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Weekend Racing Preview

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Tri-City Raceway Park

PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – All kinds of racing throughout the Western and Central Pennsylvania regions this weekend as track championships heat up and special events take center stage.

Fab 4 Friday At Lernerville:

  • It’s a Fab 4 Friday night at Lernerville Speedway as “The Action Track” has extended their season after COVID-19 threw a Caution Flag on the start.  A.J. Flick holds a slim 3-point lead over Carl Bowser in Sprint Car standings.  Brandon Spithaler sits 26-points out of the lead and defending track Champion Jack Sodeman Jr. is 32-points back.
  • Kenny Schaltenbrand is sitting on a 15-point cushion in the Late Model Championship standings.  Tyler Dietz sits in second place followed by Colton Flinner, who is 47-points out of the lead.  Gary Lyle is 5-points back of Flinner.
  • Garrett Krummert holds an 11-point lead over John Mollick in the Modified Championship.  Rex King Jr. is in third place 15-points out of the top spot.  Brian Swartzlander is lurking back in fourth place, 48-points out of the lead.
  • The tightest battle is in the Pro Stocks where Corey McPherson holds a 1-point lead over Tyler Dietz.  Joey Zambotti can’t be counted out as he sits 11-points back in third place.  Mike Miller is in fourth place, 32-points back of the top spot.

Hobby Stock Invitational At PPMS Saturday:

  • Saturday at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway features the Hobby Stock Invitational.  The invitational pays $1,000-to-win.  Also on the schedule are the RUSH Late Model Dirt Series, the ADMAR Pro Stocks, the Crawford Auto Repair Four Cylinders, and the All Ways Safe Young Guns. Gates open at 5 p.m., hot laps begin at 6 p.m., and the racing action will commence at 7 p.m. Adult general grandstand admission is only $15 and $35 for an adult pit pass.
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Championship Night Saturday at Jennerstown:

  • Saturday night is Championship Night at Jennerstown Speedway.  All 5 divisions will be in action.  Main gates open at 4 p.m.  On-track practice starts at 4:30 p.m. followed by opening ceremonies at 5:55 p.m.  Racing starts at 6:00 p.m.  For more Information visits www.jennerstown.org.
  • Albert Francis holds a 6-point lead over Barry Awtey and a 9-point lead over Teddy Gibala in the Late Model Championship standings.  Jarred Barclay is in fourth place, 49-points back and Garry Wiltrout rounds out the Top 5 going into Saturday night’s action.
  • White Oak’s Anthony Aiello is atop the Modified Championship standings, 26-points ahead of R.J. Dallape.  Tom Golick is in third place, 34-points back.  John Fama and Jason Busch round out the Top 5.
  • Casey Fleegle leads the Street Stocks Championship standings by 6-points over second place Aaron VanFleet.  Mel Wilt is in third place, 50-points back of the top spot.  Angie Kimberly and Jeff Barclay round out the Top 5.
  • Jeff Vasos leads the Fast Fours Championship standings by 61-points over second place Evan Nibert.  Michael Saler sits 77-points back in third place.  Jason Fulton and Jason Truscott round out the Top 5.
  • Dale Kimberly is your leader in the Chargers Championship standings.  Kyle Burkholder is in second place, 64-points back from the lead.  Will Hemminger is in third place, 93-points out of the top spot.  Bob Mostoller and Steven Singo round out the Top 5.

Applefest Race Weekend At Tri-City Raceway Park:

  • The grand finale to the 2020 racing season at the Tri-City Raceway Park takes place this weekend as the tracks new ownership is holding the “Applefest Race Weekend” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Friday’s activities include a practice session for competitors with a full slate of racing is on tap Saturday and Sunday. Sprint Cars headline the competition, with Time Trials and preliminary Heat Races on Saturday and a 30-lap race on Sunday. Three types of “Modifieds,” including Big Block-engine Modifieds, Small Block-engine Modifieds, and Crate-Engine Modifieds will participate in Heat Races on Saturday and Features on Sunday. Pro-Stocks will have a 50-lap race on Sunday. The RUSH Sprint Car Series and Mini-Stock cars are also on the schedule.

All-Stars Visit Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedway:

  • The Ollies Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions takes on the Pennsylvania Posse or the final time this season chasing a total winner’s share equaling $25,000. The rescheduled Jack Gunn Memorial takes place at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday evening.  The $20,000-to-win Dirt Classic takes place Saturday at Lincoln Speedway.  Williams Grove’s Jack Gunn Memorial will also act as Dirt Classic Qualifier, granting the winner an automatic bid into Saturday’s $20,000-to-win Dirt Classic showstopper.

Dirt Racing

Mother Nature winning the weekend as local tracks cancel events

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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.

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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.

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Dirt Racing

Flick, Norris, Rudolph and Dietz Victorious at Lernerville

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Photo: Paul Arch

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.’

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“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.”­­­­­­

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Local Racing

Historic Stock Cars to run at Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

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PVGP

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.”

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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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