By Roby Helm
LAVONIA, GA – Friday, August 8, 2025 – Hayden Martin of Olive Branch, MS knows that to finish first, one must first finish, as he inherited the lead on the last lap to win the 25-lap Feature Race for the United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire on Friday night at Lavonia Speedway. Martin took over the lead when Kyle Connery of Vero Beach, FL dropped out on the last lap with a blown engine on the final lap, after leading laps 8 through 24.
Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC finished in the second spot and USCS point leader Dale Howard of Byhalia, MS started ninth and took the third position to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award. Matt Kurtz of Jacksonville Beach, FL was fourth and Tyler Blankenship of Bakersfield, CA came home in fifth.
Connery was credited with the sixth spot and Jeff Willingham of Ripley, MS finished seventh. Mathew Wall of Colbert, GA was eighth and Jadan Bowling of Holden Beach, NC took the ninth spot. Hannah Merrit of Nesbit, MS rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Martin won the six-lap Hoosier Racing Tire Speed Dash to earn the pole position for the 25-lap Main Event. The two eight-lap Heat Races were won by Martin in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat and 16-time USCS National Champion National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat.
On the first lap of the Main Event, Martin took the lead, followed by Bowling, Connery, Moss, and Blake Bowen of Dothan, AL. Gray brought out the red flag after he abd Labce Moss made contact on lap one with Gray turning over. This necessitated a complete restart.
Martin once again led the field to complete the first lap followed by Conney, Bowling, Moss and Kurtz. Howard moved up from the ninth starting hole to pass Kurtz for fifth on lap seven. Conney passed Martin for the lead on the eighth lap, and pulled out to a one second lead, only to see it evaporate with a lap 11 caution flag.
After the restart, Bowling fell off the pace on lap 15 and gave up the third spot with Moss, Howard, and Kurtz following Conney and Martin in the top five. With Martin settled into the second spot on the last lap, Connery fell off the pace and stopped in turn three, and Martin found himself in Victory Lane with a 2.199 second margin of victory over Moss in a race that took 17 minutes and 56.249 seconds to complete.
The USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire will travel to Senoia Speedway in Senoia, GA for their next show on Saturday night. 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, AR Dyno Specialties, KSE Racing Products, PRO Shocks, Schoenfeld Headers, and Arizona Sport Shirts.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY HOOSIER RACING TIRE EVENT AT LAVONIA SPEEDWAY IN LAVONIA, GA ON 8/8/25:
FEATURE RACE – 25 Laps: 1. 67 Hayden Martin, Olive Branch, MS (1); 2. 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (5); 3. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (9); 4. 92 Matt Kurtz, Jacksonville Beach, FL (8); 5. 9t Tyler Blankenship, Bakersfield, CA (7); 6. 91 Kyle Connery, Vero Beach, FL (2); 7. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (12); 8. 94 Mathew Wall, Colbert, GA (13); 9. 01 Jaden Bowling, Holden Beach, NC (4); 10. 16 Hannah Merritt, Nesbit, MS (10); 11. Sean Wimpee, Mobile, AL (11); 12. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (3); 13. 9b Blake Bowen, Dothan, AL (6).
HOOSIER SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Martin; 2. Connery; 3. Gray; 4. Bowling; 5. Moss; 6. Bowen.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. Martin; 2. Bowling; 3. Bowen; 4. Blankenship; 5. Merritt; 6. Wimpee; 7. Wall.
BUTLERBUILT HEAT 2: 1. Gray; 2. Connery; 3. Moss; 4. Kurtz; 5. Howard; 6. Willingham.