Dirt Racing
Thorson Gets First Full Point High Limit Win at Lernerville; Weaver Scores in 305 Sprint Car
SARVER, PA (September 12, 2025): Tanner Thorson, of Broken Arrow, OK, earned his first full point win with the High Limit Racing Series. His only previous win came during the 2024 West Coast swing in a split field event. Both wins, of course, came in the Rod and Nancy Gross machine. Only a week before the start of the 2024 season, they tapped Thorson to create a new race team, from scratch to tackle the High Limit series.
This was Thorson’s second career triumph at Lernerville Speedway, the first coming in a weekly show in 2015 while piloting the Rudzik 49x. At that time, Thorson was a relatively unknown driver who hailed from Minden, NV, and he was making his first appearance at the Action Track. In between these wins, Thorson had his share of ups and downs in his career. Highs included a Chili Bowl championship and some success driving the famed 3C of Clyde Lamar in California. The lowest of the lows were the devastating injuries he sustained in a highway accident coming from a race during his stint with Lamar.
Thorson has the distinction of being the only racer on either national tour running a car equipped with coil-over shocks on all four corners. It does put him at a bit of a disadvantage on race nights, for he cannot compare notes or spy on his competitors for any set-up tips. Instead, Thorson maintains cell phone contact with his father-in-law, Stevie Smith, who also ran that unique combination during his days as an independent on the World of Outlaws tour.
“We have a four-coil car, which is in the one percentile of Sprint Cars. I’ve had thousands of people telling me that we need to go to a four-bar (torsion bars) and, hopefully, this just shuts them up. It’s about being a lion and not a sheep.”
Another example of Thorson’s fierce independence is his allegiance to Rob Cappetta powerplants. Thorson noted that he’s had some motor issues lately, but “Rob Cappetta and Mario have been busting their ass(es) on this motor.” Thorson explained that his team spent several hours at Lincoln Speedway earlier in the week testing and tuning their car.
Thorson and his team are also hard workers. “This is awesome. We’ve just been working so hard, (it) comes down to spending hours and hours. My guys are probably sick of me sitting at the dyno for twelve hours the other day, just trying to figure out everything we can about our program and it’s been working.”
Brad Sweet, who lost the lead to Thorson late in the race, was pleased nonetheless for adding a new winner to the High Limit fold. Sweet, of course, is a co-founder of the series and he wants to see others have some success. “It wasn’t surprising to me,” he opened. “I couldn’t get by those lapped cars, they were just putting the bottom. I just couldn’t quite get off the corners and make any speed. Tanner’s been really fast, you know, hat’s off to him and his team. They’ve been busting their butts. He’s been close to winning a few of these.” Sweet also commented, “he’s able to hook that berm a little better than me and stay in that grip.” “We certainly had a shot to win, but couldn’t get the job done,” Sweet concluded.
Diason Pursely matched a career best finish on tour, a third, but he, too, gave props to Thorson. “It was really technical. Tanner’s really good at it and they’ve been working really hard on this race car. And they’ve been really fast lately. Congrats to them, they’ve been making good strides.” Pursely thought that his team, owned by Tom Buch, has also been making progress of late and he thought that this run would give them a needed confidence boost as the season draws to a close.
Sweet and Pursley paced the field for the start of the thirty lap opener for the Commonwealth Clash. Justin Peck and Giovanni Scelzi were in row two, followed by Ashton Torgerson and Ryan Smith. Then came Logan Wagner and Rico Abreu. Brent Marks and Justin Sanders occupied row five, with Jeremy Weaver and Tanner Thorson sitting in row six.
Sweet jumped out to the early lead, with Peck, Pursley, Scelzi, and Smith trailing him. Torgerson, Wagner, Marks, Thorson and Abreu ran among the top ten. Smith picked up a position before the only caution of the race came out, on lap eight, for a three-car tangle involving Danny Sams, III, Michael Bauer, and Weaver.
When the race resumed, Sweet was again racing alone out front, while Peck and Pursley battled for second. Just two laps following the restart, Thorson was into the fourth position. Smith was still holding onto fifth.
At the halfway mark, Sweet led Peck, but Thorson was third and coming forward once again. Within the next five laps, he was second.
Sweet continued to lead as the race progressed into the final stage. However, he was starting to have difficulty dealing with the lapped cars. Meanwhile, Thorson kept chugging along in the bottom groove and Sweet’s lead was shrinking with each successive lap.
Thorson made his move on lap twenty-eight. He drove inside of Sweet entering turn three. They were even coming through the corners, but Thorson powered ahead of Sweet coming off turn four to lead that lap.
“He wasn’t running my line, that was the key,” Thorson explained.
Thorson pulled away in the final two laps. He took the checkers 1.131 seconds ahead of Sweet. Pursley was over two seconds behind, in third. Peck and Sye Lynch rounded out the top five. Smith, Abreu, Scelzi, Marks, and Sanders completed the top ten.
Lynch was the hard charger of the contest, at plus fourteen.
There were three heat races for the twenty-nine car field. The winners were Pursley, Scelzi, and Sweet. Lynch was the B Main victor. Sweet copped the Dash. Ryan Smith set the fastest time in qualifications, 13.174 seconds.
Lynch, Lernerville’s favorite son, dug himself a hole in his heat race. He had contact with Aaron Reutzel, and he spun in turn four. After pushing off again, Lynch drove up to Reutzel and hit his left front wheel. Reutzel pitted to have it checked and was caught in the work area when the race resumed. Lynch, meanwhile, was disqualified from the race, eliminating his from a certain start in the Dash. They started next to one another at the front of the B, and were well behaved, and they also started next to each other in the A Main, also without incident.
In the twenty-lap nightcap for the Allegheny Sprint Tour 305s, Kasey Weaver, from Everett, PA, took the win. Although he started on the pole, and led most of the race, he had to deal with a mid-race challenge from Roman Jones. Jones managed to get his nose ahead to lead one lap, but Kasey Weaver rallied to regain the lead.
“I saw him get inside of me into (turn) three. I was leaving myself too open on entry,” Weaver said. He added that he moved down on the track and that he began to drive a little more defensively. While he said that he hated to block Jones like that, Weaver felt that it was something that he “had to do” to get the win.
Jeremy Kornbau came on strong in the closing laps to take second away from Roman Jones. Jones crossed in third, ahead of Steve Kenawell, Jr. and Jeff Weaver, Jr. Jacob Gomola, Hunter Hite, Jim Pattock, Greg Dobrosky, and George Loux were the next five finishers.
Loux and Weaver, Jr. won the heats for the twenty racers of the Allegheny Sprint Tour. Racers from five states were in the field.
MECHANICSBURG, PA (June 5, 2026): Troy Wagaman, Jr. cashed in on the opportunities given to him to win the Lynn Paxton Classic at Williams Grove Speedway. The second win of the season for the defending track champion and current points leader was his first ever with the All Stars Circuit of Champions, which celebrated fifty-five years of competition at the famed oval. Wagaman received $8,000 for his efforts, matching his payday from the Tommy Classic held earlier in the season.
Wagaman benefitted from two miscues by Danny Dietrich, who had led from the start of the non-stop thirty lapper. The first came on lap fifteen, when Dietrich narrowly avoided disaster coming off turn two. The other came ten laps later when Dietrich slid out of the groove between turns three and four.
“I don’t know if I would have gotten him,” Wagaman said modestly.
He was trailing Dietrich by nearly 1.6 seconds in the middle of the race, but Wagaman squeezed between Dietrich, a lapped car, and the backstretch guard rail to take the lead. Preston Lattomus nearly spun at the exit to turn two, Dietrich came up on him quickly, made slight contact, and almost spun as well, but there was just enough room for Wagaman to scoot by. “I thought he missed it, got too close to the lapped car,” Wagaman explained.
Wagaman then built up a slight lead of his own, which evaporated in traffic. Dietrich drove under both Wagaman and the lapped car between turns three and four on lap twenty-four, but Wagaman came storming back on the next lap to regain the lead. Dietrich slid off the bottom in the same area, and Wagaman pounced. “Danny showed me the bottom. I was struggling on the top and I got down to the bottom after that.”
Wagaman, from Hanover, dedicated the win to his ailing grandmother, adding that he will get to see her on Sunday afternoon.
The starting line-up had a last minute shuffle when Lance Dewease got a flat while the cars were getting into formation. Dewease pitted for a fresh tire, but forfeited his second starting position. He rejoined the field for the start, and put in on an impressive drive to fourteenth from the rear of the twenty-six car field.
Dietrich thus moved to the front row, joining the Dash winner, Cale Thomas. Wagaman and Brady Bacon made up the second row, followed by Doug Hammaker and Kasey Kahne. Brock Zearfoss and T.J. Stutts came next. Chase Dietz and Parker Price Miller were in row five, and Austin Bishop was paired with Ryan “Fig” Newton in row six.
Dietrich wasted no time blasting into the early lead up on the cushion in turns one and two. Wagaman used a more conservative line to reach second. Thomas fell into line in third, ahead of Hammaker, Bacon, Stutts, and Kahne.
Dietrich seemed to have the race under control through the first half of the event. However, things changed suddenly on lap fifteen. He avoided a crash, but lost the lead. Dietrich wasn’t done quite yet, though.
Wagaman was still running the top in turns three and four despite having trouble getting past a lapped car. That allowed Dietrich to flash by on the inside to take the lead away. However, Wagaman came back to lead lap twenty-five when Dietrich slid up the track in almost the same place on the track.
Wagaman changed lines for the remainder of the race, and he paced himself off of the lapped cars, figuring that Dietrich would have to drive around them all if he were to make another bid for the win. However, Wagaman took the checkers 1.120 seconds ahead of Dietrich, who was driving his back-up car after crashing at Selinsgrove Speedway the night before.
Bacon, Stutts, and Dietz completed the top five. Zearfoss, Hammaker, Kahne, Price Miller, and Newton were the next five finishers.
J.J. Loss was the hard charger, advancing seven spots to finish thirteenth.
Kalib Henry, the current All Stars points leader and defending series champion, was the highest finisher from the tour, at seventeenth.
Hammaker, Dewease, Dietrich, and Kahne were the heat winners. Freddie Rahmer, Jr. won the B Main. Stutts was the fastest qualifier, lapping in 17.112 seconds in Group A. Dietrich was the best in Group B. His lap was 17.290 seconds. Thirty-eight cars checked in, including ten All Stars points chasers.
Ageless Steve Wilbur added another Wingless Sportsman victory to his resume. He led Tony Jackson for all twenty laps. “Tony’s hard to beat wherever we go, and to hold him off all of those laps was something,” Wilbur said. “It just feels so good to beat Jackson. I didn’t come all the way from Mechanicsburg to get my a$$ kicked,” he added with a laugh.
Wilbur claimed to use an old right rear tire dating back to his days at Silver Spring Speedway, which closed in 2005.
Cliff Brian, Jr. was third, one spot ahead of the hard charger, Brett Perigo. Brandon Shearer, Derek Shaffer, Brian Nace, Scott Smith, Curt Stroup, and John Edkin were fifth through tenth in the non-stop affair.
Jackson and Wilbur split the heat race wins. There was no B Main necessary for the nineteen car field.
Next Friday, Williams Grove Speedway will present fan appreciation night. All in attendance will get to mingle with the 410 and 358 Sprint Car racers in the front pit area before the start of the action. There will be free potato chips and candy during the pit party. Fireworks will also be part of the fun.
FRANKLIN, PA (May 31, 2026): A.J. Flick claimed his third championship in the Western Pennsylvania Speedweek. His first two titles came in 2023 and 2024.
“This whole week is so cool,” he said. He added, “I think consistency is important and I think that helped me.”
Flick started the week out very strongly, with wins at Michaels Mercer Raceway and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. He was fourth at Lernerville Speedway and fifth in the finale at Tr-City Raceway Park. His worst finish of the week was ninth at Sharon Speedway on Saturday night.
Flick was especially happy with his fifth place finish in the final round because he was not very comfortable in the car.
Other race winners during Speedweek were: Dale Blaney, at Lernerville, Logan Wagner, at Sharon, and Brandon Spithaler, at Tri-City.
Flick’s total earnings for the week were $14,750, which included the $3,000 championship stipend.
One other driver earned more than $10,000. That was Spithaler, who grossed $10.175.
Flick was one of sixteen drivers to enter all five events comprising Western Pennsylvania Speedweek. A total of sixty-one racers competed in at least one round of Speedweek.
The top ten drivers in the point standings shared the point fund, as follows:
- A.J. Flick, 452 points, $3,000
- Mark Smith, 412 points, $2,500
- Brandon Spithaler, 406 points, $2,000
- Jeremy Weaver, 393 points, $1,500
- Carl Bowser, 371 points, $1,000
- Michael Bauer, 368 points, $900
- Adam Kekich, 344 points, $800
- Brandon Matus, 338 points, $700
- Ricky Peterson, 320 points, $600
- Jacob Begenwald, 302 points, $500
Interestingly, one driver in the top ten in points missed a show along the way. Ricky Peterson was absent from Sharon because he had another commitment. He won the FAST on Dirt Sprint Car Series event at Skyline Speedway instead.
FRANKLIN, PA (May 31, 2026): Brandon Spithaler saved his best Speedweek performance for the final night of the five race series. The victory at Tri-City Raceway Park, his first of the season, netted the driver from Renfrew, PA a cool $6,000. He also finished third in Speedweek points, adding another $2,000 to his stash. Spithaler’s total winnings for the week amounted to $10,175, second only to the Speedweek champion, A.J. Flick.
Spithaler noted that “2026 hasn’t been very kind to us. We lost a motor, we trashed a car, we switched chassis. I think we’ve hit on something now.”
He added, “I felt like I was better than him, Ricky (Peterson, who finished a distant second). I was worried when he got by Logan (McCandless, the early leader), but I kept plugging away and I got by him (Peterson).”
Spithaler was especially good in traffic. He explained, “I am a fan of traffic. If we get a long run, I like picking my way through.”
Peterson, who held on for second place, had an opposite opinion about the traffic conditions. “I was really good early. I had issues with the lappers. I think I left a lane open for Brandon, and he got away from us.”
Mark Smith put on a strong charge in the second half of the race to grab the third position. He noted that it was a challenging night and that he changed some things around on his car between the heat and the feature. “We got it going, but it was a little too late. Maybe we needed 35 laps.”
The first ten positions in the starting line-up were reserved for the four heat winners and six of the fastest qualifiers.
Logan McCandless drew the pole position. He was joimed on the front row by the professor, Michael Bauer. Matt Farnham and A.J. Flick pulled the second row, followed by Peterson and Spithaler. Smith and Jeremy Weaver landed in row four. Then came Jared Zimbardi and D.J. Christie. Row six belonged to Tim Shaffer and John Jerich.
The initial start was waved off due to a crash between turns one and two, which claimed Jerich and Christie. Both cars tumbled, but neither driver was injured.
When the field was realigned for the start, Shaffer moved to the outside of row five and Bob Felmlee and Cody Bova became the new sixth row.
McCandless surged into the early lead, followed by Farnham, Bauer, Flick, Peterson, Spithaler, Weaver, Smith, Shaffer, Felmlee, and Zimbardi.
McCandless was exceptionally strong through the first half of the race. His lead grew to more than 1.8 seconds over Farnham through the first nine laps. Peterson moved into second position on lap ten. Gradually, he cut into McCandless’ advantage. On lap fifteen, the margin dwindled to just under a half a second.
Moving into the second half of the contest, McCandless began to have difficulty navigating through the traffic. Peterson narrowed the gap even further over the next few laps. On lap eighteen, Peterson drove by McCandless for the lead.
Meanwhile, Spithaler was closing in on both Peterson and McCandless. Spithaler moved ahead of McCandless on lap nineteen. Just one lap later, he passed Peterson in traffic.
In the final ten laps of the race, Spithaler was clearly superior to Peterson. The lead continued to grow with each lap. He was more than four seconds ahead of Peterson by lap twenty-six. The margin reached 5.338 seconds on the final lap.
Smith cracked the top five on lap sixteen. He held fourth from lap sixteen through lap twenty-nine. On the final trip around the big half mile, Smith moved into third.
McCandless held on for fourth, one spot ahead of Flick, who clinched the Speedweek championship with a steady performance. He was in or just outside the top five for the entire race.
Shaffer edged Farnham for sixth. Greg Wilson, Bauer, and Bova completed the top ten.
Flick, Weaver, Zimbardi, and Peterson won the heat races. Tyler Esh copped the B Main.
Brandon Matus was the night’s fastest qualifier. He topped Group A with a lap of 17.622. However, his night went downhill after that. While running in a transfer position on the last lap of his heat race, Matus flipped hard between turns three and four. His crew thrashed to get the car ready for the B Main with assistance from Spithaler and Weaver, among others. However, Matus finished fifth, with only four cars making the A Main.
Spithaler was the fastest member of Group B. His time was 17,796.
Blaze Myers took the lead on lap six of the RUSH Sprint Car feature and he cruised to an easy victory over Luke Mulichak. The early leader, Zach Morrow, finished in third. Brayden Blackshear and Samantha Priest were fourth and fifth. Lucas Roessner, Devon Deeter, Logen Lockhart, Grayson Bayle, and Ricky Tucker, III, rounded out the top ten. Myers and Roessner took the preliminaries.
The nightcap for the Mini Stock division went to Camden Franz. There was a constant three car battle for second throughout the fifteen lapper. Sheriff Tim Callahan prevailed, with Jordan Wheeler and Justin Forsyth following. Fifth went to Andy Thomson. Kevin Dotten, Michael Phillipson, Andrew Thompson, Ben Aley, and Jacob Wheeler were sixth through tenth.
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Rough day for Wright at Michigan
Opportunistic Wagaman Wins at Williams Grove
Heim holds off Honeycutt to win Truck race at Michigan
Flick is Speedweek King
Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing win the pole position for the 110th Indianapolis 500
Alexander Rossi, Pato O’Ward and Romain Grosjean involved in multi vehicle crash during Indy 500 practice
New York Dog wins the Wienie 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NASCAR community mourns the loss of champion driver Kyle Busch
