USCS: Volusia race notes 2005-10-22

ADAMS DOMINATES O'REILLY USCS FLORIDA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK

BARBERVILLE, FL - Kenny Adams of Malabar, FL dominated the O'Reilly United Sprint Car Series Florida State Championship Race by winning the 30-lap A-Main Saturday night at Volusia Speedway Park driving the Milk Movers, Inc./Goodson Farms Shaw/Ott. Adams took home another big win, as he also won the Air Flow Research Super Power Dash.

Adams' 17th win of the season was worth $2,500, plus $100 as the 2000 O'Reilly USCS National Champion, $100 for the C&B Mushroom Fast Time, but the $5,000 winner's share in the Air Flow Research Super Power Dash brought a total of $7,700 in cash and prizes to the "Malabar Missile."

The evening opened with Adams turning the ½-mile clay oval in 15.386 seconds for an average speed of 116.989 miles per hour to take fast time honors. Adams then led all ten laps to win his first Air Flow Research Super Power Dash, and the beautiful Eagle Trophy from Koolbeans Trophies.

Adams had to work a little harder to capture the big prize in the A-Main. The inversion had Adams starting fourth. He dropped back to fifth at the start of the race, but came back to take the lead from Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN on lap 20, and cruised home for his 92nd O'Reilly USCS career win.

"This is a big night for us, especially in earnings," Adams said. "I've won a lot of races at a lot of tracks with this series, but I've never won the Air Flow Research Super Power Dash until tonight, and that's extra special to take home a trophy so big you can barely pick it up over your head."

Gray, the defending and four-time O'Reilly USCS National Champion, had to settle for second in the C&B Mushrooms/Goodson Farms Maxim/Wesmar. Danny Martin Jr. of Sarasota, FL drove a steady race to finish third in the Martin Structures, Inc./Food Grade Transport Schnee/ZRE. The 19-year-old driver was the SpeedMart Young Gun of the Race.

The Longest Tow Award winner Scott Young of Union Grove, WI finished fourth in the All Star Plumbing Heating and Air Eagle/Hampshire, and Bryn Gohn of Malabar, FL drove his Milk Movers, Inc./Goodson Farms Shaw/Ott to a fifth-place finish to take the Robison Racing Products Rookie of the Race honors.

Tom Winegardner Jr. of Pierson, FL took the sixth spot in the Snap On Tools/WRP J&J/WRP, and Stephen Darvalics of Venice, FL finished seventh in the CineMoves Shaw/Gaerte, and won the ButlerBuilt 2nd eight-lap heat race. Chad Allum of Kannapolis, NC was eighth in the ButlerBuilt Prowler/Chrisco, and also won the Engler Machine and Tool first eight-lap heat race.

Tom Winegardner Sr. of Pierson, FL started 18th and finished ninth in the Snap On Tools/WRP J&J/Hampshire to take the Huggins Cams Hard Charger Award. Matt Tiffany of Daytona Beach, FL came back from a cut tire to round out the top ten in the Independent Printing Shaw/Ott.

Jon Eldreth of Colora, MD was the K&N Pole Award winner by the luck of the draw, and took the lead at the start of the race in the Eldreth Construction Maxim/Ott. Eldreth was the fourth fastest qualifier, and he also won the O'Reilly Auto Parts fourth eight-lap heat race. On the opening lap, Martin ran in the second spot followed by Gray, Gohn, and Adams.

Adams began his march to the front of the pack by passing his teammate and stepson Gohn for the fourth spot on lap two. Johnny Bridges of Cherryville, NC brought out the first caution flag on lap three when he stalled the C&B Mushrooms/Stainless Fabricators J&J/Bridges Ford on the front straightaway.

Eldreth led Martin, Gray, Adams, and Gohn down for the restart. On lap nine, Gray got around Martin for the second spot, and Gohn passed Adams for fourth. The field was slowed by the caution flag on lap ten when the Koolbeans Trophies third eight-lap heat race winner Brian Thomas of Auburn, GA spun the Saligoe Metal Works Avenger/Broome Performance in turn four.

When the field went back to green, Eldreth was able to pull away from Gray, and Martin, while Adams got back around Gohn for the fourth spot on lap 12. Lap 13 would prove to be an unlucky one for the race leader.

As Eldreth came up to lap Robert Henderson of Jacksonville, FL, something broke on the front end of Henderson's Durham Building Materials and he hit the inside wall in turn four. Eldreth made contact with Henderson, and cut down a tire, stalling on the front straightaway. When Eldreth was forced to pit, Gray took over the lead.

Eldreth was unable to return to the track for the restart, and his misfortune earned him the Weld Racing Hard Luck Award.

On the restart, Martin moved up to challenge Gray for the lead, and Adams was closing fast, as well. Adams moved up to make it a three car battle for the lead by lap 17, as the lead trio began to pull away from Gohn and the fifth-place car of R.J. Johnson of Decatur, TN in the Tinsley Engineering/Georgia Performance Graphics J&J/ZRE.

The leaders encountered heavy lapped traffic by lap 19, and Adams was able to work under Martin for the second spot coming off turn two. On lap 20, Adams took the lead with a pass on Gray. As Adams tried to pull away, a series of caution flags on lap 24, 26, and 29 slowed the field, but no one could make a challenge on Adams to the checkered flag.

In other preliminary action, Bruce Cline of Apex, NC won the Koolbeans Trophies third eight-lap heat race in the 31-W Insulation Stealth/Engler.

Shortly after the completion of the main event, a pall was cast over the night of racing. Adams celebrated what was his biggest night of success since he began running with the O'Reilly USCS in 2000. His wife Sherry let him have the joy of victory lane, for she had some news to tell Kenny when he arrived back at his transporter. The celebration was short-lived.

While Adams was racing to victory in the main event, his father, Houston Adams, lost his battle with cancer and passed away in a Florida hospital. As Adams quietly loaded his race car, the congratulations were replaced by the condolences from the O'Reilly USCS staff and competitors for Adams and his family.

The next event for the O'Reilly USCS will be at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA on October 28-29. For more information, visit the O'Reilly USCS web site at www.uscsracing.com.

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