PORT ROYAL, PA (April 11, 2026):  After a poor start to the 2026 season, Ryan Smith seems to be getting hot just in time for some of the bigger events coming up soon. He was second at Williams Grove on Friday to Justin Peck and, less that twenty-four hours later, he was sitting in victory lane at Port Royal Speedway. His first win in the PA Possee Series netted him $6,000, and bigger paydays are in the offing next weekend.

Also reaching victory lane was Max Blair in the Late Model portion of the program.

Smith’s Success

Smith attributed the poor start to the season to rust and old age. But, he looked awfully quick and aggressive this night, catching Chase Dietz in traffic and then taking the lead as he sliced and diced the slower cars.

Dietz had no alternative but to try to run the wall to regain the lead in the closing laps. Despite the treacherous conditions, Dietz was able to draw near, but Smith was able to run the middle groove to perfection to preserve his lead.

“That had to be pretty entertaining, at least it was from my seat,” Smith gushed. After giving props to the track crew, Smith added, “the track was awesome. I knew the top would go away. When the track was like it is, I can’t be beat.”

Dietz explained that he was unable to maintain his pace as the leaders raced through traffic. “I got to him (Smith), but he cleared traffic right.”

Troy Wagaman, Jr. closed in on the leaders in the final laps, but he ran out of time. “I was late moving up. That’s on me.” He admitted that his lack of familiarity with the Speed Palace led to the tactical error.

Wagaman earned the pole by winning his heat race from the fourth position. Dietz drew the second position. Giovanni Scelzi and Ryan Smith selected second row spots, with Justin Peck and Justin Whittall getting the third row. Brock Zearfoss and Jake Karklin get the final two preferred starting positions, Lance  Dewease and Brent Marks were in row five, followed by Freddie Rahmer, Jr. and Danny Dietrich.

Wagaman drove up to the top groove in turn one to take the early lead from Dietz. Smith settled into third, followed by Whittall and Scelzi. Peck, Marks, Zearfoss, Dietrich, and Karklin made up the balance of the top ten in the opening laps.

Dietz got wound up coming through turns three and four to slingshot around Wagaman for the lead. Meanwhile, Whittall was on the charge. He reached second by lap eight.

Unfortunately, just two laps later, Whittall made contact with a lapped car in turn two. Whittall did a 360 and kept going, but track rules called for a caution. Whittall pitted under the yellow and got trapped in the work area because he was not guaranteed any time to make repairs.

So, Dietz led Wagaman for the restart, with Smith, Marks, Peck, Scelzi, Dietrich, Zearfoss, Dewease, and Rahmer next in line. When the race resumed, Smith and Marks moved past Wagaman.

Smith began to cut into Dietz’ advantage over the next five laps or so. On lap eighteen, he drove under Dietz in turn two to take the lead. Smith was able to maintain his lead as he fought through traffic.

With Smith cutting through the slower cars wherever and whenever there was an opening in the lower grooves, Dietz tried to mount a counterattack by riding the wall. He was able to narrow the gap, but he could never get his nose out front again.

Smith took the checkers 2.417 seconds ahead of Dietz. Wagaman held off Marks for third. Dewease was fifth. Peck, Scelzi, Zearfoss, Dietrich, and Logan Wagner were the next five finishers.

Wagner was named the hard charger, advancing eight positions over the twenty-five lap distance.

Heat wins went to Dietz, Wagaman, Whittall, and Peck. Wagner captured the B Main. Karklin was the fastest qualifier in Group A and overall, with a time of 16,434 seconds. Smith topped Group B with a lap of 17.099 seconds.

Blair’s Best

Max Blair visited one of his favorite haunts on a rare weekend off from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, and he won the non-stop affair by more than ten seconds.

“We unloaded with our normal package and it didn’t feel real good.” Blair observed. “We made some changes and it felt real good after that,” he added.

Blair noted that the track is very different when racing in the daylight, but, he said, “I hope its like this when Lucas comes back in August.” He plans to make a return for another test session during a Saturday night show if the schedule permits.

Second place finisher Gregg Satterlee chased down Justin Weaver in the closing laps. He used the middle lane to drive by Weaver in turn two on the final lap. “We had a good race going on,” Satterlee noted about his tussle with Weaver for second. “Max just got away from us there.” Nonetheless, Satterlee was pleased how his car came in late in the race. “The car felt good as the race went on. We have some longer races coming up,” so he felt that he learned some things for those events.

Weaver was disappointed with himself for finishing third. “I caught myself riding the bottom. I guess that’s what allowed Gregg to get to me.”

Weaver and Blair drew the front row for the twenty-five lap finale. Rick Eckert and Satterlee lined up in orw two. Then came Ross Robinson and Lane Snook. Ageless Gary Stuhler and Andrew Yoder started in row four, with Dillan Stake and J.T. Spence behind them. Hayes Mattern and Chad Myers were in row six.

Turn one got very crowded on the opening lap. Weaver left enough of an opening to allow Eckert to get a nose under him. But Blair had the outside groove all to himself, and he was able to power away with the lead. Weaver recovered in turn two to claim second. Eckert fell back to third, ahead of Satterlee, Robinson, Stuhler, and Snook. Andrew Yoder, Stake, and Mattern completed the top ten in the early going.

Blair continued to pull away from Weaver, who maintained a comfortable advantage over Eckert. It did not take Blair long to reach the tail of the field and to start lapping cars.

As the race reached the midpoint, Satterlee drove by Eckert for third. At that time, he was more than a second and a half behind Weaver. However, Satterlee began whittling away at that. Weaver then strung a couple of good laps together to stretch his advantage to almost 1.4 seconds again.

However, Satterlee’s car came to life again with seven laps to go and the separation between second and third began to shrink with each trip around the big half mile.

Weaver was able to keep Satterlee at bay for a couple of laps by using lapped cars as picks. However, he cleared the last of them with two laps to go. Weaver then hugged the inside line, thinking that Satterlee could not gather enough momentum to try an outside pass.

But Satterlee was able to do just that. He entered turn one just off Weaver’s right rear quarter panel. He drove up next to him and got clear of Weaver in turn two. Satterlee dipped to the inside in turn three to shut the door on any counter by Weaver.

Blair took the checkers nearly a half a track ahead of Satterlee, Weaver was third.  Eckert and Stuhler were fourth and fifth. Robinson, Andrew Yoder, Stake, Mattern, and Trever Feathers completed the top ten.

Satterlee, Eckert, and Blair were victorious in the heat races. There was no B Main needed for the twenty-three cars on hand. Satterlee was the quickest in timed hot laps with a round of 20.425 seconds.

Coming Events

Next week, Port Royal Speedway will present a five feature program. The Super Late Models will be the headliners. The Limited Late Models and 305 Sprint Cars will do double duty to make up for the loss of their races to the rain last week.

The 410 Sprint Cars will be off next week in consideration of the Weldon Sterner Memorial to be held at Lincoln Speedway as part of the Possee Series.

The 410s will be back at Port Royal on April 25 for the Keith Kauffman Classic.

MECHANICSBURG, PA (April 10, 2026):  High Roller Justin Peck took advantage of an off-weekend with the High Limit Sprint Car Series to get some track time, and the win, at Williams Grove Speedway. He took advantage of an open red with four laps remaining to dial his car in for the final laps. He rolled around the outside of turns one and two to overtake Ryan Smith at the start of lap twenty-four, and then he held off a last lap challenge from Smith in the same corners.

In the first of three Dirty Deeds special events for the 358 Sprint Cars, Derek Locke drove by Cole Young on lap twenty and went on to score his eighteenth career victory at the track.

“We were down and out,” Peck said about his prospects for victory before the open red that changed the complexion of the race. He explained that he could not get any drive coming off the corners. “We made some changes on the car during the open red.” After the adjustments, he said, “we were able to rotate around the corner.” He added, “I think he (Ryan Smith) missed the bottom a couple of times.”

Buddy Schweibinz and Ryan Smith drew the front row for the start of the twenty-five lapper which was aligned using the Speedweek format. Peck and Brent Shearer were in row two, and the other preferred starting spots belonged to Brent Marks and Lance Dewease. Doug Hammaker and Troy Wagaman, Jr. were in the fourth row, followed by Dylan Norris and Aaron Bollinger. Cameron Smith and Brock Zearfoss lined up next.

Ryan Smith got the jump on Schweibinz on the initial start, but a caution due to the flat left rear tire on Freddie Rahmer, Jr.’s car required a second attempt to get the race started. This time, Schweibinz was better prepared, and he beat Ryan Smith to turn one.

Peck settled into third, followed by Dewease, Marks, Shearer, Hammaker, Bollinger, Wagaman, and Zearfoss. There were no changes in the top ten in the early going.

A caution for Cameron Smith, on lap four, gave Ryan Smith another shot at the leader. Schweibinz was up to the challenger, though, and he paced the field for the next fourteen laps.

On lap fifteen, Ryan Smith started to test the inside line. He got beside Schweibinz on one occasion, in turn one, but Schweibinz was able to ride the cushion to preserve his lead.

Ryan Smith went to the cushion in turns one and two three laps later and he was able to drive by Schweibinz. However, Zearfoss tangled with a lapped car in turn two, and the resulting caution nullified the pass for the lead.

Schweibinz was restored to the point for the restart, with Smith in second. Peck, Dewease, Marks, and Hammaker were the next three in line.

On the restart, Ryan Smith went low in turn one, and he was able to take the lead away from Schweibinz. On the next trip around the speedway, Peck got by Schweibinz, who was struggling to hold his position.

While Dewease was pressing Schweibinz for third,  Hammaker was challenging Marks for fifth. Unfortunately, Hammaker jumped the cushion in turn four and flipped on lap twenty-one. He was not injured in the tumble.

Track officials opened the red to allow the racers to add fuel and make changes for the stretch run.

Ryan Smith brought the field to the green for the final time, followed by Peck, Schweibinz, Dewease, Marks, Wagaman, Norris, Bollinger, Rahmer, and Tanner Holmes.

Dewease dove under Schweibinz on the restart. They raced side by side until turn three, when Dewease was able to pull ahead.

Meanwhile, Peck stayed in Smith’s shadow for the next several laps. At the start of lap twenty-four, Smith entered turn one on the inside again. However, Peck moved to the outside. He was able to carry some momentum through the corner and he drew along side of Smith. Peck rode the rim to gain the lead coming through turn two to lead the lap.

Smith tried the inside line on the final lap, but Peck stayed up on the cushion. Once again, Peck was able to keep his speed up and he drove off turn two with a lead of a couple of car lengths.

Peck took the checkers more than eight tenths of a second ahead of Ryan Snith. Dewease was third, followed by Schweibinz, and Marks. Wagaman, Norris, Rahmer, Chase Randall, and Bollinger completed the top ten.

Ryan Smith, Dewease, and Peck were the heat winners. No B Main was needed for the twenty-four car field. Marks was the fastest qualifier for the night, clocking in at 16.916 seconds for Group A.

Jacob Galloway drew the pole for the 358 Sprint nightcap. However, he could not take advantage of the prime starting position, for he spun in turn one on the opening lap. Fortunately, all but one car avoided him. Eli Tuckey made enough contact to collapse the front suspension of his car.

That moved Cole Young up to the front row for the second try. Young grabbed the lead and, for the first nineteen laps, it appeared as though he would get the win.

However, Derek Locke was biding his time. He raced along in third for the first three laps before making a move on Hunter Fulton for second. On lap twenty, Locke went under Young in turn one to take control of the race. Fulton held onto third through lap seventeen before fading from contention.

At the checkers, it was Locke by 0.864 seconds over Young. Austin Reed was third, with Matt Findley and Cody Fletcher rounding out the top five. Fulton was sixth. Steve Wilbur, Chase Guttshall, Brayden Mickley, and Brett Wanner were seventh through tenth.

Locke remarked, “he (Young) was really good on the tope, We were both running the top the first ten laps. He was better on the top than me. He went to the bottom once, and I almost got him around the top. But, I knew the rubber would come in and we were better down there.”

Young, Fletcher, and Locke scored in the preliminaries. The twenty-five car field did not use a B Main.

Next weekend, Williams Grove Speedway will present the Tommy Classic, named in honor of the first driver to register a win at the famed speedway, Tommy Hinnershitz. The 358 Sprints will again provide support for the 410s.

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (March 6, 2026):  Chase Dietz has figured out the combination to get around Lincoln Speedway in the daylight hours. This time he made a power move in turn three to grab the lead from Freddie Rahmer, Jr. following a lap nineteen restart. And, like a week before, a caution soon followed, ensuring that the York pilot would get away cleanly for the remaining ten laps of the contest. This victory, his second of the young season, added another $6,000 to Dietz’ coffers.

“It was very tricky yet again,” Dietz remarked. He explained, “it got slicked off in (turns) one and two. I tried to be patient and run the middle. I think I showed Freddie the bottom too soon. But I found something off two and I got a run on him and I just drove through the holes.”

“I was trying to watch the track and it just worked out,” Dietz added.  “It’s been a great start and I will try to keep it going,” he concluded.

Second went to Kyle Moody, who drove under his brother-in-law, Freddie Rahmer, Jr. late in the race. After a brief challenge from Brock Zearfoss, Moody came to life. “I’ll take it,” Moody said unabashedly. “The first couple of laps didn’t work out. Typical Lincoln. They watered it and I thought I could make it work, but it didn’t work out.” So, Moody fell back to third, a position that he held until lap twenty-three.

Zearfoss was stalking Moody for most of the second half of the race, but he could not make the pass. “I knew he was going to stick to the bottom on the restarts. I found something (coming off turn two) and I thought I could make it around him on the outside, But, I hit the ruts wrong and that got me unsettled.” Despite his difficulty with Moody, Zearfoss recovered at the end of the race to overtake Rahmer for third.

The second event of the season in the Pigeon Hills had Ramer Jr. and Moody paired up in the front row. Dietz joined T.J. Stutts in row two, followed by Brandon Rahmer and Zearfoss. Danny Dietrich and Matt Campbell occupied row four. The fifth belonged tp teammates Steven Snyder, Jr. and Troy Wagaman, Jr.  Western PA driver Jacob Begenwald and Aaron Bollinger were in row six.

Rahmer Jr. led the field into turn one on the opening lap. Moody slid up the track, opening the inside line for Dietz. Moody fell in line in third. Stutts and Brandon Rahmer made up the early top five.

Billy Dietrich brought out the first caution on just the second lap when he came to a stop at the exit of turn four.

Dietz took a look inside Rahmer Jr. following the restart, but he opted to ride along in second place. Moody continued in third, with Zearfoss moving up a couple of notches. Stutts and Danny Dietrich battled for fifth for several laps before Dietrich locked up the position before the halfway mark.

Dewease slowed on lap nineteen for the second caution.

Rahmer Jr. again led the field into turn one following the restart, but Dietz remained close in turns one and two. Dietz moved up a half lane through turn two and that enabled him to rocket off the corner. Dietz had plenty of momentum entering turn three and he dove to the inside to pass Rahmer for the lead.

Dietz, Rahmer, and several others completed the lap before Bollinger spun in turn one.

On the ensuing restart, Dietz led Rahmer Jr. to the inside line in turn one. Zearfoss went to the high side to try to pass Moody for third, but he could not get by. Moody picked up some speed after that threat and, on lap twenty-three, he scooted under Rahmer Jr. in turn two for the second spot. Despite the successful maneuver, Moody could not challenge Dietz for the lead.

After his failed venture on the high sude, Zearfoss moved to the bottom in the closing laps. He was able to catch and pass Rahmer Jr. on lap twenty-six.

Dietz, Moody, and Zearfoss took the checkers before two cars tangled in turn four on the final lap. Danny Dietrich and Snyder both flipped. The resulting red flag froze the balance of the field.

Split lap scoring was employed once again. Rahmer Jr, was credited with fourth and Wagaman fifth. Positions six through ten went to Stutts, Tyler Ross, Logan Rumsey, Campbell, and Cameron Smith. Dietrich and Snyder were scored in sixteenth and seventeenth, respectively.

Three heats were contested for the twenty-eight car field. The wins went to Snyder, Danny Dietrich, and Brandon Rahmer. Smith won the B Main.

Next week. Lincoln Speedway will move to its regular Saturday night slot. Starting time will be 6 p.m. The 358 Sprint Cars will provide support to the 410s for the first time in 2026.