ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. — While Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway drew large crowds and car counts for its Labor Day weekend races, Alan Krimes and Tyler Esh cashed in at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday night.
Esh won the first 20-lap feature for his first 410 victory since 2018. Esh started the year in the 358 class and recently moved his family team to sprint car racing’s premier division.
As for Krimes, it was his second win of the year and first since March 6.
Cory Haas and Glenndon Forsythe finished on the podium in the first feature. In the second feature, those honors went to Tyler Ross and Devon Borden.
• Based on his record in sunny conditions, Danny Dietrich can probably endorse the nickname “Daytime Danny.”
For the fourth time in eight years, Dietrich won the daytime Labor Day Classic at Port Royal.
Earlier this year, he finished second in the 38th Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. That, too, happened during the day.
In a season of near misses, @dannydietrich cashes in on what he needed going to the Tuscarora 50 on Monday at @PortRoyalSpdway.https://t.co/TZRKLDqV4m
— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) September 6, 2021
• This weekend’s Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal Speedway is expected to draw one of the finest fields across sprint car racing this year.
Daryn Pittman, Gio Scelzi, Kerry Madsen, Ian Madsen, Rico Abreu and Aaron Reutzel will join the All Star Circuit of Champions and Pennsylvania Posse contingents.
Jac Haudenschild, Brian Brown and Tim Shaffer are also expected to compete for the $54,000 top prize in the 54th annual event.
• Tempers flared between Mike Walter II and Dylan Cisney after Monday’s race at Port Royal Speedway.
Both drivers were tangled in a lap-14 red flag when Cisney, trying to exploit some room on the bottom of a rubbered-down racing surface and move into fourth, got into Walter II.
— Chantel (@Chantelylayse) September 7, 2021
• Port Royal Speedway will revamp its weekly program next year by replacing its longtime handicap system with group time trials.
The Labor Day Classic provided a sneak peek. Depending on size, the field will split into groups and those groups will time against each other to determine heat lineups.
Monday utilized a four-car invert with the top two to the redraw, but speedway officials have yet to finalize anything beyond next year’s shift to group time trials
This comes in light of many drivers, Danny Dietrich the most active of those, pushing area tracks to abandon handicap systems and qualify weekly.
• Last year at this time, the spotlight was on Kyle Larson and Anthony Macri entering the Tuscarora 50, allowed Lance Dewease to fly under the radar.
After Saturday, Dewease convincingly swung the limelight and the bettings odds in his direction. The National Sprint Car Hall of Famer outclassed the field to win the 25-lap main event from 12th at Port Royal.
Post-race, @LanceDewease.
— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) September 5, 2021
Win No. 119 for the Hall of Famer at @PortRoyalSpdway. He did it with no brakes 😅 didn’t seem like it limited him.
I don’t think anybody had something for the No. 69K. Even after he outclassed the field, he’s forward-looking. An 8th Tusky is in sight pic.twitter.com/5TFjJ3BeDm
At this point last year, Dewease had just one win in March going into the Tuscarora 50. He went on to win the $53,000 event for the record seventh time as well as Friday’s preliminary night.
• Brent Marks tied Kyle Larson for third in wins (10) nationally after his triumph last Friday at Williams Grove Speedway.
Only Brad Sweet (17) and David Gravel (11) have more victories in the 410 class.