PORT ROYAL, Pa. — After losing a heartbreaker on Thursday night, shredding a right-rear tire while leading with three laps left, Chase Dietz refused to be denied when he came back to “The Speed Palace” on Friday night.
The York, Pa., native quickly relocated the same speed that he’s dominated all of 2026 with and took the Stehman Motorsports No. 23 to the front in only four laps after starting fourth in the 25-lap feature in the Hampel Oil Night Before the 50 presented by HVAC Distributors.
Going toe-to-toe with fellow PA Posse star Ryan Smith, Dietz exchanged the lead with the Kreitz Racing No. 69k a handful of times before assuming command for good on Lap 10. Although he’d never relinquish it, Dietz still had to deal with the pressures of late-race lap traffic and a green-white-checkered restart to test his nerves.
He’d survive it all just fine, though, scoring his first Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing win to make it an even 20 victories in 2026 — the most of any 410 sprint car driver in the country.
The Pennsylvania star joined elite company alongside Kyle Larson and Corey Day as the only three drivers — that are not full-time with a series — to beat both the World of Outlaws and High Limit this season.
Following Dietz to the stripe after leading Laps 1-3 and Lap 9, Ryan Smith earned his career-best finish with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.
In the final points night of the season, “The Kunkletown Kid” stole the Port Royal Speedway track championship for the Kreitz Racing team.
Closing out the podium was the Bob Weikert Memorial champion as Giovanni Scelzi finished third in the Spire Motorsports, Chili’s Grill & Bar No. 77.
Daison Pursley earned an excellent finish in fourth with the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts No. 9 while New Jersey’s Justin Whittall raced from 15th to fifth.
The finish:
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 23-Chase Dietz[4]; 2. 69K-Ryan Smith[2]; 3. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[3]; 4. 9-Daison Pursley[1]; 5. 67-Justin Whittall[15]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu[10]; 7. 13-Tanner Holmes[9]; 8. 1A-Cameron Smith[12]; 9. 9R-Chase Randall[13]; 10. 10-Ryan Timms[7]; 11. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[14]; 12. 71-Parker Price Miller[20]; 13. 88-Tanner Thorson[6]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel[5]; 15. 48-Danny Dietrich[23]; 16. 71R-Logan Rumsey[11]; 17. 12-Brent Shearer[22]; 18. 26-Justin Peck[21]; 19. 19-Brent Marks[16]; 20. 55-Kerry Madsen[18]; 21. 4-Kasey Kahne[19]; 22. 5-Kasey Jedrzejek[24]; 23. 21-Brian Brown[17]; 24. 55W-Logan Wagner[25]; 25. 47K-Kody Lehman[26]; 26. 39M-James McFadden[8]
