Local Racing
Sodeman Scores Second Sprint Win of Season at Tri-City Raceway Park; Shingledecker, Whitling, and Thompson also Win
FRANKLIN, PA (May 16, 2021): Jack Sodeman, Jr. scored his second feature win in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprints to expand upon his point lead in his quest for a second straight championship.
Also celebrating wins were Jeremiah Shingledecker in the Krill Recycling LLC 38 Modifieds, Bobby Whitling in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks, and Andy Thompson in the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks.
“It feels good to end up in victory lane,” said the tired but happy winner 410 Sprint winner. “We gave up a few races when we had front row starting spots. We got up really early today and replaced the rear end. It was just my dad and me,” he explained. Sodeman gave props to the track crew for getting the surface prepared. “The track was beautiful, you could run the top or you could run the bottom.”
In the Shawgo Real Estate LLC feature, Kyle Colwell and Darin Gallagher led the field to the starting line in turn four. Brandon Matus and Logan McCandless were in the second row, with Chase Matheny and Jack Sodeman, Jr. in the third. Matt Farnham graced row four along with the last Sunday Thunder victor, A.J. Flick. Jeremy Weaver and veteran Bob McMillin were in row five for the 25 lapper.
Gallagher rolled into the lead on the opening lap, followed by Sodeman, who rode the rim to advance. Colwell, Brandon Matus, McCandless, and Flick remained close.
For the first several laps, it was the teacher who was the student, as Sodeman chased his protege, Gallagher. But Sodeman pulled the trigger on the inside of turns three and four to assume command on lap seven. Meanwhile, Flick was on the charge, advancing from eighth to third in the opening ten laps.
Disaster struck the third generation driver on lap 14, when Flick flipped his car in the third corner. During the caution period, Gallagher surrendered his second place starting spot, so that opened up positions in the top five for the restart.
Sodeman powered away and completed the remaining laps without interruption. Farnham came up to second, with Brandon Matus, Brent Matus, and Colwell completing the top five. Positions six through ten went to McMillin, Matheny, Gallagher, Flick, and McCandless.
The Donovan and Bauer Auto Group heat races for the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprints went to Gallagher and Farnham. There was no B Main.
In the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds, Kyle Inman led the opening lap from his pole position, with Ryan Riffe challenging on the outside. But
Jeremiah Shingledecker had the inside line mastered and he crossed the scoring loop ahead of Inman just as the caution flag came out for Riffe, who spun from contention.
That put Shingledecker on the front row for the restart, with Inman beside him. Jimmy Holden was up to third with Lonny Riggs, and Kevin Hoffman, and Kyle Fink next.
There were two more cautions over the remainder of the race. But Inman was no match for Shingledecker on either restart. Holden fought off Hoffman for third and then he closed in on Inman as the laps wound down.
Shingledecker had nearly a six second advantage over Inman at the checkers. Holden was a close third, with Hoffman and Riggs in tow. Fink was sixth, with D.J. Schrader, Sid Unverzagt, Jr., Curt Bish, and Nathan McDowell completing the top ten.
Fink and Shingledecker took the qualifiers presented by Donovan and Bauer Auto Group. There was no B Main for the Krill Recycling 358 Modifieds this night.
In the Hovis Auto and Truck Supply Pro Stocks, It was a sibling rivalry with Curtis J. Bish and his brother, Curt, duking it out for the lead. Lurking in their shadows was the Seneca Slider, Bobby Whitling. Whitling snuck by Curt Bish on the inside midway through the race and then he drove up beside Curtis J. Bish within a lap or two. Whitling and Curtis J. Bish raced side by side for several laps.
Whitling used the inside line to take command with just a couple of laps remaining. Curtis J. Bish stayed close, but he could not get the momentum going on the top side to chase down Whitling.
After Whitling and the Bish brothers came Hunter Exley and Randy Wyant. Josh Seippel, Leigh Wheeler, William Hurelbrink, Mike Bordt, and Darr Diegelman completed the top ten.
The Donovan and Bauer Auto Group heat races for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks went to Randy Wyant and Curtis J. Bish. There was no B Main.
Andy Thompson was the final leader of the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stock feature. He was chased across the line by Justin Bailey, Todd Hanlon, Dalton Speer, and Chad Greeley. Evan Sobieski, Pat Hanlon, Raymond Bailey, Michael Barr, and James Tasker completed the top ten.
Dalton Speer and Justin Bailey won the Donovan and Bauer Auto Group heat races for the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks. There was no B Main.
Tri-City Raceway Park will host the ULMS Late Models on Sunday, May 23, presented courtesy of the Donovan & Bauer Auto Group. Also on the card will be the 305 Sprint Cars. In addition to the full show for the winged warriors, there will be a make-up feature carried over from the 2020 season.
The following week will be a Sunday Thunder program consisting of the speedway’s normal divisions: the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars, the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks, and the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks.
Tri-City Raceway Park is located on State Route 3430 in Oakland Township, which is a short ride outside the City of Franklin. Remember that you can get information regarding Tri-City Raceway Park by calling the track office, at 724-967-4601, or via e-mail at tricityracewaypark2020@gmail.com. You can also check out the website at www.Tri-CityRacewayPark.com, or the Facebook page at Tri City Raceway Park.
Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars: Jack Sodeman, Jr., Matt Farnham, Brandon Matus, Brent Matus, Kyle Colwell, Bob McMillin, Chase Matheny, Darin Gallagher, A.J. Flick, Logan McCandless, Jacob Gomola, Davey Jones, Steve Cousins, Jeremy Weaver.
Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds: Jeremiah Shingledecker, Kyle Inman, Jimmy Holden, Kevin Hoffman, Lonny Riggs, Kyle Fink, D.J. Schrader, Sid Unverzagt, Jr., Curt Bish, Nathan McDowell, Tyler Clark, Eric Beggs, Ryan Riffe, Nick Joy.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks: Bobby Whitling, Curtis J, Bish, Curt Bish, Hunter Exley, Randy Wyant, Josh Seippel, Leigh Wheeler, William Hurelbrink, Mike Bordt, Darr Diegelman, Gary Miller, Jr., Billy Myers, Tyler Wyant, Doug Iorio, II, Josh Blum, Pat Fielding (DNS).
4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks: Andy Thompson, Justin Bailey, Todd Hanlon, Dalton Speer, Chad Greeley. Evan Sobieski, Pat Hanlon, Raymond Bailey, Michael Barr, James Tasker, Matt Daugherty, Phillip Birt, Howard Garlick, Diezel Marvin, Brody McClintock, D.J. McRae, Kevin Wice, Patrick Lane (DNS).
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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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
