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HOWARD DOUBLES UP IN USCS DEEP SOUTH JULY FOURTH HOLIDAY RACE

LOXLEY, AL – July 4, 2026 -
Howard of Byhalia, MS doubled up with his second straight win in as many nights in the 25-lap Feature Race for the Hoosier Racing Tire United Sprint Car Series Presented By XC Gear on Saturday Night at Deep South Speedway. The defending USCS National Champion led all 50 laps of Deep South Main Event Competition to celebrate the USA 250.

Cole Schroeder of Bozeman, MT made a late race pass to finish second and Terry Easum of Broken Arrow, OK took the third spot. Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC was fourth and z15 year-old °°Hayden Wise of Huntersville, NC came home in the fifth spot. Dustin Burtron of Seminole, FL took the sixth spot and Tityn Roberts of Bennet, NE drove to a seventh-place finish.

The 16-time USCS National Champion and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN was eighth and ninth went to Van Gurley Jr. of Valparaiso, IN, who started 17th and finished ninth to earn the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award. Terry Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL rounded out the top ten.

In preliminary action, Howard 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 Easum in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat and Burtron in the XC Gear Second Heat.

Howard took the lead at the start of the Feature Race followed by Easum, Steve Diamond of Brooksville, FL, Schroeder and Moss. The race was slowed by a caution flag on lap two when Hannah Merritt of Nesbit, MS lost a wheel and hit the second turn wall. When green flag racing resumed, Howard pulled out to a 1.117 second lead over Easum.

Schroeder passed Diamond for the third spot on lap six, but the action was stopped by a red flag on lap eight when Diamond flipped and tangled with the lapped car of Hadley Morgan of Beaumont, TX. Diamond was reported to be O.K., but his race car was destroyed and had to be removed from the track by a skid steer.

Green flag racing continued with Howard, Easum, Schroeder, Moss and Burtron holding the first through fifth spots respectively. Howard pulled out to a .884 second lead on Easum by lap 15, but that went away with a caution flag on lap 16 when Lee Moore of Moundville, AL stalled on the backstretch.

Wise worked her way into the top five on lap 20 when she passed Burtron for the fifth spot. Schroeder passed Easum for the second position on lap 24, but Howard carried a 1.716 margin of victory over Schroeder under the checkered flag for his third USCS win of the season and the 43rd USCS career win.
The next two events for the Hoosier Racing Tire United Sprint Car Series Presented By XC Gear 30th Anniversary Outlaw Thunder Tour will be on Friday night, July 10 at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, NC and on Saturday night, July 11 at Travelers Rest (SC) Speedway. For more information about USCS, visit their website at uscsracing.com and the series Facebook page.

°°°°°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 HOOSIER RACING TIRE UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY XC GEAR 30TH ANNIVERSARY OUTLAW THUNDER TOUR EVENT AT DEEP SOUTH SPEEDWAY IN LOXLEY, AL ON 7/4/26:

HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:

ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1:

1. Easum; 2. Wise; 3. Schroeder; 4. Howard; 5. Moss; 6. Willingham; 7. Larkin; 8. Morgan; 9. Merritt.

XC GEAR HEAT 2:

1. Burtron; 2. Roberts; 3. Diamond; 4. Witherspoon; 5. Gray; 6. Moore; 7. Craddock; 8. Gurley DNS.

HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps:

1. Howard; 2. Diamond; 3. Schroeder; 4. Easum; 5. Roberts; 6. Burtron.

FEATURE RACE – 25 Laps:

1. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (1);
2. 3 Cole Schroeder, Bozeman, MT (3);
3. 18e Terry Easum, Broken Arrow, OK (4);
4. 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (8);
5. 94 Hayden Wise, Huntersville, NC (7);
6. Dustin Burtron, Seminole, FL (6);
7. 18r Tityn Roberts, Bennet, NE (5);
8. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (10);
9. 13 Van Gurley Jr., Valparaiso, IN (17);
10. 43 Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL (9);
11. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (12);
12. 1 Paul Craddock, Summerdale, AL (13);
13. 33 Joe Larkin, Suwanee, GA (14);
14. 1a Lee Moore, Moundville, AL (11);
15. 9 Steve Diamond, Brooksville, FL (2);
16. 01h Hadley Morgan, Beaumont, TX (15);
17. 16 Hannah Merritt, Nesbit, MS (16).

Submitted by ROBY HELM – Helm Communications – 865-207-4157

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