throwing a slide job by diving low in turn one and taking the spot by sliding up in front of Petrozelle coming off the second turn.  The field settled in until the second caution flag of the race came out on lap 13 when Greg Smyre of Hickory, NC decided to move the outside groove into “no man’s land.”

Smyre hit the second turn wall, but didn’t stop there.  He climbed the wall with the right side tires of his race car and rode the top of the wall through turn two and the head of the back straightaway.  As the yellow caution bulb was lit up, Smyre’s car came down off the wall and kept going.

The top ten for the restart just two laps shy of the halfway point was Turpen, Moss, Bridges, Petrozelle, Gray, Terry Witherspoon, Brandon McLain, Snyder, Jake McLain, and Tanner Witherspoon.  Gray was able to get by Petrozelle for fourth on lap 15.  Petrozelle lost the fifth spot to Terry Witherspoon on lap 20, and the sixth spot to Snyder on lap 21.

With five laps to go, Turpen began to face some heavy lapped traffic.  That enabled Moss to close a half straightaway deficit to the leader.  As the lead duo entered turn one on lap 29, Tanner Witherspoon spun in front of Turpen.  Both Turpen and Moss were able to get by, but Turpen left her front nose wing at the scene of the accident.

The drama level went up for the restart.  Would Turpen’s car be able to make turn one, or would Moss with a better handling car be able to make a winning move.  Turpen was not having any of the drama, as she mashed her right foot on the throttle against the belly pan of her race car on the long front straightaway of Carolina Speedway and got a tremendous restart advantage on Moss.

With her momentum built up and clear race track in front of her, Turpen could power down the straightaways and ease through the corners just enough to get the job done for her second straight USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour win.

The next event for the 20th Anniversary United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented by K&N Filters will be night two of the Joe and Jim Summer Sprint Classic tomorrow (Saturday) night at Lancaster Speedway in Lancaster, SC.  In looking for her third straight win, Turpen will also be looking to keep her streak of consecutive laps led alive, as she has led the last 60 laps of competition.

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. You can also like the United Sprint Car Series Facebook page at USCS Racing.

FEATURE RACE – 30 LAPS:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN

1. 1 10m Morgan Turpen Cordova, TN
2. 6 23 Lance Moss Cherryville, NC
3. 3 07 Johnny Bridges Cherryville, NC
4. 5 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN
5. 7 43 Terry Witherspoon Jacksonville, FL
6. 13 116 Mick Snyder Marco Island, FL
7. 2 59 Johnny Petrozelle Charlotte, NC
8. 18 67 Jake McLain Indian Trial, NC
9. 4 47 Eric Riggins Jr. Charlotte, NC
10. 17 1 Scott Hunter Concord, NC
11. 10 07t Brandon Taylor Cumming, GA
12. 19 0 Clint Weiss Jesup, GA
13. 9 21 Brandon McLain Indian Trail, NC
14. 11 99 Tanner Witherspoon Jacksonville, FL
15. 8 33 Joe Larkin Suwanee, GA
16. 12 25 Ray Bugg         Iuka, MS
17. 15 21k Greg Smyre Hickory, NC
18. 16 83 Bob Auld         Largo, FL
19. 14 24d Danny Sams III Englewood, FL
20. 20 17 Bobby Komisarski Lake Wylie, NC

USCS SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE AWARDS: 
Hoosier Race Tire Speed Dash:  B. McLain
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat:   Bridges
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Second Heat:  Petrozelle
K&N Filters Pole Award:   Turpen
JE Pistons Top Guns Award:  (3rd place) Bridges
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award:   Bridges
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award:   J. McLain (started 18th and finished 8th)
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award:  Terry Witherspoon 
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award:   Snyder
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award:   Petrozelle
DHR Suspension 8th-Place Award:  J. McLain
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award:  Hunter

USCS SPRINT CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY K&N FILTERS PRELIMINARY RACE RESULTS:

USCS Hoosier Speed Dash - (6 Laps): 1. B. McLain; 2. Gray; 3. Riggins; 4. Turpen; 5. Snyder; 6. Moss.

Engler Machine & Tool Heat 1 - (10 Laps): 1. Bridges; 2. Gray; 3. Te. Witherspoon; 4. Moss; 5. Taylor; 6. Bugg; 7. Snyder; 8. Smyre; 9. Weiss; 10. J. McLain.

Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Heat 2- (10 Laps):  1. Petrozelle; 2. Turpen; 3. Riggins; 4. B. McLain; 5. Ta. Witherspoon; 6. Larkin; 7. Sams; 8. Komisarski; 9. Auld; 10. Hunter.

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