Jefferson, GA - March 17, 2007 - Two-time O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series National Champion, Kenny Adams from Malabar, Florida won the 35-Lap O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder season opener at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Georgia on Saturday night. The win was Adams ninety-ninth career O'Reilly USCS feature win since joining the series in the 2000 season when he was the series National Champion. That same season, Adams was honored as the first-ever National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 360 winged sprint car "Driver of the Year". He was also the O'Reilly USCS 2005 National Champion.
Adams started the evening in the event billed as the O'Reilly USCS "North vs. South Spring Shootout" by qualifying second fastest in the CnB Mushroom Farms Time Trials after Doug Day from nearby Winder, Georgia set fast time and a new all-time track record of 15.482 seconds around the high-banked half mile oval. Adams then won the 6-lap Lucas Oil Power Dash. He then roared from his fourth place start in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race to win that eight-lap rac.
Photo: Craig Whyte
Five-time O'Reilly USCS Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat then drew a four inversion awarding himself the K&N Pole award and placing Adams outside row two for the start. Nineteen year-old Stephen Darvalics from Venice, Florida would start beside Gray on the front row in the main event and Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series regular and frequent USAC competitor David Baumgartner from Indiana would start inside row two next to Adams.
When the green flag flew for the 35 lap feature, Terry Gray lead the pack down to turn one with Baumgartner tucked in behind. Adams went high on the track and raced past Darvalics then Baumgartner down the back stretch and grabbed the lead from Gray in the middle of turns three and four and never looked back to lead all thirty-five laps. The battle was on for second place.
For the first five laps, Gray battled with Baumgartner to hold him off and retain the runner-up spot. Darvalics held onto fourth behind Baumgartner until lap four. On lap five fourteen year-old teenage driving sensation, Trey Robb from Newcastle, Oklahoma in his paved track debut drove past him and into to fourth place. Baumgartner hung close in third until lap six when the impressive Robb got past him as well.
For the next 20 laps Baumgartner had a great view of Robb trying high and low to get past the veteran Gray for the runner-up spot. Stephen Darvalics followed in fifth at that point. On lap twenty-four 2005 O'Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year, Bryn Gohn from Malabar, Florida raced past Darvalics into the top five. On lap twenty-six Gohn passed Baumgartner for the fourth position. Then on lap twenty-seven Darvalics moved past Baumgartner back into the top five.
Adams crossed the finish line over one half lap ahead of the Gray then Robb with Adams' team-mate Bryn Gohn in fourth place and Darvalics getting his best pavement finish in fifth. Ryan Myers who started seventh passed a fading Baumgartner for the sixth position with three laps to go. Baumgartner finished seventh followed by fellow HOSS racer Jonathan Kettlewell from Englewood, Ohio in eighth, Troy Lowery from Martin, Tennessee in ninth and T.J Winegardner who recovered from a bad crash into the fourth turn wall in time trials rounded out the top ten
The Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award went to Adams. Trey Robb was awarded the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race (for the highest finishing driver under 25 years old) and additionally earned the JE Pistons Top Guns award. The K&N Filters Pole Award recipient was Terry Gray. Chad Livingston garnered the Robison Racing Rookie of the Race award. Gray won the eight-lap Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. The eight-lap Butler Built Second Heat went to Adams. Adams also won the six-lap Lucas Oil Power Dash.
The event billed was the North Vs. South Shootout event because it pitted the Southern based 700 Horsepower, 360 cubic inch type winged O'Reilly USCS cars and drivers against several 800+ Horsepower 410 cubic inch winged sprint cars and drivers from the North. As in all O'Reilly USCS Asphalt events several weight versus engine combinations were allowed. This was the first ever event to pit 360 cubic inch motors against 410 cubic inch motors and was truly an experiment.
For the event three motor and weight combinations were allowed. The normal asphalt series rules in the O'Reilly USCS are for dirt type SPEC. Cylinder head 360 cubic inch motors allowed with the minimum weight 1465 pounds with the car and driver after the race or the car only must weight 1300 pounds. A car with an engine utilizing open 23-degree cylinder heads with 360 cubic inch displacement is allowed at a minimum weight of 1565 pounds with the car and driver after the race or 1400 pounds for the car only after the race. For this event, teams with 410 cubic inch motors were allowed to compete at a minimum weight of 1665 pounds with the car and driver or 1500 pounds car only after the race.
QUALIFYING NOTES: In the time trials Doug Day had used a dirt SPEC 360 cubic inch power plant in primarily a dirt sprint car to set fast time at 15.482 seconds around the high-banked half mile. Kenny Adams who was second quick at 15.513 seconds and used a dirt SPEC 360 power plant as well. Utilizing 410 cubic inch power, Dave Baumgartner drove Mike Blake's #81 to third quick time of 15.604 seconds. Stephen Darvalics was fourth fastest at 15.760 with dirt SPEC 360 power. Terry Gray with SPEC 360 power as well was fifth quick with a time of 15.779. The balance of the top ten were, 6th - Trey Robb (SPEC 360) 15.919, 7th - Jonathan Kettlewell (410 Power) 16.019, 8th - Bryn Gohn (SPEC 360) 16.129, 9th - Ryan Myers (SPEC 360) 16.334, 10th Trent Stephens (410 Power) 16.500.
The O'Reilly USCS www.uscsracing.com returns to action on dirt Malden Speedway next Saturday March 24th. www.maldenspeedway.com. The O'Reilly USCS os the only winged sprint car series in the World that contests it's National championship on both dirt and paved ovals. The next O'Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Tour events are scheduled for Friday March 30th at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida and for Saturday, March 31st at mobile International Speedway in Mobile, Alabama. Both races are part of the three-race Gulf Coast Challenge event. The third event will be held at Southern Raceway in Milton, Florida on Saturday April 7th. If a drive wins Race one and race two at Five Flags and Mobile they will be eligible to start last at Southern Raceway and win $10,000 for the feature that night. If two different drivers win at Five Flags and Mobile, both drivers may start in the last row and if either one wins the event it will pay them $7500 to win.