August 27, 2025

Heffner Wins With Late Pass at Big Diamond

SP Kenny Heffner VL PB Jim Young — Kenny Heffner was all smiles in victory lane after his late-race pass secured the River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series win at Big Diamond Speedway on Aug. 1. (Photo by Jim Young)

By Frank Buhrman

MINERSVILLE, Pa. (Aug. 1, 2025) — Kenny Heffner was in the right place at the right time, and it earned the Watsontown veteran his second River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series win of 2025 in Friday night’s 20-lap feature at Big Diamond Speedway.

Heffner had spent most of the race trailing Mike Alleman, who was looking for his first PASS win in decades after ending a long winless streak earlier this year in a Laurel Highlands Sprint Series event. Alleman built a sizeable lead, but Heffner began steadily cutting into the margin over the final six laps.

Then, just a quarter-lap before taking the white flag, Alleman drifted high in turn four, opening the door for Heffner to sneak by on the inside. Moments later, Jeff Weaver spun in the same corner, triggering a caution and setting up a one-lap shootout for the win.

Heffner held his ground on the restart and crossed the finish line with a one-second advantage. The victory made him the fourth two-time PASS winner of the season.

Alleman’s heartbreak still resulted in a strong second-place finish—running an old engine while waiting on a new one—followed by Jeff Paulson in third.

Duke rules PASS at Port Royal

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, PA. (APRIL 24) – “It seems like forever since we won a race.” For 2019 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car national and Pennsylvania Sprint Series champion Ken Duke Jr., that was an understandable thought. After scoring eight victories in that magical season, he only visited victory lane once in 2020, on July 11 at his hometown Selinsgrove Speedway. There were plenty of good finishes – 12 top five’s – but then only the one last year and none so far in 2021, so it made Saturday’s Port Royal Speedway win, the 17th victory of his PASS career, special. “We got a good pill draw tonight (starting second in the feature),” Duke said from victory lane. “The track was to our liking. They did a great job with the surface here. We got lucky, we started on the front row that makes things so much easier.” Duke slipped past fellow front-row starter Rowdy Heffner in the second turn of the first lap and was untouchable in clean air, but some struggling in [Read More]

Rookie schools IMCA RaceSaver foes at Bloomsburg

By Frank Buhrman BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (July 25) – Rookie Zack Bealer found a way around Bloomsburg Fair Raceway that nobody else could match and scored his first win in a full-sized sprint car in Sunday’s IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature co-sanctioned by the Pennsylvania Sprint Series and the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series. The former micro-sprint driver, running regularly with MASS, already had amassed two top-five finishes and four top-10’s in just six starts, including a seventh at Bridgeport Speedway in his first RaceSaver start, the season-opening co-sanctioned event for both groups. He announced early Sunday he might be ready to do even better at Bloomsburg, coming from ninth starting position to finish fourth in his heat. That was the best charge by any driver in the preliminaries. Then he drew the pole for the 25-lap feature, the first ever for full-size, winged sprints on the Bloomsburg track, built earlier this year inside the horse track that was the site of many classic open-wheel races beginning nearly a century ago and ending in the 1980s. In a [Read More]

Spahr streak to six with latest Port Royal PASS checkers

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (May 27, 2023) – The Logan Spahr dream season continued Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway when the Lewisberry driver captured his sixth straight River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature win of 2023 in the 20-lap race that was part of the Bob Weikert Memorial weekend featuring the All Star Circuit of Champions. The race ended up nearly a copy of the previous Saturday’s win (number five) at Selinsgrove Speedway: Spahr drew an advantageous third starting position for the feature, but then had to follow a determined early leader, in this case Jared Zionkowski. Spahr caught Zionkowski in traffic just past the race’s midway point and executed the winning pass on lap 14, going outside a slower car as Zionkowski passed inside. Finally, as with the previous week, a late caution flag gave Spahr’s challenger one last shot, but Spahr was up to the task and pulled away for a three-second final margin of victory. Zionkowski, a former semi-regular with PASS, nearly made his return after a season’s [Read More]

Hobby Stock

Dedrick Wins Benton County Modified Battle; Cordes Wins the War

By Christine Rublack VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 24, 2025) — Jerry Dedrick found victory lane in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds at Benton County Speedway, while Troy Cordes walked away with the track championship. Dedrick took command early in the event as Ethan Krall moved into second. Ben Chapman and Trevor Fitz battled side-by-side for third before Chapman moved into the runner-up spot. A yellow flag bunched the field and set up a three-car fight between Dedrick, Cordes and Fitz. Dedrick held strong at the front, powering ahead and never looking back. He scored his first win of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region, with Cordes and Fitz following. Tony Olson Doubles Up in SportMods; Kyle Olson is Champion Tony Olson grabbed the win in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, while Kyle Olson earned the season championship. Tony used the high line to his advantage, quickly working his way into the top spot over Brady Hilmer. Joe Docekal held third early, but Kyle began reeling him in before a halfway caution slowed the [Read More]

Modified

Hogge Hustles to J.D. Willis Salute IMCA Modified Victory at Antioch

By Candice Martin ANTIOCH, Calif. (Aug. 23, 2025) — Bobby Hogge of Salinas captured the 20-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway during the J.D. Willis Salute. The victory was his third of the season at Antioch and 10th overall in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region this year. Hogge raced into the early lead ahead of point leader Troy Foulger and Tyler Browne. A caution on lap two for Jacob Mallet Jr. in turn four bunched the field, but Hogge again held command through a lap 10 yellow for a backstretch crash involving Cody Burke and Mallet. On the restart, Hogge maintained his edge, while a low pass in turn four on lap 13 moved Andrew Pearce into third. Smooth and steady out front, Hogge never faltered, driving to the checkers ahead of Foulger and Pearce. Ryland Doubles Up With SportMod and Stock Car Sweep Fred Ryland of Brentwood had a night to remember, sweeping both the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod and Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main events. In [Read More]

Hobby Stock

Mackenthun Steals Stock Car Victory in Last-Lap Thriller

By Susan Allen ARLINGTON, Minn. (Aug. 23, 2025) — The Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature at Arlington Raceway produced one of the night’s most dramatic finishes with three different leaders. Chris Neisen paced the field early before A.J. Zimmerman worked underneath him to take command. The pair pulled away from the pack until Matt Speckman charged through the middle of the field, only to fall out with mechanical issues just as he was challenging for the lead. That left Zimmerman to duel with Dan Mackenthun over the final five laps. At the line, Mackenthun edged ahead to take the victory, with Zimmerman second and Josh Larsen third. The triumph was Mackenthun’s eighth win of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region, with five of those coming at Arlington. Richards Makes Nebraska Trip Count With Hobby Stock Win National points contender Dillon Richards made the trip north from Nebraska worthwhile in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks. Multiple cautions early helped him climb through the field, and by lap six he was on the heels of leader [Read More]

Related Articles