5/18/2026
Crate Racin' USA
Mathews Masters 7th Annual Gene Maine Memorial at Needmore
(Eastaboga, AL – May 18, 2026) – A big Saturday night of racing action unfolded at Needmore Speedway as the 7th Annual Gene Maine Memorial brought fans from across the Southeast together for an exciting evening of dirt track racing competition. The special event was headlined by the Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series competing for a $7,501 payday, while the Crate Racin' USA Late Model Sportsman division battled for $1,201-to-win honors.
In the CRUSA Late Model Sportsman division, Landon Mathews put together a dominant performance aboard the No. 13 machine, sweeping the night by setting fast time in qualifying before leading all 20-laps of the feature event for the victory.
Mathews opened the night by pacing the field in qualifying with a quick lap of 16.592 seconds, narrowly edging Brian Grantham and Wiley McDaniel for the top spot. When the green flag dropped for the main event, Mathews quickly jumped to the lead and never looked back, controlling the pace from start-to-finish.
Wiley McDaniel charged to a strong runner-up finish after starting third, while Grayson Ott completed the podium in third. Brayden Johnson brought home a solid fourth-place effort with Bruce Collins Jr. rounding out the top-five finishers.
Brian Grantham crossed the line sixth, followed by Kade Hunkapillar in seventh. Karli Bennett finished eighth ahead of Jonathan Taylor in ninth, while Tim Tinson and Nick Greeson completed the finishing order.
602 CRUSA Late Model Sportsman Results
1-Landon Mathews
2-Wiley McDaniel
3-Grayson Ott
4-Brayden Johnson
5-Bruce Collins Jr.
6-Brian Grantham
7-Kade Hunkapillar
8-Karli Bennett
9-Jonathan Taylor
10-Tim Tinson
11-Nick Greeson
Needmore Speedway will return to action with the First Responders Night Presented by Whelen Engineering make-up event featuring CRUSA Street Stocks, CRUSA Dirt Late Models, CRUSA Late Model Sportsman, Super Street, Crown Vic, and Factory Stocks.
Pit gates will open at 5:30 p.m. with grandstands opening at 6:00 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. with racing action beginning at 8:00 p.m.
For additional information, contact the speedway at 229-256-7273 or visit the track at 1060 John Vickers Road in Norman Park, Georgia.
Article Credit: Cody Earley
