FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BRIDGES WINS AGAIN AT SECOND HOME LAVONIA SPEEDWAY IN USCS SPRINT CARS

               LAVONIA, GA – September 2, 2016 - Johnny Bridges of Cherryville, NC showed Friday night that history repeats itself, as he picked up his second straight United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented By K&N Filters win at Lavonia Speedway.  Bridges has come to like Lavonia Speedway on Labor Day, as he parked his #07 in the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane during the Holiday Weekend last year at the East Georgia track.

               Bridges took the lead from 11-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray on lap two, and then went on to post the win.  Gray was also hungry for a repeat Lavonia win and the 90th of his USCS career, but Bridges made the claim that Lavonia was his house.

“I really like this place because I can come here and win,” Bridges said.  “This is my place now!  There was some tough competition here tonight, but they couldn’t get by me.  I wouldn’t let them!”

Gray finished second with third going to Anthony Nicholson of Millington, TN, who started 11th and earned the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.  Kevin Roberts of Washington Court House, OH took the fourth spot and the defending USCS National Champion and current point leader Morgan Turpen of Cordova, TN was fifth.

Scott Hunter of Concord, NC finished sixth and Brian Thomas of Pendergrass, GA came home in the seventh spot.  Danny Sams III of Englewood, FL was eighth, and Brandon McLain of Indian Trail, NC came back from an early race spin to finish ninth.  Sammy Stroud of Marietta, SC rounded out the top ten.

In preliminary action, Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC won the six-lap Hoosier Tire Speed Dash.  The eight-lap Engler Machine and Tool first heat was won by Jake McLain of Indian Trail, NC, and the eight-lap Brown and Miller Racing Solutions second heat was claimed by Bridges.

The K&N Filters Pole Award winner Gray led the field down for the green flag, and paced the field for the first lap followed by Bridges, Jake McLain, Eric Riggins Jr. of Charlotte, NC, and Roberts.  Bridges didn’t waste any time getting to the point, as he passed Gray for the lead on lap two.

The first caution flag came out on lap seven with Brandon McLain spin in turn two.  Riggins went to the pits during the caution period to give up the fourth spot.  Bridges led the field down for the restart that saw Roberts advance up to the third position.  The field stayed green until lap 11 when Jake McLain spun out of the sixth spot.

Just as the field took the halfway signal, Stroud spun in turn two to light up the caution bulb for a third time.  Bridges led Gray, Nick Roberts, Kevin Roberts, Turpen, Nicholson, Hunter, Thomas, Sams, and Brandon McLain back to the green flag for the second half of the race.

Nicholson began his march towards the leaders on lap 19 when he passed Turpen for the fifth spot.  Nicholson then shot around Kevin Roberts for fourth on lap 22.  Nicholson moved up to challenge Nick Roberts for third on lap 27.  Roberts spun in turn four to bring out the caution flag with three laps to go.

Bridges pulled away on the restart for the last trio of laps and took a half straightaway advantage under the checkered flags for the win over Gray, Nicholson, Kevin Roberts, and Turpen.

The United Sprint Car Series 20th Anniversary Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented by K&N Filters will now travel to Laurens Speedway in Laurens, SC on Saturday night for the second of a three-race Labor Day Nationals.  The third and final race will take place on Monday night at Tri-County Race Track in Brasstown, NC.