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Dirt Racing

Peterson Perfect in Sprint Opener at Tri City Raceway Park; Cipriano, Ruhlman, Wyant, and Urey also Score

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FRANKLIN, PA (PA May 21, 2023): Ricky Peterson opened the 2023 season at Tri City Raceway Park with a dominant performance in the 410 Sprint Cars. Also scoring wins were Ayden Cipriano (358 Modifieds), Chad Ruhlman (RUSH Sprints), Tyler Wyant (Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks), and Matt Urey (4 Your Car Connection Four Cylinder Mini Stocks).

Defending track champion A.J. Flick had the pole for the 410 Sprint Car race, with Ohio pilot Ricky Peterson by his side. Jack Sodeman, Jr. and Cameron Nastasi were in the second row. Jeremy Weaver and Brandon Spithaler were in the third row. The fourth belonged to Bob Felmlee and Shamus O’Donnell. Row five had Andy Cavanaugh and Nolan Groves. Row six had Blaze Myers inside of divisional rookie Bodey McClintock. Zach Morrow brought up the rear.

Peterson wasted no time heading the field. Flick challenged him for the lead over the first two laps, but Peterson retained control. From that point on, he built upon his lead.

Sodeman held third through the only caution of the event, on lap eleven, when Myers did a 360 degree spin in turn three. Although he continued, the caution was called for safety reasons.

On the restart, Flick switched to the high line in turn four in an attempt to pass Peterson. The move backfired, and Flick lost considerable ground. He did not lose any positions on the track though.

Soon after the caution, Spithaler overtook Sodeman for the final podium position. He began to reel in Flick and the two went at it for several laps. However, Flick emerged with second at the finish.

Spithaler, Sodeman, and Weaver completed the top five. Felmlee, Myers, Cavanaugh, O’Donnell, and McClintock were the next five finishers.
Jack Sodeman, Jr. and A.J. Flick took the first heat races for the 410 Sprint Cars. There was no B Main.

In the 358 Modifieds, Chad Reitz made his return to the speedway after a long absence. He started from the pole, with youngster Ayden Cipriano next to him. Steve Slater and Eric Beggs were next in line. New Yorker Nick Joy and Jimmy Holden departed from row three. Austin Eyler and Don Cornelius were in row four. Kevin Green and Lenny Liebold, another returning veteran, were in row five. The final row matched Jolene Smith and Tom Holden.

Cipriano led from the start of the twenty lap affair. Reitz settled into second, followed by Slater, Beggs, and Joy. Three laps into the race, a caution shook up the field, as two members of the top five spun between turns one and two. Neither Beggs nor Joy were able to continue.

Cipriano continued to lead after the restart. But Jimmy Holden passed Reitz for second. Holden began to close in on his younger rival, but he could not get close enough to attempt a pass.

Cipriano took his first career checkered flag at Tri City Raceway Park 1.526 seconds ahead of Jimmy Holden. Reitz was third, followed by Tom Holden and Slater. Eyler, Cornelius, Liebold, and Smith were the remaining finishers. Joy was scored in tenth based upon laps completed.

Chad Reitz scored his first heat race win since returning to the 358 Modified wars. Also getting a checkered was Jimmy Holden. There was no B Main.

Chad Ruhlman drew the pole for the twenty lap RUSH Sprint Car feature event. It was no walk in the park for the veteran driver, though, as Blaze Myers challenged him throughout. Indeed, Myers even scooted into the lead for several laps in the first half of the contest. Myers got another shot at the leader when the only restart occurred with three laps remaining. However, Ruhlman was ready for him.

Next to Ruhlman in the first row was Charlie Utsinger. Then came Myers and Arnie Kent. Row three belonged to Brian Hartzell and Jammin’ John Mollick. The fourth row had Joe Buccola paired with Zack Wilson. The fifth matched Brian Cressley and Kevin Ruhlman. Row six was made up of Jeff Metzgar and A.J. McQuarrie.

Chad Ruhlman got the initial advantage over Myers, Kent, Mollick, and Utsinger. Myers took over command after pressing Ruhlman for several laps. However, Ruhlman found the outside groove to his liking and he regained the lead on lap seven.

Chad Ruhlman led the way through the next caution, on lap seventeen for a tire marker that came into the racing groove in turn three after being hit by one of the competitors.

On the restart, Myers dropped to the inside and pressured Ruhlman for about a lap and a half. However, Ruhlman still preferred the outside line and he rode that to the win by 0.873 seconds over Myers.

Taking third was Kent, followed by Mollick and Wilson. Positions six through ten went to Hartzell, Brandon Shughart, Cressley, McQuarrie, and Ricky Tucker.

Three Rivers Karting

Jammin’ John Mollick and Blaze Myers captured the wins in the RUSH Sprint Car preliminaries. There was no B Main.

Pat Fielding and Tyler Wyant paced the field for the start of the fifteen lap Hovis Auto & Truck Supply feature event. Jason Fosnaught and Rod Laskey were in row two, In the third row were nJosh Blum and veteran Bobby Whitling. Mike Bordt and Charlie McMillen were in the fourth row. Russ Coyne and Quinten Boozell were in row five. Matt Bernard was shotgun on the field.

Myers powered off turn four to take the early lead. Fielding held down second for several laps. However, Whittling was on the march. He took second and he chased the leader for a handful of laps.

On lap ten, the first caution appeared, giving Whitling a chance to start beside Wyant. The duo ran side by side for several laps. Wyant inched ahead before another caution flew with three laps remaining.

Whitling was unable to mount a challenge after the final green was displayed. Wyant went on to grab his fourth career win at the track. Whitling followed him across the finish line. Fosnaught passed Fielding in the waning laps to take third. Bordt was fifth.

Coyne, McMillen, Bernard, Blum, and Boozell rounded out the top ten.

The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks had a pair of heats as well. Jason Fosnaught and Bobby Whitling prevailed. There was no B Main.
The 4 Your Car Connection Four Cylinder Mini Stocks John Gill and Tyler Ellenberger brought the field to the green, followed by Kyle Janas and Levi Maskal. Thomas Warren and Chad Greeley were in row three.

Urey jumped out to an early lead, followed by Janas. However, Janas encountered a mechanical problem, as did Warren. That moved Ellenberger into the second spot followed by Dillon Morrison, Gill, and Greeley.

Janas, Warren, Kevin Wice, Jr., and Levi Mascal were scored seventh through ninth based upon laps completed.

The 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks presented a pair of qualifiers. The triumphant racers were Thomas Warren and Levi Maskal. There was no B Main.

Next week, Tri City Raceway Park will present its first special of the season. The ground pounding Big Block Modifieds of the BRP Modified Tour will invade to do battle with the 358 Modifieds. It has been quite some time since a small block racer topped the more powerful cousins, so come out to see if history can be repeated on the big half mile oval. Joining the fun will be the UMP Modifieds, the 410 Sprint Cars, the Four Cylinder Mini Stocks presented by 4 Your Car Connection, and the Vintage Modifieds will race in a Memorial for Lloyd Keith.

Then, on June 4, Tri City Raceway Park will host the final round of the Western PA Sprint Car Speedweek. The other Sunday Thunder divisions will also be in action. So come out to watch the 358 Modifieds, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks, and the 4 Your Car Connection Four Cylinder Mini Stocks.

There will be no auto racing on June 11. Instead, the track will present the All American Rodeo Company on Saturday, June 10, under the auspices of the International Professional Rodeo Association.

410 Sprint Cars: Ricky Peterson, A.J. Flick, Flick, Brandon Spithaler, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Jeremy Weaver, Biob Felmlee, Blaze Myers, Andy Cavanaugh, Shamus O’Donnell, Bodey McClintock, Nolan Groves, Cameron Nastasi, Zach Morrow,

358 Modifieds: Ayden Cipriano, Jimmy Holden, Chad Reitz, Tom Holden, Steve Slater, Austin Eyler, Don Cornelius, Lenny Liebold, Jolene Smith, Nick Joy, Eric Beggs, Kevin Green (DNS).

RUSH Sprint Cars: Chad Ruhlman, Blaze Myers, Arnie Kent, John Mollick, Zach Wilson, Brian Hartzell, Brandon Shughart, Brian Cressley, A.J. McQuarrie, Ricky Tucker, Charlie Utsinger, Jeff Metzgar, Kevin Ruhlman, Trent Marshall, Lacey Shuttleworth, Devon Deeter, Tyler Clark, Joe Buccola.

Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks: Tyler Wyant, Bobby Whitling, Jason Fosnaught, Pat Fielding, Mike Bordt, Russ Coyne, Charlie McMillen, Matt Bernard, Josh Blum, Quinten Boozell, Rod Laskey.

4 Your Car Connection Four Cylinder Mini Stocks: Matt Urey, Tyler Ellenberger, Dillon Morrison, John Gill, Chad Greeley, Kyle Janas, Thomas Warren, Kevin Wice, Jr., Levi Maskal, Bill Fuchs (DNS), Matt Daugherty (DNS).

Dirt Racing

Rahmer and Norris Get Second Wins of the Season at Lincoln Speedway in Fallen Firefighters Memorial

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Photo: Jeremy Zarfos

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (May 17, 2025): A brief delay for a passing shower did not dampen the spirits of those attending the Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the Fabulous Lincoln Speedway. Freddie Rahmer, Jr. fought off a desperate late race charge from Chase Dietz to bank $6,000 for the 410 Sprints. Dylan Norris rebounded from a disappointing run in that race to capture the 358 Sprint finale, collecting in excess of $1,500 for his efforts. For each driver, it was their second victory of the season in the Pigeon Hills.

Rahmer had no idea that Dietz was closing until he saw the nose of car a split second before he lost the lead at the scoring loop. However, Rahmer rallied to regain the lead in turn three heading for the white flag. Dietz wasn’t quite finished, though, as he dove low off turn four heading for the checkers. Rahmer nipped him at the line to score the exciting win.

Rahmer, who rode the rim for most of the race, said that he was starting to struggle with the lapped cars. So, when the field aligned for teh final restart with six laps remaining, he decided to move to the bottom groove. He thought that there would be some clean rubber there. However, he added, “it slowed the pace down too much.” Then, after Dietz charged by on the insdide, Rahmer moved up to the middle of the track, picking up enough speed to drive by on the back stretch so he could close the door at the entry to turn three.
Dietz, who came so close to picking up his second win of the weekend, commented that he waited too long to move back to the top after passing Rahmer for the lead.

With the starting line-up determined by PA Speedweek procedures, Rahmer was fortunate to draw the pole position. He was flanked by Aaron Bollinger. Matt Campbell and Kyle Moody were in row two. The last driver in the re-draw, Tyler Ross, was inside of row three, with Ashton Torgerson as his runningmate. Cameron Smith and point leader Troy Wagaman, Jr. made up row four. The fifth belonged to Ryan Newton and Brandon Rahmer. Then came Chad Trout and Chris Frank.

Rahmer, Jr. claimed the early lead over Bollinger, Moody, Campbell, Torgerson, Ross, Wagaman, Smith, Brandon Rahmer, and Frank. While the first three ran in single file formation, Torgerson, Campbell, and Ross were battling for the fourth spot. Torgerson took iy moments before the first caution, on lap four, for a spin by Dallas Schott to turn four.

Campbell regained the position soon after the race resumed. When the leaders entered lapped traffic, Campbell began to gain on them.

He moved into third by lap eighteen, the midpoint of the race. After another brief stoppage, on lap twenty-one, Campbell moved into second. Although he got within a car length of Rahmer, Jr., Campbell could not make a move for the lead.

Campbell was not the only racer making progress in the event. Dietz, who started thirteenth, was running in the middle of the pack through the first half of the contest. In the second half, though, his car came to life, and he began to move ahead.

He was sitting eighth for the restart on lap twenty-one, and he cracked the top five by lap thirty, when the final caution was displayed.
When the green light came on again, Dietz was ready. He picked off Moody and Bollinger almost immediately. Soon thereafter, be shot past Campbell. The excitement built as he closed in on Rahmer. As the lead duo crossed the scoring loop for lap thirty-three, Dietz was a nose ahead of Rahmer, Jr. Dietz cleared him in turn one, but Rahmer fought back. Rahmer got a good run down the backstretch and he was able to shut the door on Dietz entering turn three,

Three Rivers Karting

Rahmer stayed in the middle groove and Dietz went back to the top. He built some moementum on the final lap and turned under Rahmer coming through the final corner. Dietz came up short in the stretch run by .045 seconds.

Campbell crossed in third, followed by Bollinger, and Moody. Torgerson, Wagaman, Ross, Smith, and Newton rounded out the top ten.

The three heat winners were Moody, Campbell, and Bollinger. They each picked up $100. Kody Hartlaub won the B Main. He also earned a $500 bonus as the evening’s fastest qualifier with a lap of 14.430 seconds. Dietz was the hard charger, good for an extra $400.

In the nightcap for the 358 Sprint Cars, Ayden Hare and Bo Gordon drew the front row. Jude Siegel and Seth Schnoke were in the second row, followed by Aistin Reed and Ashley Cappetta. However, a multi-car tangle in turn one on the opening lap substantially altered the remainder of the line-up.

When the race got going, Hare led Gordon, Cameron Merriman, Cappetta, Siegel, Dylan Norris, Andy Best, Frankie Herr, Jayden Wolf, and James Roselli. Merriman quickly moved into second and took over the point on lap four. Norris followed into third.

Cautions on laps seven, nine, and ten interrupted the flow of the race, but they did not dter the advancement of Norris into second position.

Norris charged past Merriman on lap eleven and was never headed.

Merriman held on for second and Hare for third, followed by Gordon and Cappetta. Siegel, Wolf, Best, Herr, and Steve Owings completed the top ten.

The four heat wins, with an undisclosed bonus for each winner, went to Tyler Ulrich, Herr, Austin Reed, and Norris. Chase Guttshall won the B Main. Owings received the $200 hard charger bonus.

Next week, Lincoln Speedway presents the Bob Leiby Memorial for 410 Sprint Cars joined by the Limited Stocks. On May 31, the Steve Smith Tribute Race will be held for the 410 and 358 Sprints. The revived All Star Circuit of Champions will roll into town on June 7. They will be accompanied by the 358 Sprints. That will be the Elijah Hawkins Memorial.

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Dirt Racing

Macri Defends the Home Turf Against the Outlaws

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Photo by Paul Arch

MECHANICSBURG, PA (May 10, 2025): Anthony Macri remains undefeated at the Williams Grove Speedway in 2025. He led wire to wire in the World of Outlaws main event to retain the Morgan Cup for the Pennsylvania Posse. And, he added another cool $20,000 to his bank account for his first ever Outlaws triumph at the Grove.

Macri described the experience of defeating the Outlaws at the Grove as “surreal.”

He was challenged briefly in turn one by the ten-time Outlaws champion, Donny Schatz. However, Macri rode the high groove to fend off the attack. “I just figured we had the groove up top, and I had the wing back.”

David Gravel came on in the late stages of the contest to take second spot, but he was no match for Macri on this night. Gravel was fortunate to avoid a multi-car crash in turn four that claimed Carson Macedo and Logan Schuchart, who were contending for teh fourth spot at the time. Gravel explained “i said “aw shit” when I went into three and that lapped car spun. I went low and they all went high.” He added, “I felt good on the bottom, but (when I got to second) only the top was open and I wasn’t as good up there.”

Danny Dietrich was in contention for much of the race but he got shuffled back on the lap fourteen restart. He battled back though to give the Posse two of the three podium positions. “I wish it would have stayed green,” he said. “I was on the inside and that wasn’t the place to be. I got freight-trained and I had to fight back from there.”

Bill Balog was the unexpected pole sitter for the thirty lap affair. after his Dash win. Macri was to his right. Schuchart and Schatz made up the second row. Then came Gravel and Dietrich. Justin Whittall and Conner Morrel were the final cars from the Dash. Row five belonged to Buddy Kofoid and Carson Macedo. Row six consisted of Troy Wagaman, Jr. and Giovanni Scelzi.

Although Balog was first into turn one, he left the top groove open for Macri. Macri took advantage of the opportunity and he powered off turn two with the lead. Balog’s time among the leaders ended on the next trip around the historic half mile. He spun in turn two to bring out the first caution. Fortunately no other competitors were collected in the incident.

Macri had the inside line for the restart with Schatz on his flank and Dietrich on his rear nerf bar. Schuchart, Gravel and Macedo were next in the running order.

Three Rivers Karting

When the green flashed on again, Macri drove away from Schatz and Dietrich. There was good separation between them until Macri entered lapped traffic. Schatz closed in and he managed to pull up next to Macri in turn one on once occasion. However, he could not complete the pass. Macri continued to lead Schatz and Dietrich until the lap fourteen calamity which required a red flag. That melee was triggered by T.J. Stutts.

The departure of Macedo and Schuchart from the lead group moved Gravel into fourth, followed by Kofoid, Whittal, Scelzi, Freddie Rahmer, Jr., Morrel, and Shelcon Haudenschild for the final restart of the night.

While Macri and Schatz held the top two positions, Gravel moved into third, followed by Whittal. Dietrich slipped back to fifth and he was being challenged by Rahmer.

Gravel picked off Schatz in traffic on lap twenty-two, but he was nearly a full straight behind Macri when he took over second.

Macri maintained a safe margin the rest of the way. Schatz held third for several laps. However, Dietrich got rolling again and he chased him down in the final laps. Dietrich took third with twenty-eight complete.

Schatz held on for fourth, followed by Whittall, who logged his first top five against the touring pros. Kofoid, Rahmer, Haudenschild, Scelzi, and Wagaman completed the top ten.

The heats were evenly split between the two factions. Schuchart and Gravel took the checkers for the visitors, and Macri and Whittal prevailed for the home team. Daryn Pittman won the C Main and parlayed that into a transfer from the B Main. The B Main winner was Ashton Torgerson. The evening’s fastest time was logged by Schuchart, who topped Group A with a lap of 16.471 seconds. Macri was the best in Group B with a time of 16.515.

Williams Grove Speedway will be back in action on Friday, May 16 with the 410 and 358 Sprints. May 23 will offer the 410 and 305 Sprints. The month of May will conclude with another 410 and 358 Sprint program.

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Dirt Racing

Kofoid Takes Gettysburg Clash

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Photo by Paul Arch

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (May 7, 2025): Buddy Kofoid captured the Northeastern opener for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at the Fabulous Lincoln Speedway. Although Kofoid led all thirty-five laps, he did lose the lead briefly to Chase Dietz in turn four following a lap eight restart.

Kofoid admitted that he did not anticipate Dietz’s move. After Dietz slid him at the entry to that corner, Kofoid deftly turned back under Dietz coming off the turn to regain the lead before the duo reached the scoring loop. Hence, there was no official lead change recorded. “I just could cut the middle,” Kofoid noted of his unexpected path to recovery. “As the leader, you don’t know until you know.”

Kofoid explained that his car was very maneuverable. “I could move around pretty good. But, I was good enough to stay on top.”

Track conditions favored his lane choice. He explained that the top was not very difficult in turns three and four “because it is a little wider. (Turns) one and two got kinda slick and I needed to be careful. I cut it down through one and two.”

Dietz, who has one win so far this season, said that he was “sick and tired of finishing second.” He added that his car was a “little tight on the top.” Nevertheless, “right at the end, I got closer (to Kofoid) But I couldn’t do a slider.”

Anthony Macri came on strong at the end of the race as well. He made up considerable ground on David Gravel and made a last lap pass to reach third. “There was rubber off (turn) two and I got my wing back and I had a good run down the straight. He (Gravel) got hung up behind some lapped cars.”

Kofoid earned the pole position by dominating the Dash. Gravel, the top winner on the Outlaws circuit so far this season, was his running mate. Skyler Gee and Danny Dietrich made up teh second row, with Lucas Wolfe and Dietz in the third. The final two Dash participants, Macri and Giovanni Scelzi, occupied row four. Then came Kyle Moody and Hunter Schuerenberg. Carson Macedo and Bill Balog lined up in row six.

Kofoid snatched the lead, with Gravel and Gee in hot pursuit. Dietz held fourth. Dietrich, Scelzi, Wolfe, Macri, Schuerenberg, and Haudenschild followed. In the early rounds.

A caution was displayed on lap four for the two-car tangle of Ryan Smith and Parker Price Miller in turn four. Although only one more trip around the speedway was completed before the next interruption, it was a productive lap for Dietz, who edged Gravel for second at the scoring loop moments before the pace was slowed.

Three Rivers Karting

The second caution came when Wolfe went around in turn one collecting Freddie Rahmer, Jr. and Cole Macedo. Conner Morrell was also involved.

On the restart, Gee and Gravel swapped positions a couple of times. Dietrich, who was watching that action just ahead of him, but he faded out of the top ten before stopping at the entry to turn three with a flat right rear tire. Dietrich got new rubber and returned at the rear of the field.

The remaining twenty-seven laps spun off with no other incidents. Dietz brought the Lincoln faithful to their feet with his slider in turn four, but Kofoid reclaimed the lead, disappointing the crowd.

Kofoid built his lead again as the race progressed. Dietz, Gravel, Gee, and Macri made up the top five for much of that long run.
Just after the halfway mark, Macri began his march to the front. He took fourth by lap twenty. His final five laps were masterful as he chased down and passed Gravel for the third position.

Sheldon Haudenschild was fifth, followed by Carson Macedo, Gee, Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, and Dietrich.

Schuchart was named the hard charger for advancing eleven positions.

Dietz, Dietrich, Gee, and Scelzi won their respective heat races. Matt Campbell took the B Main and Brandon Rahmer was first in teh C Main. Dietz was the fastest qualifier of the night, topping Group A with a lap of 13.344 seconds. Gee paced Group B with a lap of 13.521 seconds.

Lincoln Speedway will be dark on Saturday, May 10, in consideration of the Outlaws event at Williams Grove Speedway. Lincoln will return to action on the seventeenth with the annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial featuring the 410 and 357 Sprints. Two more memorial events will close out the month. The Bob Leiby Memorial will be on May 24 with the 410 Sprints and Stock Cars on tap.

The Steve Smith Tribute will go on May 31 for the 410 and 358 Sprints.

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