May 30th) Free Grandstand Admission Night brought one of the season’s largest crowds to Dirt’s Monster Half Mile on Saturday night, as race fans helped collect 2,925 pounds of non-perishable food for 25FortyPGH, more than doubling last year’s total of 1,100 pounds.

Thanks to the support of 25FortyPGH and A & S Federal Credit Union, fans packed the grandstands while helping provide food for local families throughout the region.

Coming off Thursday night’s Western PA Sprint Car Speedweek event, excitement carried over into Saturday as 68 race cars filled the pit area. Five divisions, 10 heat races, and five feature events combined for another thrilling night of racing.

Tommy Schirnhofer Jr. (8S), from Pittsburgh, scored his first win of the season in the Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Model Feature.

Defending champion AJ Poljak (36), from Baldwin, picked up right where he left off last season with a victory in the Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stock Feature.

Stephen Shelpman (17S) survived a fierce side-by-side battle with Garrett O’Patchen (25) before securing the win in the Auto House Hobby Stock Feature.

In the Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinder Feature, defending champion Cameron Hollister (44), from McDonald, returned to victory lane and continued the momentum he built during his championship season.

Ryleigh Heasley (212), from Beaver, provided one of the night’s most memorable moments, holding on for her first career Young Guns victory despite an engine that was coming apart in the closing laps.

Twenty-four Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Models signed in on Saturday night and were divided into three heat races, with the top four from each race earning a spot in the redraw for the 20-lap feature.

Anthony Monteparte (66), from Jeannette, earned the pole position, while Brodie Oravetz (91), from Oakdale, started alongside him in second.

Jake Gunn (14G), from Coraopolis, rolled off third, while Daryl Charlier (42), from Midway, completed the second row in fourth.

Before the green flag could wave, Marino Angelicchio (55) suffered mechanical trouble on the pace laps, bringing out a caution and ending his night before it ever began.

Once the race finally got underway, Monteparte jumped out to the early lead with Jake Gunn settling into second.

Christian Schneider (56) quickly moved into third on lap two, but his momentum ended dramatically after he made contact with the outside wall exiting turn two. The incident brought out the race’s first caution and forced Schneider to pit for repairs.

Schneider returned after repairs, but the restart, which followed a lengthy caution period, reset positions and allowed several competitors to close the gap, dramatically altering the race.

Monteparte appeared to develop mechanical issues when racing resumed, allowing Jake Gunn to take over the lead as Monteparte rapidly slipped backward through the field.

Another caution on lap four for Clinton Hersh (16), from Somerset, tightened the field once again.

J. Gunn led the restart with Tommy Schirnhofer Jr. (8S), from Pittsburgh, alongside him on the front row.

The pair battled side-by-side for the lead until Schirnhofer completed the pass on lap five.

While the battle behind him continued, Schirnhofer steadily built his advantage and entered lapped traffic by lap 10.

Traffic had little effect as Schirnhofer stayed in control to the finish.

Schirnhofer led the final 15 circuits to score his first Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Model victory of the season.

Jake Gunn finished second, while Daryl Charlier crossed the line third.

Ben Easler (02) finished fourth, and Zach Gunn (17G) rounded out the top five.

The heat race winners were Ben Easler (02), Clinton Hersh (16), and Christian Schneider (56).

After the Late Model Feature, AJ Poljak (36) started on the pole for the 15-lap Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stock Feature with Daryl Charlier (74) alongside in second, as he pulled double duty on Saturday night.

Chris Schneider (55), from Lower Burrell, started third, while Logan Koteles (64), from Stockdale, completed the second row in fourth.

When the green flag waved, Poljak immediately jumped to the lead with Charlier settling into second and Schneider holding third.

While Poljak quickly began pulling away from the field, the battle for second became the story of the race.

Charlier and Schneider spent much of the event racing side-by-side, trading sliders and momentum while somehow avoiding contact despite running door-to-door lap after lap.

A caution on lap 12 changed the complexion of the race when Dale Tuche (310), from Cheswick, suffered engine trouble, dropped oil on the track, and spun into the outside wall between turns one and two.

Tuche was uninjured, but his night came to an end as the field prepared for a late restart.

Poljak selected the outside lane, putting Charlier to his inside while Chris Schneider and Christian Schneider (17S) lined up behind them in the second row.

Christian Schneider briefly surged to the lead on the initial restart attempt after jumping out of line before the cone and making it three-wide entering turn one.

Track officials ruled the restart a no-start and moved Schneider back a row before the field lined up for another attempt.

The second restart was clean, allowing Poljak to maintain control with Christian Schneider now running second and Charlier third.

Poljak maintained his lead to earn his first Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stock victory of the season.

Christian Schneider followed him across the line in second, while Charlier completed the podium in third.

Koteles finished fourth, and Chris Schneider rounded out the top five.

The heat race winners were AJ Poljak (36) and Christian Schneider (17S).

The Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stocks return to the spotlight this Saturday, June 6, when the division competes in its biggest event of the season as part of the rescheduled Ed Laboon Memorial weekend.

Next up was the Auto House Hobby Stock Feature. After the redraw, Marc Corio (14), from South Fayette, earned the pole position, while Tom Anton (64), from Jefferson Hills, lined up alongside him in second.

Kyle Janas (88), from Coraopolis, started third, while Garrett O’Patchen (25), from Scott Township, rolled off fourth.

The field thundered into turn one three and four wide when the green flag dropped, creating an immediate battle for the lead.

Corio appeared poised to lead on the opening lap, but O’Patchen had other plans as he surged to the front and claimed the top spot.

The race’s first caution quickly followed when Corio and Stephen Shelpman (17P) became tangled while battling side-by-side down the backstretch.

Officials sent both drivers to the rear of the field, forcing them to begin their climb back through traffic.

O’Patchen selected the outside lane for the restart, putting Janas alongside on the front row.

The field barely settled in before another caution flew when Justin Clark (02) made contact with the outside wall, ending his night.

With nine laps remaining, O’Patchen found himself staring at a familiar challenger as Shelpman had already worked his way from the rear back to the front row.

When racing resumed, the pair immediately went to work, battling side-by-side for the lead.

O’Patchen successfully defended the top spot through the opening laps of the restart, but Shelpman finally completed the pass on lap seven.

The battle was far from over as O’Patchen stayed glued to Shelpman’s rear bumper and applied heavy pressure throughout the closing laps.

Despite the challenge, Shelpman never cracked and held on for another Auto House Hobby Stock victory.

O’Patchen finished second, while defending champion Leroy Brown (40B) completed the podium in third.

Joe Brown Jr. (48) finished fourth, and Janas rounded out the top five.

The Auto House Hobby Stock heat race winners were Garrett O’Patchen (25) and Stephen Shelpman (17P). ????

The Young Guns Feature followed, where after winning the heat race and earning the pole through a straight-up start, Ryleigh Heasley (212) led the field to green with Kane Zupancic (11), from Collier, alongside in second.

Connor Greynolds (18), from New Cumberland, West Virginia, completed the three-car starting field.

Zupancic jumped out to the early lead when the green flag dropped, while Heasley settled into second and began searching for a way around him.

That opportunity came at the end of lap two when Heasley built momentum around the outside groove and carried a massive run off turn four.

The momentum continued through turns one and two, allowing Heasley to pull alongside Zupancic down the backstretch.

By the time the pair reached turn three, Heasley was completing the pass and taking control of the race.

While Heasley appeared headed for a comfortable victory, the race took a dramatic turn with just three laps remaining.

Sparks suddenly erupted from underneath her car as she raced down the frontstretch and entered turn one.

The sparks disappeared almost immediately, but the engine began showing signs of trouble as the laps wound down.

With her first career victory hanging in the balance, Heasley nursed the wounded machine around the speedway while Zupancic continued to chase.

Despite the mechanical issues, the car held together just long enough for Heasley to score her first career Young Guns victory.

Zupancic finished second, while Greynolds completed the podium in third. ????

To round out the evening, twelve Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinders signed in on Saturday night. After two heat races, the top three finishers from each advanced into the redraw to determine the top six starting positions for the 12-lap feature.

Tyler Hollister (69), from Bulger, drew the pole position, while Anthony Uddstrom (18), from Pittsburgh, started alongside him in second.

Cameron Hollister (44), from McDonald, rolled off third, while John Gill (19G), from Atlasburg, completed the second row in fourth.

After a few brief delays, the field was finally ready to settle the final feature of the evening.

The race barely got underway before Kaitlyn Spangler (707), from Latrobe, slowed with mechanical issues, forcing a complete restart before the opening lap could be completed.

T. Hollister led the field back to green and claimed the early lead when racing finally got underway.

Another caution followed on lap three when Gill spun and made contact with the wall on the frontstretch, erasing Hollister’s advantage.

Hollister selected the outside lane for the restart with Uddstrom lining up to his inside.

The field managed only one more lap before another caution slowed the pace, setting up yet another restart.

T. Hollister remained in control, but this time his brother Cameron lined up alongside him on the front row.

When racing resumed, Noah Bubeck (187) gave Cameron Hollister a strong push entering turns one and two, helping him build momentum on the inside lane.

That momentum gave Cameron the opening he needed, and he capitalized with a slider on his brother Tyler to take over the lead on lap five.

Once out front, the defending division champion quickly established control of the race.

The second half of the event ran caution-free as Cameron Hollister led the remaining laps to score his first Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinder victory of the season.

Bubeck finished second, while Uddstrom completed the podium in third.

Tyler Hollister crossed the line fourth, and Bill Tennant (2) rounded out the top five.

The heat race winners were Cameron Hollister (44) and Jacob Chipps (38D).

Racing resumes at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile this Saturday, June 6th, for the rescheduled 15th Annual Ed Laboon Memorial presented by West Mifflin Collision.

One of the biggest nights of the season for the Kehm Oil Penn Ohio Pro Stocks returns to Imperial as drivers from across the region chase one of the most respected victories in the division.

The Penn Ohio Pro Stock Championship Series joins the card alongside the Rohrich Parts Center/Chevrolet Performance RUSH Late Models, Auto House Hobby Stocks, Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinders, and Young Guns.

Fans can enjoy $1 Berks Hot Dogs courtesy of Berks Foods throughout the evening and test their appetite in the speedway’s annual hot dog eating contest.

Grandstands open at 5:00 PM, hot laps start at 6 PM, and racing begins at 7:00 PM. 

Additional event information can be found at ppms.comor on our social media channels