laurelhighlandssprintseries Archives

Shatzer Storms to Win at Hagerstown

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, MD (Apr. 19, 2025) — Starting out as a warm spring race night, Dylan Shatzer took Al Moser’s sprinter to the top spot and stayed there in the 25-lap RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car feature at Hagerstown Speedway. The co-sanctioned event between the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series marked the 2025 season opener for the Virginia tour and showcased Shatzer’s dominance on the historic Maryland half-mile. As storms were on the way the feature started with Kolby Weaver and Colton Hindershot pacing the field to green, Weaver stayed high as Shatzer dove to the inside rail and was already going for the lead off turn four as he crossed the line just in front of Weaver and Donnie Hendershot. Shatzer really had the bottom line working as Ken Duke made his way to second with Weaver and Donnie Hendershot in tow. At the halfway mark it was still Shatzer with Duke and now John Scarborough making up the top three. Nobody was giving up the bottom line up front [Read More]

Heffner hoists Hagerstown hardware

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 15, 2024) – The annual Dad’s Night Out Race at Hagerstown Speedway didn’t disappoint from Kenny Heffner’s perspective. Heffner led the distance in winning the Saturday event, contended by 41 IMCA RaceSaver sprinters and co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series, Laurel Highlands Sprint Series and Pennsylvania Sprint Series. AJ Barton and Heffner paced the feature field to green with Heffner inching out front up top as Barton stayed low and stayed close with Zac Rhodes quickly in third with Tim Iulg and Austin Reed rounding out the early top five. After a quick caution, Heffner showed a smooth, steady pace keeping his lead as the field raced behind to track him down. Austin Reed made it to third with Barton still second as Rhodes and Iulg raced for fourth. As the laps were winding down and traffic came in to play, Reed was chasing down Heffner, but with the track smooth and wide Heffner was keeping a good pace as he came to pass the back end of the [Read More]

Bittner wins after Reed dominates at Hagerstown

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (May 18, 2024) – Timmy Bittner was in the right place at the right time. Austin Reed was not, in the Saturday feature race at Hagerstown Speedway co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series and the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series. With rain outs in the area everywhere, 35 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars signed in to the smooth fast oval and the feature line up was led by Ken Duke and Kenny Heffner. As the field went green, out front like a rocket was Reed, who started to pull away lap after lap, leaving Duke, Heffner and Bittner to fight over the runner-up spot. Reed was not going to be caught as the laps were winding down, with Bittner making his way to second, Heffner in third and Josh Spicer and Duke acing for fourth. But coming to two to go in turn three, it all went wrong with the leader getting together with a lapped car and going out of the park. Emergency personnel quickly made their way to help Reed. He [Read More]

Shatzer gets to lead late in Winchester RaceSaver win

WINCHESTER, Va. (April 27, 2024) – He didn’t lead the most laps, just the most important one. Dylan Shatzer raced in the top three for the whole feature and was finally able to swoop around the leader in traffic after taking the white flag in second and go on to win in the Saturday IMCA RaceSaver event co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series at Winchester Speedway. Matt Klien and Ryan Lynn started on the front row of the feature but Klien stopped in turn two with a broken rear axle, which could have been a disaster at speed. After clearing the car, Croix Beasom and Lynn paced the field to green with Beasom out first, Lynn second and Shatzer third. Action would continue after a red flag for three cars bicycling and stopping or flipped in turn one with Beasom out again with Lynn and Shatzer on the really fast clay oval. Lap after lap they chased each other as the pack behind them were changing every circuit. As they [Read More]

Shatzer Streaks to hometown Hub City Win

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Aug. 5, 2023) – Hometown driver Dylan Shatzer streaked to heat and feature wins in the Saturday night IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car show at Hagerstown Speedway. Twenty-four cars took to the Hub City oval in the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series and Virginia Sprint Series co-sanctioned event. Shatzer and Ryan Lynn paced the field to green with Shatzer low and Lynn high, but before the field could even settle down, Lynn coasted to a stop with mechanical issues. On the restart, Shatzer took off with Reed Thompson and Stevie Kenawell close behind. Shatzer was trying to run away as Thompson and Kenawell were keeping in touch, but even as traffic came in to play the track was wide with many groves it wouldn’t hold up Shatzer. It all went wrong for Kenawell as he slid to a stop with a few laps to go, giving Thompson one more shot at the win. On the green, Shatzer took off clean and Thompson stayed close, but not close enough to mount a charge [Read More]

Scarborough sweeps Winchester

By Jim Haines WINCHESTER, Va. (July 29, 2023) – John Scarborough had a perfect night Saturday, winning his heat and taking the top spot of the feature at Winchester Speedway co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series. Twenty-four IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars signed in on what turned out to be a breezy, nice evening. Scarborough and Ryan Lynn paced the feature to green with Scarborough staying low and leaving Lynn to deal with a charging Donnie Hendershot. The track was full of cars and traffic came in to play quickly, bunching up the frontrunners. Scarborough stayed low and worked his way through but not without Hendershot and Lynn staying right on him and sometimes next to him. Hendershot made a run for the lead after getting by Lynn but a yellow for a stalled car slowed the pace. With two to go, Scarborough took off and Hendershot was not able to keep Lynn behind him as retook second and laps ran out to make a charge as Scarborough flashed under a [Read More]

Bittner sprints to Founders Cup, Nittany 40 sweep

Story Courtesy of Clinton County Speedway MILL HALL, Pa. (June 30-July 1, 2023) – Timmy Bittner had the best weekend of his IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car career over the weekend, capturing two hallmark Laurel Highlands Sprint Series events at Clinton County Speedway. Bittner won the Founders Cup event Friday and then put his name in the history books by capturing the coveted Nittany 40 Championship on Saturday. Owen Dimm took command of the field early on Friday in the race honoring speedway founders Del Shank and Tedd Reitz as Zach Rhodes advanced to second and the eighth starting Bittner to third. Bittner was in second when lap five was scored, caught Dimm for the point on lap eight and then built a respectable lead while navigating lapped traffic. Dale Schweikart took over second on the 19th circuit and came within striking distance but had to settle for runner-up honors. Dimm, Josh Beamer and Kasey Weaver ran third through fifth, respectively. Tim Iulg and Ken Duke were on the front row for the start of Saturday’s RaceSaver [Read More]

Spahr sprints to Hagerstown win

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 17, 2023) – Already a six-time winner in Pennsylvania Sprint Series action this season, Logan Spahr became a first-time winner in two other IMCA RaceSaver series Saturday night. Spahr collected the checkers at Hagerstown Speedway in the event co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series, Laurel Highlands Sprint Series and PASS. The annual meeting of the three series was another great event with 43 cars checking in. Michael Alleman and Ken Duke paced the field to green with Alleman out first and right away joined by Austin Reed. Duke and the front group swapped the lead every lap. Alleman was fast on the bottom while Reed stayed to the top. Spahr showed up and moved to second as Reed started to fade with mechanical problems but Duke was right there to take up the charge. Spahr found a new line and moved to the front, leaving Alleman and Duke to fight it out for second. After a quick caution for a spinner it was back at it but nobody would catch Spahr as [Read More]

Co-sanctioned Hagerstown show next for PASS

By Frank Buhrman HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 15, 2023) – The River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series will make its only 2023 appearance at Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway this Saturday, joining a co-sanctioned program hosted by the Virginia Sprint Series and also involving the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series. It’s a Dad’s Night Out special program for Father’s Day weekend, with the IMC RaceSaver Sprint Cars racing, along with the wingless super sportsman cars that normally run at Path Valley Speedway, and the track’s regular late model sportsman division. PASS has only run in seven races at Hagerstown (although some teams have run more when VSS was racing there without the PASS co-sanction) and no driver has won more than once, which creates an opportunity for those drivers with single wins who plan on racing: Ken Duke, Jerald Harris, a VSS regular, Stevie Kenawell and Mike Melair. One could end the evening as the first two-time winner for a PASS race. To do that, though, they’ll have to overcome Logan Spahr, who won the first six PASS races [Read More]

Rhodes sprints to IMCA RaceSaver win at Winchester

By Jim Haines WINCHESTER, Va. (April 29, 2023) – With most of the Eastern race tracks raining out, the return of IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars to Winchester brought a good field of sprinters to the Virginia oval co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series. Zach Rhodes topped the 24-car main event for his first win in the sanctioned division. Heats kicked off the night with Donnie Hendershot, A.J. Barton, Jarrett Rosencrance and Dave Grube taking wins. The feature lined up with Rhodes and Fred Arnold on the front row. Rhodes had the best line at the start with Arnold dropping in for second right away, as the rest of the field tried to get their own line working to move forward. Rhodes liked the bottom and stayed glued to it with Arnold and Logan Jones fighting over second with the other positions changing every lap. Jones made his way to second and Arnold fell to third with Donnie Hendershot and Dave Grube trying to run them down. Jones was all over [Read More]