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Macri Masters BAPS Opener

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BAPS Motor Speedway

NEWBERRYTOWN, PA (March 15, 2026): Anthony Macri picked up where he left things off at BAPS Motor Speedway. His first win of the season on northern soil, and third overall, gave him four out of the last six 410 Sprint Car races held at the track. Further, it was his eighth career victory at BAPS. Joining him in celebration was veteran Gene Knaub, who chalked up his twenty-ninth career Late Model triumph at a venue he once dominated.

“I knew when I was in clean air that I had to pace myself,” Macri said. “I knew that the lapped cars would be tough,” he added. Indeed, he had a close call when he split two of the slower cars midway through the event.

Macri commented that he had to pick up his pace when he saw that Chase Dietz was in second place. Dietz, who already owns two wins at another area speedway this season, was very fast in the middle stage of the race.

Nevertheless, Macri was able to make good speed on the high side of turns one and two, but he had to wait for the top to come in at the opposite end of the speedway. “It was very bottom dominant, it took a while for it to clean off down in (turns) three and four.”

Macri appreciates his hot start to the 2026 season, but he knows that things could change at any time. “We’re going to ride the wave as long as we can. It’s Sprint Car racing, you know. It can come crashing down. You never know, next weekend you could trash two cars.”

Macri drew the pole for the thirty lapper, which was staged according to the Speedweek format. Flanking him was Freddie Rahmer, Jr., who held him off elsewhere ust the night before. T.J. Stutts and Brock Zearfoss paired up in row two. They were followed by Tyler Ross and Dietz. Then came J.J. Loss and Lance Dewease. Danny Dietrich and Preston Lattomus occupied row five. Aaron Bollinger and Mark Smith completed the first half of the starting field.

Macri shot into the lead at the drop of the green. Rahmer took over second, followed by Zearfoss, Dietz, and Ross. Dewease, Stutts, Loss, Lattomus, and Cameron Smith made up the balance of the top ten in the early going.

The top five were unchanged through five laps. However, things were changing in the next five positions. Danny Dietrich worked into eighth. Also, Lattomus started to slip back in the running order.

Dietz took over third on lap six, just a couple of rounds before Andy Best stopped on the backstretch for the first caution of the event. Soon after the race resumed, Dietz picked off Rahmer for the second spot, but Macri had a substantial lead at that time.
Meanwhile, Ross and Zearfoss began a spirited duel for the fourth position. That came to a stop on lap thirteen when Bollinger slowed on the front stretch for the second caution.

Macri maintained control after the restart. Dietz continued in second, ahead of Rahmer, Ross and Zearfoss resumed their battle for fourth. After a lap or two, Ross claimed the spot as his own. He wasn’t done just yet, though. Within a lap or two, he passed Rahmer for the third position.

Macri and Dietz separated themselves from Ross as the race moved into the final ten laps. Rahmer picked up his pace at that point, closing in on Ross. Rahmer pressed Ross as they worked through traffic. Rahmer made a move with four laps remaining to regain the third position. Ross began to fade after that, and Zearfoss overtook him for fourth in the closing laps.

At the checkers, Macri had a lead of two and a quarter seconds over Dietz. Rahmer, Zearfoss, and Ross completed the top five. Danny Dietrich, Dewease, Cameron Smith, Stutts, and Kyle Moody were sixth through tenth.

Stutts, Dietz, and Ross captured the heat wins for the twenty-seven cars on hand. Cole Knopp won the B Main. Zearfoss was the evening’s fastest qualifier overall, posting a time of 13.944 seconds.

The second heat had a controversial call by track officials. Danny Dietrich, who crossed the line in third, was penalized two spots for jumping the initial start. The ruling was later overturned, and he was restored to third before the feature line-up was posted. Also, in the second heat, Logan Rumsey blew his engine as he took the checkers. He was done for the night.

Three cars tumbled during the B Main. The first was Nick Sheridan. Later, D.J. Christie and Ayden Hare went over together in turn two. None of the drivers were injured. Christie was able to patch the car up to make a transfer from the abbreviated B Main.

An exciting twenty lap Late Model feature closed out the program. Knaub led the first fifteen laps, but Coleby Frye was closing quickly when the only caution slowed the pace.

When the race resumed, the pair of veterans battled fiercely for the top spot. Frye worked under Knaub in turn one with two laps remaining. However, Knaub came storming back on the next trip around. He went low on Frye and regained the position in turn one. Knaub pulled away by several car lengths on the final circuit.

“I’m tired of being beat up,” Knaub said. “I drive them like they drive me,” he commented.

Knaub added that he built the powerplant ten years ago. “It’s down on power, but it’s still good enough to win,” he quipped.
Chad Smith, Michael Walls, and Travis Horan followed Knaub and Frye across the finish line. Scott Palmer, Matt Adams, Devin Frey, Dale Murphy, and Zach Kauffman rounded out the top ten.

Three heats were staged of the twenty-seven fendered machines. The wins went to Knaub, Smith, and Keith Walls. There was no B Main, as all but one car started the feature race.

BAPS will return to its customary Saturday night program next weekend with the opener for the Super Sportsmen. The Late Models, Extreme Stocks, and Classic Cars will also be in action. A Sprint Car doubleheader will be held on March 29, as the 358s will make their first appearance in support of the 410 division.

Dirt Racing

Michael Norris wins his 5th Jook George Steel City Classic

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Photo: RUSH Late Model Touring Series

IMPERIAL, PA (July 25, 2026) – Michael Norris is back in Victory Lane at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway after winning Saturday night’s Jook George Steel City Classic.

The win was Norris’ fifth in seven events and the Late Model standout from Sarver, PA dedicated the win to his Grandparents.

“I want to dedicate this win to my grandma and grandpa,” said the 34-year-old Norris.  “We lost them this year and miss them a lot- this one is for them. My pap would always say I want you to go down there and show them how it’s done and I showed them how it’s done for him.”

The victory was a family affair for Norris, who was driving the ND Motorsports #N1.

“I have to think Nico (Dabecco) and Vinny,” said Norris, Nico’s brother-in-law. “We really changed the car a lot from the Firecracker (Lernerville Speedway June 27) and found some things we needed to address.”

Norris and Kyle Lukon led the 26-car field to the green flag with Norris leading lap 1 but Lukon grabbing the lead on lap and holding it through lap 7.

Norris wasn’t done however, pulling a slider in turn three to lead lap 8.  Norris padded his lead the next couple of laps, pulling out over a second over Lukon.

Lukon was slowed when he slid into the wall on lap 15, giving third place Dan Angelicchio the chance to catch up and the battle was on for second.

Lukon slid into the wall a second time on lap 23 and slowed to bring out the caution.

The restart lined Angelicchio up alongside Norris but ‘the crusher kid’ dropped the hammer and was gone. Demetrios Drellos was able to drive around Angelicchio on the outside to take over the runner-up spot, but was never able to get close enough to Norris to challenge in lapped traffic.

“When this track is like this, it’s so much fun and you can race all over it,” Norris explained. “They did a great job on it tonight.”

Norris took home $6,010 for the win and $6,500 for the night to bring his total take home from ‘the Jook’ to $34,000 over his five wins.

“I have to thank Branden (Lockwich),” said Norris. “He does such a great job, puts a lot of effort into this, and tries different things every year to make it better and get more people here. We’ll keep supporting it as long as they keep having it. Thanks to all the fans for coming out and Blair (Cress) for keeping this place open.”

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Dirt Racing

Marks Magnificent in Hodnett Classic at Port Royal

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Photo: Port Royal Speedway

PORT ROYAL, PA (July 25, 2026):  Brent Marks dominated the Greg Hodnett Classic at Port Royal Speedway to score a $15,000 victory on night number one of the Bob Weikert Memorial Weekend. Marks established himself as the odds on favorite to scoop up the $100,000 first prize.

Marks’ lead was almost 4.8 seconds before the only caution of the race. It was called prematurely on lap eighteen by a track official when Daison Pursley got out of shape in turn two. Pursley got his car righted and he was allowed to blend in where he was running after the caution.

Marks sped away from his rivals when the race resumed. Justin Peck moved into second with five laps remaining. Although Chase Dietz took over third on lap twenty-three, he was penalized to positions at the finish for being out of line for the restart. That moved Anthony Macri into third and Ryan Smith into fourth.

“The car was awesome all night,” Marks said. He timed in third in Group B, won his heat race, and ran away with the dash. He led all twenty-five laps of the feature event without any challenges.

“I wanted to make the top work a little more,” Marks noted. “Fortunately, there was a good cushion to help me out. After the caution, Marks came down off the top and ran in the middle for the final seven laps. His margin of victory was 1.035 seconds over Peck.

Peck, who came on strong in the final half of the race, mentioned, “I think we were fast from start to finish.” He was the fastest qualifier of the night, topping Group A with a lap of 15.862 seconds. He was second in his heat race and fourth in the dash. He added, “I haven’t felt this good at Port Royal since 2021.” He thought he could have squeezed a little more speed out of his car for the feature, “but, I was scared to get out of our window.”

Macri also thought that he had a good car. He commented, though, “I have to work on my tires under the yellow. I have to study.”

The dash finish set the first eight positions in the A Main. Marks and Macri occu[ied row one. They were followed by Dietz and Peck. Then came the championship contenders, Rico Abreu and Aaron Reutzel, in row three; and Pursley and Kerry Madsen, in row four. Ryan Smith and Giovanni Scelzi claimed row five based on their heat reace finishes. James McFadden and Danny Dietrich (who was sporting Weikert colors and the iconic number 29 tonight) departed from row six.

Marks jumped out to the early lead and he began to pull away from Macri. Peck and Dietz raced along in fourth and fifth, ahead of Abreu, Reutzel, Madsen, Smith, Scelzi, and Tyler Courtney.

The first five were unchanged through the first half of the race. Abreu and Reutzel battled for sixth, while Smith began to close in on them.

That premature caution on lap eighteen wiped away Marks’ advantage. Macri, Peck, Dietz, Smith, Reutzel, Abreu, Courtney, Madsen, and Scelzi were the announced starting order for the remaining seven laps. However, Dietz managed to position himself ahead of Peck for the restart, giving rise to the penalty imposed at the finish.

Dietz blasted into third on the restart. But Peck rallied and drove up to second by the finish. Macri was under attack from Smith in the closing laps and they were both moved ahead of Dietz in the finishing order.

Positions six through ten went to Logan Wagner, who was designated as the hard charger. He advanced sixteen positions over the course of the race. Most of his passed came after the restart. Abreu was seventh, followed by Reutzel, Courtney, and Madsen.

Madsen, Macri, Marks, and Pursley took the checkers in their respective heat races. Domenic Melair won the C Main. Cameron Smith took the honors in the B Main. Peck was the top qualifier, at 15.862. Abreu topped Group B with a time of 16.682 seconds. Forty-seven cars checked in for the event

Ageless Steve Wilbur went wire to wire to win the Wingless Sportsmen thirty lapper. He took the lead at the start and steadily pulled away to a seven second advantage. Brett Perigo moved into second on lap fifteen and he cut into the margin while Wilbur struggled with lapped traffic.

The lead was down to 1.666 seconds by the time the red came out for a spectacular crash involving Dexter Ehrenzeller and Donnie Farlling on the front stretch. Ehrenzeller’s car came to rest near the victory lane. He required medical attention and was transported to a nearby hospital. No report of his condition was available by the end of the program.

Tony Jackson followed Wilbur and Brett Perigo at the finish. Marty Brian and Sam Leonard, Jr. completed the top five. The nxt five finishers were Eric Wlaker, Curt Stroup, Scott Smith, Lee Kauffman, and Craig Perigo.

Jackson, Brian, and Brad Mellott tallied the heat race wins. There was no B Main needed to align the twenty-one car field.

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Dirt Racing

Dietz Finally Scores At Williams Grove

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Photo: Williams Grove Speedway

MECHANICSBURG, PA (July 24, 2026):  Chase Dietz finally got a win at Williams Grove Speedway. It was his seventeenth overall for the season and sixth in his career at the famous oval. The $6,000 triumph also extended his points lead in the fledgling PA Posse Series.

Dietz executed a perfect slider in turn four on lap thirteen to take the lead from the current Williams Grove points leader and defending track champion, Troy Wagaman, Jr. “You have to take your shot when you get it,” Dietz said.

Dietz commented that he tried to drive under Wagaman in turn one on the opening lap, but he could not pull off the pass. In fact, he lost a position to Anthony Macri in the process. He explained that the temporary setback “probably helped me, it pissed me off.”

He noted that “the track was pretty narrow with a good cushion.” But, he added, ”it was pretty dicey with those lapped cars. They want to run where you are.” Fortunately, Dietz was able to navigate around them efficiently after taking the lead.

He concluded, “it’s a great time to have this (his first win at the track) happen. We have the Outlaws coming in and we want to put it on them.”

Although this was a Posse Series race, the track used a format similar to a World of Outlaws event to help get the race teams ready for next week’s Summer Nationals program. Thus, the heat races started heads-up, with the fastest qualifier on the pole instead of fourth per Posse Series procedures. The first two finishers from each heat advanced to the dash, instead of the heat winners and the fastest qualifiers from beach heat. The dash established the starting order for the first six cars in the feature event, instead of a random draw. All others fell in line based upon their qualifying times, instead of their heat race finishes.

Accordingly, the pole position for the twenty-five lapper went to Wagaman, with Dietz as his wingman. Logan Rumsey and Macri were next in line. The final two dash participants, Brent Shearer and Austin Bishop, manned row three. Then came Danny Dietrich and Preston Lattomus, in row four; Justin Whittall and Dylan Norris, in row five; and Freddie Rahmer, Jr. and Doug Hammaker, in row six.

Wagaman reached turn one ahead of Dietz and established himself on the cushion. Dietz opted for the low side, and that allowed Macri to roll in behind Wagaman on the top. Macri had better momentum coming off turn two, and he gained the second position heading down the back stretch. Rumsey was fourth, followed by Bishop, Shearer, Dietrich, Lattomus, Whittall, and Norris on the opening lap.

The first four began to separate themselves from the other racers in the early going. Meanwhile, Dietrich was pressing Rumsey for the fifth spot.

On lap seven, Macri got a tremendous launch off turn two and he closed very quickly on the leader. However, Wagaman was able to get to a lapped car before Macri could make a bid for the lead. Soon thereafter, Dietz powered past Macri for second. He then closed in on Wagaman in traffic.

The only caution of the event occurred on lap eleven. Rahmer got a flat and struck the outside wall in turn two while running in the top ten.

Wagaman had the point for the single file restart, with Dietz in second, followed by Macri, Rumsey, Dietrich, Bishop, Shearer, Whittall, Lattomus, and Norris.

Dietz pressed Wagaman for the lead when the race resumed. It took him a couple of laps to set up his winning pass in turn four. Meanwhile, Dietrich and Bishop moved ahead of Rumsey.

Dewease was another racer making forward progress after the restart. He was thirteenth in the queue when the green light came on again, and he cracked into the top ten on lap fifteen. He gained two more positions in the final ten laps.

Dietz stretched his lead over Wagaman as the laps clicked off. Wagaman remained in second. Dietrich got under Macri for third with three laps remaining in the contest.

Dietz took the checkers almost four and a half seconds ahead of Wagaman. Then came Dietrich, Macri, and Bishop. Whittall, Rumsey, Dewease, Norris, and Ryan Smith completed the top ten.

Rumsey, Dietz, and Bishop took the heat wins. There was no B Main. Wagaman prevailed in the dash. Rumsey was the evening’s fastest qualifier with a lap of 16.715 seconds. It was his first quick time award.

Eli Tuckey survived an early challenge from Austin Reed to get his first career win at the speedway in the 358 Sprint Car division. “I was diving poorly,” Tuckey conceded. “I figured if I could stay next to him (Reed), I could pull it off.” Tuckey adjusted his wing and did exactly that.

Reed held on for second, followed by Chase Gutshall, Derek Locke, and Adam Carberry. Cody Fletcher, Brock Hammaker, Seth Schnoke, Matt Findley, and Tim Wagaman, II rounded out the top ten.

Tuckey, Gutshall, and Schnoke copped the preliminaries. There was no B Main needed to set the starting field.

Cole Young had a spectacular crash at the start of his heat race. His car flipped several times and the front axle was ripped from the car. He was not hurt in the wreck. Brian Wolf, Jr. tipped his car over at the start of his heat. The car was not extensively damaged, and he was not injured. He was able to start the feature.

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