By Shawn Brouse
Mechanicsburg – Anthony Macri wired the field for the $20,000 win in the 36th annual Mitch Smith Memorial at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday night as part of the Pennsylvania Speedweek Series for 410 sprint cars.
The victory was the ninth of Macri’s career at the oval and his third this season as well as his third of the speedweek series.
Both Macri and Chad Trout shared the front row for the start of the 30-lap main event with Macri zipping into the lead when action began.
Defending event winner and sixth starter Brent Marks drove up to third on the third lap and began working on Trout for second.
By lap eight Macri was beginning to work the rear of the field as Marks continued working on the second spot.
Marks had just made a move around Trout to net second when the only caution flag of the race unfurled with 11 laps completed for a stopped Ryan Smith who had sustained front-end damage.
The caution flag wiped out the 1.1 second lead that Macri held over the field.
Macri went back to work running off from the field when action resumed however the battle expected between Trout and Marks never developed as Trout held strong for the duration.
Instead, fourth starter Logan Schuchart began fighting with Marks for third and the pair exchanged the spot during the final circuits with Marks ultimately getting the upper hand by the finish.
The performance by Macri coupled with a finish of eighth by Danny Dietrich in the feature moved Macri into the speedweek point lead by 36 points after he entered the night 30 points out of the lead, behind Dietrich.
The win was the first of Macri’s career in the prestigious Williams Grove Mitch Smith Memorial.
Schuchart rode home fourth followed by Freddie Rahmer.
Sixth through 10th went to Lance Dewease, Lucas Wolfe, Dietrich, TJ Stutts and Chase Dietz.
Heats went to Marks, Wolfe, Daryn Pittman and Rahmer. The B Main was taken by Mike Walter II.
Macri set quick time with a lap of 17.102 seconds.
Feature Finish:
7/5/24
410 sprints, 25 laps: 1. Anthony Macri, 2. Chad Trout, 3. Brent Marks, 4. Logan Schuchart, 5. Freddie Rahmer, 6. Lance Dewease, 7. Lucas Wolfe, 8. Danny Dietrich, 9. TJ Stutts, 10. Chase Dietz, 11. Devon Borden, 12. Mike Wagner, 13. Cameron Smith, 14. Kody Hartlaub, 15. Spencer Bayston, 16. Brock Zearfoss, 17. Dylan Norris, 18. Mike Walter II., 19. Ryan Taylor, 20. Justin Whittall, 21. Daryn Pittman, 22. Skylar Gee, 23. Ryan Smith, 24. Steve Buckwalter
DNS: Troy Wagaman Jr.
DNQ: Billy Dietrich, Kyle Reinhardt, Kody Lehman, Ricky Dieva, Jessie Attard, Jeff Halligan, Austin Bishop