By: Mike Ackelson
May 15, 2026 – For Immediate Release:

New Track Surface Steals the Show at Tri-City Raceway Park as Felmlee, Whitling, Myers, and Baker Conquer the Half-Mile

FRANKLIN, PA — It was a picture-perfect night for racing at Tri-City Raceway Park. With flawless weather, a phenomenal, lightning-fast track surface, and heavy-hitting action across four divisions, fans were treated to a spectacular night of dirt track racing. The newly resurfaced half-mile drew rave reviews from drivers and crew chiefs alike, providing incredible multi-groove racing, immense bite, and virtually zero tire wear.

The power-packed Hovis Auto & Truck Supply 410 Sprint Cars kicked off the night’s feature action with Andy Cavanaugh and Bob Felmlee leading the field to the green flag. The 64-year-old veteran, Felmlee, wasted no time asserting his dominance. Ripping the lip on the high side and turning blistering laps in the 118 mph range, Felmlee quickly built a commanding lead over a hard-charging Dusty Larson, who did his best to keep the leader within striking distance.

Behind them, Jeremy Weaver moved into third and was hunting down Larson until disaster struck on lap 11. A broken steering component sent Weaver’s #5 car into a heavy crash, bringing out the red flag. Fortunately, the defending track champion walked away from the wreckage, though his night was done.

On the restart, Felmlee again set sail with Larson in tow, while Logan McCandless and Brandon Matus engaged in a fierce duel for third. McCandless’s strong run ended with just eight laps remaining when a mechanical failure on the #29m brought out the second and final caution of the race. As the green flag waved for the final sprint, Felmlee continued to set the pace, but Larson used heavy lap traffic to close right in on his bumper. The veteran was up to the task, navigating the traffic flawlessly to claim his first Tri-City feature win in two years and his 35th career checkered flag.

The second all-time winningest driver in the track’s Sprint Car division was thrilled in victory lane. “Man, this car was fast, but the track was absolutely perfect,” Felmlee said. “We could run anywhere we wanted, but I knew the high lane was preferred. This new track surface is amazing—we could run another 50 laps on this right rear tire!” In a testament to the track preparation, Felmlee’s crew revealed they had bolted on a used right-side tire for the feature, and they were all smiles looking at a tire with no wear at the end of the night. Larson finished second, followed by Brandon Matus, Jack Sodeman Jr., and Jeremy Kornbau rounding out the top five.

Next up, the RK Virgile Iron & Steel Pro Stock 20-lap A-Main got off to a rough start with a multi-car tangle in turn one. The second attempt went off without a hitch, with Curt J. Bish grabbing the early lead. The caution flag flew on lap 3 when Matt Bernard suffered an expired engine, and just one lap later, another yellow flag waved for a spin involving Russ Coin and Chris Whiters. Broken steering ended Coin’s night, while Whiters rejoined the tail of the field.

On the ensuing restart, Bish chose the inside lane, placing the track’s all-time leading feature winner, Bobby Whitling, on the outside of the front row. Whitling executed a textbook pass, giving it everything he had on the high side of turn two and down the backstretch to seize the top spot. From there, Whitling went on cruise control but had to fend off Bish one more time after Joe Stajnrajh Jr. suffered a mechanical failure on lap 13, bringing out the final caution. Whitling executed a flawless final seven laps to park it in victory lane for a track-leading 65th career win.

“This track was great for racing—no tire wear at all on my car,” Whitling noted. “Superfast and a lot of bite whichever lane you want to use. Kudos to the track crew and Josh for the new surface. What a great place to race.” Curt J. Bish finished second, Jake Whitling took third, while Andy Buckley and Curtis L. Bish Jr. rounded out the top five.

The 21st Century Energy Group RUSH Sprint Cars 20-lap feature provided non-stop, pulse-pounding action as the entire distance went green-to-checkered without a single caution. Zach Morrow jumped out to an early lead, building a comfortable margin over the first ten laps. Defending track champion Blaze Myers was biding his time in the Ted Hull Machine, chipping away at Morrow’s lead with every passing lap. With four laps to go, the leaders encountered heavy lapped traffic, giving Myers the break he needed to close directly onto Morrow’s bumper. The duo ran neck-and-neck for three thrilling laps.

As they entered turn one on the final lap, Morrow was forced to make a split-second decision and chose the low line. Myers seized the opportunity, committing fully to the high side and ripping the lip through turns one and two to carry incredible momentum. He took his first lead of the race with just half a lap remaining, beating Morrow by just over a car length to secure his 17th career win at Tri-City and his sixth consecutive feature victory.

“Patience was the key to this race,” Myers said. “We were both using the preferred high line, and getting into lapped traffic gave us the opportunity to pull off a great win. We couldn’t have asked for a better track tonight. The new surface was really fast and had a lot of bite to let me drive wherever I wanted. Just a great way to start the year, picking up right where we left off last season.” Morrow finished second, followed by Wyatt Long, Ricky Tucker II, and Charlie Utsinger in fifth.

Rounding out the night’s action was a fierce 15-lap duel for the Complete Car Care Center RUSH Stock Cars. Pole-sitter William Baker jumped into the early lead, but he had his mirrors full for the entire distance. Defending track champion Raidden Wilson glued his bumper to Baker’s car, launching multiple low-side challenges coming off turn four. Baker’s #620 machine was on a rail, perfectly executing the high line around the half-mile oval to repeatedly deny Wilson’s advances and secure a hard-fought victory.

“I knew Wilson was there, so I changed my line just a little, and the track had so much bite my car just took off at the end,” Baker stated. “This place has made so many improvements over the past few years, and the racing surface we have now is simply awesome. It’s so much fun to race on a surface like this. Thanks to the track crew for their hard work and the owners for giving us a great racing surface.” Wilson finished second, with Devan Jones, Cameron Kramer, and Joe Buchanan completing the top five.

Hovis Auto & Truc Supply 410 Sprint Feature (25 Laps) 1. (6) Bob Felmlee, 2. (47L) Dusty Larson, 3. (13) Brandon Matus, 4. (23JR) Jack Sodeman Jr., 5. (32) Jeremy Kornbau, 6. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh, 7. (11M) Nathan McDowell, 8. (3J) Joel Mellon, 9. (33) Brent Matus, 10. (30) Jazlyn Boyles, 11. (29M) Logan McCandless, 12. (5) Jeremy Weaver, DNS (86) Michael Lutz

First Heat Race Finish (8 Laps) 1. (13) Brandon Matus, 2. (5) Jeremy Weaver, 3. (6) Bob Felmlee, 4. (29M) Logan McCandless, 5. (23JR) Jack Sodeman Jr., 6. (32) Jeremy Kornbau, 7. (86) Michael Lutz

Second Heat Race Finish (8 Laps) 1. (11M) Nathan McDowell, 2. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh, 3. (47L) Dusty Larson, 4. (3J) Joel Mellon, 5. (33) Brent Matus, 6. (30) Jazlyn Boyles

RK Virgile Iron & Steel Pro Stocks Feature (20) Laps 1. (7W) Bobby Whitling, 2. (29) Curt J Bish, 3. (07) Jake Whitling, 4. (965) Andy Buckley, 5.(00) Curt L Bish Jr., 6. (21W) Chris Withers, 7. (94B) Sonny Baker, 8. (23) Pat Fielding, 9. (57) Jason Kimmey, 10. (97) Tony Spaghetti, 11. (84S) Josh Seippel, 12. (04) Joe Stajnrajh Jr., 13. (8C) Russ Coin, 14. (7B) Matt Bernard

First Heat Race Finish (8 Laps) 1. (7W) Bobby Whitling, 2. (965) Andy Buckley, 3. (04) Joe Stajnrajh Jr., 4. (7B) Matt Bernard, 5. (21W) Chris Withers, 6. (94B) Sonny Baker, 7. (97) Tony Spaghetti,

Second Heat Race Finish (8 Laps) 1. (29) Curt J Bish, 2. (07) Jake Whitling, 3. (8C) Russ Coin, 4. (23) Pat Fielding, 5. (84S) Josh Seippel, 6. (57) Jason Kimmey, 7. (00) Curt L Bish Jr.

21st Century Energy Group Feature (20) Laps 1. (41) Blaze Myers, 2. (68) Zach Morrow, 3. (63L) Wyatt Long, 4. (1t) Ricky Tucker III, 5. (23) Charlie Utsinger, 6. (213) Lucas Roessner, 7. (5B) Joe Buccola, 8. (21) Grayson Bayle, 9. (10) Brayden Blackshear, 10. (21N) Samatha Priest, 11. (7) Cooper Macormac, 12. (24) Gale Ruth Jr.

First Heat Race Finish (8 Laps) 1. (41) Blaze Myers, 2. (23) Charlie Utsinger, 3. (213) Lucas Roessner, 4. (1t) Ricky Tucker III, 5. (21N) Samatha Priest, 6. (7) Cooper Macormac,

Second Heat Race Finish (8 Laps) 1. (68) Zach Morrow, 2. (63L) Wyatt Long, 3. (24) Gale Ruth Jr., 4. (21) Grayson Bayle, 5. (5B) Joe Buccola, 6. (10) Brayden Blackshear,

Complete Car Care Center RUSH Stock Cars Feature (15 Laps) 1. (620) William Baker, 2. (77) Raidden Wilson, 3. (76) Devan Jones. 4. (854) Cameron Kramer, 5. (22) Jim Buchanan

Heat Race Finish (8 Laps) 1. (620) William Baker, 2. (77) Raidden Wilson, 3. (76) Devan Jones. 4. (854) Cameron Kramer, 5. (22) Jim Buchanan

Upcoming Races

May 22 – 4 Star Racing

May 24 – BRP Modifieds, $4,000 to Win RUSH Late Model Tour and RUSH Modifieds

May 31 – Western Pa Sprint Speedweek Finale $4,000 to Win, RUSH Sprints and Mini Stocks

Race Day Information at Tri City Raceway Park
Fridays: Racing begins at 7:00 PM
Sundays: Racing starts at 6:30 PM
Pit Gates Open at 3:00 pm
Grandstands Gates Open at 4:00 pm

Ticket Pricing
General Admission
Adults (17+) $15.00
Students / Seniors/ Military $13.00
Kids 10 and Under FREE
Pit Passes (3+) $35.00

Marketing Partners
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, 21st Century Energy Group, RK Virgile Iron & Steel, Complete Car Care Center
Tri-City Raceway Park is proudly owned and operated by Josh and Kyrsten Shiffer and is located at 3430 State Route 417 in Franklin, Pennsylvania. The historic half-mile dirt oval offers competitive racing and special events in a welcoming, family-oriented atmosphere.

For the complete 2026 schedule, ticket information, and updates throughout the season, visit http://www.racetri-city.com and follow Tri-City Raceway on Facebook