December 27, 2016 – FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – Pete Walton, the founder and president of the United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters, has been nominated by a board of his peers for the 2016 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 360 Promoter of the Year Award. During 2016 Walton guided the Fayetteville, Georgia-based 360 cubic inch winged sprint car series through its 20th Anniversary season of competition after founding the United Sprint Car Series in 1997. Walton again saw the USCS reach several milestones of its own in 2016.
With 48 events on its USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National schedule in 2016, the traveling series completed 36 of those after 12 rain-outs. The series passed the 600-event benchmark during the 2015 season and the aggressive 2016 schedule saw the USCS post its 643rd event on its resume. The series 1997 and first season saw it complete 11 events.
During 2016 Walton saw USCS again make sprint car racing history when 23-year-old Morgan Turpen of Cordova, Tennessee repeated as the series National Champion. Morgan Turpen ten became the first woman to ever win the series’ National Championship twice and two-times-in-a-row.
As a former sprint car racer for sixteen years Walton made many long trips from Atlanta to the Midwest. Walton founded the USCS to bring sprint car racing closer to his home. He competed in the series on a regular basis until 2001. At that time, he hung up his helmet and has since seen series have tremendous grow from 20-22 events per season to near 50 events each year.
Walton has been nominated for the National Sprit Car Hall of Fame “Promoter of the Year” award several times prior years, but was honored for the first time as the recipient of the award after a successful 2015 season.
“It really is an honor to be recognized again as a nominee for the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Promoter of the Year Award,” Walton said upon learning of his nomination. “To be a part of the many people who work hard to keep sprint car racing in the fore-front and provide a place for competitors to compete in this exciting form of motorsports is always a pleasure and a privilege.”
“Open wheel racing in the Southeastern region of the country has been rare and in the past taken a back seat to stock car and late model racing, I’m proud that our two decades of work with the USCS have produced a product that draws some of the top crowds of the season at many of the venues where we promote and sanction events. And as far as our USCS sprint car drivers, I would always put them up against any 360 teams in the country on the race track – just bring them on!”
The 360 Promoter of the Year Award is voted on annually by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame pollsters and honors the individual(s) representing a speedway, sanctioning body or racing series that has most impacted winged 360 cubic inch sprint car racing through their promotional efforts.
The USCS is gearing up for another banner season of competition in 2016 (Its 21st season) with a 50+ race schedule, that kicks off at Hattiesburg Speedway on Friday, March 3rd and moves over to Magnolia Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 4th. For more series information and rules, visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series office at 770-460-7223 or 770-865-6097.