virginiasprintseries Archives

Shatzer Sails to Fast Friday Win At Dixieland

By Jim Haines ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (Jun. 20, 2025) — Dylan Shatzer made the trip to the shore worthwhile, driving the Al Moser-owned sprinter to both a heat race win and the feature victory Friday at Dixieland Speedway with the Virginia Sprint Series. Shatzer and Aaron Leach brought the field to green with Shatzer grabbing the early lead. Leach and Jerald Harris tucked in behind as the fast and smooth surface allowed the laps to click off quickly. Chris Humblet worked his way into fourth while Matt Mullins, Matthew Leach, and Caleb Harris battled for fifth at halfway. Caleb Harris found speed in a new groove and moved into fourth, with Humblet staying strong in fifth and Mullins edging by Bolac for sixth. As the race wound down, the leaders began to catch the tail of the field, but the pace never slowed. Shatzer remained flawless, flashing under the checkered flag to win the caution-free main event. At the stripe, it was Shatzer for the win, followed by Aaron Leach in second and Jerald Harris in [Read More]

Leraas Flies Like the Wind at Natural Bridge

By Jim Haines NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (May 31, 2025) — On a day that started warm and clear and ended cool and windy, Mike Leraas of Kernersville, North Carolina, soared to the front of the field at Natural Bridge Speedway, claiming a breezy victory with the Virginia Sprint Series. Leraas and Aaron Leach led the field to green, with Leraas immediately taking the high side to grab the lead. Jerald Harris and John Scarborough quickly made their way forward, shuffling Leach into a fierce battle with Matt Mullins and Daren Bolac for fourth and fifth. The 20-lap caution-free feature moved swiftly, with drivers trying different lines in pursuit of speed. While some gambled and lost ground, the leaders found success in consistency and smooth driving. As the laps ticked away, the front of the field began to tighten. On the final lap, the pressure mounted — but it was Leraas who stayed strong and sailed under the waving checkered flag. At the stripe, it was Mike Leraas taking the win over Jerald Harris in second and [Read More]

Heffner Takes Hagerstown Win

By Frank Buhrman HAGERSTOWN, Md. (May 17, 2025) — Kenny Heffner wasn’t going to let this one get away. Last month at Selinsgrove Speedway, the Watsontown veteran led a good part of the feature only to be passed by Doug Dodson for the win. At Hagerstown Speedway Saturday, there were challenges, but the driver of Cale Reigle’s no. 97 mount wasn’t going to be denied his seventh career trip to the River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series victory lane. The co-sanctioned event with the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series also happened to be the middle race in the three-event BrokersRealty.com Speed Weekend for the RaceSaver IMCA Sprints, which put Heffner in a good position to claim the $750 bonus to the top team in points after Sunday’s final event at BAPS Motor Speedway. It was Heffner’s front-row challenger, Mike Koehler, who grabbed the initial lead in the 25-lap feature, but only after an earlier start attempt was called off after eighth-starting Mike Melair got into the second turn wall, spun, and collected Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series [Read More]

Kasey Weaver From Wreckers to Checkers

By Jim Haines WINCHESTER, Va. (Apr. 26, 2025) — Kasey Weaver made a big turnaround from last week’s rough outing at Hagerstown, which ended early against the fence. The second night out with the Virginia Sprint Series couldn’t have gone more differently. After finishing second in his heat, Weaver went on to lead every lap of the RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car feature to score the win at Winchester Speedway. After morning showers gave way to windy and cold conditions, the feature lined up with Weaver and Matt Mullins on the front row. Weaver charged to the lead and stayed low on the track, with Mullins settling into second. On the eighth lap, Mullins slid up slightly, allowing Dylan Shatzer to take over the runner-up position. A yellow on lap 13 brought the field back together, and Kevin Darling made his way to third on the restart. But Weaver continued to pace the field from out front. With four laps remaining, another caution flew after a tangle in turn two ended the night for both Fred Arnold [Read More]

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]

Dodson makes a splash at RaceSaver Clash by the Creek

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Sept. 28, 2024) – IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars showed up in a big way Saturday at Hagerstown Speedway with 53 signed in. When it was all over, Doug Dodson stood on top of the event co-sanctioned by the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series, Pennsylvania Sprint Series and Virginia Sprint Series. John Scarborough and Timmy Bittner paced the 28-car field to green with Bittner out first, Scarborough second and Doug Dodson showing the higher line was working while riding in third. Bittner stayed out front as top three closed up with Dodson using his high line to take second and move on Bittner. Five laps in, Dodson went to the lead and started to check out. Scarborough moved to second as Dave Grube was closing up to Bittner, who found a new groove and made his way back to second, bringing Dave Grube along. Laps were running down as Grube made it to second, leaving Bittner in third and with Dodson now in sight. Grube continued to reel in Dodson but it [Read More]

Mountain Blast Off for Moyac Missile

By Jim Haines NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (Sept. 21, 2024) – Natural Bridge Speedway, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, saw Moyac Missile Daren Bolac blast off and take the Virginia Sprint Series win Saturday night. This IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car race was a special feature-only event as part of the Tommy Bare Memorial Weekend. After a rain delay held up the feature, Matthew Leach and Bolac paced the field to green with Bolac out first on the lightning-fast track. Bolac was trying to take off but Dylan Shatzer and Jerald Harris broke away first to try to run him down. The trio was flying around, inching away from the rest of the pack until half-way when Shatzer went too high in turn three and four, going over the bank an ending his challenge. On the restart, Bolac and Harris took off with Matt Mullins now in third with the laps running down. Harris had closed a few times trying different lines and with the rear of the field coming up had another chance to make a charge. [Read More]

Smooth sailing for Harris at Hampton

By Jim Haines HAMPTON, Va. (Sept. 14, 2024) – With the large, mighty ships of the Hampton Roads ports all around the area, Jerald Harris showed how to set sail, going to the front and on to win Saturday at Langley Speedway for two in a row. The Virginia Sprint Series feature was paced to green by Aaron Leach and Jimmy Humblet with Leach out first and Humblet behind. Early on, watching Harris working the high line you could see he was coming to the front as he passed a car lap after lap, getting second and chasing down Leach. Caleb Harris was racing with Humblet and Matt Mullins for third with Harris moving to third, leaving Humblet to fight for fourth with Mullins. On lap 16, Harris made another outside move to take the lead and inched away. Traffic was part of the final laps, leaving Jerald Harris his preferred high line and Leach no room to make a final charge as Harris took the win, his IMCA RaceSaver second in a row at [Read More]

Harris saves best for last at Natural Bridge

By Jim Haines NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (Aug. 17, 2024) – On a very warm, humid summer race night Jerald Harris waited until three laps to go to sweep into the lead for his fourth Virginia Sprint Series win of the season. Saturday’s IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature at Natural Bridge Speedway was paced to the green with Chris Humblet and Dylan Shatzer on the front row as the flag waved. Shatzer went to the cushion and it was the quick way around as Harris was racing with Humblet. Harris got by and started to close in, but a quick caution for a stalled car tightened up the field went green. Shatzer stayed fast with Harris behind and Humblet, Daren Bolac and Caleb Harris staying close as the laps clicked off and the back of the field came up to the leaders. With three to go, Jerald Harris got a run on the outside and went to the front going into turn three, then charged the rest of the way to the checkered flag with Shatzer [Read More]

Shenandoah win is pavement first for Bolac

By Jim Haines SHENANDOAH, Va. (July 6, 2024) – Last week at Langley Speedway Daren Bolac had a good run in the CCM Racing Sprinter. This week he had a better run, blasting off the front row, keeping his IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car under him and taking his first-ever pavement win in the Virginia Sprint Series headliner at Shenandoah Speedway. Bolac and Bill Mullis paced the Saturday night field to green with Bolac out first and Mullis in second while on the way were Jerald Harris and Caleb Harris, both intent on closing in. Bolac continued out front as Mullis kept making charges and even pulled alongside a couple laps but Bolac would keep it up front. Jerald Harris and Caleb Harris worked on Mullis and got by now chasing Bolac but they were hard on their tires to get there. Jerald Harris made it to the lead on lap 15 but Bolac kept the pressure on as Mullis stayed right behind Caleb Harris. Tire issues hampered both Caleb Harris and Jerald Harris as Bolac [Read More]