From Roby Helm
HATTIESBURG, MS – Friday, February, 27, 2026 Davie Franek of Wantage, NJ won his fourth United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire 25-lap Feature Race in Round 5 of the Winter Heat Shootout on Friday night at Hattiesburg Speedway. Franek made it a clean sweep of the event by leading all 25 laps, winning the Hoosier Speed Dash and his Heat Race.
Former USCS National Champion Jordon Mallett of Greenbrier, AR finished second and Van Gurley Jr. of Valparaiso, IN took the third spot. Former USCS National Champion and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee Danny Smith of Chillicothe, OH was fourth. Fifth went to 2025 USCS Rookie of the Year, 15-year-old Coen McDaniel of Gaffney, SC.
Riley Goodno of Knoxville, IA came home in the sixth spot and Cobin Gurley of Hebron, IN was seventh. Brad Bowden of Hernando, MS took the eighth spot and Jeremy Kornbau finished ninth. Shane Morgan of Gulfport, MS started 19th and finished tenth to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award.
In preliminary action, Franek won the six-lap Hoosier Racing Tire Speed Dash to earn the Pole Position for the 25-lap Feature Race. The three eight-lap Heat Races were won by Zane DeVault of Plymouth, IN in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat, Jason Breeland of Columbia, MS in the XC Gear Second Heat, and Franek in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat.
Franek took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Cody Gardner of Benton, AR, defending USCS National Champion Dale Howard of Byhalia, MS, DeVault, and Mallett. Breeland rode the wall on the front straightaway to bring out the caution flag, necessitating a complete restart. Franek once again led the field on the restart and caught the cars on the tail of the field on lap five.
As Franek looked for a way around the lapped cars, Gardner and Howard closed in and the lead trio went three-wide coming off the fourth turn on lap six. Gardner and Howard tangled down the front straightaway, collecting DeVault, and the yellow caution bulb was ignited for the second time on lap seven.
Franek had some new faces behind him for the restart with Mallett, Van Gurley Jr., Smith and McDaniel running second through fifth respectively behind the leader. The race came to a sudden stop on lap 19 when Tyeller Powless of Ohsweken, ON CAN and Gardner tangled in lapped traffic and both cars flipped in turn four, cleared the catch fence and hit a light pole.
A 30 minute red flag period ensued, but the drivers, the fence, and the light pole were all O.K. When the green flag came out for the restart, Franek pulled away in the seven lap dash to the finish and took a 1.344 second margin of victory over Mallett under the checkered flag. Franek took his fourth win in the first five Winter Heat Shootout races. Franek finished second in Round 4.
United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire 30th Anniversary Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire returns to Hattiesburg Speedway on Saturday night for Round 8 of the Winter Heat Shootout. 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 UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY HOOSIER RACING TIRE EVENT AT HATTIESBURG SPEEDWAY IN HATTIESBURG, MS ON 2/27/26:
FEATURE RACE – 25 Laps: 1. 28f Davie Franek, Wantage, NJ (1); 2. 3 Jordon Mallett, Greenbrier, AR (5); 3. 13 Van Gurley Jr., Valparaiso, IN (7); 4. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (8); 5. 48 Coen McDaniel, Gaffney, SC (10); 6. 22 Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (9); 7. 12 Corbin Gurley, Hebron, IN (11); 8. 8x Brad Bowden, Hernando, MS (12); 9. 51 Jeremy Kombau, Hermitage, PA (16); 10. 01 Shane Morgan, Gulfport, MS (19); 11. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (13); 12. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (17); 13. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (4); 14. 77 Tyeller Powless, Ohsweken, ON CAN (14); 15. 6 Cody Gardner, Benton, AR (2); 16. 52x Adrian Tetreault, Horn Lake, MS (17); 17. 28s Rusty Sanford, Seminary, MS (18); 18. 14 Zane DeVault, Plymouth, IN (3); 19. 06 Jason Breeland, Columbia, MS (6).
HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Franek; 2. Gardner; 3. DeVault; 4. Howard; 5. Mallett; 6. Breeland DNS.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. DeVault; 2. Gardner; 3. Goodno; 4. Bowden; 5. C. Gurley; 6. Kornbau; 7. Sanford.
XC GEAR HEAT 2: 1. Breeland; 2. Howard; 3. McDaniel; 4. Gray; 5. Tetreault; 6. Morgan DNS.
SCHOENFELD HEADERS HEAT 3: 1. Franek; 2. Mallett; 3. V. Gurley; 4. Smith; 5. Powless; 6. Willingham.