By Roby Helm
LOXLEY, AL – March 7, 20z6 – Davie Franek of Wantage, NJ drove to his sixth Hoosier Race Tire United Sprint Car Series Presented By XC Gear Winter Heat Series win on Saturday night in the 30-lap Round 10 Feature and led the rest of the way in the caution-free race that was completed in 7 minutes and 33 seconds.
Round 4 winner, Chris Martin, of Ankeny, IA finished second and Corbin Gurley of Hebron, IN took the third spot. Coen McDaniel of Gaffney, SC, who won Round 9 event on the previous night, was fourth and fifth went to Trey Meredith of Dade City, FL. Max Stambaugh of Lima, OH drove to a sixth-place finish and Riley Goodno of Knoxville, IA came home in the seventh spot.
The 16-time USCS National Champion and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN finished eight, and Van Gurley Jr. of Valparaiso, IN was ninth. Shane Morgan of Gulfport, MS rounded out the top ten.
Fourth generation sprint cat driver P.J. Reutimann of Zephyrhills, FL started 16th and finished 12th to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award.
In preliminary action, Chris Martin won the six-lap Hoosier Racing Tire Speed Dash to earn the Pole Position for the 30-lap Feature Race. The three eight-lap Heat Races were won by Meredith in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat, Goodno in the XC Gear Second Heat, and Franek in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat.
Martin took the lead at the start of the 30-lap Feature Race followed by Franek, up from the fourth starting spot, McDaniel, Corbin Gurley, and Meredith in second through fifth respectively. The leaders began to encounter the cars on tail end of the lead lap on the eighth tour, and Franek used the lapped traffic to pass Martin for the lead on lap nine.
Lapped traffic also enabled Corbin Gurley to get around McDaniel for the third position on the 11th lap. Franek set a fast pace and lapped up to the eighth-place driver by lap 23. Even through lapped traffic, Martin stayed within striking distance of Franek, but was unable to make a challenge to retake the lead. Franek went under the checkered flag with a .306 second margin of victory over Martin.
The next two Winter Heat Shootout events for the United Sprint Car Series Presented By XC Gear 30th Anniversary Outlaw Thunder Tour will be Rounds 11 and 12 at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, AL on Friday night, March 13 and Xtreme Speedway on Saturday night, March 14. For more information about USCS, visit their website at uscsracing.com and the series Facebook page.
United Sprint Car Series Marketing Partners are XC Gear, 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 XC GEAR OUTLAW THUNDER TOUR WINTER HEAT SHOOTOUT ROUND 8 AT DEEP SOUTH SPEEDWAY IN LOXLEY, AL ON 3/7/26:
FEATURE RACE – 30 Laps: 1. 28 Davie Franek, Wantage, NJ (4); 2. 44 Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (1); 3. 12 Corbin Gurley, Hebron, IN (3); 4. 48 Coen McDaniel, Gaffney, SC (2); 5. 11 Trey Meredith, Dade City, FL (6); 6. 71 Max Stambaugh, Lima, OH (7); 7. 22 Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (5); 8. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (10); 9. 13 Van Gurley Jr., Valparaiso, IN (11); 10. 01 Shane Morgan, Gulfport, MS (12); 11. 23 Conner Wray, Olive Branch, MS (13); 12. 00 P.J. Reutimann, Zephyrhills, FL (16); 13. 51 Shelby Kelly, Runnemede, NJ (17); 14. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (9); 15. B5 Brianna Lawson, Jackson Springs, NC (15); 16. 01 Jadan Bowling, Holden Beach, NC (8); 17. 51 Jeremy Kornbau, Hermitage, PA (14); 18. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (18).
HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Martin; 2. McDaniel; 3. C. Gurley; 4. Franek; 5. Goodno; 6. Meredith.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. Meredith; 2. McDaniel; 3. Bowling; 4. Morgan; 5. Wray; 6. Reutimann.
XC GEAR HEAT 2: 1. Goodno; 2. Martin; 3. C. Gurley; 4. Gray; 5. Kornbau; 6. Kelly.
SCHOENFELD HEADERS HEAT 3: 1. Franek; 2. Stambaugh; 3. Willingham; 4. V. Gurley; 5. Lawson; 6. Smith.