Local Racing
Larson Doubles at Port Royal
PORT ROYAL, PA (October 10, 2020): Kyle Larson did it again at Port Royal Speedway, beating the best of the World of Outlaws and the Pennsylvania Posse in the Nittany Showdown. After scoring the his 41st dirt win of the COVID affected season, Larson admitted that his goal is get to 50 by the end of the year. To reach that number, he will probably need to go on another rampage in the Midgets like he did in the run up to his first Chili Bowl title.
Larson had a little luck on his side this night. Brent Marks blew by him on the rim in turn two with three laps remaining. The pass was nullified, however, when Kerry Madsen brought his car to a stop in the middle of the back stretch. Because the new leader did not get back to the scoring loop before that happened, Larson regained the lead for the restart. “I definitely got really luck there,” Larson said with a sigh of relief. “I got trapped behind Spencer (Bayston). He was running the top and I went down and so did he and Brent went ripping around us and then the yellow came out.”
Once installed again as the leader, Larson started looking for his crew to give him some signals as to how he should approach the remaining three laps. Larson got help form his car owner and crew chief, Paul Silva. “Paul just told me get on top and let it rip,” Larson said. Continuing, he added, “Marks came down early (off turn four) and showed me his nose. I pinched him down and maybe messed up his line so he couldn’t slide me. I never saw him after that.”
It was an all-Pennsylvania front row for the start of the thirty lapper. Lance Dewease and Brent Macri had the Posse faithful in a frenzy. It was a California second row, with Gio Scelzi joined by Larson. The Outlaws held down row three, with Sheldon Haudenschild and Brad Sweet carrying their colors. Carson Macedo and Marks were in row four, with Kyle Reinhart and Brock Zearfoss in row five. Dylan Cisney and Logan Schuchart started in row six.
Dewease pulled away from Macri at the exit of turn four to lead the way into the first corner. However, Larson slipped to the inside of Macri and took second coming off turn two. Haudenschild tucked in behind Macri, with Scelzi and Marks fighting for fifth.
Dewease opened up a comfortable margin over his friend, Larson, and the fans were loving every minute of it. Several alps into the contest, though, Dewease made a rare mistake. He got his right rear over the narrow ledge in turns one and two and struck the wall. He was able to keep the car moving and did not lose a position, but something was amiss. Larson reeled him in. The two put on a remarkable battle for the lead for several laps, but Larson claimed the lead by lap ten.
“I really didn’t know who was second,” Dewease said. “I clobbered the wall and the car wasn’t very good after that. I thought about pulling off.” But, Dewease soldiered on. He held second until lap 18, when Marks went by on the high side of turn one. Haudenschild did likewise several laps later after an intense duel with Dewease. However, Dewease showed that his superior knowledge of the track could make up for some deficiencies in the performance of his car. He was able to slide Haudenschild on the restart to regain third and Dewease ran an inspired three laps to close out the race, almost catching Marks for second at the finish.
Larson’s win ensured that the Pennsylvania drivers were shut out on their home turf for the first time in over a decade. Marks had mixed emotions following his second place finish. “I’m a little disappointed. For once we had a better car than he did. We’re proud to be standing up here after the mistake I made last night.” Marks was confessing error for the five car melee in turn four that knocked several cars out of contention for top ten positions.
Following Larson, Marks, and Dewease were Schuchart and Haudenschild. Scelzi, Zearfoss, Sweet, Macedo, and Logan Wagner completed the top ten.
Scelzi, Sweet, Macedo, and Marks were the heat winners. Michael Bauer was best in the Non Qualifiers race. The C Main victory went to T.J. Stutts. Danny Dietrich topped the B Main. Dewease won the dash. The evening’s fastest qualifier was Scelzi, with a lap of 16.095 seconds in Group A. Macedo was quickest in Group B with a time of 16.233.
Port Royal Speedway will be back in action next weekend with a three-day program for the STSS Modifieds and Sportsmen. Thursday will be a 40 lapper for the Modifieds. Friday will be qualifying night with semi-features for both Modifieds and Sportsmen. Saturday will be a 200 lap feature for the Modifieds paying $53,000 to the winner. Sportsmen will race 50 laps for $2,500. The season will conclude at the Speed Palace on October 24, when the Ninth Annual Keystone RaceSaver Challenge will be held for the 305 Sprint Cars. Limited Late Models and Mini Stocks will also be on that card.
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.
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
Flick, Norris, Rudolph and Dietz Victorious at Lernerville
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
Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway Cancels Saturday Program; Pivots To Flood Relief Drive
