West Memphis, Arkansas - May 26, 2007 - A blast from the past, veteran sprint car ace Jeff Swindell from Bartlett, Tennessee won the 30-lap O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series (www.uscsracing.com) Speedweek 2007 Round Two Saturday night at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas. Swindell blasted from his third place starting position around Marion, Arkansas' Derek Hagar and then Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida into the lead exiting turn four on lap one and led every lap at the race-track where he started his storied career. The win came over a field of 29 cars from six states.
When the checkered flag fell the show wasn't over as Swindell (known for his showmanship) approached victory lane by doing a series of 360 degree spins and then exited the #12 mount with all the excitement of a driver getting his first win. Then, Swindell climbed on top of the mount for a little wing dancing.
Swindell who once won six O'Reilly USCS features in a row during the 2002 season, drove a car he had been in only two nights owned by Kevin Davis from Memphis, Tennessee. Davis purchased the car over the winter from perennial track champion Eddie Gallagher complete and race ready. Swindell said in victory lane that, "The car was perfect tonight. That is a real nice race car and I bet that Eddie wished he had this car back."
Swindell tried to be pull away from the field in the early laps, but the 21-year old Martin rallied several times in lapped traffic to keep the pressure on him. A caution ironically for Eddie Gallagher's busted ride on lap twenty-seven bunched the field for a final dash with one lapped car between the eventual winner and Danny Martin, Jr. But as the green flag flew for the last three laps Swindell charged home with and 8/10ths of a second margin of victory over Martin and the field.
Past O'Reilly USCS and Riverside Speedway track Champion, Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas came home in the third position after starting seventh. Defending O'Reilly USCS Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee finished in the fourth position after starting sixth. Veteran driver A.G. Rains from West Memphis, Arkansas charged from his tenth place starting spot to grab the final top five spot.
Don Young from Bartlett, Tennessee headed the next group in sixth place followed by the sixteen year-old Derek Hagar in seventh. Brad Bowden charged from a fourteenth position start into eighth place to earn the evenings Huggins Cams Hardcharger Award. Ernie Ainsworth from Memphis, Tennessee followed Bowden in ninth after starting fifteenth and passing six cars as well. Lee Sowell from Nesbit, Mississippi rounded out the top ten positions in the feature race.
Danny Martin, Jr. won the evening's Lucas Oil Power Dash. Martin continued his hot hand by winning the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat Race. Derek Hagar won the Butlerbuilt Second Heat Race. Jeff Swindell captured the FSR Racing Products Third Heat and the JE Pistons Fourth Heat Race went to Don Young. Bryce Vowan from Forest City, Arkansas won the 12 lap B-Main. Brad Bowden garnered the events Huggins Cams Hard Charger award for his charge from 14th place into eighth place. Danny Martin, Jr. snagged the K&N Filters Pole Award and was also recognized as the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race, which is awarded to the top-finishing driver under twenty-five years old. The Weld Racing Hard Luck award went to Michael Craddock from Olive Branch, Mississippi.
The next O'Reilly USCS National points event and O'Reilly USCS Mid-South Thunder points event is the Speedweek 2007 Round #3 at Green Valley Speedway www.greenvalleyspeedway.com (http://www.greenvalleyspeedway.com/) on Sunday n ight. The O'Reilly USCS Speedweek 2007 continues with events Monday night at Clayhill Motorsports (www.clayhillmotorsports.com) in Atwood, TN. Then after two days off the schedule picks back up at Clarksville Speedway in Clarksville, Tennessee on Thursday night, May 31st.
The tour then visits Camden Speedway in Camden, Tennessee on Friday night June 1st before the grand finale in the "Columbus Clash" at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS on Saturday night June 2nd.
OFFICIAL RESULTS - ROUND TWO - O'REILLY USCS SPEEDWEEK 2007 AT RIVERSIDE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY IN WEST MEMPHIS, AR. ON 5/26/07:
POS START CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
- 3 12s Jeff Swindell Bartlett, TN 30
- 1 00 Danny Martin, Jr. Sarasota, FL 30
- 7 26 Marshall Skinner W. Memphis, AR 30
- 6 10 Terry Gray Bartlett, TN 30
- 10 3 A.G. Rains West Memphis, AR 30
- 4 75 Don Young Bartlett, TN 30
- 2 9jr Derek Hagar Marion, AR 30
- 14 15b Brad Bowden Hernando, MS 30
- 15 40 Ernie Ainsworth Memphis, TN 30
- 11 51 Lee Sowell Nesbit, MS 30
- 9 21 Raymond Stull Coldwater, MS 30
- 16 16 DeWayne Prince Atoka, TN 30
- 18 78 Henry Gustavus, West Memphis, AR 30
- 13 58 Wade Oliver Southaven,MS 30
- 20 86 Buster Dickerson Caledonia, MS 30
- 21 17 Jeff Leach Walls, MS 30
- 22 71 R.J. Johnson Tampa, FL 29
- 8 1 Eddie Gallagher Collierville, TN 28
- 5 56R Ryan Myers Eaton, OH 28
- 19 24w Kenny Coke Olive Branch, MS 18
- 17 2m Bryce Vowan Forest City, AR 14
- 12 31 Michael Craddock, Olive Branch, MS 6
DID NOT START:
1s Wes Michael, Atoka, TN
5 Damon Tillman, Memphis, TN
12 Trey Robb, Newcastle, OK
8x Chris Williams, Memphis, TN
11 Kevin Gault, Olive Branch, Mississippi
44 Ronny Howard, Southaven, MS
44H - Donnie Howard, Southaven, MS
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH WINNER: Danny Martin, Jr.
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Danny Martin, Jr.
HUGGINS CAMS HARD CHARGER: Brad Bowden (started 14th and passed 6 cars)
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Danny Martin, Jr.
ROBISON RACING PRODUCTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD: Danny Martin, Jr. (2nd place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Marshall Skinner
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Terry Gray
OUTLAW DISC BRAKES TOP FIVE AWARD: A.G. Rains
SIMPSON SAFETY PRODUCTS 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Don Young
FSR RACING PRODUCTS-7 TH-PLACE AWARD: Derek Hagar
FSR TOP 10 AWARD : Lee Sowell .
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD: Michael Craddock
ENTRIES: 29
PROVISIONAL: one - R.J. Johnson
LEAD CHANGES: One
LAP LEADERS: Jeff Swindell laps 1-30
CAUTIONS: 1
LUCAS OIL POWER DASH - 6 Laps: 1. Danny Martin, Jr; 2..Raymond Stull; 3. Bryce Vowan;; 4. Lee Sowell; 5. Terry Gray; 6. Derek Hagar.
B - MAIN EVENT - 12Laps - 1. Bryce Vowan; 2. Henry Gustavus; 3 Kenny Coke;. 4. Buster Dickerson; 5. Jeff Leach; 6. Chris Williams; 7. R.J. Johnson;; 8. Ronnie Howard; 9. Kevin Gault; 10. Wes Michael.
USCS HEAT RACES:
ENGLER TOOL AND MACHINE 1ST HEAT: 1. Danny Martin, Jr.; 2. Ryan Myers.; 3. Raymond Stull; 4. Wade Oliver; 5. Wes Michaels; 6. Jeff Leach; 7. Ronnie Howard.
BUTLERBUILT 2ND HEAT: 1. Derek Hagar; 2. Terry Gray; 3. A.G. Rains; 4. Brad Bowden; 5. Bryce Vowan; 6. Trey Robb; 7. Donnie Howard (DNS)
JE PISTONS 3RD HEAT: 1. Jeff Swindell; 2. Marshall Skinner; 3. Lee Sowell; 4. Ernie Ainsworth; 5. Kenny Coke; 6. R.J. Johnson; 7. Kevin Gault
FSR RACING PRODUCTS 4TH HEAT: 1. Don Young 2. Eddie Gallagher; 3. DeWayne Prince; 4. Henry Gustavus; 5. Buster Dickerson; 7. Chris Williams; 8. Damon Tillman.
Photo/Caption: Jeff Swindell from Bartlett, Tennessee, blasted out of semi-retirement to capture the O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series Speedweek 2007 feature at Riverside International Speedway on Saturday night in Kevin Davis' #12 car. (Phil Bowden photo).
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Pete Walton 404-886-5913
petewalton@bellsouth.net
- administrator on Apr 07, 2020
- Article Date: 5/26/2007 by Pete Walton