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Dirt Racing

Satterlee Succeeds in Lucas Oil Series at Port Royal; Hart Hustles in Limited Lates

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Port Royal Speedway

PORT ROYAL, PA (April 10, 2022): Gregg Satterlee inherited the lead with a dozen laps remaining in the River Valley 40 for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Port Royal Speedway. After Earl Pearson, Jr. and Kyle Larson tangled while fighting for the top spot, Satterlee went on to dominate the remainder of the event on a blustery day. Devin Hart went wire to wire to claim the Limited Late Model undercard.

“Honestly, from the center of turn three, I couldn’t see anything,” Satterlee said when he was asked to comment on the unusual turn of events that put him in command of the race. Pearson and Larson made contact while battling for the lead, and Larson looped it in turn four. Pearson continued briefly under caution but retired from the race, handing the point to the Indiana, PA racer. “Fortunately, Kyle (Larson) was far enough out there that I could avoid him,” Satterlee added.

Satterlee confessed that he thought that he “messed up our night in the heat race” when he jumped the cushion in turn one on the initial start to trigger a caution. The resulting body damage did not affect the performance of his car, and he was able to salvage a second place finish to Larson. He commended crew chief Robby Allen for getting the car “pretty good” for the feature. “Everything came our way. I was right there,” running a close third behind Larson and Pearson when the unthinkable happened. “I had a shot,” he said but they served it up to him on a silver platter instead.

Pearson and Larson had the front row for the 40 lapper by virtue of their quick qualifying runs and heat race victories. Row two belonged to the other heat winners, Tim McCreadie and Brandon Sheppard. Then came Tyler Erb and Satterlee, and Ashton Winger and Rick Eckert. Row five belonged to Ross Robinson and Jimmy Owens. Kyle Lee and Colton Flinner made up row six.

Pearson and Larson battled side by side on the opening lap. Sheppard and McCreadie raced ahead of Satterlee, Erb, WInger, Eckert, Robinson, and Robinson. Larson assumed control coming off turn four to complete the first circuit and set a quick pace in the open air.

With Larson leading Pearson, the battle was raging for third between Sheppard and McCreadie. Sheppard took the spot, while Satterlee drew a bead on McCreadie. Satterlee climbed into fourth by lap five and then he set out after Sheppard.

Things got interesting when the leaders reached the back of the field. Larson deftly wove his way through the traffic, but he could not shake Pearson. Pearson was able to close in on the leader as the traffic got thicker, but he could not get by him.

Meanwhile, Satterlee chased down Sheppard and moved by him on the backstretch soon after the halfway signal was displayed.

As Larson and Pearson played cat and mouse while lapping slower cars, Satterlee was able to reel them in. Now, it was a three car battle for the lead.

Larson and Pearson got free of some traffic and they pulled away from Satterlee. Larson and Pearson went toe to toe for several laps. They made contact on lap 28 and that changed the complexion of the race. Larson pitted for a new rear tire and Pearson retired from the fray.

Satterlee led Sheppard to the green for the final twelve laps, which were run off without any additional conflicts. Sheppard was no match for Satterlee in the clean air. “I was holding on as best I could,” Sheppard observed. “I don’t know that I could have done anything with him,” he added.

Three Rivers Karting

Third place finisher McCreadie noted that the Longhorn Chassis cars were having a good day until Pearson and Larson tangled. “It was too bad for Earl and Kyle, but third is better (for me) than fifth,” he said wryly.

Owens climbed to fourth in the final analysis. He was critical of his qualification run and heat race performance, noting that he dug himself a hole. He explained that his crew went back to some old notes and made changes to the car for the feature. Whatever they did made the car much better, especially in the stretch run.

Erb was fifth, followed by Winger, Robinson, Flinner, Matt Cosner, and Max Blair.

Blair and Dylan Yoder split the honors in the B Mains. Series provisionals were awarded to Ricky Thornton, Jr., Garrett Alberson, and Daulton Wilson. The track provisional was given to Austin Berry who overcame a mechanical problem in hot laps. Thornton was the hard charger for the night after switching cars for the B Main due to heavy damage inflicted in his heat race. He was plus nine on the night. Pearson was the top qualifier overall, with a lap of 18.471 seconds. Larson topped Group B with a time of 18.538 seconds. There were 37 entries.

In the Limited Late Model feature, Matt Murphey and Devin Hart brought the field to the green flag ahead of Dillan Stake and Trent Brenneman. Taylor Farling and Andrew Yoder made up row three, with Jared Fulkroad and Shawn Shoemaker in row four.

Hart, Brenneman, Stake, Yoder and Stake blasted by Murphey on the opening lap and they ran ahead of the others for the entire distance.

Stake moved into third on lap six and he drew in on Brenneman as the race progressed. Meanwhile, Hart held control.

In the final nine lap run to the checkers, Stake finally passed Brenneman. He began to close in on Hart but he ran out of time.

Hart claimed the win, his first of the season. Stake was second, followed by Andrew Yoder, who passed Brenneman with just over two laps remaining. Todd Snook was fifth. Farling, Shoemaker, Ryan Zook, Kenny Yoder, and Daulton Bigler completed the top ten.

Heat winners were Fulkroad, Barry Miller, and Brenneman. There was no B Main for the 34 cars on hand.

Port Royal will host the 410 Sprints, Super Late Models, and Limted Late Models on Easter Eve. It will present the Seventh Annual Keith Kauffman Classic for the All Stars Sprint Cars on April 23, along with the USAC East Coast 360 non-wing Sprint Cars. It will close out the month of April with 410 Sprints, Super Late Models, and PASS/IMCA 305 Sprints on April 30.

Dirt Racing

Macri Makes Comeback at Lincoln

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Photo by Paul Arch

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (March 3, 2024): Anthony Macri lost the lead in traffic before a red flag stopped the action, but he regained the top spot soon after the feature event restarted at Lincoln Speedway. The victory was his ninth career score in the Pigeon Hills and, importantly, it marked the first since being reunited with his family-owned race team.

“Anytime you can get a win, that’s great, (but) this was special because we haven’t won since last July,” Macri said. The driver from nearby Dillsburg explained that he was concerned that his mistakes could have cost him the victory. “I almost gave it away, but I got it back on the restart. I was too conservative in lapped traffic.” with a clean track ahead of him and the leader, Kyle Moody, Macri drove harder following the mid-race restart. “I had a good run on him,” he said of his charge to the front in turn three. He added that he ran harder in lapped traffic after that.

Moody, who fought off others in the second half of the race to maintain second, likewise commented that he was more aggressive after the restart. “I tried to be aggressive and slid myself in one.” While that strategy worked at the east end of the track, it did not hold up, for Macri was able to slide by him in turn three. “I couldn’t get back by him.”

Danny Dietrich, who booked another podium finish, noted that he “hated to see the red, we had a good car in traffic.” After the restart, he was caught up in an intense battle with Matt Campbell and Gerard McIntyre for third. By the time that Dietrich salted the position away, he did not have enough time to mount an attack on Moody for second.

The luck of the draw put Macri on the pole with Moody on his flank. Campbell and McIntyre occupied row two, with Steve Owings and Kody Hartlaub in row three. Danny Dietrich was inside row four, with Justin Whittal as his partner. Austin Bishop made his season debut in row five, accompanied by Brandon Rahmer. Chad Trout and Emerson Axsom were in row six. Freddie Rahmer, Jr. missed the re-draw and he held position thirteen for the initial start. Opening day winner, Troy Wagaman, Jr., was less fortunate. He was the last car to transfer from the B Main and he was the caboose for this train.

Macri blasted to the lead on the opening lap. Moody held second briefly, but McIntyre took it away by the time that lap one was completed. Campbell, Owings, Hartlaub, Danny Dietrich, Whittal, Bishop, and Trout made up the top ten in the early going.

Just three laps into the fray, Cameron Smith and Tyler Ross tangled in between turns three and four. Smith was done, but Ross was able to push off again.

Macri resumed the lead, while McIntyre kept Moody at bay. Campbell continued in fourth, but Danny Dietrich broke into the top five.

Three Rivers Karting

As the race approached the midpoint, Macri was into traffic, and Moody was able to close in. Moody was pressing for the lead, which he was able to wrestle away from Macri soon after the crossed flags were shown to the field. Macri came storming back but he could not make the pass in turn three.

Hartlaub’s strong run came to an end soon thereafter, as he took a tumble between turns three and four. He was not hurt in the process, but the crash did change the complexion of the race.

On the restart, with sixteen laps on the board, Moody held the lead, but Macri had a full head of steam coming to turn three, and he made the slide job stick. McIntyre was challenging Moody as Macri began to separate himself from that contest for second.

The last fourteen laps were run under the green. Moody settled into second and the action was for third. McIntyre, Campbell, and Danny Dietrich were the contestants. Dietrich was superior and claimed that spot as his own. “That was a fun race with Matt and Gerard,” Dietrich remarked. “We were throwing haymakers and there was no contact.”

Following Macri, Moody, and Danny Dietrich were Devon Borden and McIntyre. Campbell, Chase Dietz, Freddie Rahmer, Jr., Aaron Bollinger, and Brandon Rahmer completed the top ten.

Thirty-one cars signed in for the event. Taking the four heat wins were Owings, Macri, Brandon Rahmer, and Bishop. Billy Dietrich topped the B Main.

The support for this program was provided by 500 cc and 300 cc Micro Midgets. Ryan Roost, Sam Miller, Jeremy Sperlien, Justin Care, and Jonathan Schill were the top five in the 500s. Chris Ott, Dustin Harman, Alyssa Hackart, Barry Thomas, and Timothy Colliflower were the top five in the 300s.

Next Saturday, Lincoln Speedway will present another 410 Sprint program with the Central PA Legends backing up the headliners. This will be the final 3 p.m. start. March 16 will see the start time pushed back to 6 p.m. for the first Sprint Car doubleheader. The 410s will be joined by the 358s. Legends will be back on March 23 and the 358s will return on Easter Eve.

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Dirt Racing

Wagaman Works Magic in Lincoln Icebreaker

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Lincoln Speedway

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (February 25, 2024): Troy Wagaman, Jr. scored the biggest win of his career on opening day at the fabulous Lincoln Speedway. His second career win in the Pigeon Hills was worth $6,000, his biggest payday to date.

Wagaman, who took the seat in Michael Heffner’s potent machine midway through the 2023 season, commented, “we had some big ones get away from us last year, we hope we can hang onto some more of them this season.” Well, if the Icebreaker 30 is an indication of what may come, he just may do that.

Wagaman lamented that it was hard for him to develop any kind of rhythm, particularly in the first half of the race, which was disrupted by several cautions and two red flags. “I just had to keep pace. I was moving around,” trying to dirty up the air for the big dogs that were chasing him. Then, his strategy changed. “I was trying to make it as wide as I could, and not leave it open for them to get a nose under me and push me out of the way.”

Danny Dietrich, who became his challenger in the second half of the contest, commended Wagaman for his performance. “I wish we could have gotten to Troy a little sooner. He did a great job clearing traffic atthe right time.” Dietrich explained that his car wasn’t very good at the beginning of the race, and he was hovering in fourth, “it wasn’t very grippy.” He added, “thank God for that red, we made some wholesale changes.” His car was substantially better after those adjustments during the fuel stop, and he did close to the rear bumper of Wagaman, but Wagaman was able to negotiate the lapped traffic quite well.

Freddie Rahmer, Jr., charged from thirteenth to second in the first half of the race, but he could not get close to Wagaman. But, his downfall came after the fuel stop. “It wasn’t meant to be, we were a little off after the red.” That enabled Dietrich to move into the role of the first chaser.

Dominic Melair and Wagaman paced the field for the start of the northeast’s first 410 Sprint event. Cameron Smith had his new ride, the Lefervre 75, in the third spot, next to Double D. Lucas Wolfe was flanked by Indiana racer Emerson Axsom in row three. Then came Slick Rick Lafferty and Jordan Givler. Chase Dietz and T.J. Stutts made up row five. Aaron Bollinger and Chad Trout followed in row six.

It took two tries to get the feature race started. The first was lost when several cars tangled in turn four. Although a few cars suffered minor damage, Axsom was eliminated for the remainder of the contest. On the second attempt, Wagaman assumed control, with Smith, Melair, Dietrich, Dietz, Wolfe, Freddie Rahmer, Jr., Stutts, Trout, and Matt Campbell following. A few laps into the race, Melair fell back due to motor problems. Lafferty moved forward, cracking the top five despite leaving a trail of moisture leading into turn one.

Three Rivers Karting

On lap six, a synchronized spin in turn two by Bollinger and Brandon Rahmer slowed the action, followed by another caution on lap eight for Lafferty’s worsening wet streak, and yet another on lap thirteen for a flat on Justin Whittal’s car. That incident was converted into an open red for fuel.

The race resumed two laps shy of the halfway mark, with Wagaman ahead of Rahmer, Jr., Smith, Dietrich, Lafferty, Norris, Trout, Bollinger, Dietz, and Wolfe. Soon thereafter, Dietrich was up to second. Rahmer Jr. remained in third, followed by Smith and Trout.

The final seventeen laps were run without interruption. About midway through that sprint to the finish, Dietrich closed in on Wagaman, but Wagaman maintained his composure under heavy pressure that lasted for a few laps.

Wagaman was able to keep Dietrich at bay by running consistent laps in the middle lane and the low groove. Dietrich tried the top, but there was no cushion to lean on. Rahmer Jr. continued in third, close enough to pounce if Dietrich were to slide out a bit too far. Bollinger and Dietz completed the top five.

Smith, Trout, Lafferty, Kyle Moody, and Wolfe were the next five to cross. The 2023 track champion in the 358 Sprint division, Kody Hartlaub, was thirteenth, earning the hard charger bonus for being plus twelve.

Three heats were run for the twenty-five cars. Wins went to Lafferty, Givler, and Wagaman. There was no B Main, as all cars were allowed to start the feature event.

Next Saturday, Lincoln Speedway will present another 410 Sprint race commencing at 3 p.m. The PA Micro Midgets will provide support. The final afternoon show will be held at 3 p.m. on March 9 for the 410 Sprints and Central PA Legends Cars. Night action will kick in on March 16, when the first 410 and 358 Sprint doubleheader will take place at 6 p.m.

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Dirt Racing

Tri-City Raceway Park to Be Sold, New Owners to Continue Sunday Operation

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FRANKLIN, PA (February 25, 2024): After releasing the 2024 tentative schedule, Merle Black, the current owner of Tri-City Raceway Park, has reached an agreement in principle to sell the Venango County, PA oval to Josh and Kyrsten Shiffer. Final negotiations are in progress, and the written agreement has yet to be signed, but both sides are moving forward earnestly to complete the transaction before the first green flag waives in mid-April.

The Shiffers are entrepreneurs who live in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Their businesses include Flea Flickers LLC, a liquidation company, and Shiffer Powersports, engaged in ATV sales. They have a strong interest in ATV Motocross racing and several members of the family compete, including their son, Jayden, an aspiring professional rider.

Three Rivers Karting

The Shiffers are excited about the potential for Tri-City Raceway Park. They hope to bring back premiere sanctioned events and to introduce some new programs in the years ahead.

They plan to follow the tentative schedule recently released by Black. That calls for an April 13 Enduro, followed by two weekly practice sessions. The FAST Sprints will compete in the opener on Sunday, May 5. Other Sprint Car specials are on the docket, including the acclaimed Western PA Speedweek finale. The BRP Modified Tour will also make two appearances. The backbone of the schedule will consist of four divisions: 410 Sprint Cars, 358 Modifieds, Pro Stocks, and Mini Stocks. The season will come to a close over the Labor Day weekend. Additional details on the schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

The Shiffers recently met several key members of the current staff, and they look to fill some vacancies that currently exist. Announcements regarding employment opportunities may be forthcoming.

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