FRANKLIN, Pa. — Brandon Spithaler captured the winged sprint car feature on the fifth and final night of Western PA Speedweek Sunday at Tri-City Raceway Park.
Once the race got underway, Logan McCandless took the lead and set a blistering pace, quickly building a solid advantage. However, Ricky Peterson, starting from the fifth position, was on the move.
As he moved into second place, Brandon Spithaler was right on their tail. McCandless led for the first 17 laps, but Peterson made his move on lap 18. Just when it looked like Peterson might pull away, lapped traffic came into play. Spithaler seized the opportunity, grabbed the lead in the bottom lane, and ultimately pulled away to win by more than five seconds.
Spithaler celebrated his first win at Tri City since 2024, saying, “What a way to finish this week and finally get the results we’ve been looking for. This car was hooked up, and I love racing in traffic; it keeps me on my toes.”
His victory was worth $6,000—a fantastic way to cap off the week.
Peterson, who finished second, reflected positively on the weekend: “A really good weekend for the 98 team—with a win on Saturday and a runner-up finish today.”
Mark Smith made a late charge for third place, while McCandless held on for a respectable fourth. A.J. Flick finished fifth, securing enough points to win his third Western PA Sprint Speedweek championship—making him the first driver in history to achieve this milestone.
Flick had a great week, with two wins and a mix of solid finishes, earning an additional $3,000 for the championship.
Blaze Myers won the RUSH sprint car feature.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps): 1. (22) Brandon Spithaler, 2. (98) Rickey Peterson Jr., 3. (17K) Mark Smith, 4. (29) Logan McCandless, 5. (2) AJ Flick, 6. (45) Tim Shaffer, 7. (7NY) Matt Farnham, 8. (W20) Greg Wilson, 9. (46) Michael Bauer, 10. (20B) Cody Bova, 11. (5) Jeremy Weaver, 12. (3J) Jacob Begenwald, 13. (6) Bob Felmlee, 14. (35Z) Jared Zimbardi, 15. (5K) Adam Kekich, 16. (11J) David Kalb Jr., 17. (23J) Jack Sodeman Jr., 18. (47) Dusty Larson, 19. (32B) Jeremy Kornbau, 20. (19) Tyler Esh, 21. (11) Carl Bowser, 22. (7) Chris Smith, 23. (5C) DJ Christie, 24. (3) John Jerich
