HAGERSTOWN, MD (July 2, 2026):  Anthony Macri drove away from his competition at the Hagerstown Speedway. The Thirty-sixth Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek tour made its southern-most stop on a hot and steamy night.

Anthony Macri proved that he is definitely a better race car driver than a prognosticator. Just one night after he counted himself out of contention for a fourth consecutive Speedweek title, the driver from Dilsburg, PA found himself atop the standings heading into round eight at the Williams Grove Speedway. Macri’s cause was aided by the failure of Chase Dietz to qualify for a second time in seven days.

“Points aside, I knew I had a job to do, and that was to win the race,” Macri said.

Macri explained that the team made the proper adjustments for the thirty-lap feature event. “Obviously, we made the right call before the race. We were able to get through lapped traffic pretty good.” Although he moved around on the speedway, Macri made an effort to stay on the top side as much as possible.

Second place went to Aussie Ryan “Fig” Newton, who is quietly compiling a string of good finishes. Through the first seven rounds of Speedweek, Newton has a pair of top fives and four top tens to his credit.

Third place finisher, Troy Wagaman, Jr., improved one position over his Port Royal showing. “Third was pretty good here. We were just a tick off, we were better in the second half of the race.”

Wagaman and Macri shared the front row for the start of the event. Justin Whittall and Newton were in row two, with Preston Lattomus and Mike Wagner in the third. Dylan Cisney and Ryan Smith drew the final two preferred starting spots. Cameron Smith, Freddie Rahmer, Jr., Danny Dietrich, and Logan Rumsey earned the next four positions on the grid based upon their heat race finishes.

Macri rolled into turn one with the lead after the first attempt to start the race failed due to a flat tire on Cisney’s machine. Wagaman, Newton, Whittall, Wagner, Rumsey, Ryan Smith, Lattomus, Rather, and Chad Trout comprised the rest of the top ten. Newton slipped past Wagaman on lap three for second place. Meanwhile, the racers in positions six through ten were mixing things up in the first several laps.

Buddy Schweibinz slowed the pace with his spin in turn one on the sixth trip around the speedway. That turned out to be the only caution of the race.

When the action resumed, Macri easily pulled away from Newton, Wagaman, and Whittall. Rahmer cracked into the top five by lap ten, and he hovered there as the field strung out during the long green flag run.

Rumsey, Ryan Smith, and Zearfoss were the next three finishers. Wagner slipped back to ninth in the final tally, one spot ahead of Brady Bacon.

Macri, Wagner, Ryan Smith, and Lattomus scored in the heat races. James McFadden won the B Main after failing to fire for his heat race. McFadden set the quickest time during Group Aqualifications. His time was 15.499 seconds. Newton topped Group B with a time of 15.664 seconds.

Chase Dietz sustained front end damage while the field was shaping up for the start of his heat. His throttle stuck and he rammed into the rear of Wagner’s mount. Wagner’s car was unharmed, and he went on to get the win. Dietz’s woes continued in the B Main. He raced from eleventh to fifth, missing the transfer by one position.

PORT ROYAL, PA (July 1, 2026) There was plenty of late race drama at the Speed Palace during the Wednesday portion of the Thirty-sixth Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek. Chase Dietz caught a break when Anthony Macri checked up for a lapped car that got out of shape ahead of him, and that allowed the nation’s winningest driver to get an unexpected victory. Then, in the nightcap for the URC Sprint Cars, Jason Shultz recovered from athree-wide, late race incident that could have had disasterous results.

Dietz Does It Again

Chase Dietz, of York, picked up his fourth win of Speedweek in an unexpected fashion. He was chasing the leader, Anthony Macri, with just a couple of laps remaining in the thirty lapper. Dietz was closing in when something unexpected happened. The lapped car of Buddy Schweibinz got out of shape in turn four and Macri had to take evasive action. Dietz was committed to the low line and he safely drove by for the lead.

“That was an intense one,” Dietz shared. “The track was gripped up. I don’t think anybody in the pits expected that. I didn’t.” Dietz added that the track developed some ruts in turns three and four in the new clay that was laid down recently. That added character in an area that usually gets smooth and slick come feature time.

Dietz gave all the credit to his team for the win, sayingthat their efforts “give() me the chance to do whatI need to do.”

Macri was downhearted after the race. “I think it’s obvious that the lapped car got in my way there.” He was so dejected that he almost conceded the Speedweek championship to Dietz. “I think that may have mathematically eliminated my chance.”

James McFadden made a rare start at Port Royal. The Australian racer who now runs a part-time schedule for a California team remarked, “it’s a hard place to come for the first time with this car.” He added, with his usual flair, “I’m getting thirsty. I haven’t had a shoey for a while.” He was referring, of course to the gulp of beer that winning drivers down under take from their shoe in victory lane.

McFadden and Macri shared the front row for round six of Speedweek. Troy Wagaman, Jr. and Dietz made up the second row, with Logan Wagner and Parker Price-Miller paired up in the third. The final preferred starting spots went to Ryan Smith and Tanner Holmes. Brock Zearfoss and Billy Dietrich came next based on their heat race finishes, as did Doug Hammaker and last year’s Port Royal champion, Justin Whittall.

Macri sailed into turn one ahead of McFadden and he claimed the high line as his exclusive territory for the early going. Dietz, Wagaman, Price-Miller, Holmes, Ryan Smith, Wagner, Zearfoss, and Whittall followed.

Lap four was eventful. Freddie Rahmer, Jr. spun in turn four to set-up a restart that included a flip by Brady Bacon in turn one.

In the middle stage of the race, Macri was forced up over the cushion by a slower car between turns one and two. He gathered it up again and retained his considerable lead. A couple of laps later, McFadden got into Billy Dietrich causing Dietz to slow unexpectedly. Dietz recovered though, and he took second from McFadden on lap fourteen. Then, just one lap later, Brent Shearer lost his right front wheel just ahead of the leader, Macri.

But, the excitement wasn’t quite over yet. After the race resumed, Macri began to drive away from Dietz and the rest of the field. However, when Macri encountered lapped traffic again, Dietz began to close in on him. Fans were expecting to see a shoot-out between the two hottest drivers in the region, but it did not materialize. Instead, Macri had to check up for an errant lapper and that gave Dietz the opening that he needed to race past them both.

Dietz completed the journey without incident. Macri was second. McFadden. Wagaman, and Price-Miller completed the top five.Holmes, Zearfoss, Whittall, Wagner, and Ryan Smith were the next five finishers.

Wagaman, McFadden, Price-Miller, and Ryan Smith split the four heat wins. Logan Rumsey and Kody Lehman picked up the twin B Mains. Macri was the fastest of the forty-four cars that checked in. His lap of 15.531 seconds was the best in Group B. Dietz topped Group A with a time of 15.584.

Shultz Comes Back

It was a night of come backs for Jason Shultz, of Carlisle. First, he left his family vacation in Virginia to return to the Port Royal Speedway for the annual visit by the United Racing Club during the Thirty-Sixth Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek. Then, after he got shuffled out of the lead on a wild, late race restart, he came charging back to claim the victory, and the $2,000 that came with it.

Shultz talked about the late race drama. “I’m getting older and older, and these things don’t come very easily, you know. If this were a couple of years ago, I don’t think they would have had achance to throw anything at me, but they did, and it kind of ruffled my feathers a little bit. So, it got me on the wheel a little bit.”

Adam Carberry, who was right in the middle of things at the end of the race, noted, “that restart was a lot of fun. I did’t really have a chance at one point. We were either going for a ride or somebody’s ending up in front. It was me for a little while, but that’s about all the speed our 358’s got.”

Michael Walter was the third man in that exciting restart despite a mechanical problem. “They gave me a good car. But, it’s too bad the nose wing flipped back. Maybe I’d have had a shot at second.”

Shultz surprised himself by starting from the pole for the twenty-five lap finale. Carberry was beside him. Behind them were Josh Spicer and Michael Walter. Josh Weller and P.J. Reutimann were assigned to row three, with Cole Young and Bryn Gohn in row four. Brayden Mickley and Tyler Ulrich held row five, followed by Brock Hammaker and Tyler Ross.

Shultz swept into the lead, followed by Carberry, Walter, Spicer, Weller, Reutimann, Ross, and Gohn. Weller gained several positions in the early going, but Shultz was so dominant in the clean air that he opened a commanding lead over Carberry. When Weller reached third, he was a considerable distance behind the leaders.

There was contact while Weller and Walter were battling for position, and Walter’s nose wing became loose and it flipped backward. Nonetheless, he soldiered on. Indeed, it seemed that his car actually picked up speed as the race progressed.

The only caution appeared on lap seventeen, when Dylan Smith coasted to a stop coming off turn four.

That set up a double file restart, with Shultz on the pole, Carberry in second, Walter in third, and Weller in fourth.

There was a mad scramble in the first turn when the race resumed. Walter was on the inside, Carberry in the middle, and Shultz on the outside, which should have been the preferred place to be. However, he got crowded out, and Carberry went into turn two with the lead. Shultz rallied for second, and Walter fell into third.

Shultz stayed close to Carberry for a couple of laps as he was looking for a place to make a pass. He got the opportunity entering turn one on lap twenty. Shultz executed a perfect slider to regain the lead.

In the final five laps, Shultz was able to drive away from Carberry with ease. He had a margin of victory of 3.267 seconds at the checkers.

Walter held on for third, followed by Ross and Weller. Young, Reutimann, Austin Reed, Cody Feltcher, and Gohn completed the top ten.

Gohn, Walter, and Weller captured the three heat wins. No B Main was needed for the twenty-two cars on hand.

Coming Events

Port Royal Speedway will host its second Speedweek show on Saturday evening, July 4, for the Greg Hodnett Classic. The Super Late Models will be on the holiday card, along with fireworks, music, and more. July 11 will feature the 410 and 305 Sprints, with the Limited Late Models for good measure. Then July 18 will be a Sprint Car triple header, as the 410, 358, and 305 winged warriors will be in action.

All of that will be a build up for the return of the High Limit Series for the Bob Weikert Memorial. The event was moved from its traditional Memorial Day weekend due to inclement weather.

BECHTELSVILLE, PA (June 30, 2026):  The 410 Sprint Cars and 358 Modifieds provided thrilling non-stop action at the Grandview Speedway on a hot and sticky Tuesday night. Getting the wins were Anthony Macri and Billy Pauch, Jr.

Macri’s Rebound

Just like Chase Dietz did days before, Anthony Macri shook off the disappointment of failing to qualify for a Speedweek event by registering a dominating win at the next stop on the ten-day journey. It was a milestone event for Macri, though, as he claimed his first ever win at the third-mile Grandview Speedway.

“This was a bucket list win, for sure.” Macri said.

“I finally got it done here. I love coming here. It is my favorite track in PA. It’s a shame we only get to come here twice a year,” he added.

Macri explained that his car was a little tight at the beginning of the race, which was according to plan. After several laps were completed, though, he was able to move around the speedway with ease. He found the inside and middle grooves to his liking for much of the race.

Macri patiently worked his way past Brady Bacon and Parker Price-Miller. Then, he drove by the leader, Logan Rumsey, on the backstretch on lap thirteen.

After that, it was a simple matter of picking his way through the lapped cars. Once he realized that he wasn’t gaining on the slower traffic, he got into the rubber and stayed there, figuring that it was unlikely that any other drivers would be able to mount a charge on the high side of the track.

“I got into the rubber and I wasn’t going to leave it,” Macri explained. I lost one here getting off the rubber. Once I got the lead, I wasn’t giving it up.”

Macri picked up $10,000 for his win and he got his name etched on the Hodnett Cup. The trophy being named for the late Greg Hodnett, who was magical at the speedway.

Bacon finished second, his best finish so far in the Thirty-sixth Annual Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek. He and Macri were battling for third, for a time, as they wove their way through some slower cars. “He (Macri) kinda snookered us. I got by him once, but I hit the wall,” Bacon noted. “Once he got by us, it started taking rubber.”

Price-Miller finished third in the non-stop affair that lasted only nine minutes and twenty-eight seconds. “I think it kinda suits the younger guys,” he noted about the pace. Like Macri, he said, “we were a little tight in the beginning. When it slicked off, we were better.” Price-Miller was happy with his run, considering that neither he nor his crew chief, Bernie Steubgen, have much experience at Grandview.

Price-Miller and Logan Rumsey drew into the front row. Dylan Norris and Bacon were right behind. James McFadden and Macri received the final two preferred starting positions under the Speedweek format. Danny Dietrich and Chase Dietz earned row four starts based on their heat race finsihes. Then came Ryan Smith and Brock Zearfoss. Ronald Helmick and Preston Lattomus were in row six.

Rumsey bolted out to the early lead, followed by Price-Miller, Bacon, and Macri. That quartet got some separation quickly from Norris, McFadden, Dietz, Dietrich, Smith and Zearfoss.

The pair of 71 cars were setting a brisk pace in the early going. The first battle for positions on the track turned out to be Bacon and Macri wrestling for third. Macri slipped under the former USAC champion on lap nine. Bacon came right back, though, briefly passing Macri before brushigthe outer wall heading toward turn one.

Macri had his running shoes on at that stage of the race. He tracked down Price-Miller on lap twelve, and he swooped past Rumsey on lap thirteen.

Macri controlled the balance of the race, with his lead stretching and shrinking depending on the flow of the lapped traffic. In the final few laps, though, the lead grew to over three seconds.

Bacon cruised to second, followed by Price-Miller, Dietz, and Rumsey. Dietrich, Smith, McFadden, Zearfoss, and Freddie Rahmer, Jr. rounded out the top ten.

Only three heats were needed to set the field for the A Main. Norris, Macri, and Bacon scored those wins. There was no B Main. McFadden turned in the quickest lap in qualifications. He stopped the clock at 12.662 seconds.

Pauch Prevails

Billy Pauch, Jr. recorded the win in the nightcap for the 358 Modifieds at Grandview Speedway’s final Thunder on the Hill program for 2026. The thirty lapper went non-stop and it, too, featured constant action on the tight third mile.

Pauch held off the early leader, Eddie Strada, while struggling to get by some lapped cars that were racing side-by-side for positions. “Eddie’s an awesome racer, we’ve been battling for fifteen years,” Pauch said. “The lapped cars were difficult. They were battling side-by-side and I couldn’t get by. He (Strada) went rolling by me on the outside. I thought, ‘if he turns down what do I do?’ But, he kinda stayed in the middle.” Pauch was able to get back under Strada, and, within a few laps, he was able to get his nose under one of the lapped cars to set a pick to get some needed breathing room.

Pauch and Strada manned the front row for the start of the event. Anthony Perrego and Duane Howard were next in line. Then came Dylan Swinehart and Craig Whitmoyer.

Strada dashed into the lead on the first lap, but Pauch soon rallied to regain the lead. Howard, Perrego, Whitmoyer, and Swinehart followed in the early going.

It wasn’t long before Pauch caught the backmarkers. He was able to pick his way through several of them while maintaining asafe advantage over Strada.

However, within several laps, Pauch came upon a pack of lapped cars that were fighting for positions amongst themselves. That presented a problem, as there was nowhere Pauch could go to put any of them a lap down.

With Pauch bottled up behind this group of cars, Strada chipped away at the lead. Soon, the leaders were racing side-by-side behind the pack of lapped cars. At one point, Strada moved past Pauch, but he, too, was confronted with the problem of having nowhere to go.

Strada remained in the middle groove, and Pauch was able to get back under him to regain the lead. Soon thereafter, a crack started in the wall of slower cars ahead of him. Pauch was able to get his nose under the straggler, and he used that car as a pick to keep Strada at bay.

Meanwhile, Perrego worked his way past Howard and closed in on Pauch and Strada. He was not able to make it a three-car contest for the lead, though.

Jeff Strunk followed Pauch, Strada, and Perrego across the line. Howard held on for fifth. Jax Yohn, Whitmoyer, Swinehart, Brett Kressley, and Colin Cox completed the top ten.

Pauch, Whitmoyer, Cox, and Perrego won their respective heat races. Logan Watt and Louden Reimert copped the B Mains. Forty-two 358 Modifieds signed in for this event.