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.
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.
HARTFORD, OH (July 12, 2024): Bobby Pierce chipped away again at Brandon Sheppard’s point lead on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series tour. His win on night one of the Sharon Showdown was worth $10,000. It was his third consecutive win.
Pierce mounted hard tires for the forty lapper, while many of his adversaries went with softer rubber, The decision seemed to be foolish at the start of the race, as Ryan Gustin got a hole shot on him. “It was slimy when we took the green and the hard tire did not like that. I lost four spots on the start,” Pierce noted. It took a while for the tires to come in, but, when they did, he took off. Pierce steadily moved forward, picking up most of the positions that he gave away at the start. Then, he chased down Gustin for the lead on lap twenty-one. In the second half of the race, it was a matter of keeping the tires warm, especially under the yellow. But, he added, “the last ten laps, I was hanging on. The track was tricky.”
Cade Dillard, who finished second, was one of the racers on softer tires. “We had a good car, but he (Pierce) just kept getting better and better.” Nonetheless, Dillard was pleased with the podium finish. “We needed a good run with all the bad luck lately. Hopefully, we can do better tomorrow night, but I’ll take a podium finish all night long.”
Gustin was in control for the first half of the race, but he struggled after losing the lead to Pierce. “We missed it a little bit on the set-up. It is what it is. It’s what these two-day shows are like. If you don’t win on the first night, you learn from it and go on to the next one.”
Pierce drew the pole, with Nick Hoffman on his flank. Gustin lined up in third, with Brian Shirley as his dance partner. Dillard and Michael Norris were in row three. Dennis Erb, Jr. and Brandon Sheppard made up row four. The fifth belonged to Kyle Bronson and Cody Overton. Row six paired Dustin Sorenson and Tyler Breuning.
Pierce had no grip at the start of the race, and he slid up the track coming off turn four. That left the bottom open for Gustin and he quickly filled the void. Gustin blasted by Pierce and Hoffman, who settled into second. Dillard took third on the opening lap. Then came Pierce, Shirley, Erb, Bronson, Sorenson, Max McLaughlin, and Norris.
Dillard moved into second before the first caution, which came on lap two. By lap five, Hoffman regained second, and Pierce followed him into third.
Gustin built up a commanding lead, and he was already into lapped traffic on lap nine. This allowed Hoffman and Pierce to start to narrow the margin.
On lap eighteen, Pierce worked by Hoffman in traffic. Meanwhile, Gustin cleared several lapped cars and he had a bit of a clear track ahead of him. But Pierce’s tires were coming in, and he chipped away at the lead. It only took him three laps to catch and pass Gustin.
Pierce opened a slight advantage, but a caution on lap twenty-five eliminated that. On the ensuing restart, Dillard rolled off the top of turn two to take second away from Gustin and Bronson charged past Gustin coming off turn four. Bronson could not keep the position, as Gustin rallied to take it back on lap twenty-nine.
Pierce built up a comfortable lead in the final stage of the race. However, he caught a trio of lapped cars that were fighting for position. Pierce opted to follow them the last couple of laps instead of trying to poke his nose into the middle of their contest. This enabled Dillard to close, but he ran out of laps and he could not mount a challenge for the lead.
Pierce, Dillard, and Gustin grabbed the first three positions. Bronson was fourth, with Hoffman picking up the fifth spot. Sixth through tenth went to Sheppard, Norris, Sorenson, Shirley, and Erb.
Gregg Satterlee was the hard charger, advancing seven positions to take thirteenth in the pay line.
There were four heats, with Gustin, Pierce, Shirley, and Hoffman taking the laurels.Dave Hess, Jr. and Alex Ferree captured the B Mains. Gustin set the best time overall, topping Group A with a lap of 15.238 seconds. Shirley topped Group B with a lap fo 15.442 seconds.
In the RUSH Sprint Car feature, John Mollick charged from his outside front row starting spot to lead the opening lap, ahead of Gale Ruth, Jr., Brent Rhebergen, Blaze Myers, Trent Marshall, and Arnie Kent. While Mollick continued to lead, Rhebergen and Myers battled for the second spot. However, that came to an end when Myers got up over the berm in turn four, losing several positions before slowing to bring out the caution with six laps remaining.
Kent stepped up to challenge Rhebergen for second and he secured the position with two to go. Kent chased Mollick to the finish. Rhebergen was third, followed by Charlie Utsinger and Bill Cunningham. Ruth, Marshall, Amelia Clay, Billy Myers, and Curt Emings completed the top ten.
Ruth and Mollick split the heat wins. There was no B Main.
The Econo Modified feature closed out the night. The twenty lapper was shortened to fourteen laps because the twenty-minute time limit expired. Dennis Lunger passed Jeremy Double on the final restart to get the win.
Jacob Eucker, Jarrett Young, and Andy Buckley completed the top five. Buzz Seitz, Arianna Samuelson, Zack Eller, Carter Bidwell, and Troy Pinch were the next five finishers.
Double, Seitz, and Eucker won the preliminaries. There was no B Main.
HAGERSTOWN, MD (July 4, 2024): Logan Schuchart again enjoyed his time off from the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in victory lane during Pennsylvania Speedweek. He joined Danny Dietrich and Anthony Macri as two-time winners on the circuit. It was Schuchart’s third win overall in his last four starts.
Schuchart benefited from the draw for top starting spots. He drew the number one, again, and that certainly facilitated his drive to victory. Schuchart noted that, on the big half mile, the field got separated, so the air got better as the race went on. He amassed a huge lead before the only caution, on lap twenty-four, and he did not know how hard he had to push. He also observed that “when (he) came up on lapped cars, (he) could go wherever (he) wanted.”
The win “means a lot to me. It’s been ten years since I’ve been here.” Once again, he watched a lot of videos to prepare for the race. This time, they were vintage films of his grandfather, Bobby Allen, racing against the likes of Doug Wolfgang.
Troy Wagaman, Jr., who was making his first ever start at the Capitol of Dirt Track Racing, started second and ran second the entire thirty lap distance. “It sucks being in dirty air. I tried to keep pace, but he (Schuchart) got away.”
Anthony Macri did not time well and he did not win his heat race, so he and Speedweek rival Danny Dietrich started outside the coveted re-draw positions.
Nonetheless, Macri was strong in the second half of the race and reached third, one spot ahead of Dietrich. “It took a little bit for the car to come in, and for me to find a good line.” He certainly was comfortable in the stretch run. “Hopefully, we chipped away at the points.”
Schuchart and Wagaman drew into the front row for the feature event. Chad Trout and Justin Whittal were in row two. The third consisted of Kody Hartlaub and Lance Dewease. Then came Macri and Danny Dietrich. T.J. Stutts and Freddie Rahmer, Jr. were paired up in row five. Next in line were Jacob Allen and Cameron Smith.
Schuchart jumped out to the lead at the drop of the green and he quickly distanced himself from his old karting foe, Wagaman. Whittal, Hartlaub, Trout, Danny Dietrich, Dewease, Macri, Rahmer, and Devon Borden followed.
As Schuchart and Wagaman drove away, Danny Dietrich began his march to the front. He was up to fourth by lap six. It took him seven more trips around the fast half mile to reach third. By lap twenty, he was still in third, but he was starting to test Wagaman for the role as the first chaser.
A caution on lap twenty-four for the disabled car of Mike Waltyer, Jr. bunched the pack up again. Dietrich readied himself to make a charge on Wagaman, but he did not get away cleanly. Instead, it was Macri, who lined up fourth for the restart, that got a good jump. After a short but spirited battle, Macri sailed by Dietrich heading down the backstretch on lap twenty-six.
Macri closed in on Wagaman, but the laps ran out before he could make a move for the second position.
At the checkers, it was Schuchart, Wagaman, Macri, Dietrich, and Whittal. Trout, Dewease, Hartlaub, Stutts, and Borden took positions six through ten.
The three heats went to Hartlaub, Wagaman, and Schuchart. Lucas Wolfe won the B Main. There were thirty-one sprints signed in for the event.
Hunter Mackison, who was making his first Speedweek start of 2024, flipped at the start of the B Main. He was not hurt in the incident.
Speedweek moves back to Williams Grove Speedway for the Mitch Smith Memorial, paying $20,000 to the winner. Danny Dietrich leads Anthony Macri by thirty points headed into that contest. Troy Wagaman, Jr., Devon Borden, and Kody Hartlaub round out the top five in Speedweek rankings. Schuchart has remarkably climbed into seventh in Speedweek standings.
INDYCAR Drivers Frustrated With Racing At Iowa Speedway
Will Power Wins 2nd Race Of INDYCAR Doubleheader Weekend At Iowa
Penn Ohio Pro Stocks Invade Tri City Raceway Park
Pierce Prevails at Sharon on Night One
