Dirt Racing
Bernheisel Wires Bedford Opener
(Bedford, PA April 2, 2023): Veteran Jimmy Bernheisel ended a drought that lasted for more than thirty-four years when he roared to victory in the opening race of the 87th season at the Bedford Fairgrounds Speedway. The Jonestown, PA car builder won his first Super Late Model feature at the storied venue in 1988! The win came just a week before his sixty-fifth birthday, making the accomplishment all the more important to him.
Joining Bernheisel in victory celebrations were Dalton Weyant (Semi Lates and Pure Stocks), Mitch Thomas (Modifieds), and Shawn Smith (Mini Stocks).
Bernheisel climbed atop the roof of his car in victory lane and excitedly raised his clenched fists high above his head before pondering how he would get down. He executed the move rather gingerly.
“This was a good day,” he said. “It was Palm Sunday, so we started the day at church, and then we got to come here and play with the race cars,” he explained. “This was really cool,” he added. “There were a lot of good cars here.”
Bernheisel started on the pole and he led every lap, but it was not as easy as that may sound. “We had a good car,” he observed. “But I’ve had too many races when I started up front and went straight to the back. So, I was concerned.” Instead, he set a comfortable pace through most of the race and he had a comfortable margin as the laps were winding down.
However, two restarts late in the race gave Colton Flinner prime opportunities to overtake the leader. With three laps remaining, Flinner charged hard into turn one and slid up ahead of Bernheisel. But, the veteran calmly turned back under him in turn two to regain the lead. Bernheisel had a couple of car lengths on his younger foe when the caution came out again a lap later. “I was ready for him the second time,” Bernheisel said. Although Flinner tried to duplicate the slider in turn one, he was unable to get in front, and Bernheisel pinched down on him through turn two to ensure that Bernheisel maintained the lead.
Bernheisel was paired with Michael Lake for the start of the twenty-five lapper. Jeff Rine and Flinner made up row two. Spike Moore and Jon Lee were in the third row, with Dylan Lewis and Brian Booze in row four. Then came Justin Weaver and Matt Cosner. Row six belonged to Chuck Clise and Deshawn Gingerich. Buried in nineteenth was Drake Troutman.
Bernheisel assumed command at the drop of the green. Flinner nestled into second, with Lake, Rine, Moore, Booze, Lee, Lewis, Weaver, and Cosner following. The opening laps were uneventful, but as the race neared the halfway mark things started to heat up.
Rine and Lake had a struggle for the third spot. Rine got the spot with twelve down, but Lake fought back, literally. On the next round, there was contact between them and Rine got into the front stretch wall. Somehow, he saved the car and only lost the position to Lake.
Soon thereafter, Lake set his sights on Flinner. Lake slid Flinner in turn one with seventeen laps complete, but Flinner regained the position in turn two. The two went back and forth for the next five laps. Lake took second on the front stretch with twenty-two down.
Lake then went after Bernheisel. He never got the chance to challenge the wily veteran, though, as he jumped the cushion between turns three and four before slamming the outside wall. Lake’s spectacular effort ended at that point.
Lake’s misfortune restored Flinner to the second spot for the restart and it set the stage for the two daring sliders of his own going into turn one. The first one netted him the advantage briefly, but Bernheisel countered in the next corner. The second put the contenders wheel to wheel until Bernheisel crowded Flinner in turn two. The two did not make contact, but it was enough to break Flinner’s momentum and to preserve the win for Bernheisel.
At the checkers, it was Bernheisel over Flinner by .68 seconds. Moore overtook Rine in the final laps for third. Lee rounded out the top five. Booze, Weaver, Troutman, Cosner, and Gingerich were the next five across the line.
There were three heats for the twenty-four cars on hand. Wins went to Rine, Lee, and Lake. There was no B Main.
In the Semi Late Model go, Greg Hainsey jumped out front from his pole starting spot, and within a couple of laps Travis Calhoun worked his way into second from the outside of row two. Calhoun was mounting a challenge for the lead with nine laps complete, but a caution nullified his attempted pass.
Calhoun was the next victim of a caution just two laps later, and it looked as though Hainsey had the race in the bag.
However, on the ensuing restart, Dalton Weyant came to life. He moved into the third spot soon after the green was displayed for the final time. But his charge was not finished yet. He took second coming off turn two on the last lap and he drove up beside the leader in turn three! Hainsey maintained a slight advantage on the inside, but Weyant had the momentum on the outside. Weyant came off turn four with the lead and held it to the checkers,
Weyant, Hainsey, Bob Jay, Brian Weyandt, Jr., and Bill Replogle were the top five. They were followed by Josh Bummy, Laura Chamberlain, Nick Bechtel, John Miller, and Bob Torquoto.
Heat wins went to Calhoun and Bechtel. There was no B Main.
The Modified twenty lapper went to Mitch Thomas, his second victory of the weekend. Drake Troutman challenged Thomas midway through the race, but faded. He still held off Mike Altobelli, Jr. for the runner-up money. Jimmy Jesmer, Jr. and Donnie Farling were fourth and fifth. Jacob Marker, Brandon Inglish, Tory Johnson, Alyssa Rowe, and Brandon Hoover completed the top ten.
Heat victories went to Altobelli and Troutman. There was no B Main.
Dalton Weyant came back to victory lane after the Pure Stock feature. He finished ahead of rookie Charlie Clise, Dalton Ritchey, Derrick Hinish, and Kyle Beckett. Darian Ritchey, Mark Shope, Tom Lewis, Madison Miller, and Denver Dishong were next to cross the line.
Clise and Weyant were the winners in the Pure Stock preliminaries. There was no B Main.
The Mini Stocks wore the nightcap. Taking the win was Shawn Smith over Brad Marker and Derek Long. Casey Fleegle took fourth and fifth. Next finishers were Colin Welsh, Josh Corbin, Harlan Group, Steven Martin, and Todd Price.
Heat winners were Corbin and Long. There was no B Main.
Bedford Fairgrounds Speedway will continue action on Friday night, April 7, with Super Late Models, Late Model Sportsmen, Semi Lates, Pure Stocks, and Four Cylinders.
PITTSBURGH, PA (May 18, 2024) – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and Latrobe Speedway are cancelling their Saturday programs because of rain.
“We can’t get a break,” said SNB Promotions Dennis Bates. “The speedway grounds are too wet after Friday’s storms. We are looking forward to the next Blue Collar Night at the Races on August 10.”
Next Saturday Latrobe Speedway plans the Memorial Day Clash as the Penn Ohio Pro Stocks Touring Series returns to Latrobe. They will be joined by 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.
“Heavy overnight rains and saturated grounds have forced us to cancel tonight’s Action Event + RUSH Sportsman Modifieds event,” PPMS said in a statement. “This marks our third consecutive cancelation.”
Next Saturday PPMS plans the Choice for Change Action Event + RUSH Sprint Cars.
They’re not the only ones. Lernerville Speedway was forced to cancel Friday night, which was the third week in-a-row for ‘The Action Track’. The make up date for the BRP Modified Tour portion will be held on July, 26.
MECHANICSBURG, PA (May 17, 2024): Lucas Wolfe had to play defense in the final five laps of the 410 Sprint Car race, but the strategy paid off. He captured his first win of the season at Williams Grove Speedway. But, getting his first career win at the track was Andy Best in the 358 Sprint Cars.
“I did see him (Freddie Rahmer, Jr.), he was beside me, but I had good enough traction coming off turn two, and I got to three ahead of him,” Wolfe said. Rahmer was not done, though. With Wolfe stuck behind a lapped car, Rahmer took to the outside in an unsuccessful attempt to overtake the leader. “I had trouble getting by a lapped car, so I took the ‘all over line,’” Wolfe added. His final defensive maneuver was to crowd Rahmer going down the backstretch with two to go.
Kyle Reinhardt and Wolfe were on the front row under the point average handicapping system employed for this race. Devon Borden and Chad Trout were in row two. Tim Wagaman, Jr. and Rahmer were the final cars subject to the handicap. Row four consisted of Dylan Cisney and Ryan Wilson. Jeff Halligan and Jarrett Cavalet made up row five. The sixth belonged to Logan Wagner and Matt Campbell.
Wolfe got a great start, and he led Reinhardt and company by several car lengths entering turn one. Trout ducked under Reinhardt for second, and Rahmer settled into fourth as the field rounded turn two. Borden, Wagaman, Wilson, Cisney, Campbell, and Halligan followed. As the field began to sort itself out, a light rain began to fall, resulting in a caution on lap two.
After a brief delay, the cars returned to the track to complete the race. Wolfe started on the point, and he maintained the lead when the race went green again. Rahmer moved ahead of Reinhart, but the running order otherwise remained static.
Another caution came on two laps later for the spin by Tony Jackson in turn three. On the ensuing restart, Wolfe led Trout, Rahmer, Reinhardt, Wagaman, and Borden.
Halligan, who was running inside the top ten at the time, spun himself out of contention on lap seven. That turned out to be the final incident of the race.
Wolfe opened up a slight margin over Trout on the restart. Rahmer continued in third, with Wagaman and Borden now running ahead of Reinhardt.
Soon after the halfway signal, Rahmer began to challenge Trout for second. Trout was able to stay ahead of the current points leader for a couple of laps, but he lost the position in turn one when he got over the cushion with fifteen laps complete.
Rahmer then began to close in on Wolfe. By lap twenty, Rahmer was stalking the leader. Rahmer tried the inside line, but Wolfe won the drag race to turn three to preserve his dwindling lead.
Wolfe caught up to a lapper soon thereafter, but he could not make the pass to earn some breathing room. Rahmer came charging back, this time to the outside. Wolfe moved up the track on the backstretch with two to go, and Rahmer had to burp the throttle a bit. That allowed Wolfe to scoot away by a car length or two.
Wolfe maintained the advantage to the checkered flag. Rahmer was a close second, followed by Wagaman, Trout, and Campbell. Campbell’s strong stretch run earned him the hard charger award. Borden, Reinhardt, Wagner, Justin Whittal, and Cisney completed the top ten.
Reinhardt, Wolfe, and Borden captured the heat wins. Ryan Taylor prevailed in the B Main. The evening’s fastest qualifier was Wagaman, who toured the speedway in 16.609 seconds.
Andy Best romped to an easy win in the nightcap for the 358 Sprinters. “It was a really good piece,” he said with a sigh of relief. “We struggled the last three weeks, we were a lapped car. We just threw things at it,” the Delaware pilot explained.
Best had a prime starting spot for the twenty lapper, outside row one. On the pole was Logan Rumsey. In the second row were Derek Locke and Steve Owings. The third row paired Sam Miller and Joe Timmins. Chase Gutshall and Tyler Rutherford made up row four. Behind them were Justin Foster and Dwight Leppo. Wyatt Hinkle and Kyle Spence occupied row six.
Best hopped out to the early lead, with Locke, Owings, Rumsey, Gutshall, and Leppo in tow. As Best drove away from the field with ease, the first five remained in order, but the second five were battling for positions.
Best’s lead was erased when the red flag came out for the spectacular crash by Miller at the entry to turn three. He was not hurt, but his car was demolished.
Best picked right up again after the stoppage. He completed the remaining ten laps with Locke giving chase. Owings, Gutshall, and Rumsey were the first five finishers. Next in line were Hinkle, Spence, Doug Hammaker, Leppo, and Adam Carberry.
Rumsey, Best, and Locke scored the heat wins. Carberry claimed the B Main, which put him into position to be the hard charger.
Next week, Williams Grove Speedway will present the John Trone Tribute race, with a hefty $10,039 going to the winner of the 410 Sprints. The PASS IMCA 305 Sprints will provide support. Fireworks will also be included. The merry month of May will close with a 410 and 358 Sprint Car doubleheader. The 410s will pay $8,000 to the winner. Extra money will be on the line for the 358s as well, with $2,500 on the winner’s nose from a purse that will exceed $12,000. The first Friday in June will be fan appreciation night. The 410s will be joined by the USAC East Coast Sprints with 5Gs going to the winner of the Bill Gallagher Memorial.
FRANKLIN, PA (May 15, 2024): After a delayed, but highly successful opening event featuring the FAST on Dirt Sprint Cars, Tri City Raceway Park will be ready to present its second show of the season on Sunday, May 19. The program will consist of five exciting divisions, and the high speed thrills will start at 6 p.m.
“We were extremely happy with the support and encouragement of the racers and the fans for our first program,” Josh Shiffer said. “We learned some things that will make future events better and we will be ready to incorporate new ideas as we move forward,” the track’s new owner added.
Two time and defending track champion, A.J. Flick, served notice last Sunday that he is prepared to compete for a third consecutive title in the Krill Recycling 410 Sprint Cars. He romped to the win against the touring series and he will compete against the best that Western PA has to offer this week.
In the 21st Century Energy Group 358 Modifieds, Chad Reitz took his Ford powered car to victory lane. He held off the Chevrolet contingent, which was led by young Hayden Holden and veteran Steve Slater. They will be back to give the Bowtie fans something to cheer about.
There was a banner field in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks last week, too. Regional star Chris Schneider took the top prize, but the question on everybody’s mind is whether he will be back for a second crack at the fast half mile. Even if Schneider does not participate this week, top runners like Tim Bish, Hunter Exley, Josh Seippel, Rod Laskey, Pat Fielding, and many more will battle for top honors.
Matt Urey kicked off his title defense with a win in the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks. He made a late race pass to take the victory away from Dillon Morrison, who was driving a nearly identical Honda. They will face a dozen or more challengers.
Joining the fun will be the Old Skool Kool Tour vintage racers.
Pit gates will swing open at 2 p.m., and spectators can grab their favorite seats starting at 4 p.m. Practice sessions will begin at 5 p.m. and the races will start at 6 p.m.
The adult admission price will be $15. Seniors (ages 62 and up), students (ages 11 to 16), and military will be admitted for $13, all with proper I.D. The children (ages 10 and under) will be admitted for free. Pit passes will be $35, with the exception of children ages two and under, who will be admitted to the pits for $15.
If you cannot make it to Tri City Raceway Park this weekend, plan to come out Memorial Day weekend for the first appearance of the BRP Modified Tour. The 305 Sprint Cars, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Vintage racers will also be on the May 26 card.
Remember that you will need to check the Facebook page, Tri City Raceway Park, for current information. The former website is not updated and will soon be replaced.
Tri-City Raceway Park is located just a few miles north of Franklin, PA, at 3430 State Route 417 in Oakland Township. Professional auto racing will be presented in a family friendly atmosphere most Sunday evenings from May through Labor Day weekend.
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