By Roby Helm
HATTIESBURG, MS – February 28, 2025 – Matt Covington of Glenpool, OK cruised to a win in Night 1 of the Hub City Sprint Car Shootout at Hattiesburg Speedway⁴ for the United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire on Friday night. Covington led all 25 laps and was able to make the right moves in heavy Lapped traffic to take a five car-length win over Davie Franek of Wantage, NJ.
“This win wasn’t easy because I wasn’t sure what lane I needed to be in running through lapped traffic,” Covington said. “It’s been a while since the last time we won here in 2019. This place is racy with good crowds that come out to watch Sprint Cars, and I really enjoy racing here.”
Jason Martin of Lincoln, NE finished third with Terry McCarl of Altoona, IA taking the fourth spot, and Max Stambaugh of Lima, OH was fifth. Joe B. Miller of Millersville, MO started 16th and finished sixth to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award.
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee and 16-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN finished seventh, and Austyn Gossel of Fort Collins, CO took the eighth spot. Dale Howard of Byhalia, MS was ninth, and Mark Smith of Sunbury, PA rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Jeremy Kornbau of Hermitage, PA won the six-lap Hoosier Racing Tire Speed Dash to earn the Pole Position for the Feature Race, but was unable to start the Main Event because of an engine failure after the checkered flag in the Dash. The two ten-lap B-Mains were won by Shane Morgan of Gulfport, MS, and Dale Howard.
The four eight-lap Heat Races were won by Stambaugh in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat, Tyeller Powless of Ohsweken, ON CAN in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat, Kornbau in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat, and Franek in the Huggins Cams Fourth Heat.
Covington took the lead at the start of the 25-lap Feature Race followed by Franek, Powless, McCarl and Stambaugh. The first caution flag of the race was unfurled on lap ten when Mike Miller of Vancleve, MS was hit by debris and slowed on the back straightaway. He was treated and released by the Track Medical personnel.
On the restart, Jason Miller worked his way into the top five before Powless flipped in turn three to bring out the red flag. The Canadian driver was able to walk away uninjured. Covington took the green flag on the restart and opened up a lead on Franek, who had Jason Martin moving up to challenge for the second spot.
Franek and Martin battled side-by-side for the second position, while Covington worked his way through heavy lapped traffic. Franek made the right move through the traffic to put some distance between himself and Jason Martin. Franek tried to chase down Covington to challenge for the lead, but came up five car lengths short at the checkered flag.
The United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire with 33 drivers representing from 15 different state and one Provence of Canada returns to Hattiesburg Speedway for Round 8 of the Winter Heat Series and Night 2 of the Hub City Classic on Saturday night.
If you can’t make it in person, you can watch it at www.thecushion.com. For more information about USCS, visit their website at uscsracing.com and the series Facebook page, or call the USCS office at 770-865-6097.
United Sprint Car Series Marketing Partners are Engler Machine & Tool, Hoosier Racing Tire, Huggins Cams, Hero Graphics, DMI/Bulldog, Racing Electronics, JE Pistons, DHR Suspension, Wilwood Disc Brakes, KSE Racing Products, PRO Shocks, Schoenfeld Headers, and Arizona Sport Shirts.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF WINTER HEAT SERIES RACE 6 FOR THE UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY HOOSIER RACING TIRE AT HATTIESBURG SPEEDWAY IN HATTIESBURG, MS ON 2/28/2025:
FEATURE RACE – 25 Laps: 1. 95 Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK (1); 2. 28f Davie Franek, Wantage, NJ (2); 3. 36 Jason Martin, Lincoln, NE (6); 4 24 Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (4); 5, 5m Max Stambaugh, Lima, OH (5); 6. 51b Joe B. Miller, Millersville, MO (16); 7. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (9); 8. 16g Austyn Gossel, Fort Collins, CO (10); 9. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (15); 10. 43 Mark Smith, Sunbury, PA (13); 11. 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (7); 12. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (12); 13. 13 Van Gurley Jr., Valparaiso, IN (17); 14. 01 Shane Morgan, Gulfport, MS (14); 15. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (21); 16. 12 Corbin Gurley, Hebron, IN (11); 17. 8x Brad Bowden, Hernando, MS (9); 18. 77t Tyeller Powless, Ohsweken, ON CAN (3); 19. 4m Michael Miller, Vancleve, MS (19); 20. 67 Hayden Martin, Olive Branch, MS (20); 21. 21 Butch David, Geismar, LA (18); 22. 51 Jeremy Kornbau, Hermitage, PA DNS.
HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Jeremy Kornbau, Hermitage, PA; 2. Covington; 3. Franek; 4. Powless; 5. McCarl; 6. Stambaugh.
B-MAINS – 10 Laps (Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):
B-MAIN 1: 1. Morgan; 2. Joe B. Miller; 3. David; 4. H. Martin; 5. 13x Jake Brashier, Denham Springs, LA; 6. 122 Lane Wamer, Bloomfield, MO; 7. L37 Scott Craft, Purvis, MS; 8. 29 Aaron Smith, Gulfport, MS; 9. 9 Lane Whittington, Denham Springs, LA; 10. 18 Paul Jones, Casper, WY.
B-MAIN 2: 1. Howard; 2. V. Gurley; 3. M. Miller; 4. Willingham; 5. 5h Harli White, Lindsey, OK; 6. 83 Blake Carrier, Amite, LA; 7. 67b Blake Mallette, Vancleve, MS; 8. 88 Brandon Blenden, Gulfport, MS; 9. 94 Parker Davis, Mobile, AL.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. Stambaugh; 2. Bowden; 3. C. Gurley; 4. Covington; 5. Joe B. Miller; 6. M. Miller; 7. Howard; 8. Davis; 9. A. Smith.
BUTLERBUILT RACING PRODUCTS HEAT 2: 1. Powless; 2. J. Martin; 3. Moss; 4. Gray; 5. Mallette; 6. Whittington; 7. Warner; 8. Blenden.
SCHOENFELD HEADERS HEAT 3: 1. Kornbau; 2. Gossel; 3. D. Smith; 4. Morgan; 5. Craft; 6. David; 7. Willingham; 8. Carrier.
HUGGINS CAMS HEAT 4: 1. Franek; 2. McCarl; 3. M. Smith; 4. White; 5. V. Gurley; 6. Brashier; 7. H. Martin; 8. Jones.