Newsmaker of the Week

A getaway from the harsh winter of western Pennsylvania to the subtropical Tampa Bay area of Florida proved to be far more than a period of rest and relaxation for Late Model driver Mike Pegher, Jr. At East Bay Speedway, Pegher won the first and third of the three Crate Late Model A-Mains last weekend and was fifth in the …

Ever since driver Erick Rudolph and TQ Midget car builder Mark Lafler teamed up for Indoor Auto Racing Series action, winning has been the norm. This past weekend, Rudolph drove Lafler’s TQ to a third Gambler’s Classic victory, this one with a surprise ending that nearly saw rival Zane Zeiner steal the win at the finish line. Their first Gambler’s win …

The thirty-second PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show played out over the three day weekend of January 20-22 in Oaks, Pa., with big crowds each of the three days, guest appearances by Richard Petty and Jeffrey Earnhardt, and the crowning of a new Ms. Motorsports in Taylor Albert. The Show provided a fertile business climate for exhibitors and customers to interact …

Stewart Friesen made big news many times this past year. Over the last five seasons in fact. Friesen is in the headlines yet again and this time it’s before he’s even seen a green flag drop in 2017. With the formation of Halmar Friesen Racing (HFR), ‘Stewy’ is going NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing in 2017 – full time. …

The only races Ryan Flores runs are the Indoor Auto Racing Championship Series TQ Midget events at Trenton, Allentown and Atlantic City. Ever the competitor, Flores had finished second five different times in these Indoor races, but never won. Until last weekend, that is. That’s when Flores went to work. On Friday night, in Allentown, Pa.’s PPL Center, he persevered over a hyper-charged …

For the sixth time in his career. Erick Rudolph has won a Len Sammons Motorsports Productions (LSMP) TQ Midget feature. In this instance, Rudolph worked on a car that was only ninth fastest in time trials, turning it into a powerhouse that ran the fastest lap of the weekend in final pre-feature practice. In the feature, Rudolph was gone, quickly …

When a racer loses not one, but two, rides at the eleventh hour, panic is the most common reaction. Anthony Perrego did not panic. He immediately found Small Block and Big Block Block rides for Orange County’s Eastern States Weekend, finishing third and second respectively. Brian Smith, Perrego’s new Small Block car owner, put him in his car again for …

Matt Hirschman’s penchant for winning big races in often difficult situations was evidenced this past Saturday at Wall (NJ) Stadium when the Northampton. PA., ace won back to back Tour Modified and Wall SK Modified races. Hirschman’s twin victories came by mastering two completely different sets of evolving race circumstances. In the first race, he was a runaway leader who chose just …

Jimmie Johnson raced to his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup championship Sunday in a finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday that saw his three main rivals self-destruct. Johnson got stronger as the race turned in his favor and won going away. The Chase Format has made winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup crown very difficult, as Johnson’s three rivals, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano …

When a driver loses his ride in mid-season, it’s a major disappointment. So it was this summer with Modified favorite Duane Howard, within a month’s time, changed race tracks, then broke up with his car owner. He wasn’t out of a car for long. Norm Hansell picked up Howard and the pair clicked. Saturday night at Bridgeport Speedway it all …