Dirt Racing
Rahmer Races to Sixth Win and $7,000 at Lincoln Speedway
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (September 3, 2022): Freddie Rahmer, Jr. caught the breaks and held off the challenges of Troy Wagaman, Jr. to score his sixth victory of the season at the Fabulous Lincoln Speedway. The tribute to Elijah Hawkins, a child who succumbed to burn injuries in 2021, was worth $7,000 to the third generation driver from Salfordsville, PA.
Also celebrating in victory lane were Wyatt Hinkle in the 358 Sprint Cars and Travis Perry in the Central PA Legends.
“We got fortunate enough to win that one,” a relieved Rahmer said. “We weren’t good enough.” Rahmer explained that he wasn’t comfortable racing up against the big curb that developed in turns one and two, but that when he went to the inside and pulled his wing back, he was unable to get down the straights and he wasn’t able to get through turns one and two very well. “I could creep around turns three and four.”
Despite his complaints, Rahmer was good enough to keep Troy Wagaman, Jr. at bay. His efforts in that regard were aided by a couple of well-timed cautions, which cleared the lapped traffic. Rahmer was decent enough in clean air to maintain his lead. And, while Wagaman was able to close in on him in traffic, Wagaman could not pull off the pass before another caution would come out.
“I thought that I had it there,” Wagaman noted of one particular circumstance on lap nineteen. Wagaman added, “I didn’t want to show him the bottom too early. I had him before that incident.”
The incident to which Wagaman referred happened in turn one when he made a strong inside move on Rahmer and got a nose ahead. Rahmer was committed to the middle, but when a lapped car came up on him, his evasive maneuver took him into another lapped car, that of Chris Arnold, who took a nasty tumble as a result of their contact. “I didn’t mean to get into that lapped car, but an apology doesn’t fix nothing,” Rahmer noted.
Rahmer was restored to the point for the ensuing restart and, as happened at least two other times, he was able to scoot away from Wagaman in clean air.
Rahmer Jr. had the pole by the luck of the draw in this Speedweek format event. Next to him was Tim Glatfelter. Chad Trout and Robbie Kendall lined up behind them. Troy Wagaman, Jr. and Dylan Norris were paired in the thord row. Zane Rudisill and Brandon Rahmer started from wow four. Kyle Moody and Aaron Bollinger made up row five. The sixth matched Arnold with Jimmy Siegel.
Rahmer bolted out to the early lead over Glatfelter, Wagaman Jr., Trout, Norris, and Kendall. A caution just four laps into the contest bunched the field again.
Rahmer resumed the lead, with Galtfelter holding second again over Wagaman Jr. Norris moved up a notch, and then Glatfelter began to struggle. He fell back several positions in the running order.
Dominic Melair tumbled in between turns one and two for the next stoppage of the race on lap ten. On the restart, Wagaman Jr. stayed close to Rahmer Jr. Entering turn one on lap twelve, Wagaman made his first feint to the inside. However, Rahmer had enough momentum up top to maintain his advantage.
Rahmer Jr. began to separate himself from Wagaman Jr, who was searching around to find a quicker line. When the leaders encountered slower cars, though, Wagaman was able to close in on the leader. On lap nineteen, Wagaman had a good run coming off the inside of turn four. While Rahmer still crossed the scoring loop in front, Wagaman had the better corner entry and got ahead slightly. Rahmer checked up for a lapper that crossed his nose and there was heavy contact between Rahmer’s right rear tire and Arnold’s left front. Arnold went hard into the wall in one and flipped wildly. Fortunately, he was not hurt in the wreck.
Rahmer had the point again and led Wagaman. As the laps wound down, Wagaman started to close in again in traffic. He was ready to strike when the caution came out with three laps remaining in the contest.
Rahmer was able to complete the final rounds without another challenge from Wagaman. Taking third was Norris. Fourth went to Chase Dietz, who passed a dozen competitors in the thirty-five lapper. Dietz received an extra $250 for the effort. Trout crossed in fifth. Glatfelter, Brandon Rahmer, Moody, Tyler Ross, and Siegel completed the top ten.
There were three heats this night for the 410 Sprints. Taking the $100 wins were Kendall, Glatfelter, and Norris. There was no B Main. Rahmer Jr. also snagged a $250 bonus for setting the fast time, with a lap of 13.328 seconds.
A caution on the initial lap and then a six-car pile-up on the second attempted start marred the beginning of the 358 Sprint Car feature. Two cars flipped, but neither Jordan Strickler nor C.J. Tracy were injured. However, once the race officially began, it ran off without a hitch.
Wyatt Hinkle grabbed the lead from the pole position over Frankie Herr, Nat Tuckey, and Dave Holbrook. By lap five, Chris Frank took over second, followed by Herr, Kody Hartlaub, and Tuckey. Soon thereafter, Tuckey began to slide back in the field.
Hinkle and Frank threaded their way through traffic over the second half of the race. Frank drew close but could never find an opening to make a bid for the lead.
Hinkle crossed the scoring loop first at the end of the twenty laps. Frank was second, followed by Hartlaub, Herr, and Holbrook. Hayden Miller, Jeff Rohrbaugh, Logan Rumsey, Cody Fletcher, and Steve Owings were sixth through tenth.
Hinkle dedicated the win to his late brother, who would have turned thirty on this day.
The four heat winners were Hinkle, Herr, Holbrook, and Rumsey. There was no B Main.
In the Central PA Legends, Travis Perry made a last lapp pass to defeat Travis McClelland by 0.024 seconds for the win. Stephen Wurtzer, Bill Diehl, and Chris Transeau rounded out the top five. Nest to cross were Shaun Abney, Brent Marquis, Aaron Updegraff, Preston Alleman, and Choya Young.
McClelland locked himself into the A Main with a fast timed hot lap of 20.032 seconds. The twin non-qualifier races went to Aaron Updegraff and Cody Altland. A banner field of fourty-six Legends signed in for this event.
Next weekend, there will be no Sprint Cars racing at Lincoln Speedway due to the Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal Speedway. The Super Late Models will race for $4,000. They will be joined by the Wingless Sportsmen, and two divisions of Stockers. Then, on Saturday, September 17 will be Dirt Classic IX, sanctioned by the All Stars Circuit of Champions. Karts and motorcycles will compete on September 24 and October 1, respectively. The 410 Sprints will be back on October 4 for the Brian Montieth Tribute.
Dirt Racing
Macri Makes Comeback at Lincoln
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.
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.
Dirt Racing
Wagaman Works Magic in Lincoln Icebreaker
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.
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.
Dirt Racing
Tri-City Raceway Park to Be Sold, New Owners to Continue Sunday Operation
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.
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.