IMPERIAL, PA (August 8, 2026):  In his second year of competition in the RUSH (Crate) Late Model division at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Matt Benard of nearby Oakdale, PA scored his second win of the season and second of his brief career. His first one came a few short weeks ago.

Benard was nearly 1.8 seconds behind the leader, Kyle Lukon, when Lukon’s engine blew up coming off turn two on lap sixteen. The race stayed green and Benard inherited the lead. However, a caution with two laps remaining gave the early leader, Tom Klein, a shot at stealing the win from Benard.

The critical restart was chaotic, to say the least. Instead of challenging Benard for the lead, Klein got shuffled back in the running order.

The third place runner, Clinton Hersh, snuck along the inside line to advance into second. In the mad scramble in turn one, three other racers also passed Klein. Two of them, Jake Gunn and Brandon Burgoon, swapped third and fourth positions in the final two laps, with Jake Gunn getting the advantage at the finish. Tommy Shirnhofer, the other driver to benefit from Klein’s misfortune, took fifth at the checkers.

Klein held on for sixth, followed by Anthony Monteparte, Daryl Charlier, Philip Bubeck, and Zach Gunn.

“It feels amazing to come out and do this, this is unbelievable,” Benard said. “I didn’t think I could do this.”

Jackson Billyk, Lukon, and Hersh won the heat races. No B Main was required to set the twenty car starting line-up.

Jacob Billyk, Jr., was uninjured when his car spun wildly on the backstretch before striking a uke tire located at the pit entrance. The impact inflicted major damage to the left side of Billyk’s car, and repairs could not be accomplished to enable him to start the feature event.

Dale Tuche led wire to wire in the fifteen lapper for the Penn Ohio Pro Stocks. Logan Koteles stayed close through the first half of the race, but Tuche pulled away in the second half. Nick Kocuba was third. Jordan Perkins and A.J. Poljak were scored in fourth and fifth based upon laps completed. Koteles won the heat race.

Garrett O’Patchen won by nearly four seconds in the Hobby Stocks. Leroy Brown was second, Stephen Shelpman was third after starting fourteenth in the fifteen lap event, which also went non-stop. Tom Anton and Devan Jones rounded out the top five. Kayla McManus, Joe Brown, Jr., Adam Kostelnik, Robert Betz, and Austin Siemon were sixth through tenth. Leroy Brown and Marc Corio split the heat race victories. There was no B Main.

Gavin Kokolis led eleven of the twelve laps in the Open Four Cylinder feature. Second place finisher, Noah Bubeck, led one trip around the Monster Half Mile. Third went to Hunter Vohn. Kaitlin McDonald was the only other racer still in action at the conclusion of the race. Haylie Snouffer was fifth based upon laps completed. Other competitors were John Gill, Tyler Hollister, Jacob Chipps, and Bill Tennant. Bubeck won the preliminary.

In the Young Gun event, Ryleigh Heasley prevailed over Kane Zupanic. Hunter Bennett was uninjured in a violent flip on the frontstretch after his mount lost its right rear wheel. Connor Greynolds did not start the race. Heasley was the heat winner as well.

HARTFORD, OH (August 1, 2026):  The Eighteenth Annual Lou Blaney Memorial at the Sharon Speedway was one of the most anticipated races in the region. The 410 Sprint Cars and BRP Modifieds shared the top billing, as Lou Blaney excelled in both divisions over his long and successful career. Indeed, he is one of the few drivers to be inducted into Halls of Fame for both classes.

The winners in the event were Dale Blaney in the Sprints and Erick Rudolph in the Big Block Mods. Thirty-five cars participated in each class.

Blaney Boys Do It Again for Dad

Dale Blaney rode Dave’s trick pony to the $12,000 victory. It was Dale’s second win in the storied event and the first one that he shared with his brother. Interestingly, Corey Conley, another family member and past winner of the race, was present to add to the celebratory mood.

A hushed crowd anxiously awaited to hear from the sixty-two-year-old driver in victory lane. Many of the fans expected that Dale might announce his retirement from  sport, just as Dave did following his last triumph in the commemorative classic. But, Dale surprised them all. “I am not doing what Dave done. We have a few more races here and we want to do good.” No doubt, he was referring to the Fall visit from the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, and he would like nothing more than to repeat his success against the traveling band.

Although Blaney led sixteen of the thirty-five laps, he needed to rally in the final five circuits to overtake Bryce Lucius for the win. “He’s a great kid and a great race car driver.” Blaney observed. “I got to the 22 (Nash Ely) and I got bogged down. The 32 (Lucius) got around me. I got the wing back and it came to me.”

“It’s pretty dang cool to win the race for a second time,” he concluded.

The luck of the draw aligned the first eight starters, which consisted of the four heat race winners and the fastest qualifiers from each heat.

Zeth Sabo drew the pole position, with Lucius manning the outside of row one. A.J.Flick and Ricky Peterson, Jr. were set in row two, followed by Blaney and Carl Bowser in row three. The final two preferred spots went to Cale Thomas and Brandon Spithaler. The rest of the field filled in based on heat race and B Main finishes. So, Chris Verda and Dan Kuriger occupied row five, and John Jerich and Brandon Matus.

Lucius rolled around the outside of turns one and two to establish the early lead over Sabo, Flick, Peterson, Blaney, Bowser, Thomas, Verda, and Greg Wilson.

Blaney got shuffled back a spot on lap two. After that, he was patient moving forward in the thirty-five lapper. He took over fourth on lap seven. He was third two laps later. When he moved into second on lap thirteen, he was nearly two seconds behind Lucius. However, it only took him four laps to cut the margin to under four tenths of a second.

Blaney ducked under Lucius entering turn three to lead lap seventeen. He set a brisk pace for the next dozen laps, but Lucius remained close enough to be a threat.

Lucius made an aggressive move around the rim of turn two to regain the lead on lap twenty-nine. He opened up a lead of several car lengths over the next couple of laps.

But Blaney picked up speed after getting the wing adjusted. He came charging back on the low side. A slider in turn one restored him to the lead on lap thirty-two.

Lucius went to the whip again to try to reclaim the lead. He brushed the outside wall a couple of times before dropping to the bottom and cutting into the infield on lap thirty-three.

Meanwhile, Flick and Peterson were battling for third. Flick controlled the inside while Peterson was racing in the middle groove. Their vigorous contest continued as they closed in on Lucius. Flick inherited the second spot when Lucius faltered.

Peterson chased Flick to the finish line. Sabo and Bowser rounded out the top five in the non-stop affair. Thomas, Jerich, Spithaler, Wilson, and Verda held positions six through ten.

After a hard crash at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night, Flick was dejected. “I didn’t even want to come today, but we worked on it. We were down in the garage until two a.m., and back in at seven. I’ll tell you, this is the best second place we’ve ever had. This is a big confidence boost.” He explained that he got help from several sources and some inspiration for Scott Priester. “We won’t get the trophy or the big check, but this feels like we won the Blaney Memorial,” he added.

Peterson said that he had fun racing with Flick. “The track was really tacky for the first fifteen laps. It cleared off and we could race all over.”

Lucius, Thomas, Peterson, and Flick won the heat races. Leyton Wagner took the checkers in the B Main. Blaney set the fastest time overall. His lap of 14.001 seconds was  best of Group A. Spithaler led Group B with a time of 14.292 seconds.

Rudolph Gets Even

Erick Rudolph’s fourth victory in the BRP Modified Tour portion of the Lou Blaney Memorial banked $2,500 for the driver from Ransomville, NY. Interestingly, all of his wins occurred in even numbered years, beginning in 2020.

Rudolph led the final ten laps of the race. He commented, “I was just kinda biding my time for a while. I know the track can be abrasive. About halfway through, the track came to me.”

Jeremiah Shingledecker, who led twice for a total of fourteen laps, concurred in Rudolph’s assessment. “I was trying to save my tires and then Will Thomas came cruising by me, and I decided it was time to go.”

Third place went to Tyler Willard. The Ontario pilot moved up and down the running order and frequently switched lanes during the race. “Man, there was a lot going on. We went forward, and then came back. There were a couple of grooves and they kept moving around.”

Per Modified Tour procedures, the top three finishers from each heat participated in a draw for the first twelve spots on the feature line-up.

Shawn Kozar was the lucky driver. He was joined on the front row by Shingledecker. Kole Holden and Eric Beggs snagged row two, followed by Rudolph and Willard. Row four belonged to Jackson Kristyak and Rex King, Jr. Then came Jeremy Paup and J.C. Boyer, in row five; and Garrett Krummert and Will Thomas, in row six.

Kozar blasted off the bottom of turn four at the start and he won the race to turn one. Shingledecker took the outside line. Beggs, Willard, Kole Holden, and King Jr. followed closely.

A caution for Chas Wolbert in turn two slowed the pace on the second lap.

Shingledecker timed the restart perfectly, and he was dead even with Kozar through turns one and two. He carried more momentum into turn three than Kozar, and he powered off turn four with the lead. He repeated the effort following a lap three restart, which was brought about by a four-car scuffle in turn two.

Willard had a good restart on lap three as well. He moved into second and he briefly challenged Shingledecker for the top spot. Rudolph raced along in third.

Thomas got cranked up nine laps into the race. He took over third and he worked his way into the lead by lap thirteen. For the next eight laps, it seemed as though the co-owner of the speedway would get to celebrate in victory lane, but he had a bad lap and fell back to third on lap twenty-one. That put Shingledecker out front again.

Meanwhile, Rudolph was getting shuffled around. He clawed his way back into third on lap sixteen. He was second on lap twenty-one. He passed Shingledecker in turn one four circuits later in traffic.

Rudolph led Shingledecker to the finish. Willard, King Jr. and Thomas battled to the end. Krummert kept them in sight throughout the closing laps, but he could not join in the fun.

Dalton Slack, who started in twenty-first, was an impressive seventh. Karston King completed his first Big Block Modified race at Sharon Speedway in the eighth position. Ayden Cipriano and Wolbert rounded out the top ten.

Rudolph, Krummert, Shingledecker, and Thomas took the heat race wins. Slack was the B Main victor.

SARVER, PA (July 31, 2026):  Persistence paid off for Cody Bova in the 410 Sprint Car ranks at the Lernerville Speedway. He turned about and headed to the Sarver oval after the All Stars event was cancelled at Hartford, MI. He then survived numerous cautions and a pair of red flags to earn his second career victory at the Action Track. His first win came in August of 2024.

Kenny Schaltenbrand romped to the win in the twenty-five lapper for the Super Late Models. He now enjoys the point lead heading into next week’s memorial race for his late father, Ken Schaltenbrand, Sr.

The BRP Modified Tour presented a thirty-five lap feature. Dalton Slack got his third career tour victory, holding off Garrett Krummert and Brad Rapp in the closing laps.

It was an eventful Sprint Car feature race, with a number of top contenders having difficulties along the way. Point leader and nine-time track champion, A.J. Flick was involved in a lap one caution and a red flag following a devastating crash on lap two. Brandon Spithaler retired from the race with a collapsed front end due to a shunt with Ryan Smith on lap nine. Dan Kuriger, Carl Bowser, and Jeremy Weaver were all involved in minor skirmishes, but they were able to make repairs under red flag conditions and completed the race.

“I didn’t think that race was ever going to end,” a tired Bova said afterwards. “It was a very technical, tricky track. I was catching lapped cars at the wrong time. Nevertheless, he was able to stay out front comfortably for all twenty-five laps to collect $4,000.

Carmen Perigo and Dan Shetler drew into the front row. Bova and Jeremy Weaver lined up in row two, followed by Jacob Begenwald and visitor Ryan Smith. Leyton Wagner, another All Stars regular, was joined in row four by Will Fleming. Flick and Spithaler were handicapped to row five based on their recent victories. Chris Frank, another Central PA drop in, and Carl Bowser occupied row six.

Bova scooted out to the early lead, followed by Begenwald, Weaver, Shetler, and Perigo. Following a pair of cautions and the first red flag, Bova resumed the lead over Begenwald, Weaver, Smith, and Spithaler.

Begenwald got racy following the restart and briefly took the lead from Bova. Bova regained the lead one lap later, but Begenwald came storming back on the exit of turn two. He caught Bova entering turn three, but his car got crosswise in the high groove. There was contact with Weaver, and Begenwald’s car was too damaged to continue. Weaver backed over the lip of the speedway and was then struck by Bowser.

After the restart, the action heated up in the battle for second place. Smith and Spithaler were hotly contesting the spot until they collided entering turn three. Spithaler’s mount sustained front suspension damage ending his night.

The final sixteen laps were spun off without incident. Bova maintained control with Smith running second. He was 0.886 seconds behind Bova at the finish. Weaver recovered from his incident to place third. Perigo and Wagner were fourth and fifth. Frank, Fleming, Shetler, Bowser, and Kuriger completed the top ten.

With his misfortunes, Flick’s point lead shrank to only one over Kuriger, with two point races remaining on the docket. Shetler trails Flick by four counters and Bowser  is ten back of the leader. Begenwald sits fifth, just nineteen points behind the leader. Flick is gunning for his tenth track championship, but you cannot count out any of the other competitors.

Bova and Shetler won their heat races. There was no B Main. The evening’s fastest qualifier was Weaver, with a lap of 13.475 to lead Group B. Spithaler was tops in Group A with a time of 13.806.

“That was a fun race,” Schaltenbrand commented. He explained that he raced hard, but clean, with Michael Norris throughout the Late Model go.

Norris started on the pole, with John Weaver as his running mate. Schaltenbrand lined up in third. He was joined on row two by Colton Flinner. Clinton Hersh and Chad Shearer made up row three. Tyler Dietz, subbing for Travis Hayes, was in row four with Brock Pinkerous beside him.

Norris took the early lead, with Schaltenbrand giving chase. Weaver, Flinner, and Hersh followed. Schaltenbrand moved ahead on lap two. Norris remained close and he regained the lead on lap six. He maintained control for four more laps before Schaltenbrand dropped to the inside coming off turn two to take the lead away once and for all.

Schaltenbrand’s journey to victory lane was interrupted just one more time, for a spin by Shearer on lap seventeen. However, Norris was no match for Schaltenbrand on the restart.

Norris trailed the winner by 0.144 seconds at the checkers. Hersh, Pinkerous, and Levi Yetter completed the top five. Dietz, Joshua Powell, Braeden Dillinger, Chris Schneider, and Weaver rounded out the top ten.

Norris and Pinkerous topped the qualifiers. There was no B Main.

Dalton Slack, of Welland, ONT, returned to the seat of his father’s potent Big Block Modified after taking a few races off. He wanted to show that he was not “washed up,” a response to a comment made in jest by one of the division’s youngest drivers, Karston King.

Krummert tried every trick in the book to overtake Slack, but he couldn’t get the job done. “He was really good on the bottom. I had to move around. I think I waited too long,” Krummert explained.

Rapp was a close third at the finish. “We were rolling around pretty good,” he said. He thought that he could have, perhaps, wrung a little more speed out of his mount, but he was afraid to make any changes to it before the feature for fear of screwing something up.

Brayden Beatty and Dave Murdick paced the field for the Mod Tour main event. Rapp and J.C. Boyer were in the second row, followed by Slack and Steve Feder. Kyle Fink and Ayden Cipriano made up row four. Jeremiah Shingledecker and Krummert were in row five, and Rex King, Jr. and Erick Rudolph occupied row six.

Beatty led the opening lap, but Murdick overhauled him on the restart on lap two. Murdick stretched his advantage to more than 1.8 seconds over Boyer before the caution on lap sixteen bunched the field up again.

At the time of the caution, Slack was riding in third, ahead of Rapp, Cipriano, Krummert, Rudolph, King Jr., Fink, and Beatty.

Slack made a bold move after the race resumed. He moved to the front of the field for lap sixteen, bumping Murdick back to second. Krummert was third, followed by Rapp and Rudolph.

Slack led the final nineteen laps. During that extended green flag session, Krummert moved into second. Murdick held third until Rapp slipped under him on lap thirty-one. Rudolph climbed up to fifth and he held King Jr. at bay to the checkers. Shingledecker, Boyer, Tyler Willard, and Feder completed the top ten.

Beatty, Rudolph, Krummert, and Murdick prevailed in the heat races for the BRP Modified Tour. Karston King picked up his first Mod Tour checkered flag for winning the B Main. Thirty Big Blocks checked in for the event.

The Pro Stocks closed out the night of racing with a twenty lap feature event. Tyler Schneider took the checkers over the pole sitter, Rocky Kugel. Third place starter Logan Koteles, eighth place starter Brett Hutira, and seventh place starter Jacob Dietz were third through fifth. Then came Cody Koteles, Brett McDonald, Bill Swaney, and Nate Gebauer.

Schneider and Dietz won the heat races. There was no B Main.