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.

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (March 9, 2025): Danny Dietrich passed Chase Dietz in traffic early in the second half of the contest and he cruised to an easy victory in the final afternoon show at the Fabulous Lincoln Speedway.

For Danny Dietrich, it was all a matter of patience on a surface made more difficult by high winds and sunny skies. “It was pretty greuling out there,” he said. Elaborating on the point, he added, “it was a matter of being patient, especially on (turns) one and two.’

Dietrich was certain that he had the car for the tricky conditions, but he was unsure when he wanted to make a bid for the lead. “We got our butts kicked by getting the lead too early (two weeks ago).” He was referring to the the fact that Dietz was able to drive by him in the Icebreaker. This time, he was able to get past Dietz in traffic in turn two soon after the crossed flags were displayed.

Dietrich’s win was his first in the Pigeon Hills in almost a year. He explained, “I got too lazy with set-ups, I gotta be more aggressive.”

The luck of the draw determined the starting order for the first three finishers in the heat races. Pulling the pole was defending track champion, Troy Wagaman, Jr. Next to him was Chad Trout. Danny Dietrich and Chase Dietz made up row two. The third belonged to Matt Campbell and Brock Zearfoss, who was making his first start in Rich Eichelberger’s machine. Chris Frank, now in bright yellow livery, was inside row four, with Tyler Ross to his right. Logan Rumsey and Lucas Wolfe were in row five. The sixth paired J.J. Loss and T.J. Stutts.

Wagaman entered turn one on the inside to grab the early lead. Trout tucked in behind him, Dietz sailed into turn one on the outside, taking advantage of some moisture applied before the feature started. Dietz took over second, and attempted to slingshot off turn two, but Wagaman made his car a little wide to maintain his advantage.

On the opening lap, Danny Dietrich worked inside of Trout coming off turn two to take third. Then came Trout, Zearfoss, Campbell, Ross, Rumsey, and Frank.

The leaders got into single file formation, with the exception of Dietz, who continued to try the outside without further success.

On lap six, Jordan Givler spun in turn two, setting up the first restart of the thirty lap event. Dietz again tried an unsuccessful outside run on Wagaman in turn one, but it was all of naught, as a multi-car tangle in the middle of the pack required a red. Freddie Rahmer, Jr. got the worst of the incident, getting upside down. His brother, Brandon, was also involved, along with Wolfe and Loss. None of the drivers were hurt.

On the second attempt, Dietz again went to the outside of turns one and two, but he changed jis approach to turn three. He aggressively slid in front of Wagaman to take the lead for lap seven.

On the next trip around, Danny Dietrich worked under Wagaman in turns three and four to take over second.

Over the next nine laps, Dietz, Dietrich, Wagaman, and Zearfoss pulled away from the other competitors.

Dietz caught the rear of the field around the halfway mark, allowing Dietrich to draw close. Dietrich stayed on the top, and Dietrich was searching for a better line as he picked his way through the slower cars.

Dietrich found the middle more to his liking and he was able to get under Dietz in turn two on lap seventeen. He opened up a two car length advantage almost immediately. Dietz came down to the inside, but he could not maintain pace with Double D.

A caution on lap nineteen gave Dietz a chance to roll the top, but there was no moisture up there any longer. So, he reverted to the bottom.

Dietrich had a lead of more than a second when the final caution was displayed on lap twenty-three. Zearfoss coasted to a stop between turns one and two, forfeiting the fourth position.

The seven lap dash to the checkers had Danny Dietrich on the point, followed by Dietz, Wagaman, Ross. Campbell, Trout, Aaron Bollinger, Rumsey, Billy Dietrich, and Jeff Halligan.

Danny Dietrich led the last seven laps without any challenges from Dietz. The next seven or eight cars also maintained formation. Halligan tried the top of one and two in desperation to pick up a position. However, his efforts were not rewarded.

After Dietrich and Dietz took the checkers, the red was shown for a crash by Justin Whittal in turn two. He was not injured, but the race ws declared to be official.

Wagaman was called for third, followed by Ross and Campbell. Bollinger, Trout, Rumsey, Dylan Norris, and Stutts completed the top ten. Norris was identified as the hard charger, picking up thirteen spots on the day.

There were three heat races, won by Danny Dietrich, Zearfoss, and Wagaman, Whittal took the B Main. Jacob Allen went over a wheel and flipped several times in his heat race. He was not injured, but he scratched for the rest of the program.

Lincoln Kearchner led wire to wire in the East Coast Legends race. The contest was marred by an eight car wreck in turn three on the openng lap, with no injuries sustained.

Jeremy Ott was second, followed by Seth Kearchner, Chris Transeau, and Bill Diehl. Mike Racine, Travis McClelland, Logan Carbaugh, Shaurn Abney, and Kelby Friese rounded out the top ten.

Scott Houdeshell, Seth Kearchner, Carbaugh, and Transeau prevailed in the preliminaries. Scott Musselman took the honors in the B Main.
Lincoln Speedway will go under the lights for the first time in 2025 on March 15, with a 6:00 p.m. start for the 410 and 358 Sprint Cars. The same program will be repeated on March 22. The month will close on March 29, with the Wingless Sportsmen supporting the 410 Sprints.