6/13/2009
Sprint Source
Skinner grabs Parts Plus USCS "Rumble at the River" win at Riverside
West Memphis, AR - June 13, 2009 - Marshall Skinner from West Memphis, Arkansas blasted from outside the second row past early race leader and K&N Filters Pole Position starter, Wade Oliver from Southaven, Mississippi into the lead on lap three and never looked back in route to victory lane on Saturday night to capture his first Parts Plus United Sprint Car Series feature win of the 2009 season in the 4th Annual USCS “Rumble at the River” at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas. Skinner drove the Stinson Industrial #26m, J&J Auto Racing car to his sixteenth career Parts Plus USCS feature victory in the 30-lap contest. His win pleased the cheering “Night of the Legends” crowd that celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the historic speedway where Skinner is a three-time track sprint car Champion. With more than fifty legendary Champions and Challengers from the ¼ mile Gumbo speed-plant’s storied past looking on, Wade Oliver led the first two laps of the contest around the tacky racing surface while Skinner charged past rookie Casey Rowland from Nesbit, Mississippi who started third and then past veteran Dewayne Prince from Munford, Tennessee to finish lap one in the runner-up spot. On lap three Skinner charged past Oliver and started to put distance between he and the field.
A lap-thirteen caution flag for Ronny Howard’s expired engine found Skinner with five lapped cars between he and Wade Oliver in the second position with Dewayne Prince, Raymond Stull from Independence, Mississippi and defending Parts Plus USCS Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee in the top five. Stull jumped the cushion in turn one on the lap following the re-start and eighth starting A.G. Rains from West Memphis, Arkansas raced past him into the top five. The same misfortune befell Dewayne Prince on the fifteenth lap and Gray and Rains advanced past him into the third and fourth positions respectively.
On lap twenty-two while chasing Skinner through lapped traffic Oliver contacted a lapped car and cut his right front tire down and started to fade. A lap twenty-five red flag halted the field when Kevin Kilpatrick from Millington, Tennessee flipped exiting turn two collecting Brad Bowden from Hernando, Mississippi in the melee. Both drivers’ night ended from the damage.
With five laps to go Skinner led the 30-lap contest with seven-time series Champion, Terry Gray in the runner-up spot, but six Gray was now cars back in the re-start order. The 2008 Parts Plus USCS Trick or Treat Fall Nationals Champion A.G. Rains was in third place, Prince held onto the fourth spot and Jeff Swindell from Bartlett, Tennessee moved into the fifth position.
Gray couldn’t get close enough over the final five laps to seriously challenge the streaking Skinner and settled for the runner-up spot with Rains crossing the finish line in the third position. Prince, after his best effort of the 2009 season, finished in fourth place and the 2007 USCS Rumble at the River Champion, Jeff Swindell rounded out the top five.
Rookie Casey Rowland from Nesbit, Mississippi led the next group of finishers in sixth position. Ernie Ainsworth from Bartlett, Tennessee charged from fourteenth starting position to finish seventh. 2008 I-30 Speedway track Champion, Justin Sturch from Benton, Arkansas followed those seven in eighth place at the finish. Thursday night’s Parts Plus USCS feature winner at Clayhill Motorsports, Lee Sowell from Nesbit, Mississippi finished in the ninth position and Wade Oliver recovered well enough from going to the rear of the field with five laps to go after a tire change to complete the top-ten finishers.
The 2006 Parts Plus USCS Rookie of the Year, Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas kicked off the evening with a hard fought win over eventual feature winner, Marshall Skinner in the six cars, six laps Parts Plus Power Dash. Skinner won the Engler Machine and Tool First Heat. Current Parts Plus USCS National point’s leader, Terry Gray charged to the win in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat. Raymond Stull raced to victory lane in the 10-lap Bar’s Leaks Third Heat. K&N Filters Pole Award honors went to Wade Oliver. The eighteen year-old Casey Rowland garnered the Hoosier Tire Young Gun of the Race and R.E. Technologies Rookie of the Race honors for his runner-up efforts.
Ernie Ainsworth from Bartlett, Tennessee garnered the Lunati “Crank It Up” Award for his charge past six cars from twelfth starting position into sixth place at the finish of the main event.
The next Parts Plus United Sprint Car Series racing events are next weekend on Friday, June 19th at Penton Raceway in Penton, Alabama and on Saturday, June 20th in the 2nd Annual Randy Helton Memorial race at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Alabama.
Submitted By: Adam Ulrey
