Winged sprint cars at LMS on Saturday

With the official arrival of summer this week, the action will be heating up at Lancaster Motor Speedway.

Johnny Sims

Matt Harris and Pebo Johnson battle in the Pure Street division at Lancaster Motor Speedway. Johnson has won three of the last four main events at LMS.

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Blazing racing action this week features the United Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear.

The action-packed racing features a full program of the winged outlaw style sprint cars.

The USCS Southern Thunder Tour is a regional series which includes races in the Carolinas, Georgia and east Tennessee.

All of the events award points to the 15th national championship. LMS will draw a number of drivers seeking the USCS  “Outlaw Thunder” national championship.

Top drivers, including nine-time and defending USCS national champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, Tenn., along with  drives from six states are expected to be here this weekend.

The 700 horsepower open-wheeled USCS sprint cars weigh just 1,300 pounds and are pound for pound the world’s most powerful short track race cars. The cars literally fly around the track at speeds over 130 miles per hour.

The outlaw sprint car action will feature a full program, which includes test and tune hot laps. The first sprint car race will be the Goodyear Speed Dash, showcasing the top six cars from the previous event in a six-lap shootout. Next will be the qualifying heat races to determine the starting spots for the 30-lap Carolina Thunder championship finale.

u The Pure Street division, one of LMS’s most exciting divisions, will be racing for $450 this week.

Pebo Johnson has been on a tear in this division the past couple of weeks. Steve Hinson will look to get back to his winning ways this week. James Marion will also be looking to return to victory lane. Other drivers to keep an eye on are Jesse Carson, Matt Harris, Ryan Whitaker, Dwayne Ray, Jerry Sexton, Don Burns and Jamie Varnadore.

u The Crate Sportsman division will be racing for $500 to win in LMS’s most exciting and popular division. “The Rock Hill Bad Boy,” Ben Watkins won the Kenny Helms Memorial last Saturday night, a $2,000 payday. Watkins will look to make it two straight this week. Kenny Ramsey, who has captured the most wins this year, will look to add to his total. Timbo Mangum will also look to add to his checkers total.

Points leader Dillon Crook will be seeking to add to his win total. Other drivers to keep an eye on are Dustin Sweatt, Travis Payne, Hank Taylor, Steve Saucier, Trey Tarlton and Tyler Love.

u The Super Street division will be running for $600 to win. This season this division has been dominated by “The Gambler,” Brandy Baker.

Baker will be seeking to add to his win total Saturday night. The improving Brent Hodges will be seeking to grab win No. 2 on the season.

Hodges has been improving every week at LMS this season. Points leader Jody Bigham will also be in the mix, seeking his first win on the year. Others to keep an eye on will be Justin Rollins, Johnny Starkey, Mike Emerson Jr., Kevin Godbee, Cody Reynolds, Mike Carnevale and Rusty Robinson.

u The Stock 4 division will be racing for $400 to win. Since the “Red Rocket,” Jeffrey McGuirt, has made his return to LMS, he has been unbeatable. McGuirt will be seeking to grab another win Saturday. Ray T. Adams, who was dominating this division before McGuirt made his return, will be seeking to get back to his winning ways. Michael Deese will also be seeking to grab win two on the year. Other drivers to keep an eye on are Bill Stutler, Michael Chaney, Jimmy Helms, Wes Helms, Michael Ott, David Rallings and Andy Helms.

u The Vintage division will be racing for $150 to win. “Screamin” Ben Helms picked up the win last week, adding to his win total. Points leader, “The Big Show,” Kenneth Deese will be seeking to return to victory lane. Marty Spittle, in his purple Mustang, will  also be seeking a trip to victory lane.

Steve Davis, in the No. 4 Ford, will be seeking another trip to victory lane. Other drivers to watch are Chris Fincher, Steve Helms, Mike Helms, Don Burns, James Crump and Brian Crump.

Gates open at 4 p.m. for the pits and 5 p.m. for the stands. Pit admission is $25 and $15 for the stands.

 If you missed any of the action this past Saturday night, Jackie Sims has videos for sale in the pits and stands for $10. Johnny Sims has photos of your favorite drivers for sale. For more info on LMS, visit the track website, www.lancasterspeedway.net, or the two facebook pages. To discuss track action, visit www.DirtRaceFans.com and make sure you register.