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Dirt Racing

Buckwalter, Shultz, and Duke Have Open Wheel Madness at Port Royal Speedway

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PORT ROYAL, PA (April 24, 2021): Steve Buckwalter had every intention of competing at Lincoln Speedway, but due to schedule changes at both tracks designed to avoid evening rains, he opted for Port Royal Speedway instead. The Royersford Rocket was rewarded with his sixth career victory at the Speed Palace in a non-stop affair.

Joining Buckwalter in celebrations were Jason Shultz in the United Racing Club 360 Sprint Cars and Ken Duke in the PASS/IMCA 305 Sprint Cars.

“It’s been tough up here, it’s been pretty slick,” Buckwalter noted. “There are a few guys who can get grip down the straights and the rest of us are running for sixth.”

Tyler Reeser and Kody Lehman locked up the front row for the start of the 25 lap 410 Sprint Car A Main. Tyler Bear and Justin Whittal were in the second row, followed by A.J. Flick and Buckwalter. Row four belonged to Blaine Heimbach and Dylan Cisney. Last week’s All Star victor, Logan Wagner, and Gerard McIntyre were in the fifth row. Danny Dietrich was paired up with Lucas Wolfe in row six. Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Mike Wagner, Brent Marks, and Jeff Halligan were scattered through the second half of the starting grid. Marks was back in his family’s car after parting company with Chad and Jen Clemmons earlier in the week.

Reeser raced into the first turn ahead of Lehman, Whittal, Buckwalter, Bear, and Heimbach. Reeser held control through the first nine laps while Buckwalter quietly moved forward. Buckwalter saw an opportunity to move to the inside of Reeser entering turn one and he came off the second corner with a lead that he would never relinquish.

Reeser continued along in second for a few more laps, but Whittal was pressing him. With a dozen laps in the books, Whittal swept by Reeser on the cushion in turns one and two. Whittal began to pull away, but he could not catch Buckwalter.

In the second half of the contest, Cisney began to move forward. He was fifth at lap ten, third at lap 15, and second at lap 23. Another driver making some headway was Dietrich, who cracked the top five by lap 20 after spending most of the race hovering around the top ten.

Buckwalter took the win, much to the satisfaction of the crowd. Cisney was closing in the final laps, but ran out of time. Whittal was third, with Bear and Dietrich completing the top five. Macri, Heimbach, Logan Wagner, McIntyre, and Lehman crossed next.

Heat victories went to Whittal, Heimbach, and Bear . Halliagn took the B Main.

In the United Racing Club A Main, Ryan Smith and Anthony Macri led the way to the green flag. Andy Best and Ken Carberry were in the second row, with Kyle Smith and Justin Shultz in row three.

Smith led the field into turn one, but Macri had the momentum on the high side. He swept into the lead coming off turn two and then he ducked down to the inside entering turn three. Macri remained in the rubber and opened a lead over Ryan Smith, Carberry, Best, and Shultz. Smith was using the same line as Macri and he started to close in on the Concrete Kid.

Three Rivers Karting

Just before the halfway mark, Smith made his bid for the lead in turns one and two. He squeezed between Macri and the inside wall and he emerged from turn two with the lead.

Smith and Macri raced along out front, but Shultz came to life midway through the race. He began to pick off cars after a lap 14 restart and soon thereafter he was in second.

Smith was into lapped traffic and Shultz closed in rapidly. Smith moved up a half a groove to set up a pass of a lapped car. Shultz got his nose under Smith entering turn one. The car stuck and he was able to pass the leader as well as the lapped car. Smith was now trapped behind the slower car and that gave Shultz the chance to pull away.

Smith got one last chance when the final caution flew with three laps remaining. Because of track conditions, however, URC officials chose to have a single file restart instead of the customary double file arrangement.

Schultz sailed into turn one unmolested and led the rest of the way without any serious challenge from Smith. Macri, Carberry, and Mike Walter Jr. rounded out the top five. Robbie Kendall, Best, Kyle Smith, Paulie Cologiovanni, and Jordan Thomas were the next five finishers.

Heat wins went to Macri, Kendall, Ryan Smith, and Cologiovanni. Connor Leoffler came from South Carolina to capture the B Main.

In the PASS/IMCA 305 Sprints, Ken Duke took advantage of his second starting spot to grab the initial lead. Duke ran into difficulty when lapping cars midway through the race. That allowed Kassidy Kreitz to chase him down. Kreitz, who started fourteenth, made a bold move on the inside of turn one to take the lead when Duke slid high. She pulled away down the backstretch. But, by the time that she hit turn three, the red flag was out. A blown motor and subsequent oil fire necessitated the stoppage.

Duke was returned to the point for the restart and he easily pulled away from Kreitz. She got a second chance several laps later, but Duke again prevailed.

At the checkers, it was Duke over Kreitz, Dave Grube, Garrett Bard, and Austin Reed. Doug Dodson, Rowdy Heffner, Mikell McGee, Nick Sweigart, and Jeff Weaver took positions six through ten.

Dodson, Sweigart, Justin Mills, and Reed scored in the preliminaries. Mike Alleman took the B Main.

Port Royal Speedway will be back next Saturday with 410 and 305 Sprint Cars, along with Super Late Models. Post time should be 7 p.m., but check social media for any schedule changes. May 8 will have the 410 Sprints, ULMS Late Models, and Limited Late Models. There will be no racing on May 15. The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will invade the Speed Palace for a two-day program May 21-22.

Dirt Racing

Lincoln Beats Weather, Macri and Ely Score Wins

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Photo: Paul Arch

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (April 5, 2025): Lincoln Speedway gambled that an earlier start time would allow for the completion of the fifth event of the season before weather was due to arrive. Anthony Macri and Nash Ely benefited from their roll of the dice, winning the 410 and 358 features, respectively.

Macri explained that he did not feel comfortable riding the rim in turns three and four, which is usually his lane of choice. Instead, he tried to stay on the bottom and bide his time. The strategy worked, albeit aided by some attrition.

Macri also commented that he had a tough time dealing with the lapped traffic. “I was kinda sketchy in traffic. I just didn’t have the confidence.”

Were that not enough weighing him down, Macri was involved in a scuffle coming off turn two that sent his challenger, Dallas Schott, for a tumble midway down the backstretch. “I hope that Dallas is OK,” Macri said apologetically. “I was told that it was just a racing deal. I tried to keep my car down and he came up on me.”

Macri added that, after that incident, he picked up a vibration in his motor. “I smelled oil when I got out of the car,” He could not determine the problem, however, and he was hoping that post-race maintenance would sort things out.

The track’s point average handicapping system was used to set the line-up for this event. Under that scheme, the first three finishers in the heat races are inverted based upon their point averages. The remaining heat transfers fill in based upon their finishing order.

The B Main transfers tag the tail of the field.

So, Cole Knopp was the pole sitter, with J.J. Loss on his right. In row two were Lucas Wolfe and Schott. Kyle Moody and Dylan Norris occupied the third row. Then came Brandon Rahmer and Brock Zearfoss. Macri was inside row five, withFreddie Rahmer, Jr. and his partner. In row six were Mike Bittinger and Tyler Ross.

Further back in the line-up were Jeff Halligan, starting fourteenth, points leader Troy Wagaman, Jr. in fifteenth, last week’s winner Matt Campbell in seventeenth, Chad Trout in nineteenth, and Danny Dietrich in twentieth.

Loss rolled through the middle of turn one to take the early lead over Knopp, Schott, Norris, and Wolfe. Things changed rather quickly, though, when Knopp spun in turn two with two laps completed. During that caution period, Norris pitted, relinquishing his position in the top five.

These changes moved Macri into the top three for the restart. While many observers expected Macri to race into the lead, Loss continued out front when things resumed. Surprisingly, it was Schott who challenged him for the lead.

Schott took control around lap twelve. Loss got another crack at the leader just one lap later. Norris stopped in turn four to bunch the field back up again.

Soon after the restart, Macri moved into second. He was followed by Loss and Moody. Behind them, a good battle was brewing. The Rahmer brothers, Ross, and Wagaman were the contestants.

Three Rivers Karting

As the leaders worked their way through traffic, Macri was able to close in on Schott, who was seeking his first career win at the track. Macri’s experience paid off on lap twenty-two as he was able to dive to the low side to overtake Schott. On the next lap around, Schott tried to duplicate the maneuver. He drew up beside Macri, but there was contact coming off turn two. Schott got crossed up and he flipped several times. Fortunately, he was not injured.

Macri thus had the point for the final restart, with Loss and Moody next in line. The Rahmer brothers held fourth and fifth, followed by Wagaman, Ross, Campbell,, Halligan, and Zearfoss.

Macri got away cleanly and led the last seven laps to close out the thirty-lap event. Loss and Moody ran second and third. Behind them, Wagaman continued to struggle with the Rahmer boys. Wagaman climbed to third, but Freddie Rahmer rallied in the closing laps to take that position from him. Meanwhile, Brandon Rahmer began to fall back in the running order.

In the final tally, it was Macri over Loss, Moody, Freddie Rahmer, and Wagaman, Campbell advanced to sixth to claim the hard charger award. Brandon Rahmer held on for seventh. Ross, Halligan, and Zearfoss completed the top ten.

Heat wins for the twenty-nine cars belonged to Schott, Moody, and Wolfe. Trout captured the B Main.

In the 358 Sprint nightcap, fourth generation driver Nash Ely picked up his first career win at the speedway. “It feels like it’s been way too long,” he quipped. “It’s maybe five years since my last win.” Ely admitted that he was not watching the scoreboard to see who was running behind him in the closing laps. “I didn’t look at the board because I didn’t want it to get into my head.” He kept his cool and drove confidently in the waning laps.

The top three heat race finishers re-drew for their starting positions in this one. Jayden Wolf and Cody Fletcher were on the front row for their twenty lapper. Ely lined up in third, beside Adam Best. Olivia Thayer and Austin Reed were in row three. Steve Owings and Jude Siegel came next. Ashley Cappetta and Eli Tuckey held down row five, followed by Michael Smith and Seth Schnoke.

Wolf and Fletcher were battling for the top spot on the first lap. Wolf had a slight advantage entering turn three, but Fletcher drove in too hard, and he spun. Remarkably, there was no contact and Fletcher was able to rejoin the race at the tail of the field.

On the second attempt, Ely rode the rim in turn one to grab the lead over Wolf, Best, Reed, and Owings. Ely set a brisk pace while Wolf was under attack from Best. Best took over second on lap eight.

Best was unable to make any headway, however. A caution with four laps remaining brought Ely back to him. But Ely easily drove away in the closing laps.

At the checkers, Ely prevailed over Owings, who had a good closing charge. Best, Wolf, and Reed completed the top five. Tuckey, Schnoke, Siegel, Fletcher, and Tylar Rutherford took positions six through ten.

Owings, Ely, and Best won their heat races. There was no B Main for the twenty-car field.

Next week, Lincoln Speedway will present a Sprint Car doubleheader consisting of the 410 Sprints and the USAC East Coast 360 Sprints racing sans wings. Then, on Easter Eve, the track will host the twenty-first annual Weldon Sterner Memorial for 410 and 358 Sprints. The final event in April will be for the 410 Sprints and the Limited Late Models.

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Dirt Racing

Rain Halts Williams Grove Speedway

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Williams Grove Speedway

MECHANICSBURG, PA (April 4, 2025): The second rain shower of the night stopped the action at the Williams Grove Speedway just five laps into the season-opening 410 Sprint Car feature event. An earlier sprinkle delayed the consolation events.

At the time of the caution, Matt Campbell was leading over Anthony Macri, Danny Dietrich, Jeff Halligan, and Brock Zearfoss, Campbell, who started on the pole, led all five laps contested.

The balance of the top ten at the stoppage were Cameron Smith, Chase Dietz, T.J. Stutts, Lance Dewease, and Troy Wagaman, Jr.

Three Rivers Karting

The three heat races for the 410 Sprints went to Ryan Taylor, Smith, and Campbell. Preston Lattomus won the B Main. Twenty-nine cars registered for the event.

In the 358 Sprints, Andy Best, Jacob Galloway, and Jude Siegel won the heat races. Cole Young claimed the B Main. Thirty cars signed in for that division.

The balance of the 410 Sprint Car feature will be added to next week’s program, which will include complete shows for the 410 and 305 Sprints and the Wingless Sportsman Tour. The 358 Sprint feature will be added to the card on April 25. There will be no increase in ticket prices on either night.

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Dirt Racing

Dietrich and Fletcher Beat Rain at BAPS

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BAPS Motor Speedway

NEWBERRYTOWN, PA (March 30, 2025): Two-time and defending track champion Danny Dietrich, of Gettysburg, picked up his twenty-second career 410 Sprint Car victory at BAPS Motor Speedway. It was his sixth triumph in the last eleven non-sanctioned races held at the venue. In the nightcap. For the 358 Sprint Cars, Cody Fletcher, of East Berlin, held off persistent challenges from Seth Shnoke and, later, Dylan Norris to grab the prestigious win.

Dietrich explained that the key to victory was “being patient, really patient.” That was certainly true in the late stages of the thirty lapper.

However, Dietrich was anything but patient earlier in the contest. In the middle stage of the race, Dietrich and Freddie Rahmer, Jr. waged a spectacular battle, often with the help of Brock Zearfoss, for the third position. That episode lasted for several laps before Dietrich dispatched them both.

Dietrich explained that “Rahmer, Zearfoss, and I ran each other so tight.” Dietrich noted that, during the confrontation with Rahmer, there was a close call in turn three. “We were so tight, we almost drove through Brock and he never knew it.” That was fortunate, as Zearfoss had checked up because a lapped car spun just ahead of him.

Then, in the final laps, Dietrich chased down, and passed, early leader Kyle Moody and his successor, Chase Dietz. To do so, Dietrich switched lanes. “It got dark in the middle, and I figured there was some grip there. I got to it first.”

In conclusion, Dietrich gushed, “Man, that was fun, see you all in two weeks!”

Moody and Dietz had the front row for the feature, which was staged under heavy cloud cover. They were the lucky drivers in the top twelve re-draw. Behind them were Kody Hartlaub, making his first start of the new season, and Jeff Halligan. Dietrich and Zearfoss were in row three. Lucas Wolfe and Rahmer made up the fourth row. A pair of 39s were in row five, with Anthony Macri flanked by Aussie Lynton Jeffrey. Mike Thompson and Austin Bishop were the unfortunate racers when it came to the luck of the draw.

Moody took control at the start of the race and, for several laps, it appeared that he may finally break through for the win. Dietz stayed close as the leaders migrated to the top of the track. They were followed by Halligan, Zearfoss, Rahmer, Hartlaub, Dietrich, Jeffrey, Bishop, and Wolfe.

Bishop spun in turn three on lap five, beginning a disjointed segment of the race. As the officials sorted through additional cautions on the restart lap, and laps seven, eight, and nine, the fans got restless and worried that a downpour could end the day early. While some moisture did begin to fall, it was not enough to stop the race.

Moody led through much of it, but Dietz was able to put together one successful lap, riding the rim to take the lead away from him on lap seven. Moody did try a slider entering turn one on the lap eight restart. Zearfoss continued in third, with the battle for fourth between Dietrich and Rahmer began to heat up.

With Dietz and Moody comfortably ahead, Zearfoss jumped the cushion in turn one, allowing Dietrich and Rahmer to close in on him. Following a lap fourteen restart, the three-cars were swapping positions with great frequency.

The leaders were starting to work through traffic and, soon thereafter, the three contestants for third had to navigate through the slower cars as well. Dietrich was superior to Zearfoss and Rahmer, and he claimed third as the laps were counting down.

The traffic got heavier for Dietz and Moody. Dietrich saw his opportunity when the lapped cars clogged up the bottom groove. He moved up just enough to clear them, and that was where he picked up speed. He closed in on Moody, who was also cutting into Dietz’ advantage.

Three Rivers Karting

In the final five rounds, Dietrich maintained his charge. He picked off Moody and Dietz in traffic. In the mad scramble at the end of the race, Zearfoss and Rahmer also worked their way forward. Dietz and Moody remained in the top five.

At the checkers, it was Dietrich over Zearfoss, Dietz, Rahmer, and Moody. Macri, Dylan Norris, Tyler Ross, Cameron Smith, and Wolfe comprised the next five finishers.

The three heat winners were Moody, Halligan, and Dietrich. Gerard McIntyre, Jr. won the B Main.

With a temporary halt to the rain, the 358 Sprints staged for their finale. Fletcher and Shnoke occupied the front row, with Derek Locke and Norris in the Second row. Wyatt Hinkle and Tyler Rutherford put a pair of 19s in the third row. They were followed by Cole Young and Austin Reed, Nash Ely and Jay Galloway took row five as their domain. Adam Carberry and Jacob Galloway completed the redraw for this division.

Fletcher powered into the lead using the low groove, while Shnoke flogged the cushion. Norris, Locke, Hinkle, and Rutherford followed.

Cautions five, ten, and eleven laps into the race bunched te field up again, but there were no changes at the front of the pack despite those opportunities to advance. Carberry did make some forward progress, though, as he reached sixth midway through the twenty-five lapper.

On lap nineteen, the drizzle intensified, requiring a caution to sort things out. The cars continued to circulate, and after several slow laps, the rain relented, allowing the final six laps to be presented.

When the race resumed for the penultimate time, Shnoke increased his pressure on Fletcher. The two ran close, particularly in turns three and four. But Fletcher was good coming off turn four and he was able to maintain his lead.

Shnoke made on last, desperate attempt to drive by Fletcher. He sailed it into turn one in the middle groove, pulling even with Fletcher. But, there was nothing ther for him, and the car began to slide up the track. He made contact with the fence in turn two. He spun at the exit of the corner, a disappointing end to an impressive effort.

On the final restart, Norris attempted the same maneuver. However, he was able to keep his wheels under him. Although he lost a few car lengths to Fletcher, he was able to keep going for second at the finish.

Locke was third, followed by Hinkle and Carberry. Ely, Reed, Rutherford, Young, and Jay Galloway completed the top ten.

Fletcher said in victory lane that he was hoping that track officials would call the race after the rain delay. But, he admitted that it was satisfying that he was able to see the race go the entire distance. “I tried to make the car as wide as possible while racing those guys clean.”

Hinkle, Rutherford, and Carberry took the preliminaries. Andrew Hake won the B Main. Notably, he towed his car to the track on an open trailer behind a U-Haul rental truck!

The next 410 Sprint car event at BAPS Motor Speedway will be held on April 13. Also on the card will be the Limited Late Models and Wingless Sportsmen. The speedway will host the Winged Super Sportsmen on April 5 and 12.

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