By Aaron Fry
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania’s Tim Shaffer patiently watched Danny Sams III take the initial lead at the drop of the green. Piloting the Rudzik Racing 49x, the veteran racer drove to the high side of the freshly prepared track and carried his momentum around the North Port, Florida youngster and drove away to score the win in the Ti22 Performance A-Main.
The afternoon show began with 30-winged 410 sprint cars signed in for battle. An unexpected total of 110 cars packed the pit area overall. ARP Fasteners time trials were paced by Sye Lynch with a 17.696 second lap. Lee Jacobs took the win in NAPA of Fremont heat one. Defending tour champion, Brandon Spithaler, claimed ALLmobility heat race number two, while Shaffer nabbed All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads heat 3. The Victory Fuel B-Main event was won by Tonawanda, New York’s Matt Farnham.
After some track prep, the main event was set with Sams and Shaffer on the front row followed by Lynch, Lee Jacobs, Spithaler and Dale Blaney. Once Shaffer wrestled the lead from Sams down the back stretch, he was never seriously challenged throught the non-stop 20-lap sprint. At times, Spithaler, Lynch and Sams all closed the gap, but none could sustain the pace of the Rudzik 49x for the duration. Shaffer laid down the quickest main event lap at 17.968 as he finished 3.771 seconds ahead of Sams who was followed across the line by Lynch, Dale Blaney and A.J. Flick.
Flick claimed the Helms Construction “Hard Charger” Award advancing 10 positions in the main event. Trey Jacobs was awarded the “Hard Luck” Award, also provided by Helms Construction, as a fuel issue eliminated him before the green flag fell. Rounding out the top 10 were Spithaler, Zane DeVault, Cole Duncan, Carl Bowser and Lee Jacobs.
Through the preliminary parts of the program, the racing surface was far from ideal. This was the first daytime race at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in many years and the very first for the new management team. Threats of rain the days prior, coupled with bright sun and wind on race day, did not help with conditions. Obviously, attempts were made to make things better, but to no avail. In an effort to run a safe main event for the drivers, the race was delayed. With a round of water in the setting sun, the rest of the program saw much better conditions and three good A-Mains.
We wish to thank everyone who came out and supported a new event. The staff at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and all three sanctioning bodies present, put forth their best efforts working together. The changes happening at the track are noticeable and will continue. We sincerely hope to see everyone back when FAST returns on Saturday, August 31. Our companion series, the MPD Racing Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series makes a stop at Pittsburgh on Saturday, June 29.
Next up for the Ti22 Performance FAST tour is Atomic Speedway just south of Chillicothe, Ohio on Saturday, April 6. The month of April also includes stops at Wayne County Speedway April 13 and Muskingum County Speedway on April 27.
BOX SCORE
FAST On Dirt
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway
30 Entries
ARP Fasteners Qualifying
Group 1: 1. 32B-Dale Blaney 17.882, 2. 81-Lee Jacobs 18.127, 3. 13-Brandon Matus 18.326, 4. 11-Carl Bowser 18.343, 5. 14-Sean Rayhall 18.416, 6. 29-Logan McCandless 18.511, 7. 3-John Jerich 18.672, 8. 98-Jarrett Cavalet 18.786, 9. 08-Danny Kuriger 18.801, 10. 33-Brent Matus 19.754
Group 2: 1. 42-Sye Lynch 17.696, 2. 22-Brandon Spithaler 17.813, 3. 2F-A.J. Flick 18.062, 4. 22D-Cole Duncan 18.168, 5. Jack Sodeman Jr 18.248, 6. 7NY-Matt Farnham 18.286, 7. 9-Trey Jacobs 18.498, 8. 35-Austin Bishop 18.740, 9. 3J-Jacob Begenwald 18.916, 10. 7N-Dain Naida 19.375
Group 3: 1. 24D-Danny Sams III 17.759, 2. 49x-Tim Shaffer 17.774, 3. 4-Zane DeVault 17.941, 4. 5c-Dylan Cisney 18.018, 5. 2-Ricky Peterson 18.114, 6. 19-T.J. Michael 18.125, 7. 5-Jeremy Weaver 18.492, 8. 15-Mitch Harble 18.761, 9. 6-Bob Felmlee 19.269, 10. 13B-Steve Bright 19.964
NAPA of Fremont, OH – Heat 1: 1. 81-L.Jacobs[1] ; 2. 11-Bowser[3] ; 3. 13-Matus[2] ; 4. 29-McCandless[6] ; 5. 32B-Blaney[4] ; 6. 14-Rayhall[5] ; 7. 98-Cavalet[8] ; 8. 3-Jerich[7] ; 9. 08-Kuriger[9] ; 10. 33-Matus[10]
ALLmobility of Dayton, OH – Heat 2: 1. 22-Spithaler[1] ; 2. 22D-Duncan[2] ; 3. 42-Lynch[4] ; 4. 23jr-Sodeman Jr[5] ; 5. 2F-Flick[2] ; 6. 9-T.Jacobs[7] ; 7. 7NY-Farnham[6] ; 8. 35-Bishop[8] ; 9. 7N-Naida[10] ; 10. 3J-Begenwald[9]
All Pro Aluminum Heads of Johnstown, OH – Heat 3: 1. 49x-Shaffer[1] ; 2. 4-DeVault[2] ; 3. 5c-Cisney[3] ; 4. 2-Peterson[5] ; 5. 24D-Sams III[4] ; 6. 19-Michael[6] ; 7. 6-Felmlee[9] ; 8. 5-Weaver[7] ; 9. 13B-Bright[10] ; 10. 15-Harble[8]
Victory Fuel – B Main: 1. 7NY-Farnham[1] ; 2. 5-Weaver[2] ; 3. 6-Felmlee[4] ; 4. 98-Cavalet[3] ; 5. 3J-Begenwald[11] ; 6. 3-Jerich[5] ; 7. 33-Matus[10] ; 8. 7N-Naida[8] ; 9. 13B-Bright[9] ; 10. 35-Bishop[DNS] ; 11. 08-Kuriger[DNS] ; 12. 15-Harble[DNS]
Ti22 Performance – A Main: 1. 49x-Shaffer[2] ; 2. 24D-Sams III[1] ; 3. 42-Lynch[3] ; 4. 32B-Blaney[6] ; 5. 2F-Flick[15] ; 6. 22-Spithaler[5] ; 7. 4-DeVault[9] ; 8. 22D-Duncan[8] ; 9. 11-Bowser[7] ; 10. 81-L.Jacobs[4] ; 11. 13-Matus[10] ; 12. 19-Michael[18] ; 13. 23jr-Sodeman Jr[13] ; 14. 5-Weaver[20] ; 15. 6-Felmlee[21] ; 16. 98-Cavalet[22] ; 17. 29-McCandless[12] ; 18. 2-Peterson[14] ; 19. 9-T.Jacobs[17] ; 20. 5c-Cisney[DNS] ; 21. 14-Rayhall[DNS] ; 22. 7NY-Farnham[DNS]
Helms Construction – Hard Charger: 2F – A.J. Flick (+10)
Helms Construction – Hard Luck: 9 – Trey Jacobs