One day before racing at Talladega Superspeedway, defending Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. flexed his muscles across the street at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama.
The Olive Branch, Mississippi native swept a pair of feature races for the USCS Sprint Car Series at the 1/3-mile clay raceway.
It was meant to be a two-night event, but showers on Friday pushed both features to Saturday. The delay meant little to Stenhouse, who parked in victory lane both times.
In the first feature, Stenhouse passed Morgan Havener, who led the race form lap one, and went on to score the victory. Terry Gray finished in third, with Dale Howard in fourth and Zane Devault in fifth.
Hayden Campbell, Stenhouse, Tucker Boulton, and Lee Moore won their respective heat races, with Gray winning the speed dash.
In the second feature, Stenhouse charged forward from the seventh starting spot, and beat out pole sitter Kyle Amerson for the win. Zane Devault followed in third, with Tyler Clem in fourth, and Hayden Martin in fifth.
Pendergrass, Georgia’s Brian Thomas, Stenhouse, Spencer Meredith, and Lee Moore won their respective heat races.
The USCS Sprint Car Series returns to action with a double-header at I-75 Speedway in Sweetwater, Tennessee on Friday and Saturday, April 28-29. For more information, visit USCSRacing.com.
USCS Sprint Car Series
Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL
Race 1 – April 22, 2023
1. 17JR-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
2. 29-Kyle Amerson
3. 23Z-Zane Devault
4. 14C-Tyler Clem
5. 67M-Hayden Martin
6. 10M-Morgan Havener
7. 10-Terry Gray
8. 8-Brad Bowden
9. 74-Tucker Boulton
10. 23-Lance Moss
11. 10K-Dewayne White
12. 28-Jeff Willingham
13. 44-Ronny Howard
14. 67T-Brian Thomas
15. 67B-Blake Mallette
16. 47K-Kaylee Bryson-DNF
17. 21-Spencer Meredith-DNF
18. G6-Brandon Grubaugh-DNF
19. 47-Dale Howard-DNF
20. 56-Jeff Smith-DNF
21. 83-Mark Ruel, Jr.-DNF
22. 13-Chase Howard-DNF
23. 33-Joe Larkin-DNF
24. 51X-Matt Linder-DNF
USCS Sprint Car Series
Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL
Race 2 – April 22, 2023
1. 17JR-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
2. 10M-Morgan Turpen
3. 10-Terry Gray
4. 47-Dale Howard
5. 23Z-Zane Devault
6. 74-Tucker Boulton
7. 14C-Tyler Clem
8. 83-Mark Ruel, Jr.
9. 47K-Kaylee Bryson
10. 8-Brad Bowden
11. 13-Chase Howard
12. 67M-Hayden Martin
13. 48-Wade Buttrey
14. 23-Lance Moss
15. 33-Joe Larkin
16. 21-Spencer Meredith
17. 1A-Lee Moore
18. 96S-Brandon Sampson
19. 29-Kyle Amerson
20. 5-Hayden Campbell
21. 82-Garrett Green
22. G6-Brandon Grubaugh
23. 44-Ronny Howard
24. 67T-Brian Thomas
25. 28-Jeff Willingham