Fans were on their feet in the closing laps of the Dean Custom Air 250 as veterans Mark McFarland and Clay Rogers fought hard over the lead in the closing laps, providing great entertainment for the large crowd in attendance at Myrtle Beach Speedway. McFarland was able to pass the current point’s leader, Rogers, on lap 246 to take the win for the second race in a row. The win did not come easy for McFarland as he was forced to come through the field after the series redraw of the top eight drivers at the event’s halfway point. JP Morgan completed the veteran sweep at the podium with youngsters Gus Dean and Reid Wilson rounding out the top five.

Fourteen-year old Kaz Grala becomes UARA’s youngest winner
Saturday night at Hickory Motor Speedway in the Banjo Matthews Memorial
150. This was his first UARA career win and he held off a tough top five
finishing group consisting of Brodie Kostecki, Garrett Jones, Garrett
Campbell, and Sunoco Pole winner Travis Swaim. Charlie Long was the Comp
Cams Engine Builder of the Race supplying the powerhouse under the hood of
the Falcon Racing machine driven by Grala.

Grala qualified third and maintained a spot within the top positions
during the entire race. Kostecki drove by on lap 69 to take the lead away
from Tilton’s Most Laps Led leader Travis Swaim. Kosteck drove the Driven
Racing Oil Fastest Lap of the Race (15.720 sec.) and drove away from the
field until Grala caught back up with him on lap 129. Young Kostecki
overcame motor issues he found during practice. He drove from the back of
the field to the front within the first 69 laps, racing on only
7-cylinders.Kostecki was awarded the Pigwire Electrifying Move of the Race
for the night. (more…)

Hendersonville, NC (5/6/13) –United Auto Racing Association has become one of the most competitive late-model touring series. The reason being is that each year, another group of talent and hard-working Rookies become fierce competitors with the other STARS.

The 2013 Rookie class have already shown great strengths during UARA events and other racing opportunities. David Garbo Jr. has become a two-time winner at Hickory Motor Speedway during their weekly races racing there when the UARA has had off weeks. Out of the first three UARA events, Garbo Jr. has had a top-5 and a top-10 finish.

Garrett Jones has also competed other events with successful outcomes. During an event at Five Flags Speedway, Jones finished 5th in the first of two 50-lap races. During the second race Jones battled experienced driver Tommy Rollins and finished .0009 seconds behind Rollins. (more…)

Hendersonville, NC (04/22/13) –United Auto Racing Association held another successful event at the Rock during the North Carolina Education Lottery Weekend. One of the new ‘STARS’ celebrated in victory lane, while other drivers gained confidence and jumped in the Championship Points standings.

During the first two races, fans saw dominance from winning sensation Ronnie Basset Jr.  Bassett Jr. battled with reigning UARA Champ Travis Swaim for the win at SNMP and then followed that up battling Garret Campbell at Hickory for the win. Swaim, currently fifth in points captured his first Sunoco Pole of the season at Hickory and had a second place finish. Swaim holds the UARA record for most poles in one season by any driver with 8 to his credit last year.  Dillon Bassett. fourth in points kicked off his sophomore season with two top-5 finishes and a tenth. (more…)

Rockingham, NC (04/15/13) –Fifteen year-old Brodie Kostecki won his first UARA event Saturday April 13^th at Rockingham Speedway. The Australian driver started on the outside pole and grabbed the lead on lap 62. Kostecki is the fifth Australian to compete in the UARA-STARS, but first to win. He was also the first non-American winner at the Rockingham Speedway.

Sunoco Pole winner Clay Rogers had a strong run. For holding on to his first place position for the first 38 laps, Rogers was awarded Tilton’s Most Laps Led. After giving up the lead to Ty Dillon, Rogers settled for a fifth place finish. Dillon led the field for about 23 laps but couldn’t hold off UARA regulars, Kostecki, Ben Rhodes, and Ronnie Bassett, Jr. Dillon came home with a fourth place finish.

Rhodes had his best UARA finish with second place. Recovering from a vibration in practice caused by a damaged rear shock mount, Rhodes qualified 12^th. He practiced patience and saved his equipment for the finish, which awarded him Holley Performer of the Race for gaining the most positions during the race.

During the first of two restarts, Devin Jones made a clean and smooth pass by Circle Wheel/ Extreme Trophies Rookie of the Race Tyler Edwards. Edwards missed a shift and Jones squeezed in the middle between him and Brandon Jones for position. This move nominated Devin Jones for Pigwire’s Electrifying Move of the Race. (more…)

Hendersonville, NC (04/8/13) –United Auto Racing Association will head to Rockingham Speedway this weekend, April 12-14th, for a three day event with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series(NCWTS) and Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals (FKSSN).

The STARS are scheduled to take the track around 11am on Saturday morning for their qualifying laps with the green flag set to drop at 2pm. The drivers and teams will arrive at the track on Thursday late afternoon and will be ready for practice on Friday morning.

Ronnie Bassett, Jr. has been very successful during the first two UARA events. Claiming both victories and a pole at Hickory, Bassett hopes to continue his winning streak as he heads to the Rock. Bassett, along with the regular STARS, will compete against some of NCWTS toughest competitors in Saturday’s event at Rockingham.

Clay Rogers will be on hand to defend his win from the 2012 fall UARA Rockingham event. (more…)

Hickory, NC (03/23/13) –After a calm season opener, the UARA-STARS drove an aggressive race at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 23rd. The event included six cautions, numerous fiery tempers, and plenty of torn sheet metal.

Starting from the Sunoco Pole, Ronnie Bassett Jr. jumped out to the lead early on. He allowed many drivers, including second place finisher Garrett Campbell, to pass him as he saved his equipment. The two also raced side-by-side early in the race and met back up at the front for a lead battle during the final ten laps.

Bassett Jr. earned himself the Pigwire Electricfying Move of the Race since he gained two positions by racing three-wide with David Garbo Jr. and Lee Tissott coming out of turn three. Campbell won FLUIDYNE Cool Under Pressure Award by racing hard, but clean. Campbell led early in the race, fell back to preserve his tires, and then back to the front to earn his second place finish. Ben Rhodes, Garbo Jr., and Dillon Bassett completed the top five. Garbo Jr. made an impressive comeback with his fourth place finish after making contact during the first caution on the second lap. He was awarded Circle/Xtreme Trophies Rookie of the Race for finishing the highest out of seven rookies. (more…)

Hendersonville, NC (03/18/13) – UARA-STARS celebrated an another successful season opener March 9th at Southern National Motorsport Park and now head to Hickory Motor Speedway this Saturday March 23rd for their second event of the season. The STARS will take on local favorites Travis Byrd and Dillon Houser who have sent in early entries. Also challenging the STARS will be former UARA champion Lee Tissot along with Richard Childress Nationwide Driver Max Papis. More of the local talent are expected to take on the STARS as well.

Racing along with the STARS will be the Southeast Super Trucks, Allison Legacy and the Vintage Racers for a full night of thrills and excitement for the fans.

The 2013 racing season picked up right where it left off with Reigning Champion Travis Swaim and 2012 Rookie of the Year Dillon Bassett battling out front. During a late-race restart, Ronnie Bassett made a clean pass for the lead and took his team to victory lane. While these well-known STARS lived up to the expectations placed on them, others turned heads and left big impressions for the fans. (more…)

Hendersonville, NC (03/04/13) –United Auto Racing Association (UARA) will kick off their season opener at 2pm this Saturday, March 9^th at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, NC. with their customary 150 lap late model special event. Drivers can finally dust off those abandon helmets and suit up for the matinee show. The event will consist of old rivals, brothers, and young rookies battling it out to quench that first victory of the season.

The UARA-STARS will have an action packed season opener with competitor gates opening at 7am and their tech inspection starting at 7:30am. Fans can head to the Motorsports Park around 11am to check out the final practice of the STARS and see which driver turns the quickest lap during qualifying for the Sunoco Pole at 12:30pm. The green flag will drop at 2pm.

Over the past twelve years, Southern National has been on four of the UARA’s seasons. The series had their first event July 26^th, 2003 with Denny Hamlin taking home the win, along with the pole. Two seasons later, the series returned in September 2005 and crowned Jamey Caudill as their winner with Matt McCall on the pole. The last two visits were in April of 2006 and 2007 when Caudill took home both wins and both poles. During 2007, Caudill set a new record for the series at SNMP with a 15.293 sec. lap at the last UARA visit there on April 14, 2007. Will Caudill be there this weekend to defend his UARA record? We will find out soon. (more…)

Hendersonville, NC –Falcon Racing’s Travis Swaim was crowned the 2012 Champion at Rockingham Speedway during the season finale in November. Swaim will be the guest of honor at the 2012 UARA banquet that will be held on January 12, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza in Hickory NC.

“Every win, every Championship is special,” says Swaim. “This championship means a lot because I get to celebrate it with a different group of guys including my crew chief Ronald and Jamie Skinner.”

The driver from High Point, NC had an incredible season. Prior to the season finale, Swaim only finished out of the top -10 twice. Along with strong finishes, Swaim started eight of the 16 events on the Sunoco Pole, a season record for the UARA. His first pole came at the second race, Dillon.

“We’ve always been good at qualifying, but never had this kind of success,” says the 2012 Champion. “My guys prepare the car really well in the shop, so we spend raceday practice tweaking a few things and not changing a whole lot.”

After starting on the pole at Rockingham in the spring and finishing third, Swaim and his team knew that they were competitive and began striving for the Championship. With his first place starting positions, Swaim stayed up front and led 522 laps throughout the season.

“Looking back on how many laps we lead, I have some regrets that we didn’t seal the deal,” says Swaim. “But winning two out of the last four races kinda eases that pain.” (more…)