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Rico Abreu raced from the B-Main to seventh in Thursday's Tuscarora 50 opener at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, earning hard charger honors. (Dan DeMarco Photo).
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TUSCARORA 50 NOTES: Abnormal Conditions

September 10, 2021

PORT ROYAL, Pa. – Danny Dietrich packed up shop after time trials for the Tuscarora 50 opener at Port Royal Speedway on Thursday.

The Gettysburg, Pa., driver suffered an oil leak and qualified 33rd of the 45-driver field. From a safety and practicality standpoint, his car wasn’t worth repairing, buried deep in the field on a fast track.

“We’ve been trying to race the pocketbook better this year,” Dietrich said.

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Danny Dietrich looks into his oil leak Thursday after qualifying 33rd of 45th on night one of the Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. (Kyle McFadden Photo).

A storm moved through the Port Royal area Thursday evening, dumping a considerable amount of rain on the half-mile clay oval. Activities were pushed back 30 minutes.

When things cleared, speeds were the fastest the Juniata Valley track had seen in some time.

Logan Wagner set quick time honors with a lap of 15.135 seconds and an average of 127.7 mph. Heat race lap times only sped up as the night went on.

Tyler Bear ran the fastest lap in heat one with a time of 15.616 seconds. By heat five, Brent Marks’ lap of 15.267 seconds stood as the quickest of all the heat races.

As Dietrich envisioned, demands of the racing surface took its toll on equipment. Devon Borden, Justin Whittall and Ryan Smith broke out of the B-Main while Hunter Schuerenberg did the same in the feature.

– Forty-five cars entered Thursday’s opening night program.

Lance Dewease enjoyed the night as a spectator, saving his equipment for Friday’s 35-lap, $10,000-to-win tilt.

Kerry Madsen planned to make the trip, but a medical emergency for a crew member forced the No. 14 Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing team to adjust priorities.

– Brent Marks’ 11th win Thursday at Port Royal tied David Gravel for second nationally.

– Daryn Pittman never raced outside the top three on Thursday.

The former World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series champion qualified third, finished second in his heat, second in the first dash and third in the 30-lap feature.

– Bill Balog happily accepted his runner-up finish though a win slipped out of grasp.

Balog led laps eight through 11, overtaking A.J. Flick for the top spot before Brent Marks stormed by.

A 12-time winner last year, Balog carried just two podium runs in his previous 22 races before Thursday.

“It was one of those things we needed,” Balog said. “It doesn’t hurt. We’ve been working on some stuff. … It could be better. It’s a tough sport.”

– Logan Wagner faded to finish 14th after his blazing start.

The three-time Port Royal champion started third in the first dash and was in position to start in the top five.

Contact with Aaron Reutzel on the opening lap thwarted him to a sixth-place finish and instead an 11th-starting spot in the feature.

Bright side for Wagner: he locks up his fourth straight Port Royal crown if he puts it in the main event Friday.

– Rico Abreu raced his way through the B-Main to earn hard charger honors.

Abreu started 20th and worked his way to seventh in the feature.

– All Star Circuit of Champions points leader Tyler Courtney didn’t have the smoothest night.

He broke out of his heat and had to race through the B-Main, where he then ran out of fuel crossing the finish line for a transfer spot.

Courtney started 22nd and finished 20th In the 30-lap main event.