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Racing Notebook: Monday, June 15: Racing Opens This Weekend At 2-Local Tracks And More!

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Mike Norris

PITTSBURGH, PA (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Monday’s Racing Notebook rejoices in the return of racing in front of fans this weekend at Lernerville & PPMS plus we take a look at a new date for the All Star Circuit of Champions visit to Port Royal Speedway; Six tracks sign on for the inaugural RUSH Karting Series and we look back at this weekend’s NASCAR action at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Lernerville And PPMS Opening Night’s This Weekend:

  • Two of Western Pennsylvania’s favorite tracks, Lernerville Speedway & Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, are starting their 2020 seasons this coming weekend after being forced to postpone several weekly and special events due to COVID-19.  Check out our story here and keep checking back this week as we follow up with both tracks in regard to fan guidelines.

New Date For Keith Kaufman Classic At Port Royal Speedway:

  • The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 and Port Royal Speedway have set a date for the rescheduled Keith Kaufman Classic.  The All Stars will visit the will visit the ‘Speed Palace’ on Wednesday, June 24. Originally slated for April, the one-day barn burner between the All Stars and the infamous Pennsylvania Posse will award a $6,000 top prize.  Thursday, June 25, will be the rain date if needed.  For more information visit www.portroyalspeedway.com.

Six Tracks To Debut RUSH Karting Series In 2020: 

  • Six race tracks have signed-on to participate in the inaugural RUSH Karting Series in 2020.  The six tracks are Blanket Hill Speedway in Kittanning, Lockhart Motorsports Park in Seneca, PA., Naugle Speedway in Coraopolis, PA, Pittsfield Championship Karting Association in Pittsfield, PA, Shaffer Speedway in Aliquippa, PA and Stateline Speedway Karts in Busti, NY.  The RUSH Karting Series will feature four different classes: Amateur/Rookie for 5-7 year olds or 8-year-olds with no experience; Jr-1 for kids 8-11; Jr-2 for kids 12-15; and Adult Flat class for those 16 and older.  All of the classes will compete for separate Weekly Series Championships that all total more than $8,500.
Three Rivers Karting

Hamlin Takes NASCAR Cup Win At Homestead-Miami Speedway:

Briscoe & Burton Score NASCAR Xfinity Wins at Homestead-Miami:

  • Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton were victorious in the NASCAR Xfinity Series races this past weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Briscoe took the victory on Sunday holding off Brandon Jones in double overtime.  Burton captured the checkered flag on Saturday crossing the start/finish line first in a three-wide battle with Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson.

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – JUNE 13: Harrison Burton, driver of the #20 DEX Imaging Toyota, races Austin Cindric, driver of the #22 PPG Ford, and Noah Gragson, driver of the #9 PUBG MOBILE Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Hooters 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 13, 2020 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Kyle Busch Wins NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series Race:

  • Kyle Busch won his 58th career NASCAR Truck Series race Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Busch crossed the start/finish line 2.847-seconds ahead of Tyler Ankrum, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and Johnny Sauter in a dramatic final restart with six laps remaining.

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.

Three Rivers Karting

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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