By Roby Helm
TUSCUMBIA, AL – March 13, 2026 – Brad Bowden of Hernando, MS led 23 of 25 caution-free laps to win the Hoosier Race Tire United Sprint Car Series Presented By XC Gears Winter Heat Shootout Round 11 on Friday night at North Alabama Speedway. Winter Heat point leader Davie Franek of Wantage, NJ took the lead on lap 18 in search of his seventh win of the season, but Bowden reclaimed the point on lap 20.
Derek Hagar of Marion, AR finished second and Franek faded to take the third spot. Joe B. Miller of Millersville, MO was fourth and former USCS National Champion and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee Danny Smith drove to a fifth-place finish.
Corbin Gurley of Hebron, IN took the sixth spot and former USCS Champion Morgan Havener (formerly Turpen) of Cordova TN was seventh. Coen McDaniel of Gaffney, SC came home in the eighth spot. The 16-time USCS National Champion and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee Terry Gray started 14th and finished ninth to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award. Riley Goodno of Knoxville, IA rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Bowden 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 Bowden in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat, Franek in the XC Gear Second Heat, and Miller in the Schoenfeld Headers Third Heat.
Bowden grabbed the lead at the start of the 25-lap Feature Race from the pole position and Franek followed him to settle into the second spot from his inside second row starting spot. Hagar, the defending USCS National Champion Dale Howard of Byhalia, MS, and Miller followed in third through fifth, respectively.
Bowden pulled out to a 1.066 second lead over Franek by lap five, but Franek was able to close within .876 seconds in lapped traffic on lap 10. Franek shaved off another half a second on Bowden’s lead by lap 12. Franek closed to within .269 seconds on lap 17 and began to challenge Bowden for the lead.
Franek took the lead on lap 18, but it was short lived, as Bowden reclaimed the top spot on lap 20, as Franek slowed off his earlier pace. Hagar passed Franek for second on lap 22, and Howard dropped Franek to fourth on lap 23. Bowden took a 2.398 margin of victory over Hagar under the checkered flag. The 25 caution-free laps took six minutes and 31.848 seconds to complete. Howard failed to cross the scales after the race and was disqualified.
The United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire 30th Anniversary Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented By XC Gear travels to Xtreme Speedway in Danville, AL on Saturday night for Round 10 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 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 HOOSIER RACING TIRE WINTER HEAT SHOOTOUT ROUND 9 AT NORTH ALABAMA SPEEDWAY IN TUSCUMBIA, AL ON 3/13/26:
FEATURE RACE – 25 Laps: 1. 8x Brad Bowden, Hernando, MS (1); 2. 9jr Derek Hagar, Marion, AR (4); 3. 28f Davie Franek, Wantage, NJ (3); 4. 51m Joe B. Miller, Millersville, MO (5); 5. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (6); 6. 12 Corbin Gurley, Hebron, IN (7); 7. 10m Morgan Turpen-Havener, Gallatin, TN (9); 8. 48 Coen McDaniel, Gaffney, SC (11); 9. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (14); 10. 22 Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (15); 11. 13 Van Gurley Jr., Valparaiso, IN (12); 12. 938 Bradley Fezard, Bonnerdale, AR (10); 13. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (16); 14. 51k Jeremy Kornbau, Hermitage, PA (13); 15. 51 Shelby Kelly, Runnemede, NJ (17); 16. 9 Tyler Blankenship, Bakersfield, CA (8); 17. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (2) DQ; 18. 3 Jordan Mallett, Greenbrier, AR DNS; 19. 42 Jason Milam, Guntown, MS DNS.
HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Bowden; 2. Howard; 3. Franek; 4. Hagar; 5. Miller; 6. Smith DNS.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. Bowden; 2. Smith; 3. Blankenship; 4. Fezard; 5. Kornbau; 6. Goodno; 7. Willingham.
XC GEAR HEAT 2: 1. Franek; 2. Hagar; 3. Howard; 4. V. Gurley; 5. Gray; 6. Kelly.
SCHOENFELD HEADERS HEAT 3: 1. Miller; 2. C. Gurley; 3. Turpen-Havener; 4. McDaniel; 5. Mallett; 6. Milam DNS.