PORT ROYAL, PA (March 22, 2025) – The regular season opener at Port Royal Speedway played out under blustery conditions, but the action on the track was hot, for sure. An hour long rain delay did not put the dampers on Anthony Macri’s triumphant return to Pennsylvania soil after spending a few extra weeks chasing the World of Outlaws. Joining him in victory lane was the track’s defending Late Model champion, Rick Eckert, who debuted a throwback paint scheme.

Macri, who hails from Dilsburg, PA, was relieved to be back to familiar surroundings. “We were struggling,” he said of his recent sojourn.

It was not easy for him, though. “It was a tricky track, the way it was chunked up on the curb.” He added that it was tight off of turn four.

Macri noted that the restarts did work in his favor. He was able to get a slider in turn one on leader Brock Zearfoss after a lap sixteen red flag. “And, I played defense after that.” He explained that, on a subsequent restart, “I slid myself, I wasn’t sure how close he was. I figured if I got to the curb first, I could drive off of it.” As it turned out, Zearfoss had nothing for the Concrete Kid on the restart, so the closing laps were uneventful.

The luck of the draw put Zearfoss on the pole, with Iowa invader Kelby Watt on his flank. Gerard McIntyre, Jr. took his new Scott Cowen mount to third on the grid, with Steve Buckwalter as his dance partner. Mike Walter, Jr. and Troy Wagaman, Jr. lined up in row three, followed by Macri and Danny Dietrich. Ricky Peterson, Jr. and Chase Dietz claimed row five. The sixth belonged to Justin Whittall and Jeff Halligan.

Several familiar names started further back in the field. Former champions Logan Wagner and Lucas Wolfe were in row eight. Blaine Heimbach was in row nine, Freddie Rahmer, Jr. in row ten, Mike Wagner and Lance Dewease in row eleven, and T.J. Stutts in row twelve.

Zearfoss rolled through the middle of turn one on his way to the cushion. He found it midway between turns one and two and used it to rocket out to an early lead over Watt. Buckwalter, Dietrich, McIntyre, and Dietz followed closely.

The first caution came early in the twenty-five lapper. Rahmer spun in turn four and he immediately retired from the event. Just as the caution was displayed for him, Dietrich pulled up lame in turn one. Dietrich pitted during the caution and returned at the rear of the field for the restart. However, the repair did not cure the problem and he left the race soon after the green flag was displayed again.

On the restart, Watt threw a hard slider at Zearfoss in turn one. Zearfoss was up on the rim and his momentum was enough to preserve his lead coming through turn two. Watt remained in second, followed by Buckwalter and Wagaman. Macri was up to fifth, with McIntyre, Halligan, and Whittall trailing him.

Zearfoss had a scare on lap nine as he was lapping some slower cars. Austin Bishop looped it in turn four right in front of the leaders. Zearfoss and Watt reacted quickly and avoided impact.

On the ensuing restart, Watt tried another slider in turn one. However, he did not have enough speed entering the corner to get a nose ahead of Zearfoss. Once again, the momentum favored Zearfoss. Buckwalter followed Zearfoss to the cushion and he was able to drive past Watt in turn two. Macri followed Buckwalter into third coming off turn two.

Macri picked up more speed coming down the backstretch. He was able to slide Buckwalter for second in turn three. Buckwalter rallied to regain second briefly. However, by lap fifteen Macri was solidly in second.

Lap sixteen was critical to the outcome of the race. A three-car crash in turn one eliminated Bishop, Doug Hammaker, and Mike Wagner, all of whom were in the back of the field. However, the red for the calamity set up Macri’s dramatic slider for the lead in turn one on the restart.

When the green came out, Macri was able to accomplish what Watt could not do twice before. He entered turn one with enough speed to get across Zearfoss’ nose. Zearfoss checked up and could not turn back under Macri to fight off the challenge. Buckwalter remained in third. Whittall moved ahead of Watt for fourth. Dietz and Halligan worked past Wagaman. Meanwhile, McIntyre was busy holding off Dewease who had come from deep in the pack.

Macri built a comfortable lead over Zearfoss. The final caution of the contest, with two laps remaining, gave Zearfoss one last chance for redemption. However, Macri was up to the task.

Macri led the final two rounds of the big half mile. Zearfoss remained in second. Dietz charged up to third. Buckwalter and Whittall completed the top five. Wagaman was sixth, followed by Halligan, Dewease, McIntyre, and Walter.

Dewease was rewarded with $500 as the hard charger. Kody Lehman received $1,000 for the warrior award.

Heat wins for the thirty-four car field belonged to Buckwalter, McIntyre, Watt, and Zearfoss. Mike Wagner prevailed in the B Main.

The Super Late Models also raced for twenty-five laps. On the front row were J.T. Spence and Rick Eckert. Dylan Yoder and Justin Weaver made up row two. Gene Knaub and Gregg Satterlee followed them. Then came Dillan Stake and Lane Snook. In row five were Tim Smith and Hayes Mattern. The sixth row consisted of Logan Zarin and Gary Stuhler.

Eckert was perfectly positioned to assume control of the race when the green flag waived. He planted the right rear tire on the cushion and rolled away from Spence in turn one. Yoder ducked under Spence in turn two to take second.

Satterlee was showing early speed. He was fourth on the break. He took third on lap two and second on lap four. It tppk him several laps to close in on Eckert, but he could not make a bid for the lead.

A caution for Spence on lap twelve gave Satterlee his first opportunity to challenge Eckert. On the restart, he entered turn one on the inside. However, Eckert used the top to his advantage once again.

Eckert led Satterlee and Dylan Yoder. Knaub and Weaver were running in the top five, ahead of Stake, Zarin, Mattern, Stuhler, and Trevor Feathers at the halfway mark.

The final caution came on lap sixteen for Snook’s mechanical failure. Although that gave Satterlee another shot at the leader, he could not capitalize upon it.

Eckert, from York, PA, completed the last nine laps without any significant challenge from Satterlee. Dylan Yoder held off Weaver for third. Zarin got by Knaub in the closing laps for sixth. Feathers, Stuhler, Colton Flinner, and Dtake completed the top ten.
Flinner was the night’s hard charger, coming from row twelve to ninth.

Heat winners for the twenty-four entries were Dylan Yoder, Eckert, and Spence. There was no B Main.

Although Eckert led wire to wire, he expressed concern about Satterlee, who was running second for most of the race. “When the yellow came outI got to look at the scoreboard and I saw it was Gregg (running in second), and I got worried.” Eckert explained that Satterlee using a different tire and Eckert thought that might give Satterlee the edge.

However, the threat never materialized. Instead, Eckert brought his immaculate orange and black number twenty-four home a winner in its maiden voyage. He noted that he wanted to do a throwback paint scheme for this season. He chose the Raye Vest style because “everything in my shop was twenty-four.” He added that his grandson plays a lot of ball, and he always wears number twenty-four while doing so.

Next week, Port Royal Speedway will present a three-division program. Joining the 410 Sprint Cars and Super Late Models will be the Limited Late Models. Race time will be at 4 p.m. On April 5, 510 and 305 Sprints will accompany the Limited Late Models. The first special of the season will be on April 12, the Lynn Paxton Tribute race. It will be for the 410 Sprints and Super Late Models. There will also be a display for the Eastern Museum of Motorsports, which was near and dear to Paxton’s heart.

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (March 15, 2025): After destroying a car in last week’s feature event, Freddie Rahmer, Jr. came back to Lincoln Speedway with resolve. He dominated the third 410 Sprint Car race of the season, the first run under the lights.

Importantly, it was his first victory since returning to his family’s car on a full-time basis. For several seasons, he split his time between the Eichelberger number 8 and his family’s mount. He scored only one win at Lincoln with Eichelberger last year, which may have led to his surprising move.

“That was last year, this is this year,” he quipped. To score the win was important to him, “especially after last week. It was a rough start.” Rahmer admitted that 2024 was a struggle for him, and he is looking forward to more success managing his own affairs in 2025.

Rahmer was fortunate to draw the pole position for this race, Next week, the starting line-up will use the handicapping system.

Beside Rahmer in row one was Jeff Halligan. Behind them were Danny Dietrich and Chad Trout. In row three were Mike Bittinger and Chase Dietz. Then came Gerard McIntyre, Jr. and Troy Wagaman, Jr. Tyler Ross and Preston Lattomus were in row five. The sixth row consisted of Brock Zearfoss and Aaron Bollinger.

Rahmer Jr. sailed into turn one on the opening lap, with Halligan, Dietz, Trout, and Danny Dietrich in tow. In the early going, the contest was for the fourth spot, as Trout and Danny Dietrich were swapping positions with some regularity. Behind them, Bittinger, Wagaman, Ross, Zearfoss, and McIntyre were racing hard. As the race was approaching the halfway mark, Bittinger began to slide back in the running order.

On lap fourteen, Lattomus got over the cushion in turn three and into the outer wall, launching him into a series of violent flips. Kelby Watt, who towed in from Iowa for this race, had no opportunity to avoid Lattomus. There was substantial impact, but, fortunately, neither racer was injured.

On the restart, Dietrich used the outside line to move ahead of Halligan. Dietrich closed quickly on Dietz, but another red flag delayed his advance.
Dylan Norris pinched Ross against the wall at the exit of turn four to bring about the stoppage at lap sixteen. Neither of them were hurt.

The final fourteen laps were run off without any further interruptions. Rahmer Jr. continued to lead Dietz, Dietrich, Halligan, Trout, and Wagaman, and Zearfoss. The battle on the track was for positions seven through ten, with McIntyre, Brandon Rahmer, Bollinger, and Cameron Smith being the primary contenders for those coveted spots.

At the checkers, it was Rahmer Jr. over Dietz and Dietrich. Halligan and Trout completed the top five. Wagaman was sixth after changing his engine following his heat race. Zearfoss, McIntyre, Bollinger, and Smith rounded out the top ten.

Heat races went to Halligan, Dietz, and McIntyre. Chris Arnold captured the B Main. There were twenty-nine entries.

It took three tries to get the 358 Sprint feature going. The first two attempts were foiled by spectacular flips. The first eliminated Olivia Thayer and

Brian Wolfe, Jr. The second claimed Braydon Mickley and Tom Senseney, Jr. Fortunately, there were no injuries on either occasion.

Veteran driver Frankie Herr assumed command from the outside of row one when the race was officially under way. Nash Ely, who sat on the pole, settled into second, followed by Chase Guttshall, Ashley Cappetta, Logan Rumsey, and Cody Fletcher.

Restarts following minor incidents on laps five and nine allowed Fletcher to move up to third. Although Fletcher challenged Ely for second in the remaining laps, he was unable to overtake him.

At the finish, it was Herr ahead of Ely and Fletcher. Dylan Norris had a strong second half to take fourth. Guttshall was fifth. Cappetta held off Rumsey for sixth. Steve owings, Tyler Rutherford, and Jayden Wolf rounded out the top ten.

Herr, Cappetta, and Rumsey were the heat race winners. There was no B Main.

Next week, the 410 and 358 Sprint Cars will return to action, with a 6 p.m. starting time. On March 29, the Wingless Sportsmen will replace the 358 Sprints on the card. The 358 Sprints will return for the April 5 engagement.

TULSA, OK (January 18, 2025): There is an old adage in racing that goes something like this: “It is better to be lucky than good.” That statement accurately summed up Kyle Larson’s Chili Bowl win. Larson collected a cool $20,000 for his effort.

Larson survived two incidents on his way to a third Chili Bowl crown. The first came in the middle of the race when he ran over a disabled car between turns three and four. The other came with just three laps to go when he climbed the front stretch wall but drove off before a caution was called for debris.

“It just was a very difficult race track to run the line that I was running,” Larson observed. “It comes with a lot of reward with the risk that you’re taking. I messed up on the straightaway a couple of times. I’m glad that I kept going there because that caution really, really saved me and allowed it to be a little bit easier run to the finish. I think if we stayed in traffic, Daison (Pursley) would have had a lot of opportunities to throw stuff at me.”

Perhaps Larson’s good luck even started before the drop of the green. Larson started on pole.

The ten cars that locked into the A Main participated in the Pole Shuffle. The Pole Shuffle was a series of head-to-head timed laps. The faster driver continued on and the slower one was eliminated. Larson drew the number one, so he was assured of a front row starting spot regardless of how he timed.

The second bit of pre-race luck was that Daison Pursley ran out of fuel one round too soon. Pursley showed consistent speed throughout the Pole Shuffle. He won the first several rounds. When he squared off against Landon Brooks in the penultimate round, his car sputtered to a stop. Brooks advanced to the final round by default.

So, the front row of the finale belonged to Larson and Brooks. Pursley and Logan Seavey were in row two. The third row consisted of Tanner Thorson and Emerson Axsom. Row four paired Gavin Miller and Shane Golobic. The last two members of the Pole Shuffle were in row five, Ryan Bernal and Brenham Crouch. The B Main winners, Corbin Rueschenberg and Christopher Bell, made up row six.

As expected, Larson scooted out to the early lead, followed by Brooks, Pursley, Seavey, Thorson, and Golobic. The leaders ran in formation at the top of the track through the first caution, which came on lap nine for a crash by Jonathan Beason in turn two. Beason was the only racer to transfer into the A Main from a C Main.

The caution nullified Thorson’s pass for fourth.

Larson led the parade after the restart. Pursley began to press Brooks for second. On lap thirteen, Pursley’s slider in turn three improved his position by one. He then chased Larson as the leaders started to work their way through traffic. Thorson picked off Seavey as the race approached the midpoint.

As the laps clicked off, the traffic intensified, Larson maintained his lead, but it was shrinking. Brooks, Thorson, and Seavey remained in the top five.

The first bit of drama occurred on lap twenty-two. Jacob Denney and Brenham Crouch tangled between turns three and four. Denney continued, but Crouch stopped in the middle of the track. His nose was slanted toward the infield. Larson had no place to go. He drove over the left front of Crouch’s car. Larson’s car stalled while in mid air. It refired when all four wheels returned to the track. Because Larson was able to keep moving, he was not called as part of the caution.

Larson’s car sustained no apparent damage. He was able to maintain the lead when the race resumed. Pursley kept pace with Larson. Brooks was still third, but after two laps, Golobic gained two positions. Thorson slipped back to fifth.

As Larson ran alone out front, Brooks was stalking Pursley. He took over second pn lap thirty-one, but Pursley regained second within a couple of laps. He then resumed his chase of the leader.

Pursley climbed the front stretch wall with about five laps to go. There was a large accumulation of dirt along the wall that acted as a ramp. It took a deft hand to pull the car down from the wall and to keep it straight. In the process, though, Pursley loosened a sponsor banner that was attached to the wall.

Larson tore the banner off on lap thirty-seven when he, too, climbed the wall. Larson climbed higher than Pursley, as the undercarriage was visible to the fans in the stands. Larson careened off the wall toward the infield. As he regained control, Pursley was coming. They entered the first turn side by side. Larson cut a better corner and kept the lead.

As Larson and Pursley raced off turn two, the caution light came on for debris, which was the banner that was now strewn across the middle of the track.

Larson kept the point for the final restart. He got away cleanly. Pursley stayed close. He tried a slider in turn four but he did not have enough momentum to get his nose ahead.

At the checkers it was Larson over Pursley. Pursley had mixed emotions afterwards. “I tried to pace Kyle for forty laps. It was a very technical track where you’d make room in one corner and then give it back the next.” He added, “it’s unfortunate. I really wanted to win this one, but there’s nothing to hang your head about when you’re racing against the likes of Kyle Larson. I’ve been coming here since I was little, so this really means a lot to me.” He concluded, “I thought we might have had the chance when the yellow came out due to the banner, but there’s so many woulda, coulda, shoulda’s that happen in this building, that’s what makes it so tough to win here.”

The Matt Wood team of Pursley, Golobic, Bernal, and Brooks completed the top five. While much attention was directed to the fleet of cars entered by Keith Kunz Motorsports, the accomplishments of the smaller Matt Wood Racing cannot be overstated. Golobic, who also acted as the crew chief for the entire team, gave props to Wood, who keeps the cars idle throughout the season. Golobic explained that they did not get a chance to knock the rust off because one of the Fall’s big events was rained out.

Positions six through ten went to Buddy Kofoid, Seavey, Miller, Axsom, and Bell.

Tim Buckwalter was the hard charger, racing from twenty-second to thirteenth.