USCS: Screven results 2004-09-11

Martin Takes Screven USCS Sunbelt Win

SYLVANIA, GA - Danny "The Hammer" Martin Jr. of Sarasota, FL loves to compete when his family has a special occasion. On Saturday night, Martin gave his Mother a birthday present with a victory in the United Sprint Car Series Regional Sunbelt Tour 30-lap main event at Screven Motor Speedway driving the Martin Structures, Inc. Schnee/ZRE.

The 18-year-old young gun swept the program by also winning the six-lap Air Flow Research Power Dash, the second eight-lap heat race, leading all of the laps in the main event, and coming from the fifth starting spot to earn the Huggins Race Cams Hard Charger of the Race Award.

Martin picked up his first USCS win of the season on June 20 in Rome, GA on his Dad's birthday. His July 23 USCS win in Swainsboro, GA came on his parent's wedding anniversary. He got a win for both Mom and Dad on their anniversary, as he also won the next night in USCS action in Cochran, GA.

The only driver that came close to challenging Martin all night long was Chad Allum of Kannapolis, NC. Allum was able to take a look under Martin in lapped traffic at the midway point of the race, but couldn't make the pass. Allum had to settle for second in the Heintz Performance Allum/Allum.

Brian Smith of Mooresville, NC posted his best USCS finish of the season with a third-place effort in the Smith Fabrication Eagle/H&G Associates. Smith is making a quick transition from asphalt late model stock cars to dirt track winged outlaw sprint cars.

Brian Thomas of Auburn. GA made his first start after a hard crash in Crossville, TN on July 2 a successful one by finishing fourth in the Main Auto Parts/Saligoe Avenger/Broome Performance. Tom Winegardner Jr. of Pierson, FL was fifth in the Snap-On Tools J&J/WRP.

Jeremy Scott of Franklin, GA finished sixth in the Vortex Bar and Grill Pro Lite/June Bug, and Doug Day of Winder, GA took the seventh spot in the Gotta Race Eagle/Dingler. Bobby Courtwright of Evans, GA came back from a mid-race spin to finish eighth in the K&N Filters Clincher/Victory.

R.J. Johnson of Decatur, TN was the Rookie of the Race after driving the Leaf Race Wear/Pin Rings J&J/ZRE to a ninth-place finish, and polesitter Bronzie Lawson of Southern Pines, NC rounded out the top ten in the Lawson Construction J&J/Lawson.

The field scrambled for positions during the opening laps of the race with Martin charging up from the fifth starting spot to take the lead coming off the fourth turn on the first lap. Martin was followed by Lawson and Allum.

Lawson spun on lap four while running second to bring out the caution flag. When the field went back to green, Martin led Allum, Michael Miller of Ocean Springs, MS, and Brice Wrenn of Lexington, SC. At the ten lap mark, Allum closed in on Martin and took a look to the inside, but Martin held on.

Miller got into the lapped car of Lawson on lap 13 and spun while running third. Wrenn also got collected and flipped the Stainless Fabricators Hench/Gaerte. Wrenn was uninjured and earned the Weld Racing Hard Luck Award. Miller also took his Hill Brothers Air and Hydraulics Challenger/Slobuilt to the pit area.

Martin led Allum, Smith, and Thomas down for the restart. Martin tried to pull away, but a lap 17 by Courtwright slowed the field for the third and final time. Miller, who won the first eight-lap heat race returned to the track, and savaged an 11th-place finish, four laps down. He also won the FSR Performance Award.

Although Allum could keep the leader in his sights, Martin went unchallenged for the final 13 laps of the race to post his fourth USCS win of the season. The next race for USCS will be an Asphalt Thunder Tour event on October 2 at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA.

<pre> OFFICIAL RESULTS OF USCS SUNBELT TOUR EVENT AT SCREVEN MOTOR SPEEDWAY SYLVANIA, GA ON 9/11/04:

POS   STRT  CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN                        LAPS
1.    5     00   Danny Martin Jr. Sarasota, FL          30
2.    2     87   Chad Allum Kannapolis, NC              30
3.    3     4s   Brian Smith Mooresville, NC            30
4.    8     67   Brian Thomas Auburn. GA                30
5.    7   11jr   Tom Winegardner Jr. Pierson, FL        30
6.    10    76   Jeremy Scott Franklin, GA              30
7.    11    2d   Doug Day Winder, GA                    30
8.    9     48   Bobby Courtwright Evans, GA            29
9.    12    71   R.J. Johnson (R) Decatur, TN           29
10.   1     B3   Bronzie Lawson Southern Pines, NC      28
11.   6     4m   Michael Miller Ocean Springs, MS       26
12.   13    44   Josh Harris New London, NC             13
13.   4     1w   Brice Wrenn Lexington, SC              13
14.   14  11sr   Tom Winegardner Sr. Pierson, FL         1

LEAD CHANGES:  None
LAP LEADERS:  Martin, 1-30
CAUTIONS:  3

HUGGINS RACE CAMS HARD CHARGER:  Martin (started fifth and finished first)
FSR PERFORMANCE AWARD:  Miller
WELD RACING HARD LUCK AWARD:  Wrenn
ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Johnson

AIR FLOW RESEARCH POWER DASH (6 Laps): 1. Martin; 2. Day; 3. Lawson; 4. Allum; 5. Johnson (R); 6. Winegardner Jr.

1ST HEAT (8 Laps): 1. Miller; 2. Wrenn; 3. Allum; 4. Winegardner Jr.; 5. Courtwright; 6. Day; 7. Harris.

2ND HEAT (8 Laps): 1. Martin; 2. Smith; 3. Lawson; 4. Thomas; 5. Scott; 6. Johnson (R); 7. Winegardner Sr.

R - Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate

-uscs-