Local Racing
Macri Takes Two at Port Royal
PORT ROYAL, PA (July 1, 2020 – Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Anthony Macri found the cure for the embarrassment of failing to qualify for two of the first five rounds of the 30th Annual Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek. Go to a big, familiar track. Macri scored his fourth consecutive 410 Sprint Car victory at Port Royal Speedway and then he backed it up with another win against the United Racing Club 360 Sprint Cars. It marked the first time in more than a decade that a driver won four straight in the headline class at the spacious Juniata County oval. His combined take for the night exceeded $9,000.
“This is a grueling week, one of the hardest, and my crew has been working very hard,” Macri said. “We were struggling at the small tracks, and we tore that care apart and got a new one out for Grandview and it seemed to work a little better.” But, this night, Macri raced his tried and true big track car. However, he changed up his strategy for the race because of the extra distance. “I played it cool and kept my tires under me. I ran a little harder in the second half. Still, I had some problems the last two laps, so I just pushed the gas a little harder.”
Macri, who was scheduled to start in the fifth spot, got a break when the pole sitter, Christopher Bell, lost oil pressure while the field was forming up. That moved Macri up a row. So, the pole went to Brock Zearfoss, with two-time and defending track champ Logan Wagner next to him. Paired up with Macri was Lance Dewease. Cory Eliason and Kyle Larson were in row three. Ryan Smith and Aaron Reutzel were in row four and Danny Dietrich and Rico Abreu had row five.
Although Dewease had a great start, challenging Wagner and Zearfoss for the lead, it was negated by a crash in turn one that eliminated Robbie Kendall and Cory Eliason. On the second try, Wagner and Zearfoss set the pace, but Macri slid into third ahead of Dewease, Reutzel, Abreu and Larson.
Wagner began to flex some muscle in the early laps, opening a considerable lead over Zearfoss. Dewease was on the charge and he took over second with seven laps in the books. Macri and Zearfoss were in a battle for third, while Reutzel and Larson stayed close.
Dewease was starting to close in on Wagner who was having some difficulties dealing with the lapped traffic. However, Macri went to the whip and took over the second spot just before the caution came out on lap 13. Although that alleviated Wagner’s problem with the slower cars, it also opened up a lane for Macri, and he swooped into the lead on the ensuing restart.
Macri was firmly in command the rest of the way. Wagner continued in second, but Reutzel moved into third. Dewease fell to fourth in the middle stage of the race. He came back strong in the final ten laps, though, and climbed back to the second position at the checkers. As quickly as Dewease moved forward, Wagner fell back.
At the finish, it was Macri ahead of Dewease, Reutzel, Larson, and Wagner. Dietrich was sixth. Then came Smith, Brent Marks, Freddie Rahmer, Jr., and Zearfoss.
The four heat winners were Dewease, Wagner, Zearfoss, and Bell. Alan Krimes picked up the B Main. Kyle Larson was quickest in Group A with a lap of 16.246. Macri topped Group B with a round of 16.495.
In the nightcap for the URC 360 Sprints, Macri had to track down Dallas Schott and Jonathan Preston to get the victory. Macri had to pass his adversaries twice to make it count, as his initial bid for the lead was nullified by a caution. Taking fourth was Derek Locke and fifth went to Josh Weller. Steve Buckwalter came from deep in the pack to get sixth. Heat wins went to Preston, Macri, and Austin Bishop. There was no B Main.
Port Royal will close out Speedweek on Saturday with the Greg Hodnett Classic paying $10,000 to the winner. The Late Models will race for $2,500 to win. Speeweek moves south of the Mason Dixon line for the annual stop at Hagerstown Speedway on Thursday night. It will be the Johnny Grum Memorial. There also will be an exhibition of vintage racers provided by the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing.
WHAT A BATTLE at #PASpeedweek 🔥 pic.twitter.com/liLSLHCTgh
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) July 2, 2020
Congrats to @AnthonyMacri7 on his #PASpeedweek @PortRoyalSpdway win! pic.twitter.com/NTaQAneMLS
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) July 2, 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.
Team Penske Suspends Cindric and Three Others Involved In Push-to-Pass Violation
Dewease and Hammaker Get First Wins for New Car Owners at Williams Grove Speedway
Mother Nature winning the weekend as local tracks cancel events
McLaughlin goes back-to-back at Barber Motorsports Park
Macri Gets Third Straight Kauffman Classic at Port Royal; Amantea and Craig Perigo Also Score
Borden Thrills at Port Royal; Robinson, Covert, and Hart also Score
Team Penske Penalized for St. Pete Infractions. Newgarden Stripped Of Win
Historic Stock Cars to run at Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
Spithaler, Norris, Krummert, and Christian Schneider take Opening Night Wins at Lernerville Speedway
