Local Racing
Sheppard and Eckert Share Victory Lane at Georgetown
GEORGETOWN, DE(October 31, 2020): A pair of veterans earned their first career victories at Georgetown Speedway during the Mid-Atlantic Championship weekend. Matt Sheppard scored in the Short Track Super Series Modifieds and Rick Eckert prevailed in the United Late Model Series.
“It’s fitting that I got the win coming from the back,” Sheppard said. He had pitted just six laps into the fray to replace a flat right front tire and then he chased down the Northeast’s winningest Modified pilot, Stewart Friesen. “It’s been a tough year, so to get win number twenty is really good,” Sheppard added.
Friesen and the Quaker Shaker, Rick Laubach, were on the front row for the 44 lap contest. Brandon Grosso and Anthony Perrego were in the second row. Billy Pauch, Jr. lined up next to Mike Maresca in the third, with J.R. McGinley and Andy Bachetti behind them. Richie Pratt, Jr. and Sheppard were in row five. Matt Peck and Mike Gular were in the sixth row. These starting positions were based on the luck of the draw.
While everybody expected Friesen to grab the early lead, Laubach had other ideas. Scooby surged ahead coming off the fourth turn and Friesen fell in behind when the duo reached turn one. Perrego and Maresca came next, with Pauch, Bachetti, and Pratt following.
The first ten laps were puntuated with four cautions. Through it all, Laubach maintained control, although Friesen did make several strong challenges for the lead. Perrego and Pauch were also fixtures in the top five. P5 changed hands several times, though.
Near the end of the longest green flag run, eleven laps in distance, Friese powered past Laubach for the lead. Perrego and Pauch were figthing for third during this interval. Ryan Krachun nailed down fifth. However, Tyler Dipple was advancing quickly. After taking a provisional to start in the twenty-seventh position, he clawed his way to sixth.
Yellow fever set in again, as seven cautions were displayed over the second half of the race. Friesen continued to lead, but he had a new pursuer. Sheppard passed Laubach for second on lap 24. Laubach would go pitside for a flat three laps later, and Pratt was next to pit a few laps later.
Sheppard reeled in Friesen and the two talents put on an exciting show for the fans. Sheppard had a run on the outside of turn two, but Friesen drifted a bit high and there was minor contact. Both drivers were able to maintain control. On lap 31, Sheppard tried the outside line coming off turn two again, and this time he was able to make it past Friesen without incident.
On a lap 36 restart, Friesen got out into the loose stuff in turn one and le lost four or five positions. Among the drivers to benefit from this rare mistake was Pauch, who needed to gain positions if he had any hope of overtaking Friesen in the quest for the Series Southern Division point title. While Pauch was able to climb into second, Friesen got back on track. He rallied for fourth, which was enough to preserve his points lead over Pauch.
At the finish, it was Sheppard, Pauch, Perrego, Friesen, and Dippel. Although Pauch lost out in the series points chase, he was able to claim the track championship. he took a jab at his famous father in the post-race interview, noting that he was the first member of the family to win a title on Delaware soil. Pauch also remarked that he was “the only guy in the top five with a real job.”
Danny Creeden, Laubach, Gular, Ryan Watt, and Matt Stangle completed the top ten.
Heat wins were scored by Perrego, Bachetti, Friesen, and Sheppard. The B Mains went to Watt and Tyler Siri.
In the 40 lap Late Model event, Mike Maresca led the field to the start, but Rick Eckert took control of the race as they thundered off turn two. Mark Pettyjohn, Max Blair, Donnie Lingo, and Kyle Hardy trailed. A quick yellow brought a moan from the crowd, as they feared another caution plagued race.
However, the racers redeemed themselves, completing fifteen more circuits before the next caution was displayed. While Eckert led the way, Max Blair was giving chase. He took the lead briefly coming off the second turn, but Eckert came charging back atthe opposite end of teh track.
Eckert and Blair began to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.Soon they were trading the top spot. Blair took charge just before the halfway mark, but Eckert stayed within shooting distance. Aided by a caution on lap 26, Eckert found a good line in turns one and two and he used it to regain the lead on teh restart.
“I was getting lazy, and then I picked the wrong lane for a restart and (Blair) got by me,” Eckert noted. “Then, he switched lanes, and I got back by him.”
Eckert added that he was “able to find a line that I could use to make up time in one and two.” Though he claimed to struggle in turns three and four, Eckert explained that Blair was having trouble down there also.
Eckert led the remainder of the race without challenge from Blair, who did finish second. Third went to Hardy. Maresca was fourth, followed by Ross Robinson. Jason Covert was sixth after running as high as second briefly. Amanda Robinson was next. Gary Stuhler, Danny Snyder, and Trevor Collins completed the top ten.
Heat winners were Eckert, Blair, and Pettyjohn. Eckert turned in the fastest lap in qualification runs at 18.050 seconds. There was no B Main.
Justin Grosso topped Joe Toth, Tim Hartman, Jr., Anthony Tramontana, and Tanner Van Doren in the 602 Crate Sportsmen. Steve Kemery, Robert Dutton, Tramontana, and Grosso were victorious in their heats. Greg Humlhanz and Greg Reed won the B Mains.
Georgetown Speedway officials announced that there will be one more race at the half mile in 2020. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28, the Gobbler will be held, with Big Block Modifieds topping the card. Support divisions have yet to be determined.
Dirt Racing
Parker Price-Miller rules the Fantasy Cup at PA Motor Speedway
By Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway
IMPERIAL, PA (September 5, 2026) – The 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup delivered exactly what fans came to Dirt’s Monster Half Mile to see Saturday night, but one driver made sure the biggest story of the evening belonged to him.
PPMS packed the night with qualifying, nine heat races, a B Main, and six feature events, all building toward the 25-lap main event for the Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive FAST on Dirt 410 Sprint Car Series.
When the green flag dropped for the Fantasy Cup, “The Law Firm” Parker Price Miller (71), from Kokomo, Indiana, wasted no time taking control.
What followed was a wire-to-wire performance as Price Miller led all 25 laps and never surrendered the top spot on his way to winning the 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup.
But the Sprint Cars were only part of a night filled with familiar faces finding their way back to victory lane.
Matt Benard (15), from Oakdale, picked up his third win of the season in the Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Model feature.
Nick Kocuba (10), from Burgettstown, added another victory in the Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stock feature.
Ryleigh Heasley (212), from Beaver, continued his winning ways with another victory in the Young Guns feature.
Garrett O’Patchen (25), from Scott Township, returned to victory lane in the Auto House Hobby Stock feature.
Shawn Metty (45), from Rawlings, Maryland, completed the night’s list of winners by taking the checkered flag in the Northeast Crown Vic Series feature.
And while Price Miller may have led every lap of the headline event, there was plenty more happening behind him before the final checkered flag fell at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile.
A strong field of 26 Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive FAST on Dirt 410 Sprint Cars was on hand for the 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup.
Following qualifying, the field was divided into three heat races, with each heat winner and the fastest qualifier from each group drawing for the top six starting positions in the 25-lap A Main.
Parker Price Miller (71), from Kokomo, Indiana, started the night by setting fast time with a lap of 16.921, but that was only the beginning of what was to come.
Price Miller later drew the pole for the 25-lap Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive FAST on Dirt 410 Sprint Car feature, with Brandon Spithaler (22), from Butler, starting alongside him in second.
Carl Bowser (11), from Butler, started third with Leyton Wagner (38), from Enon Valley, lining up fourth.
When the green flag dropped, Price Miller immediately jumped out to the lead with Spithaler following him into second.
As the leaders quickly began working through lapped traffic, Wagner moved his way into the runner-up position and tried to close the gap on Price Miller.
But every time the traffic seemed like it might give the field an opportunity, Price Miller continued to control the race from the front.
Then, with just one lap remaining, the yellow flag flew and erased the advantage Price Miller had built, giving the field one final shot at “The Law Firm.”
It still wasn’t enough.
Price Miller nailed the restart and completed a dominant wire-to-wire performance, leading all 25 laps and picking up right where he left off during his last visit to Dirt’s Monster Half Mile with a victory in the 3rd Annual Dow Carnahan Fantasy Cup.
Bowser finished second, Wagner crossed the line third, Ricky Peterson finished fourth, and Jeremy Kornbau rounded out the top five.
Heat race victories went to AJ Flick, Carl Bowser, and Brandon Matus.
Mitch Harble picked up the victory in the B Main.
A field of 17 Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Models was on hand Saturday night, and with just two points separating the top three drivers in the championship standings, every position suddenly carried a little more weight.
Tom Klein (77), from Rochester, entered the night leading the standings with 775 points, while Clinton Hersh (16), from Somerset, sat second with 774 points and Brandon Burgoon (5X), from McDonald, was right behind them in third with 773 points.
That made the 20-lap feature more than just another race, especially with Burgoon starting from the pole.
Matt Benard (15), from Oakdale, started alongside Burgoon in second, while Zach Gunn (17G), from McDonald, lined up third and Jacob Billyk (4), from New Castle, started fourth.
When the green flag dropped, Benard quickly took control of the race with Burgoon settling into second and Gunn running third.
Benard continued to lead as the laps clicked away, but a caution on lap 12 suddenly erased his advantage and gave the field another opportunity.
Benard chose the outside for the restart with Burgoon lined up to his inside, setting up a late-race showdown with both the win and valuable championship points hanging in the balance.
When green replaced yellow, Benard held onto the top spot and quickly regained control of the race.
Nobody could take it away from him.
Benard led all 20 laps to pick up his third win of the season in the Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Models.
Gunn finished second, Burgoon crossed the line third, Daryl Charlier finished fourth, and Hersh rounded out the top five.
Heat race victories went to Clinton Hersh and Zach Gunn.
The Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stocks rolled onto Dirt’s Monster Half Mile for their 12-lap feature with Nick Kocuba (10), from Burgettstown, starting from the pole.
Jordan Perkins (13), from New Wilmington, lined up alongside Kocuba in second, while Adam Kostelnik (36), from East McKeesport, completed the three-car field in third.
When the green flag dropped, Kocuba immediately took control of the race and never gave the top spot back.
Kocuba led all 12 laps from green to checkered to pick up another Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stock victory at PPMS.
Perkins finished second with Kostelnik crossing the line third.
The Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stocks did not run a heat race.
Kane Zupancic (11), from Collier, started on the pole for the 10-lap Young Guns feature with Hunter Bennett (67), from New Cumberland, West Virginia, alongside him in second.
Ryleigh Heasley (212), from Beaver, started third, while Connor Greynolds (18) was listed as a DNS.
When the green flag dropped, Heasley wasted no time making her move, shooting from third into the early lead with Zupancic following her into second and Bennett settling into third.
Once Heasley grabbed the top spot, nobody was taking it away.
She led all 10 laps from green to checkered to pick up another Young Guns victory at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile.
Zupancic finished second, Bennett crossed the line third, and Greynolds was credited with fourth.
The heat race victory went to Kane Zupancic.
Shawn Metty (45), from Rawlings, Maryland, started on the pole for the 10-lap Northeast Crown Vic feature with Dacron Powell (13), from Wiley Ford, West Virginia, alongside him in second.
Garrett Wolfe (22), from North Huntington, started third with Mike Matta (7), from West Mifflin, lining up fourth.
When the green flag dropped, Metty immediately took control of the race and quickly established himself as the driver to beat.
Once out front, Metty never gave the rest of the field an opening.
He led all 10 laps from green to checkered to pick up the Northeast Crown Vic victory.
Devin Thompson finished second, Wolfe crossed the line third, Powell finished fourth, and Matta rounded out the top five.
The heat race victory went to Dacron Powell.
Last but not least was the 15-lap Auto House Hobby Stock feature, with Joe Brown Jr. (48), from Aliquippa, starting on the pole and Leroy Brown (40B), also from Aliquippa, starting alongside him in second.
Tom Anton (64), from Jefferson Hills, started third with Adam Kostelnik (25A) lining up fourth.
When the green flag dropped, L. Brown jumped out to the early lead with Garrett O’Patchen (25), from Scott Township, moving into second.
L. Brown controlled the opening portion of the race, but O’Patchen stayed within striking distance as the laps began to disappear.
On lap 10, O’Patchen made his move and took over the top spot.
Once out front, O’Patchen never gave it back, leading the final five laps on his way to another Auto House Hobby Stock victory.
Kostelnik finished second, L. Brown crossed the line third, Marc Corio (14) finished fourth, and J. Brown Jr. rounded out the top five.
Heat race victories went to Stephen Shelpman and Leroy Brown.
Dirt Racing
Patience Pays Off For Blair In Yinzer 100
SARVER, PA (September 1, 2026): In winning the inaugural Yinzer 100 at Lernerville Speedway, Max Blair applied lessons he learned in the Bill Emig Memorial for RUSH Late Models held in conjunction with the Firecracker 100 for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The three-time winner of the Emig event said, “we tried some stuff with the Crate car during the Firecracker and we used that here, and we were pretty good.”
Blair, of Centerville, PA, explained that his car got better every time that it hit the track during the Yinzer 100. However, the deciding factor in the race turned out to be tire management. “I think I had more tire than Drake (Troutman) did at the end.”
Blair saw a three second lead evaporate with two laps remaining in the century grind. He said that gave him flashbacks to his first full-point Lucas series victory at Muskingum County Speedway earlier this season. In that event, Blair had a commanding lead, but he still had to withstand a green-white-checkered finish.
“I just had to calm myself down. I didn’t know where to go on the restart.” He opted for the high side, which was the preferred line of Michael Norris, who was running second. The choice was a correct one, as Blair drove away to a margin of 1.2 seconds in the final two circuits.
That was not the only time that Blair had to calm himself down during the hundred lapper. He recalled an incident during the first half of the event when Max McLaughlin passed him for third moments before a caution on lap thirty-seven. “That got my blood boiling,” Blair noted. But, he regained his composure and, soon thereafter, he overtook McLaughlin.
Blair inherited second on lap forty when the leader, Dave Hess, Jr., suddenly slowed coming off turn two. Hess’s misfortune returned the lead to Drake Troutman, who led the first thirty-seven circuits. In fact, Troutman led twice in the event for a total of eighty-one laps.
Blair stalked Troutman for more than forty laps. Blair went low in turn three on lap eighty-five and he assumed control with a slider coming through turn four.
As Blair stretched his lead, Troutman came under attack from Norris, Tyler Wyant, and Hess, who slowly worked his way forward after the first half incident.
Troutman yielded second with five laps remaining. That gave Norris the runner-up spot, with young Wyant in third. Hess continued in fourth for several laps before falling back in the running order.
The final caution, with two laps remaining, gave Norris one shot at the win. However, Blair got away cleanly on the restart, and Norris could not get any momentum when stuck on the inside. Wyant was an impressive third, followed by McLaughlin and Ryan Montgomery.
Gregg Satterlee was sixth. Hess held on for seventh. Dan Angelicchio and Boom Briggs were the final two cars still running at the end of the race. Troutman was credited with tenth based on his laps completed.
Drake Troutman, Levi Yetter, Max Blair, and Lincoln Smith prevailed in the heat races. Jon Lee took the B Main.
Max Blair was the fastest overall qualifier. He topped Group B with a time of 15.594 seconds. Drake Troutman was fastest in Group A, with a lap of 15.693 seconds.
Thirty-three Super Late Models checked in for the unsanctioned event.
The Pierogi 30 for the Penn Ohio Pro Stocks closed out the night. The race paid $1,500 to win and, as usual whenever extra money was on the line, Chris Schneider found his way to the head of the line at the pay-window.
Joey Zambotti led the first three laps before Schneider assumed command. Despite two cautions, Schneider led by almost seven-and-a-half seconds during the event.
But, like Blair, Schneider had to survive a two-lap shootout to get the win. “You don’t know what is going on behind you,” Schneider said. “I saw Corey (McPherson’s number) on the board. I thought he’d come ripping around me, but I never saw him, so I must have been OK.”
McPherson was second, followed by Curtis J. Bish, Tyler Dietz, and track champion Jacob Dietz. Tyler Schneider, Zambotti, Cody Koteles, Rocky Kugel, and Jason Fosnaught were sixth through tenth.
The Pro Stocks ran a pair of heat races, with the wins going to Jacob Dietz and Joey Zambotti. There was no B Main needed to set the A Main line-up for the nineteen cars that checked in for action.
Dirt Racing
Spithaler Sprints to Mercer Win
MERCER, PA (August 21, 2026): Brandon Spithaler, of Butler, scorched his 410 Sprint Car foes at Michaels Mercer Raceway. His margin of victory was nearly 6.6 seconds in a race that lasted less than nine minutes. And, that included one caution flag! Spithaler picked up $3,000 for his first victory of the season and fourteenth of his career at the tricky oval. He now has seven wins overall this season.
Logan Lewis took the $2,000 check for the Mark Marcucci Tribute race. The special event for the Mod Lites honored a highly successful racer who tragically lost his life in a highway accident in 2018. He had amassed forty-one career wins and four track titles at Mercer alone.
Also scoring wins were Jeremy Kornbaugh (IMCA Racesaver 305 Sprints), Jammin’ John Mollick (RUSH (Crate) Sprints), Karston King (DIRT 602 Crate Sportsman Modifieds), Skylar Cline (270 Winged Micros), and Dave Hanshaw, Jr. (Crown Vics).
“Well, I felt good early, but I got tight in the middle of the race,” Spithaler said. That was to be expected, he noted, because they set the car up to be tight in the beginning, thinking that the car would get faster in the second half of the contest. They hit the set-up perfectly.
“When I saw (Jeremy) Kornbaugh’s nose two times, I got concerned,” he added. That was on lap eleven, before Spithaler got to traffic. And, when he did, he was able to drive away from Kornbaugh with ease.
A pair of Brandons, Matus and Spithaler, shared the front row for the start of the twenty-five lapper. In row two, Kornbaugh was paired up with Michael Lutz, Sr., who came out of retirement for this race. Adam Kekich and ageless Bob Felmlee were next on the grid, followed by Michael Bauer and Jacob Begenwald. Then came Jim Morris and eastern racer Hayden Miller, in row five; and Jeremy Weaver and Brent Matus, in row six.
Spithaler rolled the top in turns one and two to grab the lead from Brandon Matus coming off turn two on the opening lap. Kornbaugh, Lutz, Kekich, and Felmlee followed closely. Matus stayed close to Spithaler for several laps before surrendering the second position to Kornbaugh.
The only caution of the event occurred on lap eight for a 360 spin by Joel Mellon in turn two. That incident gave Kornbaugh an opportunity to try to duplicate the move that won the 305 Sprint Car race for him earlier in the night. Kornbaugh got inside of Spithaler in turn one following the restart, but Spithaler’s momentum in the sweeping corners allowed him to drive away from Kornbaugh.
Kornbaugh wasn’t finished yet, however. He stayed close for a couple of laps looking for an opening. On lap eleven, he dove into turn one again, This time, he got alongside the leader. Spithaler powered off turn two with the lead.
Spithaler picked up speed as the race went on. He began to get some separation from Kornbaugh as the leaders started to put some of the slower cars down a lap. Fortunately for Spithaler, most of the lappers were hugging the inside line, leaving the top groove open for him. As Spithaler lapped more cars, he kept building upon his lead.
Meanwhile, Brandon Matus was racing in third, ahead of Felmlee and Lutz. Lutz began to slide back in the running order as the race reached the midpoint. Dan Kuriger replaced him in fifth. Kuriger chased down Felmlee and passed him in traffic to get the fourth position in the closing laps.
Spithaler, Kornbaugh, Brandon Matus, Kuriger, and Felmlee made up the top five. They were followed by Kekich, Begenwald, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Bauer, and Weaver.
Brandon Matus, Kekich, and Kornbaugh scored the heat wins. No B Main was needed to set the twenty-one car field. Spithaler was the fastest qualifier overall with a lap of 13.611 seconds.
In the Marcucci Tribute race for the Mod Lites, Shane Meadows led the opening lap before giving way to Carson Hubbard. After several hotly contested laps, Logan Lewis assumed command. He built up a lead of more than three seconds.
However, a caution on lap nineteen set up a one-lap dash for the money and the glory. Lewis was up to the task, and he held off Hubbard to get the prestigious victory. Meadows was third, followed by Sean Iftody and Jake Bowman. Positions six through ten went to David Innes, Ryan Anderson, Doug Stanley, Blake Robbins, and Lucca Ledford.
Ledford, Hubbard, and Anderson took the preliminaries. No B Main was needed for the twenty-one cars on hand.
Kornbaugh took advantage of a restart on lap nineteen to get the win in the IMCA Racesaver 305 Sprint Car feature. Aaron Marano was gunning for his first career win. He led from the start of the twenty lapper and he fought off a couple of challenges from Jarrett Rosencrance. Kornbaugh took over second moments before the pivotal caution on lap nineteen.
Kornbaugh charged into turn one on the final lap, drawing even with Marano at the entry to turn two, He powered off that corner with the lead. Although Marano crossed the line in second, he was subsequently disqualified.
That moved Rosencrance up to second. Vivian Jones, who helped organize the Marcucci Tribute race, was third, followed by Mike Mathieson and Brett Brunkenhoefer. Jazlyn Boyles, Rocco Capelli, Samantha Priest, Mike Shellhaas, and Tommy Jasen completed the top ten.
Brunkenhoefer and Mathieson split the heat wins. There was no B Main.
John Mollick went wire-to-wire in the RUSH Sprint Car feature, which went without any cautions. Logen Lockhart raced up to second. Gale Ruth, Jr. came on in the closing laps to get third. Grayson Bayle and Ashton Riggle completed the top five. Brayden Blackshear, Lucas Roessner, Devon Deeter, Arnie Kent, and Cooper Macormac were the next five finishers. The heat wins belonged to Ruth and Mollick. There was no B Main required.
Third generation driver Karston King picked up his first win of the year and second in his brief career at Mercer in the DIRT Sportsman main. He used a power move on the inside of turns one and two to take the lead away from Brian Schaffer on lap thirteen. Schaffer had inherited the lead when Patrick Lane spun and flipped his mount in turn three on the fourth lap. Caden Petry, Logen Lockhart, and Anthony Antus followed King and Schaffer across the finish line. Eric Gabany, Bill Adams, Darin Gallagher, Jordan Ehrenberg, and Gage Priester completed the top ten. Adams, Gabany, and Lane took the heat wins. There was no B Main needed.
Skylar Cline raced to victory in the 270 Winged Micro portion of the program. He passed the early leader, Matt Haefke, on lap five. Haefke held on for second. Parker Lucas, Dustin Young, and Mason McAndrew were the next finishers. Kenny Hardy, Jr., Brian Borawiec, Jr., Deryk Jones, Wes Libert, and Sean Price were sixth through tenth. Jada Gottschling, McAndrew, Cline, and Jones took the honors in the heat races. The B Main was scratched when an insufficient number of cars answered the call. Nathan McDowell was unhurt when he got sprayed with hot oil during the feature event. Twenty-nine cars checked in for the racing.
Dave Hanshaw, Jr. overtook Branden Porter on a lap nine restart to get the Crown Vic win. Porter was leading by more than seven seconds when the caution was displayed. He finished second nonetheless. Bradley Shaffer, Brian Krepps, Mark Lawrence, Sheriff Tim Callahan, and Dalton Marsh were the other competitors. Shaffer won the only heat race.

