Story/Photos: Phillip Prichard, MSA
September 4th was the “Fast and Furious Friday at Lavonia Speedway with a full slate of the regular classes of racing plus the United Sprint Car Series.
22 year old Morgan Turpen (The Nation’s top ranked female sprint car driver) won the Hoosier Tire Speed Dash in the 10M. Coming into Lavonia, Turpen was tied with veteran and 11-time United Sprint Car Series National Champion Terry Gray in the 2015 USCS National title chase. She finished 6th in the feature event.
The USCS feature belonged Johnny Bridges who was the provisional pole-sitter after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, and after a zero was rolled on the K&N Inversion Die, he also received the K&N Filters Pole Award.
Bridges, the 1998 United Sprint Car Series K&N Rookie of the Year raced to his second 2015 series win. Bridges had to hold off defending series champion Terry Gray in the process. While many drivers were close on fuel in the closing laps, Bridges, from Cherryville, NC, stayed cool under pressure and led all 30 laps from the K&N Filters Pole Position to score the win. The night was plagued by two red flags and six additional cautions that made for challenging conditions for the 21-car field, with current USCS Southern Thunder regional points leader Eric Riggins Jr. running out of fuel with four laps to go bringing out the final yellow of the night.
Two red flags were displayed twice before racing could really get established, first at lap two when Montgomery, Alabama’s Kyle Amerson went flipping in turn two and again on the ensuing restart when Brandon McLain went for a similar tumble at the exit of turn four. Both drivers were uninjured.
Gray chased Bridges the entire distance in his Don Berry Construction No. 10 sprinter, but could never get close enough on any of the night’s restarts to challenge for the trophy. The Bartlett, TN veteran finished second and unofficially took the national points lead away from his teammate Morgan Turpen in the process.
Bridges’ cousin Lance Moss, also from Cherryville, NC, rounded out the podium in the K&N Filters Podium awarding third place.
The 2008 series Rookie of the Year Anthony Nicholson following him to the finish line in fourth. Three-time 2015 season feature winner Marshall Skinner from Marion, Arkansas completed the top five.
The top ten finishers of the 21 USCS Sprint Car Series starters were: 1. #07 – Johnny Bridges, Cherryville, NC 2. #10 – Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN 3. #23 – Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC 4. #16 – Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN 5. #26 – Marshall Skinner, Marion, AR 6. #10M – Morgan Turpen, Cordova, TN 7. #12 – Nick Roberts, Bloomingberg, OH 8. #67 – Brian Thomas, Pendergrass, GA 9. #22R – Kevin Roberts Jr., Washington Court House, OH 10. #22 – Shawn Murray, Jacksonville, FL
Steve “Hot Rod” LaMance was the dominator in the FASTRAK Pro Late Model Series. “Hot Rod” earned the pole and led flag-to-flag for the victory. Clayton Turner in the 102 was the Limited Late Model Winner.
The Georgia State Championships will be November 13-15, Check out http://www.lavoniaspeedway.net/ for more details.