By Pete Walton

July 24, 2010 Chester, South Carolina: The defending United Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee charged from seventh to win the 30-lap event at I-77 Speedway on Saturday night. Gray drove his own familiar black Rislone Oil Stabilizer Wesmar J&J winged sprint car. He finished about one quarter lap ahead of early leader Johnny Bridges, who finished runner-up. The past Carolina regional champion Coby Adams had his best finish of the season in third.

Bridges started Sue Ellen Wilshe’s Biobased USA Roush Yates Ford J&J in the K&N Filters Pole Position. He was awarded this position after Nick Bashford drew a zero in the K&N Filters Pole award drawing on the frontstretch in front of a packed grandstand. Bridges was the high passing point earner. This placed last week's Dixie winner and 2006 United Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year Derek Hagar in Jay Hancock’s car from Athens, Georgia outside the front next to Bridges. Coby Adams was behind Bridges inside row two with Bashford fourth. The May 15 Lavonia winner Matt Linder started inside row three with Gray's 17-year old female teammate Morgan Turpen in sixth. The eventual winner started inside row four.

At the drop of the green, Bridges bested Hagar in the drag race to turn one. Bridges led the first three laps before David Clarke coasted to a stop in turn one to bring the first caution flag. After the restart on lap four, Brandon Rekow spun low in turn four to bring the second caution and keep Hagar and the lead pack on Johnny’s bumper. On the second restart, the order behind Bridges was Hagar, Bashford, Adams, Linder, Gray and Turpen. Hagar was smoking from the engine compartment until he coasted to a stop with motor problems exiting turn four of lap eleven. Bridges led Coby Adams with Gray now third followed by Linder, Bashford and Turpen. On lap 18, Gray passed Coby Adams for runner-up. On lap 20, he charged past leader Bridges, who seemed to suffer front suspension problems. On the following lap, 15-year old Rookie of the Year candidate Eric Riggins Jr. spun exiting turn two and the caution flag was displayed. This bunched the field behind the new leader Gray followed by Bridges, Adams, Linder, Bashford and Turpen. The race went green over the final nine laps with Gray stretching his lead over the lead pack.

At the finish after 30 laps around the 4/10th mile red South Carolina clay, Gray was in victory lane. He was followed in the runner-up spot by Bridges, who completed the entire distance without a left front torsion stop. Coby Adams had a career and season-best USCS effort in third. Second generation racer Matt Linder finished fourth. Eighteen-year old Nick Bashford drove the other Roush Yates Ford to round out the Top Five. The current USCS rookie point leader Morgan Turpen was sixth and 15-year old first year racer Eric Riggins Jr. finished seventh.

Terry Gray kicked off the evening with a win in the Goodyear Speed Dash for the Top Six from the previous event. Gray also garnered KSE Racing Products Hard Charger by passing six cars in the A-main. The current Rookie of the Year point leader Morgan Turpen garnered Rookie of Race honors and Nick Bashford was recognized as the Goodyear Young Gun of the Race. Other awards) JE PISTONS TOP GUNS: Nick Bashford (fifth-place), K&N FILTERS THIRD PLACE: Coby Adams; BUTLERBUILT FOURTH PLACE: Matt Linder & Dynotech TOP FIVE: Bashford

The next United Sprint Car Series race is at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia on Friday, August 6 before the series moves over to Clayhill Motorsports for the second night of the weekend double on Saturday, August 7. For more information, please visit www.norhalabamaspeedway.com and/or www.clayhillmotorsports.com. For rules and info, please call (770) 460.7223 or (770) 865.6097 or visit www.uscsracing.com.

Goodyear Speed Dash (6 laps) 1 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN; 2 Morgan Turpen, 3 Derek Hagar, Marion, AR; 4 Matt Linder, Hoschton, GA; 5 Eric Riggins Jr, Charlotte, NC; 6 David Thorman, Greenville

Engler Machine & Tool Heat 1 (10 laps) 1 Nick Bashford, China Grove, NC; 2 Johnny Bridges, Cherryville, NC; 3 Gray, 4 Linder, 5 Adam Jackson, Timmonsville; 6 Riggins, 7 Thorman, 8 Brandon McLain, Indian Trail, NC

Butlerbuilt Heat 2 (10 laps) 1 Coby Adams, Mooresville, NC; 2 Hagar, 3 Turpen, Bartlett, TN; 4 Brandon Rekow, Mooresville, NC; 5 David Clarke, Huntersville, NC; 6 Joe Larkin, Suwannee, GA; 7 Darren Clarke, Huntersville, NC

A-main (30 laps) 1 Terry Gray 10, 2 Johnny Bridges 07, 3 Coby Adams 29, 4 Matt Linder 1x, 5 Nick Bashford X, 6 Morgan Turpen 80, 7 Eric Riggins Jr 47, 8 David Thorman 5x, 9 Joe Larkin 33, 10 Adam Jackson 46, 11 Brandon McLain 21b, 12 Brandon Rekow 69, 13 Derek Hagar (Hancock 1a), 14 Darren Clarke 20, 15 David Clarke 21. USCS 360w