southernunitedsprints Archives

Schmidt follows egg toss with season’s first SUS win

CLEVELAND, Texas (Sept. 12) – Trey Schmidt showed he was almost as good at tossing an egg as he is wheeling an IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car. Schmidt topped the Saturday Southern United Sprint feature at 105 Speedway, getting his first win of the season and staying in contention for a second career SUS title. Kids from the grandstand were teamed up with the top qualifying drivers from heats in an egg toss competition to determine the front eight starting positions in the feature. Schmidt, who had put a new motor in just the night before, was on the outside pole for the initial start, then moved to the pole after a multi-car melee. Timely cautions kept him out of heavy lapped traffic. Schmidt took the checkers ahead of Shane Morgan and Rod Craddock. “I searched around in one and two to find speed. I tried all different lines. Three and four were locked down and super fast,” he said. “It feels great to get this win. It came at the right time.” Feature results – 1. [Read More]

Fellow RaceSaver drivers help King get second Southern United Sprint feature win

CLEVELAND, Texas (July 4) – Daniel King had his quick thinking crew to thank for his first Southern United Sprints feature win of the season. He had his competition to thank for his second. King led all 25 laps of Saturday’s IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Lawanda Cogburn Scorekeeper Memorial at 105 Speedway after breaking in hot laps and borrowing a driveshaft from Kent Lewis Sr. Lewis, Trey Schmidt and a host of King’s fellow drivers helped him get back on track for the heat. He finished second in that race, then started outside the front row in the feature and ran in lapped traffic much of the way but was not challenged Isaiah Garcia, Rod Craddock, Schmidt and Tyler Harris rounded out the top five. King had been the series’ opening night winner after his crew jury rigged his car with bungee cord to keep it in gear. Feature results – 1. Daniel King; 2. Isaiah Garcia; 3. Rod Craddock; 4. Trey Schmidt; 5. Tyler Harris; 6. Caleb Padgett; 7. Matt Migl; 8. Chris Hinsen; 9. [Read More]

Sprint win by Reed highlights night of firsts at Cotton Bowl

PAIGE, Texas (June 13) – On a night of firsts at Cotton Bowl Speedway, Willy Reed won his first Southern United Sprints feature in his first visit to the Paige speedplant. And his mother Roxanne got to watch the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car excitement unfold from the grandstand. “This was my first win in a Sprint Car. My mother had never seen me race before in the class and I didn’t even know she was there,” said Reed. “I was pretty excited about it. She was pretty excited, too.” Reed made a couple RaceSaver starts last season and ran third in the series opener last week at Cleveland. He started fourth in the Cotton Bowl show, had the led when lap two was scored and then checked out. “Cotton Bowl is a really nice facility and we set the car up for a slick track,” said Reed, who had called Brad Benic at Momentum Racing Suspensions for some race-night help. “I could see (Trey) Schmidt moving up the leader board and I know he’s won [Read More]

Quick thinking crew, dominant car help King rule Kent Lewis Classic

CLEVELAND, Texas (June 6) – Quick-thinking by his crew and a dominant car made Daniel King a two-time Kent Lewis Classic feature winner Saturday night at 105 Speedway. King led all 25 laps of the Southern United Sprints opener and seventh annual classic, with a bungee cord used to keep his IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car in gear. Defending race winner Trey Schmidt was second. “It feels fantastic, with Kent being my mentor and the guy who got me into a Sprint Car,” said King, also winner of the inaugural event. “It’s special to win this race, especially twice.” Also battling brake issues, King was smooth on the high side and ran much of the way in lapped traffic. The final caution came with five circuits to go and he was catching the back of the field at the checkers. William Reed, Trey Burke and Jacob Harris completed the top five. “I knew they were right there behind me but we had a super downright dominant car,” King said. The win came in King’s first start [Read More]

Kent Lewis Classic checkers are career third for Schmidt

BEAUMONT, Texas (May 26) – Trey Schmidt added a third Kent Lewis Classic trophy to his collection, following a Memorial Weekend Southern United Sprint feature that was probably a little more exciting than he would have liked. After starting fourth and leading much of the way in the Sunday IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car show at Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Schmidt saw Rod Craddock slip by on the inside and take away the front spot. The two tussled the next three times around the oval, with Schmidt regaining the lead and holding on for the win, his second of the season, despite hitting an infield tire. “There are about three or four big events during the year that you always want to win,” said Schmidt, “and this is one of the biggest.” He’d also won a pair of non-wing Lewis Classics. Craddock and John Ricketts chased Schmidt across the stripe. Feature results – 1. Trey Schmidt; 2. Rod Craddock; 3. John Ricketts; 4. Bobby Middleton; 5. Dustyn Welch; 6. Brandon Anderson; 7. Tyler Harris; 8. Thomas Johnson; [Read More]

Welch gets first Sprint win of season in new ride

CLEVELAND, Texas (May 4) – After back-to-back second-place finishes in a new car, Dustyn Welch drove to his first Southern United Sprints feature win of the season Saturday at 105 Speedway. The runner-up in April IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car shows at 105 Speedway and Golden Triangle Raceway Park, Welch returned to Cleveland and had checked out on the rest of the field before a late caution. “The adjustment has been great,” Welch said of his Wayne Brown Motorsports/Full Serv. International ride. “I think that probably has something to do with being more comfortable in this car.” He’d started the 20-lapper from outside the second row, went to the bottom to take the lead on the second circuit and then used multiple lines in lapping up to the sixth place car. A caution with three laps to go bunched everybody back up, but Welch pulled away again and took the checkers ahead of Tyler Harris and John Ricketts. Feature results – 1. Dustyn Welch; 2. Tyler Harris; 3. John Ricketts; 4. Daniel King; 5. Rod Craddock; 6. [Read More]

Edge in experience, win at Thunder Valley go to Lewis

GLENMORA, La. (March 9) – Kent Lewis Sr. won for the first time in 1968, at the beginning of a racing career that now spans six decades. His most recent checkers came Saturday night, when the Southern United Sprints traveled to Thunder Valley Speedway. “I went shopping around and found the sweet spot. My car was superb right in the middle,” said the 71-year-old Lewis, who started sixth and took the lead following a restart just before halfway. “It seemed like everybody else was running high or low.” Rod Craddock ended as the runner-up and Tyler Harris completed the top three in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car headliner at Glenmora. “Winning (tonight) was super special. When I saw the white flag I was able to take a breath. The hardest thing to do in a race is lead,” Lewis said. “Most of the guys I’m racing with, I raced with their dads. It’s been a while since I won a feature but I still have fun going to the races every Saturday night, whether it’s [Read More]

Harris rocks at Cleveland with Southern United Sprints win

CLEVELAND, Texas (March 2) – Shock and setup changes made in the off-season paid off in Saturday’s Southern United Sprints season opener for Jacob Harris. Harris roared back into the lead coming out of the final turn to beat younger brother Tyler to the checkers in Saturday’s series lidlifter for IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars at 105 Speedway. A light rain had started midway through the main event at Cleveland and Jacob Harris found his preferred line on the high side after the precipitation stopped and the track was rolled back in. He was running behind a lapped car with two circuits to go; Tyler went to a lower line on the white flag lap and was briefly in front, before Jacob rode the top back to the front and won by two car lengths. “It felt good to get the win. We made changes with our shock package and setup during the off-season. We’re going with setups similar to what dad (Mark) had during his 305 career,” said Harris, a three-time feature winner each of [Read More]