Local Racing
Krummert, Miley, Brandon Matus, and Daughtery Win at Lernerville
SARVER, PA (August 20, 2021): Garrett Krummert took advantage of a restart with nineteen laps complete to overhaul Big Block Modified points leader Jeremiah Shingledecker, who had led from lap three. The win narrowed the gap to three points for the track championship, with a pair of points races left in the season.
Also getting wins this night were Jared Miley in the Late Models, Brandon Matus (pictured above) in the 410 Sprints, and Brian Daugherty in the Pro Stocks.
“I came in first, but I beat the $h!t out of it,” Krummert said. He was concerned that he may need to send the shocks out for rebuilding due to the track conditions. Turning more diplomatic, Krummert added, “I appreciate everything that Lernerville did. They put a lot of work into it.” Before the features, the track crew did spend considerable time attempting to remedy the roughness that had developed in the middle of the track during the heat races.
The Big Block Modified twenty-five lapper had Krummert and Dave Murdick paired up on the front row. Brian Swartzlander and Shingledecker were in row two, with Rex King, Jr. and John Mollick in the third.
Krummert took off at the drop of the green, but Shingledecker was hounding him for the opening lap. Shingledecker rolled the top in turns one and two with two laps complete to grab the lead before they crossed for lap three.
Shingledecker led through the only caution of the race, on lap nineteen, when Rex King, Sr. stopped in turn two. Shingledecker took the inside line for the restart, even though he had been running the top to maintain his lead. The decision proved to be pivotal, as Krummert raced into turn one on the top to grab the lead away from his main adversary.
Krummert led the remaining six laps without difficulty. Rex King, Jr. slipped into third on the restart and chased down Shingledecker. King Jr. did take second briefly, but Shingledecker rallied on the final round to regain the second spot and minimize the point loss to Krummert.
Krummert, Shingledecker, King Jr., Swartzlander, and Murdick completed the top five. The drivers in the next quintet were Mollick, Steve Slater, King Sr., Colton Waters and Kevin Long.
A pair of heats for the Big Block Modifieds went to Brian Swartzlander and John Mollick. There was no B Main.
Jared Miley and Ken Schaltenbrand were on the front row for the Late Model twenty-five lapper. Levi Yetter started third after receiving his 2020 Western PA Rookie of the Year award. His partner was veteran Gary Lyle. Tommy Beck matched up with Kyle Lukon. Then came Andrew Wylie and Kelvin Kohan in row four.
Miley swept into the early lead, followed by Ken Schaltenbrand, Yetter, Lyle, and Lukon. Miley led the first ten laps despite a couple of cautions that kept the two-time defending champion close in second.
Schaltenbrand got several other chances to restart beside Miley in the middle stage of the race. The final restart, which happened before the halfway mark, proved to be Shaltenbrand’s undoing. He went to the bottom to try to get a run on Miley and, instead he was freight-trained by several other drivers.
Miley remained out front and built a substantial lead over Tommy Beck. In the final laps, Colton Flinner went by for the second position. Beck was third at the finish, with Alex Ferree and Kyle Knapp completing the top five.
Ken Schaltenbrand faded to sixth, followed by Lyle, Shawn Schaltenbrand, Joshua Powell, and Kohan taking the rest of the top ten.
In the Late Model ranks, a couple of heats were held, with Jared Miley and Kelvin Kohan taking the wins. There was no B Main.
Brandon Matus had the pole in his quest for the feature win and his first track championship at Lernerville Speedway. Next to him was Matt Sherlock. Row two had Carl Bowser and Dan Kuriger. Row three belonged to Matt Farnham and Jack Sodeman, Jr. George Hobaugh paired off with A.J. Flick, who entered the night just four points from Brandon Matus. Pete Landrum and Darin Gallagher rolled off from row five and Mike Lutz, Jr. and Bryan Salisbury in row six.
Brandon Matus took off at the drop of the green, followed by Bowser, Farnham, Sherlock, and Kuriger. Brandon Matus poured on the coals and built a commanding lead while Bowser and Farnham fought for the second position. Farnham took it for several laps, but Bowser regained the position.
A quick pass for second. Bowser tracks down Matus. pic.twitter.com/xzivct7tjP
— Lernerville Speedway (@Lernerville) August 21, 2021
Late in the race, Brandon Matus had his pace slowed somewhat by lapped traffic, and that enabled Bowser to close in. However, the lapped traffic proved to be even more difficult for Bowser, who made contact with the slower car of Sherlock. Bowser tumbled hard into turn one, ending his night. He was okay.
Brandon Matus completed the remaining four laps without incident. Sodeman climbed into second, with Sye Lynch also getting past Farnham, who was fourth in the final run-down. Fifth went to Kuriger.
Flick finished sixth, a position that he held for most of the race. That allowed Brandon Matus to gain a little breathing room heading into the final weeks of the season. David Kalb, Darin Gallagher, Hobaugh, and Brent Matus completed the top ten.
In the 410 Sprint division, preliminaries belonged to Darin Gallagher and Matt Farnham. There was no B Main.
The Pro Stocks went to the post for their twenty-lap finale. Brett Hutira took the early lead, but former Late Model crew chief Brian Daugherty chased him down after several laps. Daugherty took the lead coming through turn four and held control the rest of the way.
Taking second was Mike Miller, followed by Corey McPherson, Nick Kocuba, and Mike Bordt. Sixth through tenth went to Jake Dietz, Jason Fosnaught, Brett McDonald, Chase Lambert, and Hutira.
The Pro Stocks contested two heat races as well. The top drivers were Chris Schneider and Mike Miller. There was no B Main.
Next week, Lernerville Speedway will present its annual Sprint Spectacular. Joining the 410 Sprints will be the 305 Sprints and the RUSH non-wing Sprints. September 3 will be a Fab Four program, which will be repeated on championship night, September 17.
Dirt Racing
Parker Price-Miller rules the Fantasy Cup at PA Motor Speedway
By Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway
IMPERIAL, PA (September 5, 2026) – The 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup delivered exactly what fans came to Dirt’s Monster Half Mile to see Saturday night, but one driver made sure the biggest story of the evening belonged to him.
PPMS packed the night with qualifying, nine heat races, a B Main, and six feature events, all building toward the 25-lap main event for the Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive FAST on Dirt 410 Sprint Car Series.
When the green flag dropped for the Fantasy Cup, “The Law Firm” Parker Price Miller (71), from Kokomo, Indiana, wasted no time taking control.
What followed was a wire-to-wire performance as Price Miller led all 25 laps and never surrendered the top spot on his way to winning the 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup.
But the Sprint Cars were only part of a night filled with familiar faces finding their way back to victory lane.
Matt Benard (15), from Oakdale, picked up his third win of the season in the Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Model feature.
Nick Kocuba (10), from Burgettstown, added another victory in the Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stock feature.
Ryleigh Heasley (212), from Beaver, continued his winning ways with another victory in the Young Guns feature.
Garrett O’Patchen (25), from Scott Township, returned to victory lane in the Auto House Hobby Stock feature.
Shawn Metty (45), from Rawlings, Maryland, completed the night’s list of winners by taking the checkered flag in the Northeast Crown Vic Series feature.
And while Price Miller may have led every lap of the headline event, there was plenty more happening behind him before the final checkered flag fell at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile.
A strong field of 26 Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive FAST on Dirt 410 Sprint Cars was on hand for the 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup.
Following qualifying, the field was divided into three heat races, with each heat winner and the fastest qualifier from each group drawing for the top six starting positions in the 25-lap A Main.
Parker Price Miller (71), from Kokomo, Indiana, started the night by setting fast time with a lap of 16.921, but that was only the beginning of what was to come.
Price Miller later drew the pole for the 25-lap Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive FAST on Dirt 410 Sprint Car feature, with Brandon Spithaler (22), from Butler, starting alongside him in second.
Carl Bowser (11), from Butler, started third with Leyton Wagner (38), from Enon Valley, lining up fourth.
When the green flag dropped, Price Miller immediately jumped out to the lead with Spithaler following him into second.
As the leaders quickly began working through lapped traffic, Wagner moved his way into the runner-up position and tried to close the gap on Price Miller.
But every time the traffic seemed like it might give the field an opportunity, Price Miller continued to control the race from the front.
Then, with just one lap remaining, the yellow flag flew and erased the advantage Price Miller had built, giving the field one final shot at “The Law Firm.”
It still wasn’t enough.
Price Miller nailed the restart and completed a dominant wire-to-wire performance, leading all 25 laps and picking up right where he left off during his last visit to Dirt’s Monster Half Mile with a victory in the 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup.
Bowser finished second, Wagner crossed the line third, Ricky Peterson finished fourth, and Jeremy Kornbau rounded out the top five.
Heat race victories went to AJ Flick, Carl Bowser, and Brandon Matus.
Mitch Harble picked up the victory in the B Main.
A field of 17 Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Models was on hand Saturday night, and with just two points separating the top three drivers in the championship standings, every position suddenly carried a little more weight.
Tom Klein (77), from Rochester, entered the night leading the standings with 775 points, while Clinton Hersh (16), from Somerset, sat second with 774 points and Brandon Burgoon (5X), from McDonald, was right behind them in third with 773 points.
That made the 20-lap feature more than just another race, especially with Burgoon starting from the pole.
Matt Benard (15), from Oakdale, started alongside Burgoon in second, while Zach Gunn (17G), from McDonald, lined up third and Jacob Billyk (4), from New Castle, started fourth.
When the green flag dropped, Benard quickly took control of the race with Burgoon settling into second and Gunn running third.
Benard continued to lead as the laps clicked away, but a caution on lap 12 suddenly erased his advantage and gave the field another opportunity.
Benard chose the outside for the restart with Burgoon lined up to his inside, setting up a late-race showdown with both the win and valuable championship points hanging in the balance.
When green replaced yellow, Benard held onto the top spot and quickly regained control of the race.
Nobody could take it away from him.
Benard led all 20 laps to pick up his third win of the season in the Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Models.
Gunn finished second, Burgoon crossed the line third, Daryl Charlier finished fourth, and Hersh rounded out the top five.
Heat race victories went to Clinton Hersh and Zach Gunn.
The Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stocks rolled onto Dirt’s Monster Half Mile for their 12-lap feature with Nick Kocuba (10), from Burgettstown, starting from the pole.
Jordan Perkins (13), from New Wilmington, lined up alongside Kocuba in second, while Adam Kostelnik (36), from East McKeesport, completed the three-car field in third.
When the green flag dropped, Kocuba immediately took control of the race and never gave the top spot back.
Kocuba led all 12 laps from green to checkered to pick up another Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stock victory at PPMS.
Perkins finished second with Kostelnik crossing the line third.
The Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stocks did not run a heat race.
Kane Zupancic (11), from Collier, started on the pole for the 10-lap Young Guns feature with Hunter Bennett (67), from New Cumberland, West Virginia, alongside him in second.
Ryleigh Heasley (212), from Beaver, started third, while Connor Greynolds (18) was listed as a DNS.
When the green flag dropped, Heasley wasted no time making her move, shooting from third into the early lead with Zupancic following her into second and Bennett settling into third.
Once Heasley grabbed the top spot, nobody was taking it away.
She led all 10 laps from green to checkered to pick up another Young Guns victory at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile.
Zupancic finished second, Bennett crossed the line third, and Greynolds was credited with fourth.
The heat race victory went to Kane Zupancic.
Shawn Metty (45), from Rawlings, Maryland, started on the pole for the 10-lap Northeast Crown Vic feature with Dacron Powell (13), from Wiley Ford, West Virginia, alongside him in second.
Garrett Wolfe (22), from North Huntington, started third with Mike Matta (7), from West Mifflin, lining up fourth.
When the green flag dropped, Metty immediately took control of the race and quickly established himself as the driver to beat.
Once out front, Metty never gave the rest of the field an opening.
He led all 10 laps from green to checkered to pick up the Northeast Crown Vic victory.
Devin Thompson finished second, Wolfe crossed the line third, Powell finished fourth, and Matta rounded out the top five.
The heat race victory went to Dacron Powell.
Last but not least was the 15-lap Auto House Hobby Stock feature, with Joe Brown Jr. (48), from Aliquippa, starting on the pole and Leroy Brown (40B), also from Aliquippa, starting alongside him in second.
Tom Anton (64), from Jefferson Hills, started third with Adam Kostelnik (25A) lining up fourth.
When the green flag dropped, L. Brown jumped out to the early lead with Garrett O’Patchen (25), from Scott Township, moving into second.
L. Brown controlled the opening portion of the race, but O’Patchen stayed within striking distance as the laps began to disappear.
On lap 10, O’Patchen made his move and took over the top spot.
Once out front, O’Patchen never gave it back, leading the final five laps on his way to another Auto House Hobby Stock victory.
Kostelnik finished second, L. Brown crossed the line third, Marc Corio (14) finished fourth, and J. Brown Jr. rounded out the top five.
Heat race victories went to Stephen Shelpman and Leroy Brown.
Dirt Racing
Patience Pays Off For Blair In Yinzer 100
SARVER, PA (September 1, 2026): In winning the inaugural Yinzer 100 at Lernerville Speedway, Max Blair applied lessons he learned in the Bill Emig Memorial for RUSH Late Models held in conjunction with the Firecracker 100 for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The three-time winner of the Emig event said, “we tried some stuff with the Crate car during the Firecracker and we used that here, and we were pretty good.”
Blair, of Centerville, PA, explained that his car got better every time that it hit the track during the Yinzer 100. However, the deciding factor in the race turned out to be tire management. “I think I had more tire than Drake (Troutman) did at the end.”
Blair saw a three second lead evaporate with two laps remaining in the century grind. He said that gave him flashbacks to his first full-point Lucas series victory at Muskingum County Speedway earlier this season. In that event, Blair had a commanding lead, but he still had to withstand a green-white-checkered finish.
“I just had to calm myself down. I didn’t know where to go on the restart.” He opted for the high side, which was the preferred line of Michael Norris, who was running second. The choice was a correct one, as Blair drove away to a margin of 1.2 seconds in the final two circuits.
That was not the only time that Blair had to calm himself down during the hundred lapper. He recalled an incident during the first half of the event when Max McLaughlin passed him for third moments before a caution on lap thirty-seven. “That got my blood boiling,” Blair noted. But, he regained his composure and, soon thereafter, he overtook McLaughlin.
Blair inherited second on lap forty when the leader, Dave Hess, Jr., suddenly slowed coming off turn two. Hess’s misfortune returned the lead to Drake Troutman, who led the first thirty-seven circuits. In fact, Troutman led twice in the event for a total of eighty-one laps.
Blair stalked Troutman for more than forty laps. Blair went low in turn three on lap eighty-five and he assumed control with a slider coming through turn four.
As Blair stretched his lead, Troutman came under attack from Norris, Tyler Wyant, and Hess, who slowly worked his way forward after the first half incident.
Troutman yielded second with five laps remaining. That gave Norris the runner-up spot, with young Wyant in third. Hess continued in fourth for several laps before falling back in the running order.
The final caution, with two laps remaining, gave Norris one shot at the win. However, Blair got away cleanly on the restart, and Norris could not get any momentum when stuck on the inside. Wyant was an impressive third, followed by McLaughlin and Ryan Montgomery.
Gregg Satterlee was sixth. Hess held on for seventh. Dan Angelicchio and Boom Briggs were the final two cars still running at the end of the race. Troutman was credited with tenth based on his laps completed.
Drake Troutman, Levi Yetter, Max Blair, and Lincoln Smith prevailed in the heat races. Jon Lee took the B Main.
Max Blair was the fastest overall qualifier. He topped Group B with a time of 15.594 seconds. Drake Troutman was fastest in Group A, with a lap of 15.693 seconds.
Thirty-three Super Late Models checked in for the unsanctioned event.
The Pierogi 30 for the Penn Ohio Pro Stocks closed out the night. The race paid $1,500 to win and, as usual whenever extra money was on the line, Chris Schneider found his way to the head of the line at the pay-window.
Joey Zambotti led the first three laps before Schneider assumed command. Despite two cautions, Schneider led by almost seven-and-a-half seconds during the event.
But, like Blair, Schneider had to survive a two-lap shootout to get the win. “You don’t know what is going on behind you,” Schneider said. “I saw Corey (McPherson’s number) on the board. I thought he’d come ripping around me, but I never saw him, so I must have been OK.”
McPherson was second, followed by Curtis J. Bish, Tyler Dietz, and track champion Jacob Dietz. Tyler Schneider, Zambotti, Cody Koteles, Rocky Kugel, and Jason Fosnaught were sixth through tenth.
The Pro Stocks ran a pair of heat races, with the wins going to Jacob Dietz and Joey Zambotti. There was no B Main needed to set the A Main line-up for the nineteen cars that checked in for action.
Dirt Racing
Spithaler Sprints to Mercer Win
MERCER, PA (August 21, 2026): Brandon Spithaler, of Butler, scorched his 410 Sprint Car foes at Michaels Mercer Raceway. His margin of victory was nearly 6.6 seconds in a race that lasted less than nine minutes. And, that included one caution flag! Spithaler picked up $3,000 for his first victory of the season and fourteenth of his career at the tricky oval. He now has seven wins overall this season.
Logan Lewis took the $2,000 check for the Mark Marcucci Tribute race. The special event for the Mod Lites honored a highly successful racer who tragically lost his life in a highway accident in 2018. He had amassed forty-one career wins and four track titles at Mercer alone.
Also scoring wins were Jeremy Kornbaugh (IMCA Racesaver 305 Sprints), Jammin’ John Mollick (RUSH (Crate) Sprints), Karston King (DIRT 602 Crate Sportsman Modifieds), Skylar Cline (270 Winged Micros), and Dave Hanshaw, Jr. (Crown Vics).
“Well, I felt good early, but I got tight in the middle of the race,” Spithaler said. That was to be expected, he noted, because they set the car up to be tight in the beginning, thinking that the car would get faster in the second half of the contest. They hit the set-up perfectly.
“When I saw (Jeremy) Kornbaugh’s nose two times, I got concerned,” he added. That was on lap eleven, before Spithaler got to traffic. And, when he did, he was able to drive away from Kornbaugh with ease.
A pair of Brandons, Matus and Spithaler, shared the front row for the start of the twenty-five lapper. In row two, Kornbaugh was paired up with Michael Lutz, Sr., who came out of retirement for this race. Adam Kekich and ageless Bob Felmlee were next on the grid, followed by Michael Bauer and Jacob Begenwald. Then came Jim Morris and eastern racer Hayden Miller, in row five; and Jeremy Weaver and Brent Matus, in row six.
Spithaler rolled the top in turns one and two to grab the lead from Brandon Matus coming off turn two on the opening lap. Kornbaugh, Lutz, Kekich, and Felmlee followed closely. Matus stayed close to Spithaler for several laps before surrendering the second position to Kornbaugh.
The only caution of the event occurred on lap eight for a 360 spin by Joel Mellon in turn two. That incident gave Kornbaugh an opportunity to try to duplicate the move that won the 305 Sprint Car race for him earlier in the night. Kornbaugh got inside of Spithaler in turn one following the restart, but Spithaler’s momentum in the sweeping corners allowed him to drive away from Kornbaugh.
Kornbaugh wasn’t finished yet, however. He stayed close for a couple of laps looking for an opening. On lap eleven, he dove into turn one again, This time, he got alongside the leader. Spithaler powered off turn two with the lead.
Spithaler picked up speed as the race went on. He began to get some separation from Kornbaugh as the leaders started to put some of the slower cars down a lap. Fortunately for Spithaler, most of the lappers were hugging the inside line, leaving the top groove open for him. As Spithaler lapped more cars, he kept building upon his lead.
Meanwhile, Brandon Matus was racing in third, ahead of Felmlee and Lutz. Lutz began to slide back in the running order as the race reached the midpoint. Dan Kuriger replaced him in fifth. Kuriger chased down Felmlee and passed him in traffic to get the fourth position in the closing laps.
Spithaler, Kornbaugh, Brandon Matus, Kuriger, and Felmlee made up the top five. They were followed by Kekich, Begenwald, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Bauer, and Weaver.
Brandon Matus, Kekich, and Kornbaugh scored the heat wins. No B Main was needed to set the twenty-one car field. Spithaler was the fastest qualifier overall with a lap of 13.611 seconds.
In the Marcucci Tribute race for the Mod Lites, Shane Meadows led the opening lap before giving way to Carson Hubbard. After several hotly contested laps, Logan Lewis assumed command. He built up a lead of more than three seconds.
However, a caution on lap nineteen set up a one-lap dash for the money and the glory. Lewis was up to the task, and he held off Hubbard to get the prestigious victory. Meadows was third, followed by Sean Iftody and Jake Bowman. Positions six through ten went to David Innes, Ryan Anderson, Doug Stanley, Blake Robbins, and Lucca Ledford.
Ledford, Hubbard, and Anderson took the preliminaries. No B Main was needed for the twenty-one cars on hand.
Kornbaugh took advantage of a restart on lap nineteen to get the win in the IMCA Racesaver 305 Sprint Car feature. Aaron Marano was gunning for his first career win. He led from the start of the twenty lapper and he fought off a couple of challenges from Jarrett Rosencrance. Kornbaugh took over second moments before the pivotal caution on lap nineteen.
Kornbaugh charged into turn one on the final lap, drawing even with Marano at the entry to turn two, He powered off that corner with the lead. Although Marano crossed the line in second, he was subsequently disqualified.
That moved Rosencrance up to second. Vivian Jones, who helped organize the Marcucci Tribute race, was third, followed by Mike Mathieson and Brett Brunkenhoefer. Jazlyn Boyles, Rocco Capelli, Samantha Priest, Mike Shellhaas, and Tommy Jasen completed the top ten.
Brunkenhoefer and Mathieson split the heat wins. There was no B Main.
John Mollick went wire-to-wire in the RUSH Sprint Car feature, which went without any cautions. Logen Lockhart raced up to second. Gale Ruth, Jr. came on in the closing laps to get third. Grayson Bayle and Ashton Riggle completed the top five. Brayden Blackshear, Lucas Roessner, Devon Deeter, Arnie Kent, and Cooper Macormac were the next five finishers. The heat wins belonged to Ruth and Mollick. There was no B Main required.
Third generation driver Karston King picked up his first win of the year and second in his brief career at Mercer in the DIRT Sportsman main. He used a power move on the inside of turns one and two to take the lead away from Brian Schaffer on lap thirteen. Schaffer had inherited the lead when Patrick Lane spun and flipped his mount in turn three on the fourth lap. Caden Petry, Logen Lockhart, and Anthony Antus followed King and Schaffer across the finish line. Eric Gabany, Bill Adams, Darin Gallagher, Jordan Ehrenberg, and Gage Priester completed the top ten. Adams, Gabany, and Lane took the heat wins. There was no B Main needed.
Skylar Cline raced to victory in the 270 Winged Micro portion of the program. He passed the early leader, Matt Haefke, on lap five. Haefke held on for second. Parker Lucas, Dustin Young, and Mason McAndrew were the next finishers. Kenny Hardy, Jr., Brian Borawiec, Jr., Deryk Jones, Wes Libert, and Sean Price were sixth through tenth. Jada Gottschling, McAndrew, Cline, and Jones took the honors in the heat races. The B Main was scratched when an insufficient number of cars answered the call. Nathan McDowell was unhurt when he got sprayed with hot oil during the feature event. Twenty-nine cars checked in for the racing.
Dave Hanshaw, Jr. overtook Branden Porter on a lap nine restart to get the Crown Vic win. Porter was leading by more than seven seconds when the caution was displayed. He finished second nonetheless. Bradley Shaffer, Brian Krepps, Mark Lawrence, Sheriff Tim Callahan, and Dalton Marsh were the other competitors. Shaffer won the only heat race.

