What in the world is happening with the Pennsylvania sprint car scene? Not only did they have a poor showing against the outlaws over the weekend, they are also falling apart right in front of our eyes. The news of the Anthony Macri split with his family team was shocking due to the timing, but not necessarily surprising that it happened. Now, news broke that Lance Dewease and the Kreitz Racing no. 69K have split. This news is on the same level as Buddy Kofoid leaving the Crouch Racing no. 11 earlier in the year. I can promise you that no one saw this one coming.
Winners
David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Rico Abreu, Jason Solwold, Kasey Burch, Brian Brown, Jade Hastings, Bill Balog, Brandon Spithaler, Darin Naida, Cole Duncan, Skylar Gee, AJ Flick, Zeb Wise, Mark Dobmeier, Cap Henry, Danny Sams III, Dale Blaney, Devon Borden
Notes
The Lance Dewease news drop on a Sunday morning sent the sprint car world into a frenzy. Dewease is a sprint car hall of famer and still has a lot of gas left in the tank. He let everyone know that he’s not done yet. I’m not sure where Dewease will end up, but I would imagine it would be with another central Pennsylvania team. I just don’t know who has a car available and how much funding Lance can bring with him. Could we see him in the Macri no. 39M when Justin Sanders is not in the car? It would be a beautiful sight to see him back in the Hefner no. 27, but they recently hired Troy Wagaman Jr. and he has performed well. We don’t know where Lance will end up, but we do know someone will give him an opportunity.
On the other side, the 69K team announced they are looking for a driver to finish out the year. Again, this would likely be a driver who races in central PA but no one really stands out. Young talent like Dylan Norris and Devon Borden are locked up in good rides. I guess we will have to wait and see how this all plays out.
I can’t help but think that the PA Posse, that looked so powerful just one year ago, is starting to fall apart. Macri and the 39M are gone. Dewease and the 69K may never find the same success they had together. Dylan Norris is developing into a great sprint car driver, but he needs more time. Devon Borden isn’t true posse but he is one of the few bright spots right now. Troy Wagaman Jr will be good in the no. 27 but can he beat the outlaws? Freddie Rahmer is dominating at Lincoln but he never leaves the porch. He doesn’t usually run well with the outlaws in town. Brent Marks and his true outlaw schedule is probably the only guy that can beat the outlaws right now.
In other news, Jacob Allen and Shark Racing announced that Allen would be taking some time away from the team to focus on himself and his family. We thought this would be the most surprising news coming out of PA this weekend, but was quickly overshadowed by Dewease. It was not announced how long Allen is expected to be out, but someone will have to drive the no. 1A for upcoming outlaw shows. Will that just be Landon Myers until Jacob returns? Or could we see Dewease step in for a few races? Either way, I hope Jacob returns sooner than later. He’s one of the more likable guys in sprint car racing and has continuously improved year after year.
Anthony Macri’s start in the CMR no. 7BC has been underwhelming. When is the last time we saw Macri start on the front row and finish outside of the top five? These things take time and I think both sides will work it out and find success soon. The team looked much better on Sunday, grabbing a top five.
Bill Balog was flying on Saturday and Sunday night with the All Stars. It was cool to see him back in victory lane. Kraig Kinser had speed all weekend as well. That was fun to watch.
Western Pennsylvania‘s finest, AJ Flick and Brandon Spithaler both picked up wins over the weekend. It would be cool to see either one of them get an opportunity to run some more races. Maybe the 69K team comes calling.
Brian Brown won again at Knoxville. Once he got out front it was all over. Hopefully we see some better racing for Nationals.
That dang Henry Edward guy is back on the entry list for the Knoxville Nationals. I don’t think I have anything to add to my initial investigation. He better show his face this time! The current entry list sits at 62 and should rise to around 100. I will be seeding them March Madness style again.
Some entertainment from the ASCOC race on Saturday.
Hot Takes
Lance Dewease wins a 10k to win A Main at Port Royal this weekend for the Living Legends Dream. Logan Wagner wins the other.
I don’t think Don Kreitz has a better option out there than Lance Dewease. He jumped the gun on this one.
The High Limit series grows to the point where the All Stars disappear. They run a larger schedule and still have 10 or so high paying races.
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