Dirt Racing
Spithaler, Norris, Krummert, and Christian Schneider take Opening Night Wins at Lernerville Speedway
SARVER, PA (April 19, 2024): Brandon Spithaler held on for the win in a non-stop twenty-five lapper to open the season for the 410 Sprint Cars at Lernerville Speedway. Defending track champion A.J. Flick raced from thirteenth to second. Taking the checkers in the Late Models was defending champion Michael Norris. Garrett Krummert earned his first opening night victory in the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds. Christian Schneider closed out the night holding the checkered flag in the Penn Ohio Pro Stocks.
“With (Will) Flemming getting into the fence coming to the white, I got out of (the throttle), maybe too much. I saw the 2 (A.J. Flick), that was the first time that I saw anybody.” Spithaler said. He maintained his outside line on the final trip around the track, and then he was able to pin Flick behind a lapped car coming off turn four to preserve the win. “The car was a lot better than last week. We came back from Attica (Raceway Park) and made a lot of changes to the car. We went back to some of the things that worked for us last year.”
Cody Bova and Jared Zimbardi paced the start of the first 410 Sprint Car feature event of 2024 season. Blaze Myers made his first 410 start at the Action Track from row two, along with Brandon Spithaler. Matt Farnham and Dan Kuriger were matched in row three. Hall of Fame racer Dale Blaney lined up with Carl Bowser in row four. Ohio invader Ricky Peterson and Michael Bauer had row five. Jeremy Weaver and Pete Landrum made up row six.
Although Bova led the field into turn one, it did not take Spithaler very long to vault into the lead. He shot from fourth to the front coming off turn two. Bova tucked into second, with Zimbardi, Blaney, Peterson, Kuriger, Farnham, Bowser, and Flick in tow.
With Spithaler setting a blistering pace, Zimbardi drove into second place. However, Blaney was making headway, and soon he was challenging for the role of first chaser. Also on the move was Flick, who reached the top five by lap eight.
Blaney took over the second position by lap ten and, just two laps later, Flick was up to third. Continuing his charge, Flick wrestled the second spot away from Blaney in the final five laps.
Spithaler’s lead was shrinking as the laps were counting down. Flick was within striking distance when an opportunity presented itself at the start of the final lap. Spithaler checked up because a lapped car got into the outside wall, but Flick could not scoot by. Flick took another run at the leader in the final corners, but Spithaler pinned him behind a lapped car coming off turn four to ensure the victory.
Blaney held on for third, with Zimbardi and Bova rounding out the top five. Kuriger, Peterson, Bowser, Myers, and Brandon Matus were finishers six through ten.
Sprint Car heats were won by Dale Blaney, Matt Farnham, and Cody Bova. Jacob Begenwald captured the B Main.
Michael Norris was relieved to get the win to open up his title defense in the Late Model ranks. “I pretty much thought that I had that race lost,” he said. He explained that he was running the bottom when Alex Ferree sailed by on the outside. That took Norris by surprise. However, a late race restart gave him the opportunity to battle Ferree for the lead again.
Ken Schaltenbrand was flanked by John Garvin for the start of the race. Tyler Dietz and mid-state racer Jon lee had row two. Daryl Charlier and Norris were dance partners in row three, with Jared Miley making his return in row four. He was paired with Ferree. Logan Zarin and Michael Lake were positioned in row five. Taking up row six were Michael Duritsky and Coltin Flinner.
The first two attempts to start the race were waived off. Miley’s spin in turn two accounted for the first one, and a false start justified the second. When the race did get going, Schaltenbrand was the leader, with Garvin’s new ride holding down the second spot. Trailing them were Dietz, Norris, and Lee.
There were no changes in the running order for the first several laps. Norris claimed third on lap seven. Two laps later, Garvin rode the rim coming off turn two to take command. Soon thereafter, Norris slipped into second. Norris remained close for the next three laps. He made his move to the front on lap twelve. Ferree climbed into third on lap thirteen.
The double file restart on lap sixteen had Norris to the inside and Ferree on the outside. They ran side-by-side for a lap, with Ferree getting a nose out front at the scoring loop. Another caution set them up for a rematch, but Ferree switched things up by taking the inside for the restart. He was able to get to turn one ahead of Norris and Ferree slid across the groove to get to the cushion first.
Ferree started to pull away, but the final caution, on lap twenty-one, wiped out his advantage. On the ensuing restart, Norris executed a slide job to regain the lead, but Ferree battled back. He was out front again using the high line through turns three and four.
On lap twenty-three, Norris returned the favor. He blasted around Ferree using the cushion to his advantage at the north end of the track.
Norris took the checkers ahead of Ferree, with Flinner in third. Lake and Garvin rounded out the top five. Dietz crossed in sixth, followed by Schaltenbrand, Zarin, and Tyler Wyant claiming tenth.
The trio of Late Model heats belonged to Logan Zarin, Jared Miley, and Alex Ferree. The B Main victory went to R.J. Dellape.
Garrett Krummert was the fourth and final leader of the DIRTcar Big Block Modified race. “We were pretty good anywhere,” Krummert noted. He said that the team tried some different things on the car, and he was able to run the top or the bottom. Krummert was able to take the lead away from Jeremiah Shingledecker on the final restart of the contest, coming on lap twenty-one. “I was surprised that Jeremiah gave me the outside for that restart.”
Will Thomas and Rex King, Jr. were on the front row, with brad Rapp and Shingledecker in row two. Colton Walters and Dave Murdick were in row three. Justin Shea and Krummert lined up in row four, ahead of Jordan Ehrenberg and Mike Kinney. Jeff Miller and Steve Slater departed from row six.
Thomas took the early lead, with King, Rapp, Shingledecker, Shea, and Walters following closely. A caution just three laps into the event gave King another shot at the lead, and he did briefly take the top spot. However, Thomas rallied as the duo came toward the scoring loop, and he was credited with the lead on lap four. King prevailed after another caution, and he continued to lead through lap twelve.
On that trip around the speedway, Shingledecker grabbed the lead using the high line. Krummert used the inside to take second, and King was stranded in the middle. He held onto third, ahead of Thomas and Walters.
While Shingledecker was leading, Krummert began searching for a better line. He was challenging for the lead when Shingledecker used a lapped car as a pick to gain some breathing room.
The final caution set Krummert up to make an outside charge to the front. Shingledecker held second, but a late race mistake cost him dearly. He got up over the berm in turn four losing several positions in the process. Shingledecker’s miscue enabled King to get back into second and Thomas into third.
At the checkers, it was Krummert, King, Thomas, Shingledecker, and Shea making up the top five. Rapp, Walters, Steve Feder, Murdick, and Rodney Beltz were the next five to cross the loop.
A pair of heats were contested for the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds. Justin Shea and Garrett Krummert took the honors. There was no B Main.
Christian Schneider raced his way to the front early in the nightcap for the Penn Ohio Pro Stocks. To get there, he had to pass defending champ, Tyler Dietz, and Schneider’s legendary father, Chris. The father chased the son the rest of the way, but he could not regain the lead.
On lap twenty, it was Christian getting the nod over Chris in the family feud. Dietz, Cody McPherson, and Jason Fosnaught were third, fourth, and fifth. Fosnaught was subbing for Brett McDonald. Next in line were Brett Hutira, Cody Koteles, Tyler Schneider, Jacob Dietz, and Cole Miller.
The Pro Stocks spun off two heats, with the wins going to Chris Schneider and Christian Schneider. There was no B Main.
Lernerville Speedway will present another action packed four-division program on April 26. Coming up on May 10, the ULMS Late Models will make their first appearance of 2024.
MECHANICSBURG, PA (May 9, 2026): David Gravel, the two-time World of Outlaws champion and current points leader, dominated the finale in the fifteenth running of the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove Speedway. Gravel’s win, the tenth of his career at the venerable speedway, secured possession of the perpetual trophy for the World of Outlaws for the eighth time. Moreover, the win gave the touring stars a two-to-one edge in the win column for the three-race Pennsylvania swing.
Gravel seized control of the race on the opening lap and he was never challenged during the course of the thirty lapper. The only threat to Gravel during the non-stop affair was a bumping incident when he was lapping Brent Shearer. Shearer’s right rear wheel contacted Gravel’s left rear. Fortunately, the two cars quickly separated and both drivers maintained control as they rocketed toward turn one. Gravel expressed concern that he might have gotten a flat tire from such contact, but he said that the double bead locks on the left rear of his car probably saved the day.
“From the rain this morning, that grip up high was there. They patted it down with the push trucks and water trucks. It just launched really good, and actually my motor was really cold. It didn’t run good for the first five or six laps, but it had enough horsepower to beat him (Kasey Kahne) going into (turn) one. He didn’t try to slide me. It looked like he backpedaled and tried to run the bottom, but that was obviously the winning move of the race.”
Gravel added that it was important for him to control the pace of the race. “You just don’t know, this could’ve been ten cautions or green-to-checkered. Luckily, it went green-to-checkered. Maybe I was getting a little complacent down here in (turns) three and four. Maybe should have moved up. Those guys said the 67 (Justin Whittall) was coming, so. It’s just so hard to lead these races. Lincoln, here, it doesn’t matter where it is. When you’re up front, you know, the track changes and people can judge you, behind you. I feel like I got through the lapped cars pretty good.”
Justin Whittall was making just his second start in his new joint venture with Rod Gross Motorsports. The first outing was a disappointing seventeen in the preliminary night program. He gave props to his crew for working late on Friday night and early on this race day to get more speed in the car. He was able to close in on the leader in the closing laps, but was several car lengths behind him when the checkers waved. “I saw David (Gravel) struggling with the lapped car. He finally got him. That was when I really started to catch him.”
Third place went to defending track champion and current points leader, Troy Wagaman, Jr. Wagaman’s podium finish stretched his points lead over Lance Dewease, who failed to qualify because he was plagued by mechanical problems all night long. Wagaman explained that he put together a complete night. “I felt good. I timed good, I had a good heat race, and a good dash. I had speed in the feature.”
For the second night in a row, Kasey Kahne started on the front row for the A Main. This time, he had the pole as a result of his dash victory. But the difference in lanes may have been his undoing. David Gravel had the outside position, which was clearly superior for the start of the event. Freddy Rahmer lined up third, with Whittall as his running mate. Wagaman and Sheldon Haudenschild were in row three. The last pair of preferred starters were Ashton Torgerson, aboard Kyle Moody’s machine, and Chad Trout. Then came Carson Macedo and Bill Balog, followed by Emerson Axsom and Danny Dietrich.
Gravel and Kahne raced wheel to wheel into turn one, but Gravel had the better line through the corner. He emerged from turn two with the lead and never looked back. Kahne followed closely in the early going, but, with each successive lap, Gravel added to his lead. Whittall, Wagaman, Rahmer, Haudenshild, , Torgerson, Trout, Carson Macedo, and Balog made up the balance of the top ten during the opening laps.
The first five–consisting of Gravel, Kahne, Whittall, Wagaman, and Haudenschild–raced in order through the first half of the event.
Soon after the midway signal, Whittall begal to stalk Kahne. On lap nineteen, Whittall rode the rin in turns three and four to reach second spot. Wagaman and Haudenschild soon followed suit.
Whittall trimmed Gravel’s lead in the closing laps. As he was doing so, Haudenschild was applying some pressure to Wagaman for third. A few spots back in the running order, Rahmer and Carson Macedo were battling for sixth.
At the checkers, it was Gravel over Whittall, Wagaman, Haudenschild, and Kahne. Carson Macedo was sixth, with Rahmer, Torgerson, Dietrich, and Balog completing the top ten.
Carson Macedo was named the hard charger, advancing three positions. Several others also passed as many cars but they were all behind him in the finishing order.
The four heat wins went to Gravel, Kahne, Whittall, and Trout. Daryn Pittman won the B Main. Gravel set the fast time, at 16.431, to top Group A. Whittall was the best in Group B with a time of 16.897.
Williams Grove Speedway will be back in action on Friday, May 15, with a Sprint Car doubleheader. The 410s and 358 Sprints will do battle on York County Racing Club Night. There will be no racing on May 22 , but the American Flat Track Motorcycles will compete on May 23.
MECHANICSBURG, PA (May 8, 2026): After more than 220 career starts with the Greatest Show on Dirt, Kasey Kahne is finally a winner with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. The unexpected victory came at Williams Grove Speedway, where his only triumph came on opening day in the year 2000. Adding to the novelty of it all, Kahne was pinch hitting for Anthony Macri, who was injured earlier this season at the track.
“This is crazy,” Khane said after scoring the upset. “I couldn’t believe this happened this weekend.”
He added, “two weeks ago, I was still building my own cars to get prepared to hopefully race them later this year. Now, I am with this team. I knew this was a good team.” Kahne just didn’t appreciate how good the team truly was until he became part of it.
Kahne was making just his third start for Macri Motorsports. He was eleventh in his debut at nearby Lincoln Speedway on Saturday night. Tuesday night, in the World of Outlaws event held there, he improved to ninth.
Kahne was tabbed to be the substitute driver because of his connection to the crew chief, Joe Mooney. Mooney was the car chief for Brad Sweet at Kasey Kahne Racing before joining Macri Motorsports in November of 2022.
When Mooney approached Kahne to tell him about his opportunity to join Macri Motorsports as the crew chief, Kahne told him that he had to take the job.
Mooney acknowledged that the decision to bring Kahne aboard as a substitute driver while Macri was on the mend “was a little bit of a payback.” He added, “it’s a little bit of repaying the favor of getting to work for him for four years and a lot of good times. When I went to take this job and told him I was probably leaving and where I was going, he was my biggest cheerleader. It’s pretty damn cool.”
Kahne led from start to finish in this one. But, it was not an easy win for the veteran driver. He had to fight off David Gravel and, later, Sheldon Haudenschild.
And, although the car was strong throughout the race, Kahne had to compensate for some of its quirks, which he attributed to the differences between his driving style and that of Anthony Macri. “I had my wing so far back, it was lifting the front down the straightaways.” He also noted that the car was leaning over on the right rear, but he needed that to get enough drive off the corners.
Sheldon Haudenschild chased down Kahne in the closing laps, and he made a bold outside move in turn two to challenge for the lead. “Kasey was running a slider line and had it kinda blocked. I thought I had him off of (turn) two, but I got a little push. Sometimes, you just have to let it go,” he explained.
David Gravel held on for third. “I thought I had the best car for the first fifteen laps,” he said. “But Sheldon picked me,” and Gravel had difficulty the rest of the way, especially while working through traffic.
Chase Dietz shared the front row with Kahne for the twenty-five lapper. Gravel and Haudenschild were next in line. They were followed by Troy Wagaman, Jr. and Bill Balog. The final you preferred starting spots went to Daryn Pittman and Kody Hartlaub. The fifth row belonged to T.J. Stutts and Carson Macedo. Buddy Kofoid and Spencer Bayston.
Kahne got the jump on Dietz at the start of the race and he immediately went to the cushion in turn one. He rode the outside line to a lead of several car lengths on the opening lap. Dietz was struggling to hold off Gravel, while Haudenschild was lurking right behind them. Wagaman, Balog, Pittman, Carson Macedo, Kofoid, and Hartlaub followed in the early laps.
Just before the midpoint of the race, Gravel and Haudenschild worked past Dietz. Gravel caught up to Kahne in traffic and briefly challenged for the lead. By lap twenty, though, Haudenschild overtook Gravel for second and he began slicing into Kahne’s advantage. Meanwhile, Dietz was pressing Gravel for third.
In the final five laps of the contest, Haudenschild caught Kahne. Haudenschild got a good run through
turn two and pulled up next to the leader coming off the corner. Before Haudenschild could complete the pass, though, he developed a push, which required him to burp the throttle. Kahne scooted away as they headed toward turn three.
On the last lap of the race, Kahne passed the lapped car of Ashton Torgerson. That gave him some extra breathing room.
The fans gave Kahne a standing ovation as he took the checkers. Haudenschild was second, and Gravel was third. Dietz and Wagaman completed the top five. Kofoid was sixth, followed by Pittman, Carson Macedo, Balog, and Donny Schatz.
The fifteenth place finisher, Cameron Smith, was the hard charger at plus eight.
Kahne, Dietz, Gravel, and Balog scored the heat wins. Kasey Jedrzejek won the C Main. Doug Hammaker topped the B Main. Gravel was the evening’s fastest qualifier, with a lap of 16.379 seconds, in Group B. Kahne was the best of Group A with a lap of 16.446 seconds.
During the heat race action, there was a spectacular crash in turn one involving Cole Macedo and Freddie Rahmer, Jr. Although both cars sustained heavy damage, neither driver was injured. Rahmer confronted Macedo after the incident, swinging his helmet at Macedo while he was still strapped in his car. Rahmer was disqualified for his actions.
IMPERIAL, PA (May 9, 2026) – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway (PPMS) is cancelling their Saturday night program after heavy overnight rains and cloudy skies throughout the morning forced track officials to make the difficult decision.
“After evaluating conditions throughout the property Saturday morning, speedway officials determined that the amount of water absorbed overnight created conditions that would not allow for a practical or enjoyable event experience for fans, teams, and staff” the Speedway announced in a statement.
Fans who purchased advanced tickets for tonight’s event have already had their refunds processed automatically..
Next Saturday PPMS will host a ‘Night of Champions’, which will honor 2025 track Champions and those who finished in the top 10 in points in the respective divisions.
“We’re ready to get this season rolling in a big way and hopefully Mother Nature starts working with us soon,” said Tyler Harris, PPMS Operations Manager. “We know fans, racers, and teams are anxious to get back to the speedway, and we appreciate everyone continuing to stick with us through a difficult start to the year.”
Gravel Grabs the Morgan Cup
Christian Lundgaard wins the Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS
Connor Zilisch tracks down best friend for NASCAR O’Reilly win at The Glen
Watkins Glen not kind to Kris Wright and McAnally Hilgemann Racing
Kaden Honeycutt outduels Connor Zilisch for first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win
Alex Palou wins Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; Scott Dixon finishes 3rd
Tyler Reddick keeps the magic alive with overtime NASCAR Cup win at Kansas
Felix Rosenqvist wins Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach pole position
Taylor Gray wins eventful NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Kansas
