By Marty Czekala
For the first time, the A-Verdi Storage Containers CRSA Sprints will head to “The Nasty Track of the North” at Tyler Bartlett’s Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville as the 305 Sprints will take on the 602 Crate Sprints Friday night.
$1250-to-win will be on the line for all 305 and 602 cars.
In addition, a pair of miniseries points funds will be up for grabs, with $250, $150 and $100 going out to the top three in both the crate and 305 classes.
CRSA will be giving out $100 in an envelope to both Crate and 305 cars.
Six tires will also be awarded during the drivers’ meeting.
Can-Am Speedway hosts the 602 Crate Sprints every week. The class was introduced in 2022 and has seen numerous different winners from New York to Canada.
Numerous drivers have brought a crate sprint to run with CRSA on a pick-and-choose basis when not running Can-Am on Friday nights.
The last time the series hosted a battle against the Crate Sprints was the 2024 season finale at Cornwall Motor Speedway in Canada, where Bruno Richard defeated the 305s.
Can-Am will become the 29th different track to host a CRSA event, the first new track since Ransomville in July 2025.
Here’s a look at the news and notes entering the weekend.
Last Time Out: CRSA made its second trip of the year to Outlaw Speedway for a $2011-to-win show alongside the Empire Super Sprints.
While Davie Franek won the ESS show and didn’t enter the CRSA portion of the night, no $5000 bonus was up for grabs.
Sprint Car veteran Paul Colagiovanni Sr. has been well known for crew-chiefing his son Paulie to many wins in the 360 division.
However, it was Paul Sr. in his 305 holding off Zach Sobotka and numerous other drivers to score his first career CRSA victory and become the 90th driver to win in CRSA history.
“Up until a year and a half, we never even considered it,” Colagiovanni Sr. said on racing Sprint Cars. “I mentioned it to my wife one night and she said ‘sure,’ and I was surprised and here we are. It feels great. I thought Zach for sure was going to get me. I saw him so many times up top, but it worked out well.”
Kyle Pierce finished second and Jordan Thomas finished third.
As for Pierce, “The Flyin’ School Teacher” won the first miniseries championship of 2026 with the Dandy Mini Series. Pierce, throughout the three-race swing, finished seventh, third and second. It is the second time Pierce has won the Mini Series, with his first being in 2024 en route to his overall championship that year.
“These races are so hard and it’s been going really well,” said Pierce. “For somebody who doesn’t really like to points race, it’s cool to be able to get that one again. Remarkable run here these last few weeks.”
Points Standings: The overall championship picture took a major swing last Friday as Dalton Herrick finished ninth while Tyler Graves finished 25th after a spin.
As a result, Herrick has opened up his lead to 43 points over Graves.
Timmy Lotz stands third in points, 151 back on the leader.
The battle for fourth is heating up and eight points separate Nick Webb and Johnny Scarborough.
Paul Colagiovanni Sr. and Jerry Sehn Jr. are separated by 30 points in the race for sixth, but Paul Sr. stands 18 points behind Scarborough.
The rest of the top 12 look like this: Maverick Coffey eighth (-378), Dustin Sehn ninth (-405) and Steve Glover 10th (-562). Dan Craun 11th (-654) and Zach Sobotka 12th (-719).
Tale of the Tape: While CRSA and Crate Sprints may look the same, there are differences in the rulebook; both rulebooks will be in effect for Friday’s running.
CRSA uses a purpose-built 305 engine, while Can-Am focuses on the sealed Chevrolet 602 crate engine.
305s run on pure methanol while crates can use methanol or ethanol.
Minimum weight for 305s is 1550 lbs, while crates are 1600 lbs, both with the driver in the car.
Both sides use the Hoosier HTC Medium-1 compound right rear tire.
Past Experience: The driver amongst the CRSA regulars that will be expected to compete for a win or a very good finish will be Nick Webb.
Before purchasing a 305 engine, the Brownville native posted a win last season en route to a fifth place finish in points.
In his first full-time CRSA season, Webb is fourth in points with a top five finish and seven top 10s in nine feature appearances.
The Crate Contenders: Even if some of the 305 drivers have never seen Can-Am, the crate drivers will have the clear advantage in experience.
The man to beat by far will be Josh Verne Jr. The No. 1V has won every track championship since the class’ inception in 2022. Through 11 features in LaFargeville this year, Verne Jr. has five wins. In addition, Verne Jr. has two wins at Brockville-Ontario Speedway in 2026.
A pair of drivers who have CRSA experience and also have wins at Can-Am in 2026 include Andrew Hennessy and Ken Klinkowsky. Hennessy has one prior CRSA appearance at Weedsport, where he finished fourth in a B-Main. As for Klinkowsky, “Kamikaze” picked up his first career Can-Am victory last May. Last year, Klinkowsky had two feature appearances, finishing 14th at Weedsport and 20th at Brewerton.
Other drivers with experience include Tucker Donath, George Sanford and Rachel Zacharias.
Due Up: As the second half is underway, points leader Dalton Herrick continues to come close to ending a winless streak dating back to Sep. 2024.
Herrick has four podium finishes in the 2026 season with a best finish of second at Fulton and Fonda. In addition, Herrick has three finishes inside the top 10.
Herrick would love to score a win as soon as possible before the end of the season.
Tune In: Action can be seen live on Dirt Track Digest TV with Marty Czekala on the call. For $5.99 a month, you can expand your race night experience at the track or online through the MyRacePass app or at www.myracepass.com, which features entries, lineups, fantasy and results.
From the Frontman: “We’re thankful to have Tyler Bartlett welcome us to his racetrack this weekend. It’s going to be an exciting night of racing as our 305s take on the Crates! We hope you start your weekend right with us!” ~ Mike Emhof
Up Next: CRSA will host a doubleheader next Friday and Saturday at Utica-Rome Speedway and Thunder Mountain Speedway, a part of the I-90 Pit Stop Challenge and Joe’s Garage Southern Tier Series. The I-90 Pit Stop Challenge champion will be crowned Friday night. Action can be seen Friday on FloRacing and Saturday on Dirt Track Digest TV.
Standings
29 Dalton Herrick, 1533 pts
25G Tyler Graves -43
18 Timmy Lotz -151
27W Nick Webb -204
61 Johnny Scarborough -212
10SR Paul Colagiovanni Sr. -230
410 Jerry Sehn Jr. -260
31C Maverick Coffey -378
D9 Dustin Sehn -405
121 Steve Glover -562
18C Dan Craun -654
38 Zach Sobotka -719