Local Racing
Weekend Racing Roundup: Weaver Gets 1st Career Win and 2-Nights of Racing At Sharon
PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – A big weekend of racing in the Tri-State area saw a first-time winner and some familiar names in victory lane.
Jeremy Weaver picked up his first-career RUSH Sprint Car Series victory Saturday night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Weaver started second in the 20-lap feature on the outside of pole-sitter David Hawkins with Brian Ruhlman and Zach Morrow making up the second row.
Weaver grabbed the early lead with Morrow moving up to second place on lap three as Hawkins fell to third and Ruhlman back in fourth. The lead-pack cars encountered lap traffic on lap 15 but Weaver was able to work his way through the traffic to pick up his first-career victory. Morrow continued his strong season finishing second followed by Hawkins.
- Jeremy Weaver
- Zach Morrow
- David Hawkins
- Brian Ruhlman
- Brian Hartzell
- Steve Pedley
- Greg Beach
- Matt Sherlock III
Justin Lamb took home the checkered flag in the Diehl Automotive RUSH Late Model Dirt Series feature Saturday night at PPMS. Lamb started on the pole with Daryl Charlier on the outside of the front row. Christian Schneider started third and Ron Hall qualified fourth. The caution flag flew quickly shortly after the green flag fell. On the restart Lamb led Schneider and Charlier as Ben Policz survived the early mayhem to move into the third spot. Caution came out on lap 5 and on the restart Policz moved up to second place and Tommy Schirnhofer worked his way into the top 3.
Policz took the stop spot on lap 9 and he held the lead at halfway of the 20-lap feature with Lamb in second, Schirnhofer in third, Charlier in fourth and Schneider in fifth. Caution came out on lap 14 and on the restart, Lamb got back out front with Policz in second. Policz took the lead back on the next lap and held the lead until the caution flag flew two laps from the end for oil on the track from Schneider’s car. A two-lap shootout ensued with Lamb taking the lead at the line followed by Policz with Schirnhofer in third place.
- Justin Lamb
- Ben Policz
- Tommy Schirnhofer
- John Mollick
- Zach Gunn
- Ryan Frazee
- Daryl Charlier
- Braeden Dillinger
- Bill Kessler
- Christian Schneider
- Paul Jablonski
- Brian Goebel
- Ron Hall
- Pete Wearing
- Scott Gunn
- Eric Hamilton Jr.
Nick Kocuba grabbed his first win of the season in the PPMS Pro Stocks feature. Kocuba started on the outside of the front row alongside pole-sitter Chase Lambert. Bill Slade started in third and Danny Rich started on the outside of row two. Kocuba grabbed the early lead followed by Rich in second place. Disaster struck for Rich on lap three when his car came to a stop between turns three and four. Kocuba retained the lead on the restart with A.J. Poljack moving into second place on lap 7 followed by Daryl Charlier, Dave McManus and Lambert. Lap 12 saw the caution come out for Lambert, who was able to continue. The restart found Kocuba back out front followed by Charlier, Poljak, McManus and Heath Close, who moved into the top 5. Kocuba would hold on to grab his first PPMS win of the season.
- Nick Kocuba
- Daryl Charlier
- A.J. Poljak
- Dave McManus
- Heath Close
- Bill Slade
- Chase Lambert
- Danny Rich
Sharon Speedway held two nights of racing as the “Apple Festival Nationals” took place on Friday and Saturday nights.
Trevor Baker picked up his first career Sharon Speedway victory taking the checkered flag in the “410” Sprint Car feature. Baker started on the pole position and nearly made contact with Carl Bowser trying to get to the high side going into turn one with Dan Kuriger in third followed by Jimmy Morris III and two-time Lernerville Champion Jack Sodeman Jr.
The caution flag flew with seven laps completed when Steve Haefke Jr slowed on the track. Baker jumped back out front when the green flag dropped but Bowser kept charging getting to Bakers tail by lap 14. The pair battled side-by-side, trading slide jobs on laps 16 and 17 with Baker maintaining the lead when the caution flag flew with 17-laps completed for Sodeman, who blew a right-rear tire.
Baker got back out front on the restart and held off Bowser over the final 13-laps for the 0.753-seconds victory, just Baker’s second in his young career. Kuriger rounded out the podium in third.
- Trevor Baker
- Carl Bowser
- Dan Kuriger
- Michael Bauer
- Dan McCarron
- Adam Kekich
- Jimmy Morris III
- Frankie Nervo
- Darren Pifer
- Jeremy Kornbau
- Darin Gallagher
- Russ Sansosti
- Eric L. Williams
- Gale Ruth
- Sye Lunch
- Jack Sodeman Jr.
- Dave Blaney
- Steve Haefke Jr.
- Bob Lime
Rex King Jr. made it two-for-two Friday night at Sharon holding off Garrett Krummert to take the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Big-Block Modified win. King also won the “Lou Blaney Memorial” back in July. King took the lead away from Krummert on a restart following a lap 13 caution. Krummert chose the high side for the double-file restart, leaving King the inside line. King took the lead down low in turns one and two as Krummert had to deal with Jeremiah Shingledecker who was charging hard from third. King Jr. was too strong over the final 12-laps as he picked up his 27th career win.
- Rex King Jr.
- Garrett Krummert
- Jeremiah Shingledecker
- Rex King
- Will Thomas III
- Kevin Hoffman
- Skip Moore
- John Mollick
- Brandon Michaud
- Bill Adams
- Mike Turner
- Rick Regalski Jr.
- Clude Gumpp
- Mark Frankhouser
- Jim Rasey
- Kevin Green
Chad Ruhlman grabbed the RUSH Spring Car win Friday night as Sharon, holding off his brother Brian in the 20-lap feature. Chad Ruhlman started on the pole and rookie Matt Sherlock started on the outside. Brian Ruhlman got around Sherlock on the start with Jeremy Weaver and Sherlock battling it out for third. Brian Woodhall, who started sixth, drove around Shawn Smith and Sherlock on the outside to grab the fourth spot on lap four. Zach Morrow moved into the top 5 on lap 5 after starting eighth.
The battle was on for third midway through the feature as Weaver was trying to hold off Woodhall, Morrow and a hard-charging Brad Blackshear, who had moved up from this tenth starting position. Blackshear’s charge ended when he got into the fence on lap 12, bringing out the events one and only caution flag.
Chad Ruhlman jumped back out front on the restart followed by his brother as Woodhall and Weaver traded slide jobs for third, with Woodhall getting the spot-on lap 16. Morrow got by Weaver for fourth on lap 18 as Chad Ruhlman continued to set the pace out front, beating Brian Ruhlman by 0.480-seconds to take the win.
- Chad Ruhlman
- Brian Ruhlman
- Brian Woodhall
- Zach Morrow
- Jeremy Weaver
- Brandon Blackshear
- Andy Feil
- Shawn Smith
- Steve Pedley
- Matt Sherlock III
- Ryan Fraley
- Brian Hartzell
- Greg Beach
- Dave Hawkins
- Arnie Kent
- Tyler Powell
- Brad Blackshear
Dirt Racing
Gravel Grabs the Morgan Cup
MECHANICSBURG, PA (May 9, 2026): David Gravel, the two-time World of Outlaws champion and current points leader, dominated the finale in the fifteenth running of the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove Speedway. Gravel’s win, the tenth of his career at the venerable speedway, secured possession of the perpetual trophy for the World of Outlaws for the eighth time. Moreover, the win gave the touring stars a two-to-one edge in the win column for the three-race Pennsylvania swing.
Gravel seized control of the race on the opening lap and he was never challenged during the course of the thirty lapper. The only threat to Gravel during the non-stop affair was a bumping incident when he was lapping Brent Shearer. Shearer’s right rear wheel contacted Gravel’s left rear. Fortunately, the two cars quickly separated and both drivers maintained control as they rocketed toward turn one. Gravel expressed concern that he might have gotten a flat tire from such contact, but he said that the double bead locks on the left rear of his car probably saved the day.
“From the rain this morning, that grip up high was there. They patted it down with the push trucks and water trucks. It just launched really good, and actually my motor was really cold. It didn’t run good for the first five or six laps, but it had enough horsepower to beat him (Kasey Kahne) going into (turn) one. He didn’t try to slide me. It looked like he backpedaled and tried to run the bottom, but that was obviously the winning move of the race.”
Gravel added that it was important for him to control the pace of the race. “You just don’t know, this could’ve been ten cautions or green-to-checkered. Luckily, it went green-to-checkered. Maybe I was getting a little complacent down here in (turns) three and four. Maybe should have moved up. Those guys said the 67 (Justin Whittall) was coming, so. It’s just so hard to lead these races. Lincoln, here, it doesn’t matter where it is. When you’re up front, you know, the track changes and people can judge you, behind you. I feel like I got through the lapped cars pretty good.”
Justin Whittall was making just his second start in his new joint venture with Rod Gross Motorsports. The first outing was a disappointing seventeen in the preliminary night program. He gave props to his crew for working late on Friday night and early on this race day to get more speed in the car. He was able to close in on the leader in the closing laps, but was several car lengths behind him when the checkers waved. “I saw David (Gravel) struggling with the lapped car. He finally got him. That was when I really started to catch him.”
Third place went to defending track champion and current points leader, Troy Wagaman, Jr. Wagaman’s podium finish stretched his points lead over Lance Dewease, who failed to qualify because he was plagued by mechanical problems all night long. Wagaman explained that he put together a complete night. “I felt good. I timed good, I had a good heat race, and a good dash. I had speed in the feature.”
For the second night in a row, Kasey Kahne started on the front row for the A Main. This time, he had the pole as a result of his dash victory. But the difference in lanes may have been his undoing. David Gravel had the outside position, which was clearly superior for the start of the event. Freddy Rahmer lined up third, with Whittall as his running mate. Wagaman and Sheldon Haudenschild were in row three. The last pair of preferred starters were Ashton Torgerson, aboard Kyle Moody’s machine, and Chad Trout. Then came Carson Macedo and Bill Balog, followed by Emerson Axsom and Danny Dietrich.
Gravel and Kahne raced wheel to wheel into turn one, but Gravel had the better line through the corner. He emerged from turn two with the lead and never looked back. Kahne followed closely in the early going, but, with each successive lap, Gravel added to his lead. Whittall, Wagaman, Rahmer, Haudenshild, , Torgerson, Trout, Carson Macedo, and Balog made up the balance of the top ten during the opening laps.
The first five–consisting of Gravel, Kahne, Whittall, Wagaman, and Haudenschild–raced in order through the first half of the event.
Soon after the midway signal, Whittall begal to stalk Kahne. On lap nineteen, Whittall rode the rin in turns three and four to reach second spot. Wagaman and Haudenschild soon followed suit.
Whittall trimmed Gravel’s lead in the closing laps. As he was doing so, Haudenschild was applying some pressure to Wagaman for third. A few spots back in the running order, Rahmer and Carson Macedo were battling for sixth.
At the checkers, it was Gravel over Whittall, Wagaman, Haudenschild, and Kahne. Carson Macedo was sixth, with Rahmer, Torgerson, Dietrich, and Balog completing the top ten.
Carson Macedo was named the hard charger, advancing three positions. Several others also passed as many cars but they were all behind him in the finishing order.
The four heat wins went to Gravel, Kahne, Whittall, and Trout. Daryn Pittman won the B Main. Gravel set the fast time, at 16.431, to top Group A. Whittall was the best in Group B with a time of 16.897.
Williams Grove Speedway will be back in action on Friday, May 15, with a Sprint Car doubleheader. The 410s and 358 Sprints will do battle on York County Racing Club Night. There will be no racing on May 22 , but the American Flat Track Motorcycles will compete on May 23.
Dirt Racing
Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway cancels Saturday night program
IMPERIAL, PA (May 9, 2026) – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway (PPMS) is cancelling their Saturday night program after heavy overnight rains and cloudy skies throughout the morning forced track officials to make the difficult decision.
“After evaluating conditions throughout the property Saturday morning, speedway officials determined that the amount of water absorbed overnight created conditions that would not allow for a practical or enjoyable event experience for fans, teams, and staff” the Speedway announced in a statement.
Fans who purchased advanced tickets for tonight’s event have already had their refunds processed automatically..
Next Saturday PPMS will host a ‘Night of Champions’, which will honor 2025 track Champions and those who finished in the top 10 in points in the respective divisions.
“We’re ready to get this season rolling in a big way and hopefully Mother Nature starts working with us soon,” said Tyler Harris, PPMS Operations Manager. “We know fans, racers, and teams are anxious to get back to the speedway, and we appreciate everyone continuing to stick with us through a difficult start to the year.”
Dirt Racing
Lernerville Speedway and Tri-City Raceway Park hoping to get seasons started Friday night
Lernerville Speedway and Tri-City Raceway Park are hoping Mother Nature cooperates so they can get their 2026 seasons started on Friday night.
Lernerville is planning on Fab 4 Racing with the McConnell Memorial on top. Sprint Cars, Late Models, Modifieds and Pro Stocks are on the card this evening.
Pits open at 4 p.m. with spectator gates opening at 5 p.m. Hot Laps begin at 6:15 p.m. followed by racing at 7:30 p.m.
Four weather-related postponements have delayed opening night at Tri-City Raceway Park, who are preparing to drop the green flag Friday night with their regular 4 Star Racing show on its half-mile oval.
410 Sprint Cars will be competing for a $3,000 winner’s purse. Joining the 410’s on tonight’s card will be the Pro Stocks, with the winner taking home $700!
The RUSH Sprint Cars are set to compete in their 40th race at the Venango County speedway. Tonight’s winning will get $600 for taking home the checkered flag.
The RUSH Stock Cars round out the evening as they return for their second season. Tonight’s winner will take home a $300 top prize. The racing starts at 7 p.m.

