Dirt Racing
Schatz Seals the Deal
KNOXVILLE, IA (August 13, 2022): Donny Schatz captured his eleventh win in the Knoxville Nationals. He is second only to his former teammate, Steve Kinser, who has twelve. It was Schatz’ first win since 2017, and, importantly, it was his first triumph in the Nationals since losing his father, Danny, to cancer earlier in the 2022 season. The milestone win was also his first major victory since embarking upon the development of the Ford Sprint Car motor. All of these emotions came crashing down on him in victory lane.
Choking back some tears, Schatz dedicated the win to his father and he added that he drew some inspiration from him during the race. “I didn’t drive like I should have at the beginning. I was working the tires, and I could hear him say ‘settle down’ and it worked.”
Schatz explained that he has a new perspective on things since losing his father and experiencing some other personal issues. “Perspective of it is to enjoy every day as if it is the last. You just don’t know. We are all fierce competitors and we get caught up in that and sometimes nothing else matters.” He has realized that he is no different than anybody else. “We all lose family members, we are going to lose people close to us. It has opened my eyes to enjoy the moment. . . . Enjoy it for what it si today becasue you never know when or if it is the last time you are going to get that opportunity. I am very lucky and blessed and get to do what I love to do. Probably enjoying it as much now as I ever have.”
Schatz acknowledged that the team has gone through changes as well, acknowledging that it may have been caused by communications issues on his part.
Schatz admitted that the team made some major changes to the Ford powerplant before the race. “We were decent both nights (for the Capitani Classic and on his qualifying night), but we took a big swing with it and tried something new with the motor tonight. I didn’t know if we were gonna get there after I fell back as far as I did. I just couldn’t control the wheel spin.”
Schatz credited his crew for making the proper changes during the break. “Scuba (Steve Swenson) could read me like a book, and knew when I didn’t say anything that he should throw 911 at it.” He continued, “the guys did an incredible job. It was do or die on the bottom. The car kept getting better and better there at the end.”
Schatz also paid respect to a former competitor, Danny Lasoski, who taught him how to navigate the bottom of the track at Knoxville.
Austin McCarl became only the second Iowa driver in Knoxville history to sit on the pole for this race. The first was his father, Terry, who did not make the 2022 edition. Next to McCarl was Tyler Courtney. Row two paired a couple of former winners, Schatz and David Gravel. The third row belonged to Carson Macedo and his former car owner, Kyle Larson. There was a Pennsylvania feel to row four, which consisted of Brent Marks and Dan Pittman, in the Heffner 27H. Row five belonged to Brad Sweet and J.J. Hickle. Jacob Allen and Parker Price-Miller started from row six. Justin Sanders and Buddy Kofoid were in row seven. Tasker Phillips and Aaron Reutzel departed from row eight. Then came the B Main cars of Logan Schuchart and Giovanni Scelzi, and Justin Peck and James McFadden. The final two rows wer ethe graduates from Hard Knox, Rico Abreu and Kerry Madesn, and Sheldon Haudenschild and Brian Brown.
The opening lap was somewhat chaotic. Hickle got over Pittman’s wheel and tumbled high into the air in turn one. Price-Miller was caught up in the wreck as well. Price-Miller exited the car under his own power, but collapsed to the track. Medical teams responded and he was transported to the local hospital. Hickle required no assistance.
McCarl surged into the lead on the opening lap over Courtney, Schatz, Gravel, Larson, and Macedo. However, Courntey assumed control on lap two. Schatz lost a couple of positions in the early going. He eventually slipped back to seventh while Courtney set a blistering pace.
On lap twelve, Larson sustained the first flat right rear of the event. A similar fate would befall others later in the event. Larson pitted for new rubber. While he was able to come back through the field, he was no longer a threat to win the event.
Courtney resumed the lead, with McCarl, Gravel, Macedo, Sweet, Schatz, Marks, Allen, Kofoid, Pittman, and Schuchart in tow. This green flag interlude was cut short when Scelzi crashed in between turns three and four before the field completed a lap.
As the field was coming around to complete the next official lap, Gravel slid by McCarl in turn four to take over second. Schatz moved past Sweet for fifth.
Sanders brought his car to a halt on the front stretch just a few laps later.
On the ensuing restart, Marks moved into the top five, but he was still a ways behind Courtney, Gravel, and McCarl. By lap twenty, Marks was up to third, but McCarl battled back for the position as the race neared the halfway mark.
After lap twenty-five was completed, race control called for the intermission. At that time. Courtney led Gravel, McCarl, Marks, Macedo, Schatz, Schuchart, Allen, Kofoid, and Sweet. Pittman was holding down eleventh, followed by Peck, Larson, Haudenschild, and McFadden. Reutzel, Abreu, Madsen, Phillips, and brown were the balance of the lead lap cars.
At the close of lap twenty-six, Gravel slid above the cushion, but he powered out of the fluff without losing a position. He came back again on lap twenty-seven to pass Courtney for the lead. Meanwhile, Marks got shuffled back out of the top five.
Now it was Gravel’s turn to stretch his legs. He led Courtney, McCarl, Schatz, Macedo, Schuchart, Allen, Marks and Kofoid. Larson was lurking in eleventh, followed by Pittman, and Peck. While Larson did not slow his pace, his car was starting to show some smoke on corner entry.
Schatz moved ahead of McCarl within a few laps. After losing the position, McCarl got a flat right rear. Just two laps later, McFadden brought his mount to a stop on the back stretch.
The final stoppage occurred two laps later when Macedo had a flat right rear as well. That moved Schuchart into fourth behind Gravel, Schatz, and Courtney. Marks was back to fifth, followed by Allen, Larsen, Sweet, Kofoid, and Haudenschild.
When racing resumed, with eleven to go, Allen moved by Marks and he briefly challenged Schuchart for fourth.
However, the strongest car in the stretch run belonged to Schatz. While Gravel rode the rim, Schatz whittled away at his lead by taking the shortest way around the track. Schatz continued to reel in Gravel and was within striking distance when the starter showed the field the five lap signal.
On lap fourty-six, Schatz made his move. He powered into turn three on the bottom and slid up into the middle of the track with the lead.
As Schatz began to pull away from Gravel, Schuchart took over third with two laps remaining, While he closed in on Gravel, there was not enough time for Schuchart to make a bid for second.
At the checkers, it was Schatz over Gravel, Schuchart, Courtney, and Allen. Larson was sixth, followed by Marks, Haudenschild, Sweet, and Pittman.
Gravel was disappointed with his second place finish. “We had a great car,” he said. “When you are leading with four to go, you expect to win.” But Gravel took personal responsibility for the outcome. “I was a little aggressive too early. . . . I was good on top and I didn’t want to chance it. The last couple of laps, the tires were spinning down the front stretch. I heard Donny going into three and I figured he was coming. In hindsight, I should have tried running low in one and two, but when you are leading and feeling pretty good, you don’t want to change it up. Maybe I should have gone down to search around. I’m not afraid to do it, but I didn’t tonight.”
Schuchart, who capped off a terrific week with a third, remarked “how can’t you be thrilled at what this team accomplished this week? Not just me, butthe 1a, too. I’m very proud of every person at Shark Racing, and it starts with what my grandfather started. We’re just a family-owned team competing for wins on the biggest stage in the world.” Schuchart explained that they made a few, small changes during the halftime break, such as a shock adjustment and removing some stagger. “I knew I could do something with the wing.” Plus, he was concerned about over correcting.
SARVER, PA (September 14, 2024): Tyler Courtney survived and won the Commonwealth Clash for the High Limit Racing Series at the Lernerville Speedway. He was racing in third when the early leader, Corey Day, crashed spectacularly coming through turn two. Two laps later, Courtney moved up another notch when the new leader, Brent Marks, sustained a flat right rear. The racing luck was with Courtney over the second half of the contest, though, as he fought off several challenges from Sye Lynch. In the final stage of the race, Courtney used lapped traffic to distance himself from Lynch, who was having difficulties negotiating the slower cars.
Courtney explained that “taking fifty grand out of here is maybe a little bit of redemption. We were going for it the last time that we were here.” He was leading the Don Martin Memorial earlier this season when he tangled with James McFadden while fighting for the lead. Both drivers were knocked out from that incident.
“This race was anything but boring. Corey (Day) crashed while leading. Sye (Lynch) was giving it all on the bottom. I had to get up in the seat for that one.”
Courtney appreciated the efforts that his crew put forth. They did not have a good run at the Tuscarora 50 the week before. “These guys never gave up. They kept their heads down.”
For Lynch, who finished second for the second consecutive night before a partisan crowd, was pleased with his performance. He noted that although the track may have looked the same, “it was a lot different from (his) perspective. It raced way different all night long. We weren’t very good early in the evening. We made some adjustments and the car was better.”
McFadden seemed to be climbing the same mountain throughout the race. “I went from eleventh to fifth. Then on every restart I’d go back to eleventh and I’d have to battle my way back.” He commented that he got a hole in his right rear tire with about seven laps remaining, and that may have defeated his chances to overtake Lynch in the run to the checkers.
Logan Wagner was the pole sitter for the forty lap A Main. Next to him was the preliminary night winner, Corey Day. Brent Marks and Tyler Courtney were in row two. Anthony Macri and Sye Lynch made up row three. Jacob Allen and Skylar Gee were in row four, with Spencer Bayston and Brad Sweet in row five. Behind them were Ja,ed McFadden and Justin Peck.
Day turned down under Wagner in turn two of the opening lap to take the lead. Wagner remained in second, followed by Marks, Courtney, Lynch, Allen, Macri, Gee, Bayston and McFadden. Marks moved into second on lap three, moments before the first caution.
There was a multi-car tangle coming off turn two on lap three that damaged several cars. Getting the worst of it was Rico Abreu, whose fuel tank was leaking badly following some contact. Others whose nights were ended in the melee included T.J. Stutts and Cody Bova.
When the race resumed, Day sped away from Marks and Wagner, Courtney held fourth once again, followed by Lynch and McFadden.
On lap nine, Justin Peck took a wild ride coming entering turn two. He was not hurt in the crash.
Day separated himself from the pack at the drop of the green again. However, the bad luck came his way on lap seventeen, when he had a commanding lead. His right rear tire sheared off and that sent the car into a spectacular series of tumbles. He came to a stop at the base of the hill way below turn two. Despite the heavy damage, Day was not harmed.
Marks inherited the lead for the restart and he established himself as the man to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, Lynch was fighting with Courtney for the second position. They swapped it several times before Courtney took control a couple of laps into the run. Soon thereafter, Marks flattened his right rear, giving Courtney the point for the second half of the event.
On the restart, Lynch was applying pressure to Courtney. Back a few positions, Wagner and McFadden touched wheels, but both drivers were able to maintain control of their machines.
With Courtney on the cushion and Lynch using the low line, there were several lead changes, However, Courtney always managed to regain the lead before they reached the scoring loop.
The final twenty laps ran without interruption. Courtney stayed out front. Once he got into lapped traffic, he pulled away from Lynch, who had to move up the track to try to pass the slower traffic. This change of lines was not to his favor. Lynch had trouble with the the new line. McFadden closed in on Lynch, but he could not challenge for second.
At the checkers, it was Courtney over Lynch and McFadden. Tanner Thorsen nipped Bayston for fourth at the scoring loop. Brad Sweet, Allen, Emerson Axsom, Zeb Wise, and Chris Windom completed the top ten.
Track champion A.J. Flick dropped out with damage to his radiator during the extended stoppage after Day’s flip. Flick was driving the Bernie Steubgen 71 once again.
The forty-three car field ran four heat races. The wins belonged to Skylar Gee, Logan Wagner, Brent Marks, and Jacob Allen. The Dash winner was Logan Wagner.
Cory Eliason prevailed in the B Main. Hunter Schuerenberg topped the C Main.
The fastest qualifier overall came from Group B. It was Brent Marks, who circled the track in 13.235 seconds. Skylar Gee was best in Group A, with a time of 13.266 seconds.
SARVER, PA (September 13, 2024): Corey Day went from third to first near the midpoint of the non-stop thirty lapper that opened the Commonwealth Clash weekend for the High Limit Racing Series at the Lernerville Speedway. Day’s seventh series victory of the season was worth $10,000 and it locked him into the finale to be held on Saturday evening.
Day said that it was good to be back at the track for the second time of the season. He had a strong run on the first occasion, The Don Martin Memorial, but he came home second to Rico Abreu. This time around, Day had the advantage.
“I did not know where they (the lapped cars) were at or where I needed to be. I got up to Rico (Abreu) and he started to get away from me. I went down but I couldn’t make any speed, so I went back up.”
Day claimed that he “saw Sunshine’s nose (Tyler Courtney) like maybe twenty-five times, but maybe it was a lapped car.” He was right, the car that he saw was the similarly styled car of Chris Windom, a lapped car, for after Day passed Courtney for the lead, he easily distanced himself from the other lead pack cars.
The pole position belonged to Sye Lynch, a third generation driver with deep roots at Lernerville Speedway. Next to him was Anthony Macri. Day and Courtney shared row two. Behind them were Brent Marks and James McFadden. Brad Sweet and Jacob Allen made up row four. Emerson Axsom made his Lernerville debut from the inside of row five, with Danny Sams as his runningmate. A.J. Flick started in row six aboard the Sreubgen 71, with Brian Brown as his dancing partner.
Lynch got the drop on Macri, who stayed close on the opening lap. Behind them were Courtney, Day, McFadden, Marks, Allen, Sweet, Sams, and Axsom. After just a couple of laps, Courtney worked his way into second and, by lap seven, Day was third and closing.
Meanwhile, Lynch, the favorite son, continued to lead. However, his time out front ended on lap twelve, when Courtney swept past. Day soon followed into second. Courtney got sideways in turn four just one lap paper, almost colliding with the lapped car of Cody Bova. That miscue was enough to allow Day to jump ahead.
At the halfway mark, it was Day ahead of Courtney, Lynch, Macri, and McFadden. Macri moved up a notch on lap eighteen, but Lynch rebounded on lap twenty to regain third place.
The leaders were working hard through heavy lapped traffic in the final third of the race. Day maintained the lead nonetheless. Lynch continued his march forward, taking second by lap twenty-five. Lynch narrowed the margin somewhat in the final five laps, but he was no match for Day.
At the checkers, it was Day over Lynch, Courtney, and Macri for the transfer spots into the Saturday A Main. McFadden was fifth, followed by Marks, Sweet, Allen, Spencer Bayston, and new father Tanner Thorson.
Lynch was disappointed that he could not bring home the win before the highly partisan crowd. He admitted that he is his hardest critic. “You can’t make mistakes, you need to be on kill every lap. I made some mistakes for several laps.” Fortunately for Lynch and his ‘underdog team,’ as he put it, he was able to recover and to race his way back to second in the stretch run.
Courtney noted that things got “pretty hectic” during the race “We were pretty good in the beginning, but I almost spun out and gave it all up.”
The forty car field competed in four heat races, with wins going to James McFadden, Anthony Macri, Brad Sweet, and Tyler Courtney. Logan Wagner won the B Main. The Dash victory went to Sye Lynch. Rico Abreu was the best in Group A and overall, with a time of 12.794 seconds. Jacob Allen topped Group B with a time of 13.012 seconds.
- 14-Corey Day[3]; 2. 42-Sye Lynch[1]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[4]; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri[2]; 5. 83-James McFadden[6]; 6. 19-Brent Marks[5]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet[7]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen[8]; 9. 5-Spencer Bayston[14]; 10. 88-Tanner Thorson[16]; 11. 27-Emerson Axsom[9]; 12. 55-Chris Windom[13]; 13. 2KS-Hunter Schuerenberg[15]; 14. 9P-Parker Price Miller[17]; 15. 24-Rico Abreu[22]; 16. 21-Brian Brown[12]; 17. 24D-Danny Sams III[10]; 18. 13-Justin Peck[24]; 19. 8-Cory Eliason[23]; 20. 1-Brenham Crouch[20]; 21. 6-Ryan Smith[19]; 22. 71-AJ Flick[11]; 23. 20B-Cody Bova[18]; 24. 69K-Logan Wagner[21]
FRANKLIN, PA (July 10, 2024): This Sunday, July 14, the spotlight will shine on the Pro Stock division at the Tri City Raceway Park. The region’s top runners will be on hand, as the event will be part of the Penn Ohio Pro Stock Series. Of course, the track’s regulars will be there representing the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks.
“The Pro Stock class has long been part of the tradition at Tri City Raceway Park, and we are proud to have this battle among the best in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio at our track,” said the new owner Josh Shiffer.
“And, last week’s feature was a great example of the competitiveness that the Pro Stocks bring,” he added. Rod Laskey scored his first win of the season by holding off a strong challenge from Jackson Humanic, who was subbing for Josh Seippel. Seippel will be back from vacation in time for the invasion of the Penn Ohio series, in which he also competes. And, we know that Humanic will be hungry for a win after his strong finish last week.
Another track regular expected to be on hand will be Bobby Whitling. The “Seneca Slider” missed the last race due to a fuel pump failure detected at his garage. Tim Bish, a multi-time winner at Tri City this season, may return as well. He has been sidelined by an engine failure.
There will be plenty other talented drivers also carrying the Tri City flag, too. Pat Fielding, Doug Iorio, II, Russ Coyne, Jason Kimmy, Aaron Smith, Andrew Hammond, Jake Whitling, Charlie McMillen, Matt Bernard, and Hunter Exley are some whose names will be familiar to the Tri City fans.
The invaders will include Chris Schneider, who has already been a winner at Tri City this year. Tyler Dietz, Joey Zambotti, Chase Lambert, Brandon Connor, Jason Fosnaught, Brett Hutira, and Tommy Dembowski are among the Penn Ohio Series regulars who are expected as well.
This will be a unique opportunity for the Pro Stock fans to see many of the top stars on the track together, as the Sunday race date eliminates schedule conflicts for so many of the competitors.
But, there will be three other classes in action also. The Krill Recycling 410 Sprint Cars will be on the card, along with the 4 Your Car Connection RUSH Sprints. And, the 21st Century Energy Group 358 Modifieds will be back after their brief hiatus.
On Sunday evening, Matt Farnham and Michael Bauer provided a last lap thrill in the 410 Sprint Car ranks, while A.J. Flick was closing in on them both! John Mollick picked up his second win of the season with young Blaze Myers right behind him in the Rush Sprinters.
While many of his competitors were enjoying the week off from racing, 358 Modified point leader Chad Reitz was at Tri City helping his friend, Bob Felmlee. Felmlee is the points leader in the Krill Recycling 410 Sprints. Reitz will be ready with his Ford powered Modified, the only Blue Oval among the Bowtie Brigade. Eric Gabany will probably be at the controls of Steve Slater’s car once again, as medical issues have kept Slater out of the seat for the last couple of weeks. Hayden and Jimmy Holden, Kyle Fink, Lenny Liebold, III, Makayla Shannon, Frank Guidace, Eric Beggs, Troy McGregor, and many others will be looking for their first wins this season.
Regular event ticket pricing will apply for this exciting event. That means adult admission will be $15. Seniors (ages 62 and up), students (ages 11 through 16), and military will be $13, all with proper identification. The children (ages 10 and under) will be admitted for free, as usual at Tri City. The Pit Passes will be $35, with the exception of those required for the infants (ages 2 and under). The youngsters will be pitside for just $15.
The pit gates will be open at 2 p.m. and the spectator gates will open at 4 p.m. Racing will begin at 6 p.m. There will be practice for the Pro Stocks before the racing begins in earnest.
If you cannot make it to Tri City Raceway Park this week, consider the weekend doubleheader coming up on July 20 and 21. Saturday will feature a Demolition Derby and an Enduro. Next will be a Sunday Thunder program, along with Bike races for the children. Helmets will be required for all riders.
Also, mark your racing calendars for the return of the FAST on Dirt Sprint Car Series on July 28.
The divisional sponsors of Tri City Raceway Park for 2024 are: Krill Recycling, LLC (410 Sprint Cars), 21st Century Energy Group (358 Modifieds), Hovis Auto & Truck Supply (Pro Stocks), and 4 Your Car Connection (RUSH Sprint Cars).
All competitors at Tri City Raceway Park will be eligible for the Marsh Heating & Cooling Heat Race Challenge. The driver that wins the most heat races over the courseof the season, regardless of the class, will receive a special award. Currently leading in that category is Tim Bish.
Other marketing partners of Tri City Raceway Park for 2024 include: Erie Beer, Wab-Tec (manufacturer of locomotive engines), Schaeffer Lubricants, Keystone Transit (school buses), Blue Ox Timbers (buyers of timberland timber land management), Constable Refuse (residential and commercial garbage collectors), First Rate Realty (real estate sales), Landscape Connection (portable toilets and landscape supplies), KEI-Klapec Express Inc. (trucking company), BKI-Bert Klapec Inc. (excavation and demolition), Shambaugh Towing, Gibson Hill Automotive (auto repair), McCandless Ford Sales (located in Mercer and Meadville), McCandless Trailer Sales (located in Mercer and Meadville), Big Dog RC (remote controlled cars and race track), McGregor Excavating, Les Frickshun (lubricants and undercoating), Bish Heating & Cooling, Wet Hose LLC (pressure washing), Heffern Septic Service, Tionesta Builders Supply (located in Tionesta and Shippenville), UCIP-United Community Independence Program (housing and services for the handicapped), Close Racing Supply, Billy’s Garage & Towing, Oakland-Rampart Equipment (makers of centrifugal dryers, wash systems, and separators), Shaw Industries (machine shop), Welding Technologies, Froggie Radio, and Hards Welding.
Remember that you will need to check the Facebook page, Tri City Raceway Park, for current information. The former website is not updated and will soon be replaced.
Tri-City Raceway Park is located just a few miles north of Franklin, PA, at 3430 State Route 417 in Oakland Township. Professional auto racing will be presented in a family friendly atmosphere most Sunday evenings from May through Labor Day weekend.
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Seized the Day
