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Sheppard Starts Speed Showcase Weekend as Winner

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PORT ROYAL, PA (October 15, 2020): Matt Sheppard kicked off the Speed Showcase weekend at Port Royal Speedway with a dominant performance in the 40 lap feature for the Short Track Super Series Big Block Modifieds. His win locked him into the big dance on Saturday, along with Billy Pauch, Jr., Mike Mahaney, and Mat Williamson.

“I wasn’t liking all the cautions,” Sheppard commented. “I liked racing on the top, but not restarting on the top because you are at the mercy of the guys starting next to you. I was fortunate that they all raced me clean.” Although he had to endure several restarts in the first dozen laps of the contest, Sheppard and company reeled off the last 28 without any more interruptions.

Jojo Watson and Sheppard had the front row for the start of the A Main. Jeff Strunk and Danny Bouc were in row two, with Max McLaughlin and Josh Hohenforst in the third row. Rocky Warner and Mike Mahaney were paired up in row four, with Peter Britten and Mike Maresca in row five. The sixth row belonged to Richie Pratt, Jr. and Alex Yankowski.

Watson fired off first and took the early lead, with Sheppard and Bouc falling in behind him.
Sheppard was able to grab the advantage on a restart with three in the books. McLaughlin followed him into second. Watson began to fall back after that and he was the cause of a caution which occurred on lap seven.

Two more stoppages would occur before the racers settled into a long green flag run to the finish.

Before the final restart, Pauch Jr. had climbed from 22nd to eighth, but he wasn’t finished just yet. On that long green run, he passed six more cars to grab second. “We got going really good there,” he noted. “I couldn’t run with him,” he said while gesturing towards Sheppard who was still grinning for the photographers after the win. Pauch Jr. explained that be backed down an little too much, allowing Mahaney to make a run at him in the final laps.

Mahaney ran a consistent race to get the third position. “I don’t know if we nailed it, but it felt good to get locked in,” he remarked. Next came Williamson, who also started deep in the pack after winning one of the B Mains. “We can try something new in the heat tomorrow and if we can improve, OK, but if we don’t do so good it won’t hurt us,” Williamson explained.

Peter Britten was fifth, followed by Warner, Stewart Friesen, , Pratt, Bouc, and Ryan Godown.

Six heats were held, with the wins going to Yankowski, McLaughlin, Maresca, Sheppard, Hohenforst, and Bouc. The trio of B Mains belonged to Williamson, Friesen, and Billy Decker.

The 602 Crate Sportsmen, some 70 strong, participated in hot laps during the program.

Dirt Racing

Gravel Grabs the Morgan Cup

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Photo: Paul Arch

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.

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Dirt Racing

Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway cancels Saturday night program

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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.”

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Dirt Racing

Lernerville Speedway and Tri-City Raceway Park hoping to get seasons started Friday night

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File Photo courtesy of Lernerville Speedway

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.

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