By Roby Helm
MILTON, FL – Christopher Townsend of Tarkington, TX led on two different occasions for 22 of 25 laps to post the win in the Hoosier Racing Tire United Sprint Car Series Presented By XC Gear 30th Anniversary Outlaw Thunder Tour Feature Race on Friday night at Hunt The Front Southern Raceway.
Townsend led the first two laps before giving up the point to the 16-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN, who passed Townsend in turn one. Townsend reclaimed the lead for good on lap six getting around the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee and then pulled away from the field.
Rusty Sanford of Seminary, MS finished second, and Gray came back from a lap 19 spin to take the third spot. Dustin Burtron of Seminole, FL started 13th and finished fourth to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award. Jeff Willingham of Ripley, MS was fifth and Brandon Blenden of Gulfport, MS drove to a sixth-place finish.
Shane Morgan of Gulfport, MS took the seventh spot, and the eighth spot went to Terry Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL. Kyle Amerson of Montgomery, AL was ninth and Kyle Mabry of Cottondale, FL rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Townsend won the six-lap Hoosier Racing Tire Speed Dash to earn the Pole Position for the 25-lap Feature Race. The two eight-lap Heat Races were won by Morgan in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat, and Townsend in the XC Gear Second Heat.
Townsend took the lead at the drop of the green flag from the pole position to start the race followed by Gray, Blenden, Sanford and Willingham. The first of four caution flags came out on lap two when Mabry spun in turn two. Townsend committed to the outside of the track on the restart, while Gray moved to the inside to take the lead in turn one on the third lap.
Burtron charged up through the field to pass Sanford for the fifth spot on lap five. On lap six, Townsend sailed around the outside to pass Gray for the lead. Amerson passed Burtron for the fifth spot on lap seven. By the halfway point in the race, Townsend held a 1.771 second lead over Gray. Amerson moved up to fourth on lap 14 getting by Willingham.
Gray tangled with the lapped car of Morgan in turn four on lap 19 and spun to bring out the second caution flag of the race. Gray was able to restart seventh as the last car on the lead lap. Sanford passed Burtron for the fifth spot on the restart and held the spot when the caution came out for the third time for debris on lap 20.
Sanford passed Willingham for the fourth spot on the restart, and Gray moved back into the top five on lap 23. In the closing laps of the race, Blenden and Amerson were battling for second and on lap 24 they tangled in turn one, both spinning to bring out the final caution flag. Townsend was able to pull away on the restart to take a 1.874 second margin of victory under the checkered flag.
The Hoosier Racing Tire United Sprint Car Series Presented By XC Gear 30th Anniversary Outlaw Thunder Tour returns to Hunt The Front Southern Raceway for Night 2 with a 30-lap Feature Race. 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 THE HOOSIER TIRE UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY XC GEAR 30TH ANNIVERSARY OUTLAW THUNDER TOUR EVENT AT HUNT THE FRONT SOUTHERN RACEWAY IN MILTON, FL ON 5/15/26:
FEATURE RACE – 25 Laps: 1. 71 Christopher Townsend, Tarkington, TX (1); 2. 28s Rusty Sanford, Seminary, MS (7); 3. Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (3); 4. 51 Dustin Burtron, Seminole, FL (13); 5. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (4); 6. 88 Brandon Blenden, Gulfport, MS (2); 7. 01 Shane Morgan, Gulfport, MS (6); 8. 43 Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL (8); 9. 29 Kyle Amerson, Montgomery, AL (5); 10. 15k Kyle Mabry, Cottondale, FL (10); 11. 01h Hadley Morgan, Beaumont, TX (9); 12. 29s Arron Smith, Gulfport, MS (12); 13. 61 Sean Wimpee, Mobile, AL (11).
HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Townsend; 2. Blenden; 3. Gray; 4. Willingham; 5. Amerson; 6. S. Morgan.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. S. Morgan; 2. Blenden; 3. Sanford; 4. Willingham; 5. Mabry; 6. Wimpee; 7. Smith DNS.
XC GEAR HEAT 2: 1. Townsend; 2. Gray; 3. Amerson; 4. Witherspoon; 5. H. Morgan; 6. Burtron DNS.