Turpen captures North-South Shootout at Cherokee Speedway

GAFFNEY, SC - Morgan Turpen was not going to be denied during Saturday night's United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters and URC Rislone Sprint Series North/South Shootout at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, SC.<br /> <br /> Turpen, from Cordova, TN, took the lead from Robbie Stillwaggon for the final time on lap 20 of the 30-lap A-main and weathered four late-race cautions and subsequent restarts to bolt away to the biggest victory of her career in a race that was ultimately a war of attrition at Cherokee.<br /> <br /> The win was Turpen's sixth career USCS feature triumph and her second of the season, as well as her first-career URC victory.<br /> <br /> "Wow," a shocked Turpen said with a smile in Victory Lane. "I didn't expect to be standing here tonight. As the race wore on, we just kept getting better while the No. 89 (Robbie Stillwaggon) kept getting worse. We needed this bad, the team did, and I did too. I'm so proud and so thankful for this effort tonight."<br /> <br /> Turpen and Stillwaggon exchanged the lead five times between each other in the first 20 laps. The race was slowed by cautions a total of six times. The first came on lap eight when Eric Riggins, Jr. caught fire coming off of turn four. It flew again on lap nine when Bill Moore flipped going into turn two, and again on lap 20 when Brian Smith spun in turn 2. The yellow was displayed again on lap 22 for a melee in turn four involving Jonathan Swanson, Brandon McLain and Terry Witherspoon, and flew again on lap 25 when Swanson slowed down the backstretch. One lap later, both Stillwaggon and Brian Thomas slowed to a stop on the frontstretch.<br /> <br /> Behind Turpen, pole sitter Lance Moss rallied late to post a second-place result and Davie Franek completed the podium in third, officially clinching the 2014 URC championship in the process. Josh Weller finished behind Franek in fourth and Terry Gray rounded out the top five.<br /> <br /> Randy West, Nick Snyder, Jonathan Swanson, Pendergrass, GA's Brian Thomas and Stillwaggon completed the top ten at the finish.<br /> <br /> Brandon McLain kicked off the evening's racing action by winning his career-first Hoosier Tire Speed Dash, and Turpen scored the win in the first heat. Stillwaggon rolled to the victory in the second heat.<br /> <br /> Moss was the provisional pole-sitter after scoring the most passing points in heat race action, and after a zero came up in the inversion draw, he also received the K&N Filters Pole Award.<br /> <br /> The United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters continues their 2014 schedule on Saturday, October 11 during the Cotton Boll Cup at Poplar Bluff Speedway in Poplar Bluff, MO.<br /> <br /> For more information on the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour, please visit <a href="http://www.uscsracing.com" target="_blank">USCSRacing.com</a>.<br /> <br /> <strong>USCS Sprint Car Series</strong><br /> <strong> Cherokee Speedway - Gaffney, SC</strong><br /> <strong> North/South Sprint Car Shootout - Oct. 4, 2014</strong><br /> <br /> 1. #10M

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