Wild and exciting winged outlaw sprint car racing returns to Lanier National Speedway Saturday night, August 30th for the Dodge "Night of Thunder" at the speedway featuring the USCS "Asphalt Thunder" Tour's winged sprint car event. The United Sprint Car Series ( USCS ) drivers roar into the legendary 3/8 mile oval for a return visit after being rained out on March 15th . This will be the twenty fifth event on the 35 race 2003 National tour.

The event is expected to bring top winged outlaw sprint car drivers from at least six states to the speedway. Their exotic fire breathing, alcohol burning 700 horsepower open wheel cars weight approximately 1300 pounds, and will literally fly around the track surface at speeds well in excess of 140 miles per hour. It is not uncommon to see them popping wheelies or doing wheel stands because of the brute force of their engines and their huge 18 inch wide rear tires. Friday night's sprint car action will feature a program that includes: Time trial qualifying, heat races and a 40 lap main event. In addition the evening's first sprint car race will be the Airflow Research Power Dash that showcases the top cars from the previous main event in an edge of your seat 6 car shootout that accrues points towards an Airflow Research Super Power Dash at season's end worth $5,000 to win!

Heavy hitter entries include two of the nation's hottest sprint car drivers: Number one is America's winningness sprint car driver over the past three seasons, USCS 2000 series champion, Kenny Adams, from Malabar, Florida who leads the point standings in the USCS "Asphalt Thunder" paved track portion of the schedule. Adams holds the Lanier National Speedway track record at 11.32 seconds. He has won thirteen USCS 2003 events and has 81 wins in all competition since the beginning of the 2000 season. He has nineteen feature wins in all competition already this season. Adams who was named 2000's Sprint Car Driver of the Year by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame pollsters will have his hands full with a host of challengers from across the nation.

Hot shoe number two is current USCS National points leader Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee. Gray is the defending back to back (2001and 2002) USCS National Champion. He has nine National Championships to his credit with three different series and is looking for number ten. He has over 300 career feature wins. Gray finished in the runner-up spot in the Sprint Car Hall of Fame poll in 2001 and had 14 wins on the season. Gray won six USCS paved track events in 2002 and he had ten wins in series competition last season and sixteen overall wins ranking him among the tops in the nation in 2002. He has five USCS wins so far this season and ten wins overall.

Also entered is "Georgia Gang" leader Jim Raptis who has dueled all season wheel to wheel duel with Adams and Gray for superiority in the series. Raptis trails Gray by just 156 points in the National title chase. Raptis is a fifth year sprint car driver after a long stint in stock cars in the Southern All Star, All-Pro, Busch And Winston Cup circuits. The likeable but, race ready Raptis says, "I'm coming to Lanier ready for a visit to the Lanier victory lane. This has been our best year in USCS and we are looking to make it better atLanier as it's one of mine and everyone else's favorite tracks.

Other entries include: Aubrey Black from Lookout Mountain, Georgia who is fourth in the national point standings, 2002 USCS top rookie driving sensation, Randy Weaver from Powder Springs, Georgia, who is fifth in the National standings. The traveling series' 1999 USCS top rookie, 20 year old Chris Rogers from Winston , Georgia who has been tough lately with several top three finishes in the last five events will also be ready for action. Other entries include Ted Williams from Atlanta who ranks fourth in the USCS "Asphalt Thunder" points. Doug Fitzwater from Birmingham is another expected entry.

Several other rookies vying for USCS 2003 top rookie honors are entered including Chase Taylor from Montgomery, Texas and two South Carolina rookie standouts, Jimmy Taylor from Greenville, South Carolina and Will Ragsdale from Easley, South Carolina.. David Thorman from Berea, South Carolina.

The sprint cars will join a program that includes the Lanier National Speedway Pro Late Models for a 100 lap main event and a forty lap Sportsman feature. After all that there is the $1000 to win, Georgia State Demolition Derby Championship. Lanier National Speedway gates open Saturday at 4 p.m. and racing action starts at 7:00 p.m. The track phone number is 770-976-8600.

USCS Media Pete Walton - cell 770-313-3477 pwaltonscs@aol.com
Media Director Larry Sams jcableman@aol.com 770-605-5993

Driver contacts for interviews:
Terry Gray Bartlett, TN cell # 901-277-5915 Shop/home 901-372-6247
Kenny Adams , Malabar, FL cell# 321-258-9110
Jim Raptis , Marietta, GA Shop # 770-591-0400 Cell # 770-712-


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