Local Racing
Abreu Aces Lincoln Speedway Test
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (June 29, 2020 – Pittsburgh Racing Now): An invader finally triumphed in the 30th Annual Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek. Rico Abreu, who hails from St. Helena, CA, dominated round four held at the at Lincoln Speedway. The win was worth $7,000 to the popular driver who held off another visitor, Aaron Reutzel, the current points leader with the All Star Circuit of Champions series.
“It was a lot of fun, and fortunately there was not a lot of traffic,” Abreu said. “I had good entry to center speed and I could get a launch off the corner, especially off turn two.” Abreu explained that he just waited for the lapped cars to drop down in the corners and then “I could rocket right by them.” Abreu commented that “Lincoln is a tough track even without the World of Outlaws being here. But the track was awesome tonight.”
With the win, Abreu positioned himself to be the only driver eligible to claim a $5,000 bonus offered by Drydene. To do so, Abreu must also win the Drydene 40, a non-sanctioned event added to the Lincoln Speedway schedule for July 29, and the Seventh Annual Dirt Classic coming up at the speedway in September. When asked if he would compete in those shows, Abreu said, “I will be here if you (pointing to the enthusiastic fans in the grandstand) come back too.”
Abreu had the prime starting position for the 30 lap contest, but he had Reutzel positioned next to him. Ryan Smith and Christopher Bell were in row two. Kyle Larson and Cory Eliason were in the third row. Brent Marks and Danny Dietrich had row four covered. Brock Zearfoss and Brian Montieth were in the fifth row.
Abreu basted out to an early lead and Reutzel fell in behind him. Smith and Bell raced side by side, with Larson looking for an opening. He found it on the second lap and moved into fourth. While Abreu and Reutzel set a blistering pace, Larson and Bell began swapping the third position.
Robbie Kendall brought a halt to the action with ten laps down. Soon after the restart, Larson slid high in turn four while fighting with Bell for third. Larson nearly spun out, but he saved the car and did not lose a position. He was not as fortunate coming off turn two, though, and this time he did lose a couple of spots in the running order. It took him several laps to get them back.
The second and final caution was displayed on lap 19 when Zearfoss brought his car to a stop in the fourth turn. The restart line-up had Abreu out front, with Reutzel and Bell ahead of Larson and Marks, and the fans were all primed to see a heavyweight clash for the final eleven laps.
Unfortunately, that never materialized. Abreu got away cleanly and Reutzel could do nothing but watch the blue machine pull away from him. He was able to open up a margin of his own over Bell. Larson began to fade from contention in the last third of the race. However, Freddie Rahmer, Jr. provided some excitement. The third generation driver was sitting in tenth for the restart, up eleven spots from his starting position, and he still had some moves to make. Rahmer did pick up a few places before the checkers flew.
Abreu sailed under the victory bunting with almost a two second advantage over Reutzel. “He did a hell of a job, he set a great pace,” said the tall Texan. “I could see that he was having some trouble getting off the corners late in the race, but I needed heavier traffic to have a shot at him. He was just too good tonight.”
Bell crossed in third and seemed to be pleased with the outcome. “I’m just glad to be here, this is a real hotbed for Sprint Car racing.” Bell explained his plans to race in the next two rounds of Speedweek before heading out to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his next NASCAR event. “I love to do this and I don’t get the chance to do it enough,” he added.
Marks and Smith completed the top five. Larson fell to sixth at the finish, his worst finish in several weeks of action. Dietrich was right behind him, though, so do not expect to see much if any changes in the Speedweek points heading into the next event at Grandview Speedway. Rahmer was eighth. Eliason and Tim Wagaman rounded out the top ten.
Larson, Bell, Smith, and Eliason were the heat race winners. Rahmer was best in the B Main. Larson was the evening’s fastest qualifier, turning in a lap of 13.564 seconds to lead Group A. Reutzel was tops in Group B at 13.841 seconds.
Lincoln Speedway will host the 358 Sprint Car Summer Series this Saturday, July 4, along with the 305 Sprints and two additional divisions. Round five of Speedweek will be held on the high banks of the Grandview Speedway.
HIGHLIGHTS: It's @Rico_Abreu tonight at @lincolnspeedway! Watch full replays, recaps, and more at https://t.co/rUqaSFgWXU. pic.twitter.com/Nzy301cnQE
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) June 30, 2020
PITTSBURGH, PA (May 3, 2024) Rain is forcing local tracks to cancel their events this weekend.
Lernerville Speedway was the first to pull the plug on Friday’s program after late afternoon showers and an ominous forecast forced the tracks hand. Racing returns to ‘The Action Track’ on Friday, May 10 as the Jay’s Automotive ULMS Late Models take center stage, complemented with the remaining Fab4 racing divisions.
Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway was next to throw in the towel. PPMS and BRP Modified Tour officials made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the BRP Big Block Modifieds + Cinco De Mayo Fiesta event. The event will not be rescheduled. All tickets purchased online will be fully refunded. PPMS and BRP look forward to scheduling a 2025 date! PPMS hopes to be able to get in Nostalgia Night and Action Event next Saturday.
Rain late Friday evening and through the early morning hours on Saturday brought over a half-inch (0.51) of rain to Latrobe Speedway, forcing the cancellation of Saturday’s (May 4) FAST-Five racing program. The rain gauge at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, just 2 miles away, continues to record the rain. The airport forecast calls for an 80 % chance of showers, mainly before 1 pm, and a 100% chance of showers continuing again tonight.
Next Saturday, May 11, Latrobe plans to hold the Dave Kittey Memorial ULMS Super Late Models. The 30-lap $4,000-to-win feature also offers bonuses for ULMS racers. The FASTrak Pro Late Models, the Joe’s Body Shop & Towing Pure Stocks, the Special T Metals LLC Modified 4 Cylinders, and the Marilungo Disposal LLC Strictly Stock 4 Cylinders will also be on the card.
SARVER, PA (April 26, 2024) AJ Flick picked up his first Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Car win of 2024 at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night and Michael Norris made it back-to-back wins in the Late Model Division.
Flick started fourth on the grid and passed leader and pole-sitter Carl Bowser using the bottom side on lap 8 while Bowser worked the high side. Bowser wouldn’t go away easily, pulling side-by-side with Flick at the halfway mark. Flick eventually was able to hold Bowser at bay, building a three-second lead as he encountered lap traffic.
A caution flag with five-laps-to-go bunched up the field but Flick got an impressive restart and kept the field at bay to pick up the victory. Bowser finished second and Michael Bauer finished third after starting eighth.
“I didn’t expect it to slick off as much as it did,” Flick said about the track conditions. “It was odd because it wasn’t really wide but yet the actual racing groove was getting slick and starting to come in already. I missed it in the heat race, but come feature time it seems like we’re starting to dial it in a bit more.”
Norris started 10th and put on a clinic coming through the field to make it two straight at ‘The action Track.’
“Luck was on our side tonight,” Norris said. “I always seem to have late race cautions. Thanks to John Garvin for leaving me a lane, he got me pretty good on that last restart but I knew as long as I could be even with him going into turn one, the top was so good and it was.”
Erick Rudolph made the trip to Sarver from Ransomville, New York and it paid off. Rudolph took home the feature victory in the Diehl Automotive Big Block Modified main event.
“There’s something about Lernerville Speedway,” said Rudolph. “It’s one of my favorite tracks in the country and anytime we get a chance to come down here it’s always something we look forward to.”
Tyler Dietz proved to be the class of the field once again, garnering his first feature win in the Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stock main event. Dietz survived a late race restart and held off front row starter Tim Bish and a hard charging Chris Schneider to grab the checkered flag.
“I kind of thought that he (Bish) was going to take the bottom,” Dietz stated, remarking about the crucial restart. “I was hoping he would go high because I think I was better up high but I just never got the chance to go up there.”
PITTSBURGH, PA (April 24, 2025) The Historic Stock Car Racing Association (HSCRA) is joining the lineup of racing groups at this year’s Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (PVGP) Historics at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. This is the first time the HSCRA will race in the PVGP Historics 3-day weekend, July 26 to 28, 2024.
“We are thrilled to welcome the HSCRA to our 2024 event,” said Dan DelBianco, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. “Their participation not only broadens the appeal of the PVGP Historics but also aligns with our mission to celebrate all automotive history. This is a fantastic opportunity for race fans of all types to witness the power and beauty of historic stock cars in action.”
The HSCRA, renowned for its commitment to preserving and celebrating the history of stock car racing, will bring a new dimension to the PVGP Historics. The group is open to all stock cars that ran in one of the major NASCAR series.
“The HSCRA is anxious to bring NASCAR to Pittsburgh,” said Carlus Gann of HSCRA. “We look forward to making this a regular stop on our tour. Western Pennsylvania has deep roots in racing, and building a world-class track at Pitt Race in Beaver County makes it a perfect fit.”
The most popular class is Generation 4 Cup cars built for the 1992-2007 seasons. During this era, teams built a few cars for the two road courses on the schedule.
“We are hoping for a full field of meticulously restored stock cars,” added Chris Evans of the HSCRA. “Former NASCAR winners like Joe Nemechek and a competitive lineup of today’s top historic stock car drivers will be on hand.”
Gary Moore, a seasoned participant in over a dozen PVGP races, knows the intricacies and challenges of the Pitt Race track. Moore will be showcasing his 1969 Mercury Cyclone (right), victoriously driven by Cale Yarborough, exclaiming, “It’s quite the adventure behind the wheel!”
The HSCRA will have a practice session in the morning and a qualifying race in the afternoon on Friday, July 26. A morning and afternoon practice session on Saturday, July 27. Sunday, July 28 will see the HSCRA have a short morning warm-up prior to being one of the featured Sunday afternoon races.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Motorsport Festival features two weekends of racing action. The first weekend is the PVGP Historics at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. The second weekend is racing through a 2.33-mile road course set on the streets of Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. In addition to the race weekends, the PVGP stages car shows, parties, road rallies, and a black-tie formal. The PVGP’s mission is to provide residential care, treatment and support for people with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities – donating $6.7 million to charity since 1983.
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Flick, Norris, Rudolph and Dietz Victorious at Lernerville
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Team Penske Penalized for St. Pete Infractions. Newgarden Stripped Of Win
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