PENTON RACEWAY: June 20, 2008 – Penton, AL –Twenty-two year-old Danny “the Hammer” Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida drove his Martin Structures/CnB Mushroom Farms/Motorheads powered #00 Shaw car to his first O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series feature win of the season at Penton Raceway on Friday night. Martin won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat, then drew the pole in the K&N Filters Pole Draw before leading every lap of the 30-lap O’Reilly USCS Southern Thunder event around the high-banked red clay oval.
Martin started in the pole position with 2005 O’Reilly USCS Asphalt Thunder Champion, Wayne Reutimann, Jr. from Zephyrhills, Florida outside him. The “Hammer” won the first drag race to turn one but had to re-do the whole thing when two cars tangled and the race had to be re-started. Martin repeated the feat on the re-start and led every lap while pulling away to a straight-away advantage during the middle of the race.
Past O’Reilly USCS Champion and last week’s feature winner (Central Mississippi Speedway), Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas started in the third position and passed Reutimann for the runner-up spot on lap eight. Six-time O’Reilly USCS Champion and current O’Reilly USCS Southern Thunder regional point’s leader Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee slipped past the talented young asphalt ace at the same time. Skinner and Gray chased Martin for another dozen laps before they started to reel the three-time USCS Hoosier Young Gun of the Year in traffic.
At the finish line Skinner was 6-8 car lengths back of Martin hoping for the caution that didn’t come. Gray was challenging Skinner for the runner-up spot as they closed on Martin. Reutimann had his best dirt track finish of the season in the fourth position. Second generation sprint car driver, Matt Linder from Hoschton, Georgia rounded out the top five.
Hard-charging 2006 O’Reilly USCS Rookie of the Year, Derek Hagar from Marion Arkansas who started fifth but spun in turn two on the first lap charged back through the field to finish sixth. USCS veteran Jeremy Scott from Franklin, Georgia mad his first start of the season and finished seventh. Shane Butler from Bushnell, Florida in his second dirt track start followed in eighth place. Rookie of the race, Clint Weiss from Phenix City, Alabama finished in the ninth position. Veteran Ray Bugg from Iuka, Mississippi rounded out the top ten.
Marshall Skinner christened the evening's activities by winning the 6 cars, 6laps Lucas Oil Power Dash. Danny Martin, Jr. raced to the win in the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. Wayne Reutimann, Jr. collected the victory in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat. The Hoosier Tire Young Guns award also went to Danny Martin, Jr. Recently returned US Army Iraq veteran tank commander, Clint Weiss garnered the Rookie of the Race honors. Terry Gray garnered the evening’s Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award.