FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Washington's Trey Starks Tames Bubba Raceway Park in Florida State Championship Finale
Ocala, Fla. - Saturday, October 17,2015 - (Chris Seelman photo)- At one point in Saturday night’s 30-lap finale to the United Sprint Car Series Florida State Championships at Bubba Raceway Park it appeared as if home state driver Danny Martin Jr. was going to walk off with a weekend sweep.

However, circumstances got in the way – and opened the door for a first-time United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters winner.

19-year-old Trey Starks, from Puyallup, Wash., inherited the lead from Martin after the latter blew a right rear tire entering turn one with seven laps to go and endured three agonizing restarts inside of the final five laps before he could pull into the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane.

The reigning Western Sprint Tour champion led those final seven laps over Mississippi hot-shoe Michael Miller, pulling away after each caution period to notch his first career USCS victory in thrilling fashion.

“It seemed like [the field] really didn’t want us to win this race, did they?” Starks laughed after climbing from his car. “We weren’t very good on restarts at all – either I wasn’t great or the motor just wasn’t taking off – one or the other. We had a great handling car though, and we had a little bit of luck, but sometimes it’s just as good to be lucky than good and that’s what we were tonight. This is an awesome weekend.”

The win was the first in USCS competition for Starks’ car owner, Jeff McCall, since 2008 at Travelers Rest (S.C.) Speedway with Australian driver Steven Lines.

“This feels really good,” McCall said. “We’ve more focused on our 410 program for the last five or six years – we haven’t really run the 360 stuff. I met Trey through Jack Elam – he got the two of us hooked up, and I had never met him before this weekend – but we flew him down here and it worked outto be an awesome go of it.”

“He’s super talented, and I’m excited to be working with him coming up at several events including the World Finals at Charlotte as well. This is a heck of a start for the pairing.”

The night’s two most serious incidents all happened prior to halfway in the main event, kicking off on lap two when the “Jacksonville Jet,” Matt Kurtz, got into fellow Florida driver Gene Lasker exiting turn four. Kurtz’s car tipped onto its side, but was quickly righted and Kurtz climbed from his mount without injury.

The chaos continued two laps later, when K&N Filters pole-sitter and early race leader Shawn Murray was being overhauled by Miller in turn four and washed up too high, tagging the wall with his right rear. That caused the front end of Murray’s No. 22 sprinter to catch air, sending him flipping wildly into the catch fence right below the flagstand at the start/finish line. Murray was unhurt in the wild ride.

After a short repair period to work on the frontstretch clay and a small portion of the safety fencing, the race resumed with Miller leading the way, but the story was Martin, who wrested the top spot from Miller at lap 18 and appeared to be driving into the Florida night before running over a piece of debris that caused his right rear to go down five laps later.

While the Sarasota, Fla. native would rally to finish fourth, it was a night of what might have been for the Shaw Racing Products No. 24.

“I felt [the tire] getting soft in three and four,” Martin said. “It tripped over the cushion and I thought I was going to hit the wall. I knew something was up, and a few feet later it went. I hate it, but we’ll be back next time to try it again. Fourth is heartbreaking though, but we knew we had the fastest car tonight. That counts for something at least.”

As Starks rolled away to victory lane, Miller could do no better than second, where he settled at the checkered flag, just ahead of Ocala, Fla. young gun Tyler Clem. The 13-year-old used a banner drive through traffic and took advantage of attrition as the race went on to claim a career-best USCS finish of third in just his second career series start.

Martin and Jacksonville, Florida’s Matt Kurtz rounded out the top five, with Kurtz rallying from his lap two incident to give the Sunshine State three of the first five cars at the end of the night.

National points leader Morgan Turpen was sixth with Eric Riggins Jr., from Charlotte, N.C., finishing seventh after hesuffered from a late-race flat tire as well. Marco Island, Florida’s Nick Snyder used an eighth-place finish to clinch 2015 USCS Rookie of the Year honors, while another 13-year-old, Danny Sams III, chased Snyder to the line in finishing ninth. Mark Ruel Jr., out of Jacksonville, Fla., capped off the top 10.

Riggins kicked off the evening’s racing action by winning the Hoosier Tire Speed Dash, and Witherspoon scored the win in the Engler Machine and Tools First Heat. Murray rolled to the victory in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat, and Starks took the checkers in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat.

Starks was also the provisional polesitter after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, but after a four was rolled on the K&N Inversion Die, Murray received the K&N Filters Pole Award.  For the second night in a row, Ocala native Tyler Clem passed the most cars in the A-main (13) to grab the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.

The United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N continues their 2015 schedule on Friday night, Oct. 30 with the rescheduled North/South Shootout Round #1 opener at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C. The series then competes in Round #2 on the following night (October 31st) at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C.

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. 

RESULTS: USCS Sprint Car Series “Florida State Championship”; Bubba Raceway Park; Oct. 17, 2015

Hoosier Tire Speed Dash:  Eric Riggins Jr., Matt Kurtz, Trey Starks, Garrett Green, Morgan Turpen, Danny Martin Jr.

Engler Machine and Tool First Heat:  Terry Witherspoon, Michael Miller, Eric Riggins Jr., Danny Martin Jr., Nick Snyder, Tyler Clem, Joe Larkin.

Butlerbuilt Second Heat:  Shawn Murray, Terry Gray, Garrett Green, Gene Lasker, Tanner Witherspoon, Danny Sams III, Brandon McLain.

Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat:  Trey Starks, Morgan Turpen, Matt Kurtz, Mark Ruel Jr., Brandon Grubaugh, Clint Weiss, Jeff Willingham.

USCS Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N Florida State Championships finale A-main: 30-laps

1.     #23 – Trey Starks, Puyallup, WA
2.     #4M – Michael Miller, Ocean Springs, MS
3.     #14 – Tyler Clem, Ocala, FL
4.     #24 – Danny Martin Jr., Sarasota, FL
5.     #82 – Matt Kurtz, Jacksonville, FL
6.     #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
7.     #47 – Eric Riggins Jr., Charlotte, NC
8.     #116 – Nick Snyder, Marco Island, FL
9.     #24D – Danny Sams III, Gergetown, KY
10.   #83 – Mark Ruel Jr., Jacksonville, FL
11.   #0X – Clint Weiss, Jesup, GA
12.   #33 – Joe Larkin, Suwanee, GA
13.   #21B – Brandon McLain, Indian Trail, NC
14.   #28G – Garrett Green, Valrico, FL
15.   #G6 – Brandon Grubaugh, Ocala, FL
16.   #43JR – Tanner Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
17.   #43 – Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
18.   #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
19.   #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
20.   #22 – Shawn Murray, Jacksonville, FL
21.   #02 – Gene Lasker, Tampa, FL

USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:

Danny Martin Makes Florida Homecoming Sweet With Win in USCS Stop Bubba Raceway Park

OCALA, Fla. – October 16, 2015 - Chris Seelman photo- In the United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters’ debut on the dirt at Bubba Raceway Park, it was home state driver Danny Martin Jr. carrying the victory laurels Friday night.

Martin, a three-time USCS national championship runner-up from Sarasota, Fla., charged past Charlotte, N.C. young gun and K&N Filters polesitter Eric Riggins Jr. on lap four of the 25-lap Florida State Championship preliminary night A-main and held the lead for the remainder of the distance, darting in and out of traffic and away from the field to score his third USCS feature win of the 2015 season.

The trip to www.rockauto.com Victory Lane came despite a restart with nine laps to go, where Martin drove down the banking exiting turn four to get a run and leave Riggins in his tire tracks down the stretch.

“I don’t know what the difference was, honestly – I was just hoping for a good [restart] so I could pull away,” Martin said of his 23rd career USCS win. “I didn’t know if I should go low and try to block a slider or stay high and run my groove.  I decided to just rail it around the top in the end there – I figured if anyone could pull a slider on me they had just better hope I didn’t drive back under them down the straightaway (laughs).”

“It’s a great night, though. I have to thank my car owner, Doug Shaw – we couldn’t do this without him.”

The first 16 laps of the main event ran green without incident, but a lengthy stoppage came with nine laps to go when Floridians Tony Agin and A.J. Maddox got together in turns one and two, with Maddox flipping wildly after heavy contact with the outside guardrail at the exit of turn two.

Maddox was uninjured in the crash.

When the race resumed, it was Martin who paced the remainder of the distance, with 19-year-old Trey Starks weaving his way through the chaos of lapped traffic to grab the runner-up position from Riggins.

Starks, the reigning Western Sprint Tour champion from Puyallup, Wash., would hold the spot from lap 18 onward, with Riggins crossing the line third at the checkered flag.

The “Jacksonville Jack,” Matt Kurtz, came home right where he started in fourth and Ocean Springs, Miss. veteran Michael Miller came from 13th to round out the top five.

Former Little 500 Rookie of the Year and 17-year-old Valrico, Fla. driver Garrett Green finished sixth in his USCS dirt debut, followed closely by national points leader Morgan Turpen, out of Cordova, Tenn. in seventh. Tampa, Fla. veteran Gene Lasker brought his No. 02 sprinter home in eighth and Jacksonville’s Mark Ruel Jr. finished ninth. 11-time USCS national champion Terry Gray, from Bartlett, Tenn., capped off the top 10.

The story of the night was Ocala local Tyler Clem, who at 13 years old was the youngest driver in the field. The son of Bubba Raceway Park promoter Bubba Clem came from the second to last row on the grid (21st starting spot) to finish just behind Gray in 11th.

Riggins kicked off the evening’s racing action by winning the Hoosier Tire Speed Dash, and Martin scored the win in the Engler Machine and Tools First Heat. Riggins followed up his dash win by claiming the checkers in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat, and Kurtz took the victory in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat.

Kurtz was the provisional polesitter after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, but after a four was rolled on the K&N Inversion Die, Riggins received the K&N Filters Pole Award.  Clem passed the most cars in the A-main (10) to grab the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award.

The United Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N continues their 2015 schedule on Saturday night, Oct. 17 with the finale of the USCS Florida State Championships at Bubba Raceway Park.

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. 

RESULTS: USCS Sprint Car Series “Florida State Championship”; Bubba Raceway Park; Oct. 16, 2015

Hoosier Tire Speed Dash:  Eric Riggins Jr., Terry Gray, Michael Miller, Nick Snyder, Jeff Willingham, Morgan Turpen

Engler Machine and Tool First Heat:  Danny Martin Jr., Garrett Green, Brandon McLain, Tony Agin, Michael Miller, Terry Witherspoon, Darren Orth, Danny Sams III.

Butlerbuilt Second Heat:  Matt Kurtz, Trey Starks, A.J. Maddox, Nick Snyder, Jeff Willingham, Joe Larkin, Clint Weiss, Tanner Witherspoon (DNS).

Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat:  Eric Riggins Jr., Terry Gray, Morgan Turpen, Gene Lasker, Mark Ruel Jr., Shawn Murray, Tyler Clem, Brandon Grubaugh.

USCS Sprint Car Series filtercharged by K&N Florida State Championship preliminary A-main: 25-laps
1.            #24 – Danny Martin Jr., Sarasota, FL
2.       #23 – Trey Starks, Puyallup, WA
3.       #47 – Eric Riggins Jr., Charlotte, NC
4.       #82 – Matt Kurtz, Jacksonville, FL
5.       #4M – Michael Miller, Ocean Springs, MS
6.       #28G – Garrett Green, Valrico, FL
7.       #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN
8.       #02 – Gene Lasker, Tampa, FL
9.       #83 – Mark Ruel Jr., Jacksonville, FL
10.     #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN
11.     #14 – Tyler Clem, Ocala, FL
12.     #22 – Shawn Murray, Jacksonville, FL
13.     #116 – Nick Snyder, Marco Island, FL
14.     #G6 – Brandon Grubaugh, Ocala, FL
15.     #43T – Tanner Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
16.     #3 – Tony Agin, Ft. Myers, FL
17.     #43 – Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL
18.     #24D – Danny Sams III, Georgetown, KY
19.     #28 – Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS
20.     #33 – Joe Larkin, Suwanee, GA
21.     #21B – Brandon McLain, Indian Trail, NC
22.     #3A – A.J. Maddox, Brandon, FL
23.     #34 – Darren Orth, Jacksonville, FL
24.     #0X – Clint Weiss, Jesup, GA

USCS Sprint Car Series Race Awards:

Hoosier Tire Speed Dash:  #47 – Eric Riggins Jr.
Engler Machine and Tool First Heat:  #24 – Danny Martin Jr.
Butlerbuilt Second Heat:  #82 – Matt Kurtz
Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat:  #47 – Eric Riggins Jr.
K&N Filters Pole Award:  #47 – Eric Riggins Jr.
JE Pistons Top Guns Award:  #23 – Trey Starks (2nd place) 
Bell Helmets Focus Award:  #23 – Trey Starks
K&N Filters Podium (3rd place) Award:  #47 – Eric Riggins Jr.
Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Fourth Place Award:  #82 – Matt Kurtz
Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger Award:  #14 – Tyler Clem
Keizer Aluminum Wheels Top Five Award:  #4M – Michael Miller
Saldana Racing Products Super Sixth Award:  #28G – Garrett Green
Pyrotect Racing Cells Lucky Seven Award:  #10M – Morgan Turpen
DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends Top Ten Award:  #10 – Terry Gray

The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters would like to gratefully thank its sponsoring partners for their involvement in the 2015 and 19th anniversary USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour: K&N Filters, www.rockauto.com,Engler Machine and Tool, Butlerbuilt, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Saldana Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends. Bell Racing USA, KSE Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, DSR Fuel Systems, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions. 

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Jacob Seelman
Speed77 Motorsports Radio, Founder/Producer
RaceChaserOnline.com, Managing Editor
Performance Motorsports Network, Radio Co-Host
National Speed Sport News, Staff Writer
United Sprint Car Series, Series Announcer