Crawley gets two out of three in USCS Triple Crown Challenge at Riverside
                                                                        

August 6, 2009 - West Memphis, AR- 2008 United Sprint Car Series Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series Champion, Tim Crawley from Benton, Arkansas for the second year in a row, got two-thirds of the way to the $10,000 top prize in the Riverside Parts Plus Triple Crown Challenge event at Riverside Speedway on Thursday night.

The versatile Crawley won the Riverside Stock Cars first heat race and dominated the 20-lap feature race in that event. Crawley then finished in the runner-up spot in the 10-lap FSR Racing Products Fourth Heat race event for winged sprint cars behind sixteen year-old rookie female sprint car hot-shoe Morgan Turpen from Oakland, Tennessee. He would then start fourth in the Parts Plus USCS sprint car main event after the event’s passing point’s highest earner, Cody Gardner also from Benton, Arkansas drew a six in the K&N Filters Pole Award drawing placing Morgan Turpen on the K&N Filters Pole for the start of the 30-lap winged sprint car main event.

The hard-charging Turpen led the first four circuits around the tacky racing surface before Cody Gardner blasted past into the lead on lap five. Crawley raced past Turpen into the runner-up spot on lap seven and took up the chase for Gardner who appeared to be racing to his first-ever USCS feature win. As the Benton, Arkansas duo pulled away from the field and through the early lapped traffic, Crawley shot past Gardner into the lead on lap twelve. Crawley led the balance of the race and put enough lapped cars between he and Gardner to keep his lead safe through several restarts. The huge week-night crowd cheered wildly as he entered victory lane after the sprint car main event anticipating a Triple Crown Challenge claim for one of the Nation’s most popular sprint car drivers.  If Crawley could win the third and final feature race of the night in the Rislone USCS Modified Series 25-lap main event he would go home with a cool $10,000.

Only a win in the Rislone USCS Modified Series feature stood in the way of the $10,000 paycheck that Crawley came seeking on this humid evening. Crawley started ninth in the Modified main event. On lap eleven after racing as high up as fifth place in the order, Crawley’s luck ran out. While he worked aggressively to pass fifth place positioned Cody Rowland from Nesbit, Mississippi, the two tangled and Crawley went to the infield with a badly damaged front suspension on lap eleven of the twenty-five lap contest.

For his efforts and for the win in both the Stock Car and Parts Plus USCS sprint car divisions, Crawley collected the smaller $1000 bonus on the night of bonuses and opportunities. Even after the talented oval ace had missed again by one race garnering the Triple Crown, he had thrilled every single observer with his bravery and driving skills on yet another night to be remembered.  Tony Anglin from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas went on to win the Rislone USCS Modified main-event after race-leader, Ben Reed from Munford, Tennessee was involved in an accident on lap twenty.

Cody Gardner had a career-best runner-up spot in the 30-lap Parts Plus USCS main event followed by past USCS and ten-time speedway Champion, Eddie Gallagher from Piperton, Tennessee who crossed in the third position followed by July 11th Parts Plus USCS feature winner Raymond Stull from Independence, Mississippi in fourth place. The evening’s Bar’s Leaks Third Heat Race winner, A.G. Rains from West Memphis, Arkansas rounded out the top five finishers in the thirty-three car field.

Jared Hull from Sikeston, Missouri led the next group and finished in the sixth position. Jeff Swindell who won the Mini-Stock main-event earlier in the evening finished seventh. Seven-time and defending series Champion, Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee finished in the eighth position followed by young gun Brad Bowden from Hernando, Mississippi in ninth place. Current Parts Plus USCS rookie point’s leader, Justin Carver from Drummonds, Tennessee rounded out the top ten drivers. 

Marshall Skinner, who was also doing triple duty, won the evening’s 6-cars, 6-laps Parts Plus Power Dash. Eddie Gallagher won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. Phillip Faulkner from Drummonds, TN got the victory in the 10-lap Butlerbuilt Second Heat. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. A.G. Rains won the Bar’s Leaks Third Heat Race. Morgan Turpen won the FSR Racing Products Fourth Heat Race. The Hoosier Tire Young Guns award went to Brad Bowden. 2009 Rookie points’ leader, Justin Carver garnered the Rookie of the Race honors.     

Parts Plus USCS sprint car results at Riverside Speedway 8/6/09

Parts Plus Power Dash: Marshall Skinner, Raymond, Stull, Terry Gray, Justin Carver, Bryce Vowan and Anthony Nicholson.

Engler Machine and Tool First Heat: Eddie Gallagher, Jared Hull, Jeff Swindell, Justin Carver, Brad Bowden, Dewayne Prince, Anthony Nicholson, Jared Kelly and Wade Human.

Butlerbuilt Second Heat: Phillip Faulkner, Cody Gardner, Chris Williams, Raymond Stull, Troy Dow, Ronnie Blair, Tyler Carter and Bryce Vowan.

Bars Leaks Third Heat: AG Raines, Terry Gray, Ronny Howard, Dalton Davis, Ray Bugg, Kyle Bellm, Marty Meredith and Wesley Sheppard.

FSR Racing Products Fourth Heat: Morgan Turpen, Tim Crawley, Casey Rowland, Brad Graham, Marshall Skinner, Ernie Ainsworth, Jon Stinson and Brad Greer.

JE Pistons B Main#1: Marshall Skinner, Casey Rowland, Ernie Ainsworth, Ronnie Blair, Jon Stinson, Marty Meredith, Wade Human, Brad Graham and Wesley Sheppard.

Lunati B-Main #2: Dalton Davis, Ray Bugg, Kyle Bellm, Dewayne Prince, Anthony Nicholson, Troy Dow, Jared Kelly and Brad Greer.

Feature Race results (30 laps):
1 - 88 Tim Crawley, Benton, AR 
2 - G1 Cody Gardner, Benton AR
3  - 1 Eddie Gallagher, Piperton, TN 
4  - 6 Raymond Stull, Independence, MS
5 - 3 A.G. Raines, West Memphis, AR
6 - 12 Jared Hull, Sikeston, MO
7 - 10d Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, TN
8 - 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN 
9 - 39 Brad Bowden, Hernando, MS
10 - 24 Justin Carver, Drummonds, TN
11 - 8x Chris Williams, Memphis, TN 
12 - 12d Dalton Davis, Memphis, TN
13 -  80 Morgan Turpen, Oakland, TN
14 - 16 Anthony Nicholson, Bartlett, TN
15 - 44 Ronny Howard, Southaven, MS
16 - 40 Ernie Ainsworth, Bartlett, TN
17 - 26s Jon Stinson, Memphis, TN
18 - 25 Ray Bugg, Iuka, MS
19 - 16 Dewayne Prince, Munford, TN
20 - C4 Casey Rowland, Nesbit, MS
21 - 7 Phillip Faulkner, Drummonds, TN
22 - 14K Kyle Bellm, Nixa, MO
23 - 26 Marshall Skinner, West Memphis, AR
24 - 35 Ronnie Blair, Troy, OH

Did not qualify: 
2M Bryce Vowan, Forrest City, AR
04 Brad Graham, Springfield, MO
 3B Brad Greer, Coulterville, IL
6K Jared Kelly, Millington, TN
7W Wade Human, Marion, AR
20 Tyler Carter, West Memphis, AR
21 Troy Dow, Munford, TN
21 Marty Meredith, Cockrum, MS
44x Wesley Sheppard, Southaven, MS

PARTS PLUS POWER DASH WINNER: Tim Crawley
K & N FILTERS POLE AWARD: Morgan Turpen
LUNATI CRANK IT UP AWARD: Anthony Nicholson (started 24th finished14th)
HOOSIER TIRE YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Brad Bowden
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Justin Carver  
JE PISTONS TOP GUNS AWARD:  Tim Crawley (1st place)
K&N FILTERS 3RD-PLACE AWARD: Eddie Gallagher
BUTLERBUILT 4TH-PLACE AWARD: Raymond Stull
BARS LEAKS TOP FIVE AWARD: A.G. Rains

ENTRIES: 33
PROVISIONALS: (2) Jon Stinson and Anthony Nicholson
LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4, Morgan Turpen, Laps 5-11 Cody Gardner, Laps 12-30 Tim Crawley, 26-30     

Riverside Stocks - Feature