Dirt Racing
Dewease Dials in Win
MECHANICSBURG, PA (May 26, 2023): For Lance Dewease, his second win of the season and 113th of his career at Williams Grove Speedway was very significant. It achieved a goal that he and his car owner, Don Kreitz, Jr., set during the off-season. That was for Kreitz to overtake the late Al Hamilton as the winner of the most features as a car owner at the venerable track. Kreitz now has 93 checkers to his credit, 61 as an owner-driver and the rest as the owner for Dewease.
While Dewease thanked Kreitz for the opportunity, he dedicated the win to the third member of the Hall of Fame Dream Team. Davey Brown, his octogenarian crew chief, was absent due to an illness for the second week in a row. “Davey’s not feeling well, he’s at home watching,” Dewease explained. Then, he added with a laugh, “his daughter kept texting us all night.” Dewease added that he anticipates having Brown back for the two-day All-Stars event upcoming at Port Royal Speedway.
Dewease conceded that he may not have had the fastest car. “I think Freddie (Rahmer, Jr.) was the fastest car here, but we got some breaks.” One was for a lap ten miscue by the race leader, Chase Dietz, who did a 360 between turns three and four that collected Rahmer, who was racing in fifth at the time. The incident not only eliminated two strong contenders who had track position on Dewease, it also brought the new leader, Anthony Macri, back to him.
Dewease restarted in fifth, behind Macri, Devon Borden, Tyler Courtney, and Dylan Norris. He wasted no time moving up one position in turn one, and then he picked off another in turn three. On the next lap, Dewease was second, but he was already a good distance behind Macri.
The other break for Dewease came when Macri spun his tires and jumped the cushion in turn two with six laps remaining. At that moment, Macri was still in range to overtake Dewease as the leader, but he lost his momentum and, importantly, the runner-up position. For just two laps later, Courtney got a flat but Macri was stuck in third behind Dewease and Danny Dietrich for the final restart. Needless to say, Macri was not a factor in the last four laps.
Dietz had the pole for the start of the thirty lapper as a result of his victory in the dash. Next to him was Borden. Tim Shaffer and Macri were in row two, with Norris and Courtney in row three. Dewease and Kyle Moody were the final dash eligible drivers in the line-up. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. and Freddie Rahmer, Jr. occupied row five, with Danny Dietrich and Jimmy Siegel in row six.
Dietz seized control in turns one and two on the opening lap, but Macri was pressing him for the lead as they headed toward turn three. Borden stayed close in third, with Shaffer, Courtney, Norris, Rahmer Jr., Dewease, Moody, and Hafertepe following.
Dietz began to compile an advantage in the early laps while Macri and Borden battled for second. Macri was holding the spot when Dietz spun on his own with ten complete.
While Macri paced the field after the green flag dropped, it was Dewease who was making the most progress. In just two laps, he was into second and he began to whittle away at Macri’s lead.
Dewease made a couple of attempts to pass Macri, but exercising the discretion and patience of a veteran, Dewease did not force the issue. The opportunity presented itself as the duo raced off turn four to complete lap nineteen. Dewease, who was forced to search around for several laps because Macri took away his preferred low line, was able to get inside of Macri this particular time.
Dewease maintained control despite having some troubles with slower cars as the race entered its final stages. Macri’s misfortune gave Dewease some breathing room and it also provided a buffer in the form of Danny Dietrich. Then, Courtney’s flat tire reset the running order and it eliminated the lapped cars.
Dewease was not challenged in the last four rounds of the speedway. He crossed the line more than three seconds ahead of Dietrich to get win number 45 with the All Stars and $10,000. Macri was third, followed by Borden and Moody. Norris, Siegel, Cory Eliason, Zeb Wise, and Brent Marks completed the top ten.
Four heats were presented on Doug Esh Tribute night. The winners were Borden, Moody, Shaffer, and Dewease. The B Main victory went to Kyle Reinhardt. The fastest qualifier overall was Norris, with a lap of 16.999 seconds.
Williams Grove Speedway will present the 410 Sprints along with the Bill Gallagher Memorial 5G to win USAC East Coast 360 Sprint Cars on June 2. Plus there will be a phot shoot with the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing and fireworks that night. The following week will feature the 410 and 358 Sprints on Fan Appreciation Night. All general admission ticket holders will be allowed outside before the racing begins to meet their favorite stars.
June 16 will have the 410 Sprints racing along with the USAC National Sprints as part of the annual Eastern Storm tour. Then come the two PA Speedweek events on June 23 and 30.
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
