5/3/2026
Crate Racin' USA
Stewart, Davidson, and Pate Score Wins on TST Cup Point Night #2 at Talladega
(Eastaboga, AL – May 3, 2026) – The championship chase heated up Saturday night at Talladega Short Track as TST Cup Round #2 brought another action-packed evening to the “Hornet’s Nest,” with the Crate Racin’ USA Weekly divisions taking center stage.
With valuable points on the line, drivers delivered intense racing across all divisions as Derek Stewart, Mavrick Davidson, and Steven Pate captured feature victories in their respective classes.
Stewart Dominates 602 Sportsman Feature:
In the CRUSA Late Model Sportsman division, Derek Stewart made the most of his pole starting position, leading all 15 laps to secure the victory in the 10-car field.
Brodie Thompson stayed within striking distance throughout the race but settled for second, while current points leader Brennen Shirley finished third. Chris Elliott and Brandon Crosby rounded out the top five.
With consistent finishes through the opening rounds, Shirley now leads the TST Cup standings with 46 points, followed closely by Crosby and Elliott.
CRUSA Late Model Sportsman - Feature Results
1-47-Derek Stewart[1]
2-T9-Brodie Thompson[2]
3-111-Brennen Shirley[4]
4-19-Chris Elliott[3]
5-7-Brandon Crosby[5]
6-15-Nick Morris[6]
7-H5-Justin Hare[8]
8-22-Brody Woods[10]
9-(DNS) 16-Tim Staples
10-(DNS) J17-James Richardson
Davidson Leads Flag-to-Flag in Dirt Late Models:
The CRUSA Dirt Late Models saw Mavrick Davidson put together a dominant performance, going flag-to-flag in the 20-lap feature.
Adam Gauldin crossed the line second, continuing his strong start to the season, while Jake Knowles advanced from eighth to finish third. Brad Berry and Jason Morris completed the top five.
Despite Davidson’s win, Knowles holds a narrow one-point advantage over Gauldin in the TST Cup standings, with Lunsford, Berry, and Morris rounding out the top five in points.
CRUSA Dirt Late Models - Feature Results
1-1*-Mavrick Davidson[1]
2-17-Adam Gauldin[3]
3-66-Jake Knowles[8]
4-27-Brad Berry[7]
5-10-Jason Morris[6]
6-M96-Marty Lunsford[4]
7-18B-Todd Brewster[5]
8-44-Rod Carroll[10]
9-12-Connor Norris[9]
10-7-Ivan Meeks[12]
11-9-Evan Lancaster[11]
12-11-Nikalas Godfrey[2]
Pate Adds to Points Lead with Modified Victory:
In the CRUSA Modified Sportsman division, Steven Pate continued his early-season dominance, picking up another feature win to extend his lead in the championship standings.
Pate drove to victory from the second starting position, holding off Parker Thompson and Jammie Gowers, who finished second and third respectively. Logan McVey and Mark Bangs completed the top five.
With the win, Pate now sits atop the standings with 52 points, building a 10-point advantage over Bangs.
CRUSA Modified Sportsman - Feature Results
1.-07-Steven Pate[2]
2-T7-Parker Thompson[3]
3-25-Jammie Gowers[1]
4-122-Logan McVey[5]
5-376-Mark Bangs[8]
6-774-Lance Postell[4]
7-16-Erik Hogsed[7]
8-29-Brian Ferguson[10]
9-55-Parrish Duncan[6]
10-18T-Corey Turner[12]
11-2BLK-Lake Presley[11]
12-10-Jordyn Morris[9]
13-K7-Kenny Gaither[14]
14-(DNS) 77-Peyton Gaither
With two rounds complete, the battle for the 2026 TST Cup Championship is beginning to take form across all divisions, as consistency and strong finishes prove to be key in the early portion of the season.
Talladega Short Track once again delivered the close, competitive racing that has made it one of the premier weekly racing venues in the Southeast, with fans treated to another exciting night on the high-banked red clay oval.
The TST Cup mini-series will take a short break before returning for Round #3 on Saturday, May 23, when another full night of weekly racing action is scheduled.
Divisions in action will include CRUSA Late Model Sportsman, CRUSA Dirt Late Models, Talladega Sportsman, CRUSA Modified Sportsman, Factory Stocks, Hot Shots, and Mini Stocks.
For more information, visit www.talladegashorttrack.com.
Photo Credit: Shaffer Media
Article Credit: Cody Earley
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