HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Courtesy of his second win in three races during Pennsylvania Speedweek presented by Red Robin, Kyle Larson drastically expanded his lead atop the point standings Thursday night.
Larson led all 30 laps from the pole to blow out his advantage over second-ranked Danny Dietrich to a whopping 110 points with two races remaining in the nine-day series.
To put that lead into perspective, a feature win during PA Speedweek is worth 125 points.
Larson has 1,089 points to Dietrich’s 979.
With Larson carving out the first triple-digit advantage of the week, it seems apparent that without some aid to the competition in the form of a crash or mechanical failure, Larson is firmly in the driver’s seat to become the first invader to claim the PA Speedweek title.
Dietrich remains second and highest among those waiting to capitalize should Larson falter in one of the remaining two races at Williams Grove Speedway or Port Royal Speedway, but considering Larson’s worst finish on dirt since May 30 is sixth, such a case seems unlikely.
Freddie Rahmer, who has ranked third in the standings virtually all of PA Speedweek, is 190 points back with 899. Ryan Smith (873) and Rico Abreu (777) are fourth and fifth.
The remainder of the top 10 in PA Speedweek points after seven nights are Brent Marks (775), Brock Zearfoss (754), Anthony Macri (725), Sammy Swindell (640) and Lance Dewease (588).
PA Speedweek continues Friday night with the $15,000-to-win Mitch Smith Memorial at Williams Grove, the highest-paying and most-prestigious race of the week.
SPEED SPORT’s PA Speedweek coverage is presented by Diversified Machine Inc., one of the leading machine shops in the Central Pennsylvania region. Through the DMI and Bulldog component lines, Diversified Machine Inc. has grown from modest beginnings to become one of the premier rear end manufacturers in the motorsports industry.
DMI’s vision is to create a relationship with their customers, where they know that not only are they a valued customer, but also a part of the DMI family. They want the customer to know that their successes are DMI’s successes, and they will do everything possible to prove to the customer they made the right choice by entrusting DMI with their safety, providing them a fair value and offering the highest-performing components available in motorsports today and in the future.
For more information on Diversified Machine Inc., visit www.diversifiedracing.com.