Dirt Racing
Dewease and Cockrum Share Williams Grove Spotlight

WILLIAMS GROVE, PA (June 18, 2021): When Lance Dewease notched win number 100 at Williams Grove Speedway, he said that they were only just beginning. Well, it did not take him very long to build upon his stellar achievement and he did so in supreme fashion. And, he warned his competitors that he’s looking for win 102 next week when his 87-year-old crew chief, Davey Brown, gets his accolades.
Taking the top honors in USAC Silver Crown competition was Shane Cockrum.
“The car was free, I would have liked it a little tighter,” Dewease said. “I usually slow down once I have the lead, but I wanted to show how fast we could be.” Dewease, who is not known to talk smack, added, “we got 100 out of the way and next week I want to win for him.” Dewease was referring, of course, to Brown, who will be honored with a tribute night. The original ceremony was rained out, so speedway management moved it to the first night of PA Speedweek for the 410 Sprint Cars.
By winning his heat race, Dewease locked up a front row starting position. On the pole was Robbie Kendall and behind him was the third heat winner, Devon Borden, who was making his first start for Mike Heffner. Next to Borden was Chad Trout. Jeff Halligan and Dylan Norris were in row three, followed by Doug Hammaker and Steve Buckwalter. Row five had Alan Krimes paired up with Lucas Wolfe. Anthony Macri and Kyle Moody were next in line.
Kendall got the jump on Dewease, with Borden settling into third. Trout, Halligan, Krimes, Hammaker and Norris followed. With three laps completed, Dewease dipped inside of Kendall coming through turn four and easily drove past to take the lead. On the next circuit, rookie Gordon Smith, III spun in turn four and gave Kendall a chance to see if he could overtake the leading feature winner in speedway history.
However, Dewease would have none of that. He pulled away from Kendall, who was being hounded by the upstart Borden. Borden swept into second on lap seven and the fans began to ponder whether the teenager from Washington could chase down Dewease.
A caution on lap twelve for the disabled car of B Main winner Ricky Dieva put the youngster on Dewease’s rear nerf bar for the final restart of the race. Once again, Dewease powered into the lead, but Borden stayed within shooting distance for several laps.
Soon thereafter, another 27, this time the Smith entry driven by Alan Krimes, slipped into second. Borden then began slipping down the running order.
Dewease led the remaining 18 laps and stretched his lead over Krimes. Anthony Macri made progress over the last ten laps of the race cracking into the top five. He wound up third at the finish. Kendall held on for fourth, followed by Borden. Freddie Rahmer, Jr. was sixth, with Buckwalter, Hammaker, Brandon Rahmer, and Trout completing the top ten.
In the century grind for the USAC Silver Crown division, Jason McDougal had the pole as a result of his new track record in qualifications. Next to him was Kyle Robbins. Shane Cottle and Chris Windom were in the second row, with defending race champion Brady Bacon and defending series champion Justin Grant in the third row. Shane Cocrum and Logan Seavy were next. Robert Ballou and Matt Westfall had row five and Casey Buckman and Austin Nemire were in the sixth row.
McDougal and Robbins led the field into turn one, with Cottle, Grant, and Windom following. Grant picked off Robbins within the first several laps, and Seavy was into third by lap five. Cottle and Bacon were fighting for fourth.
By lap ten, Seavy was into second and he set his sights on McDougal, who had built up a nice lead. Seavy narrowed the margin as the laps clicked away. He made his move to the front on lap 22, and he began to separate himself from McDougal and the rest of the thundering herd.
As Seavy built up his advantage, McDougal ran in second. Grant, Cottle, and Bacon were running in a tight pack for the third position.
Seavy’s domination ended on lap 42. He broke a steering arm and brought his car to a stop in turn two. That gave the lead back to McDougal for the restart.
But, when the green light came on again, Grant seized the opportunity to challenge the leader. He managed to work inside of him in turn one and he powered off turn two with the lead. Bacon soon followed him into second. Cottle then moved ahead of McDougal, who seemed to be struggling a bit.
Cockrum then began to move forward. On lap 53, he took over second. Later on that lap, he dove into turn three to take the lead, but he could not hold the line. He slid up out of the groove, giving the lead back to Grant.
Cockrum stalked Grant for almost twenty laps. He slipped under Grant in turn one tio take the lead on lap 72 and Bacon followed him into the second position.
Cockrum had a scare on lap 81 when he locked wheels with a lapped car going through turns three and four. Both cars slid high before separating. Both cars were able to keep moving. Fortunately for Cockrum, his lead was still intact when he came off turn four.
Meanwhile, Bacon and Cottle were fighting for second.
The lead pack tightened up and it looked as though there would be a real dogfight over the final twenty laps. However, the caution came out on lap 85 and the field had to go single file.
The race went green again with ten laps to go. Several racers were in conservation mode at that point, as tire wear was a factor. One driver that had some extra rubber was Carmen Perigo, Jr., who picked up several positions in the final laps.
Cockrum took the checkers, his first victory in about six years. “It’s been too damn long,” Cockrum quipped. “We got there in in 2015 and started racking up some wins, and then we had a dry spell.” Cockrum said that a new fitness plan made him feel better in the car. “I am 39 years old, I got to bicycle, and lost 40 pounds.”
Cottle chased Cockrum across the finish line. Chris Windom moved up to third, followed by Bacon, Robbins, and McDougal. Perigo, Grant, and Ballou completed the top ten.
McDougal’s fast time was 20.354 seconds. Ronnie Wuerdeman had a spectacular crash, leaving the speedway between turns three and four on his first timed lap. He was not hurt, but the car was a total loss.
Williams Grove will return to action on June 25 for the opening night of PA Speedweek. The 358 Sprints will also be on hand. There will be fireworks and the Davey Brown tribute. The Mitch Smith Memorial will be the second show of Speedweek at Williams Grove, on July 2. The 410s and 358s will supply the speed and fireworks will fill the air. July 9 will be fan appreciation night, with the United Racing Club 360 Sprints joining the 410s.
Dirt Racing
Lincoln Beats Weather, Macri and Ely Score Wins

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.
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.
Dirt Racing
Rain Halts 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.
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.
Dirt Racing
Dietrich and Fletcher Beat Rain at BAPS

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.
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.