By: Mike Ackelson 

May 26, 2026 – For Immediate Release:

“Spithaler Seizes Victory in Thrilling Western PA Sprint Speedweek Finale at Tri City Raceway Park!” “Myers wins 2nd RUSH Sprint feature of the year, and Camden Franz takes the Mini Stock Feature” 

Franklin, Pa:  Tri City Raceway Park was buzzing with excitement as it hosted the final event of the Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants Western PA Sprint Speedweek, presented by J.S. Bova Excavating. The night was filled with thrilling moments and unforgettable performances.

The evening got off to a rough start when an early crash involving DJ Christie and John Jerich resulted in both drivers flipping in turn two, leading to a restart. Thankfully, both drivers walked away unharmed, but their nights ended early due to significant damage.

Once the race got underway, Logan McCandless took the lead and set a blistering pace, quickly building a solid advantage. However, Ricky Peterson, starting from the fifth position, was on the move. As he moved into second place, Brandon Spithaler was right on their tail. McCandless led for the first 17 laps, but Peterson made his move on lap 18. Just when it looked like Peterson might pull away, lapped traffic came into play. Spithaler seized the opportunity, grabbed the lead in the bottom lane, and ultimately pulled away to win by more than five seconds.

Spithaler celebrated his first win at Tri City since 2024, saying, “What a way to finish this week and finally get the results we’ve been looking for. This car was hooked up, and I love racing in traffic; it keeps me on my toes.” His victory was worth $6,000—a fantastic way to cap off the week!

Peterson, who finished second, reflected positively on the weekend: “A really good weekend for the 98 team—with a win on Saturday and a runner-up finish today.” Mark Smith made a late charge for third place, while McCandless held on for a respectable fourth. AJ Flick finished fifth, securing enough points to win his third Western PA Sprint Speedweek championship—making him the first driver in history to achieve this milestone. Flick had a great week, with two wins and a mix of solid finishes, earning an additional $3,000 for the championship.

In the top ten, Tim Shaffer, Matt Farnham, Greg Wilson, Michael Bauer, and Cody Bova also performed well. There were multiple special awards that highlighted the night:

• Spithaler won a Hoosier racing tire from Big Daddy’s Racing Center.
• Cody Bova earned an extra 500 for finishing tenth in the McCandless Ford Bonus Bucks program, along with $50 in cash and $50 worth of images from Sprintcar News for his 10th place finish. 
• Brandon Matus picked up 200 bucks for the Knox Bakery fast time and a 50-dollar fuel card as the first non-qualifier. Despite a rough night that included flipping during his heat race, he got his car repaired and returned for the last chance race, though he finished just one position short of qualifying.
• Matt Farnham earned a pair of racing gloves from Angry Duck Graphics for his seventh-place finish.
• Greg Wilson received the Rustler Sales and Service hard charger award, gaining nine spots in the feature.
• The 8740 Shock giveaway for perfect attendance went to Andy Cavanaugh and David Kalb Jr.

In the RUSH Sprint Cars division, the action continued with its own share of excitement. After an early spin by Logan Lockhart and Devon Deeter necessitated a restart, Zach Morrow initially took the lead. However, Blaze Myers soon made a bold move to take over, ultimately cruising to his 18th all-time win and second victory of the season. Myers expressed his happiness, saying, “I just love racing here. We’re trying different setups with this new car, and we’re starting to figure it out.” Luke Mulchak, in his first race of the year at Tri City, finished second, while Morrow took home third. Rookie Brayden Blackshear had his best finish of the season, coming in fourth, and Samantha Pries rounded out the top five, earning a $100 “Kenny’s Cash” bonus presented by Arnie Kent in memory of Kenny Kent at each RUSH Series event this season.

The Mini Stocks made their first appearance of the season, where Tim Callahan initially grabbed the lead, but Camden Franz took over on lap two and led the final 14 laps to secure his first career win at Tri City. “This is so cool to win here,” Franz said. “I want to thank my family and friends for making this possible. This track is so much fun to race on.” Callahan finished second, with Jordan Wheeler, Justin Forsythe, and Andy Thomson completing the top five.

Western Pa. Sprint Speedweek 30 Lap Feature Results: 1. (22) Brandon Spithaler, 2. (98) Rickey Peterson Jr., 3. (17K) Mark Smith, 4. (29) Logan McCandless, 5. (2) AJ Flick, 6. (45) Tim Shaffer, 7. (7NY) Matt Farnham, 8. (W20) Greg Wilson, 9. (46) Michael Bauer, 10. (20B) Cody Bova, 11. (5) Jeremy Weaver, 12. (3J) Jacob Begenwald, 13. (6) Bob Felmlee, 14. (35Z) Jared Zimbardi, 15. (5K) Adam Kekich, 16. (11J) David Kalb Jr., 17. (23J) Jack SodemanJr., 18. (47) Dusty Larson, 19. (32B) Jeremy Kornbau, 20. (19) Tyler Esh, 21. (11) Carl Bowser, 22. (7) Chris Smith, 23. (5C) DJ Christie, 24. (3) John Jerich  

B-Main 10 Lap Results: 1. (19) Tyler Esh, 2. (11J) David Kalb Jr., 3. (32B) Jeremy Kornbau, 4. (11) Carl Bowser, 5. (13) Brandon Matus, 6. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh, 7. (M4) Louie Mattes, 8. (30) Jazlyn Boyles, 9. (11M) Nathan McDowell, 10. (33) Brent Matus, DNS (13B) John Gravin Jr.  

Mobile Bail Bonds Heat Race Finishes 8 Laps: 

 1st Heat: 1. (2) AJ Flick, 2. (29) Logan McCandless, 3. (17K) Mark Smith, 4. (6) Bob Felmlee, 5. (W20) Greg Wilson, 6. (19) Tyler Esh, 7. (13) Brandon Matus, DNS (13B) John Gravin Jr. 

2nd Heat: 1. (5) Jeremy Weaver, 2. (7NY) Matt Farham, 3. (45) Tim Shaffer, 4. (3J) Jacob Begenwald, 5. (47) Dusty Larson, 6. (11J) David Kalb Jr., 7. (M4) Louie Mattes, 8. (11) Carl Bowser

3rd Heat: 1. (25Z) Jared Zimbardi, 2. (5C) DJ Christie, 3. (22) Brandon Spithaler, 4. (20B) Cody Bova, 5. (23J) Jack Sodeman Jr., 6. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh, 7. (33) Brent Matus, 8. (11M) Nathan McDowell

4th Heat: 1. (98) Ricky Peterson Jr., 2. (46) Michael Bauer, 3. (3) John Jerich, 4. (5K) Adam Kekich, 5. (7) Chris Smith, 6. (30) Jazlyn Boyles, 7. (32B) Jeremy Korbau  

21st Century Energy Group RUSH Sprint Cars 20 Lap Feature Results: 1. (41) Blaze Myers, 2. (55) Luke Mulichak, 3. (68) Zach Morrow, 4. (10) Brayden Blackshear, 5. (21N) Samtha Priest, 6. (213) Lucas Roessner, 7. (54) Devon Deeter, 8. (58) Logan Lockhart, 9. (21) Grayson Bayle, 10. (1t) Ricky Tucker III, 11. (24) Gale Ruth Jr., 12.(1E) Curt Emings, 13. (7) Cooper Macrmac, DNS (23) Charlie Utsinger

1st Heat: 1. (41) Blaze Myers, 2. (55) Luke Mulichak, 3. (21N) Samtha Priest, 4. (54) Devon Deeter, 5. (1t) Ricky Tucker III, 6. (21) Grayson Bayle, 7. (23) Charlie Utsinger

2nd Heat: 1. (213) Lucas Roessner, 2. (10) Brayden Blackshear, 3. (68) Zach Morrow, 4. (24) Gale Ruth Jr., 5. (7) Cooper Macrmac, 6. (1E) Curt Emings, 7. (58) Logan Lockhart,

Min Stock 15 Lap Feature Results: 1. (158) Camden Franz, 2. (54) Tim Callahan, 3. (44) Jordan Wheeler, 4. (114) Justin Forsythe, 5. (5) Andy Thomson, 6. (D10) Kevin Dotten, 7. (64K) Michael Phillipson, 8. (45) Andrew Thompson, 9. (9R) Ben Aley, 10. (62) Jacob Wheeler, 11. (10S) Tevan Schaffer,  DNS (0) Carl Ealy, DNS (66M) Matthew Miller, DNS (325Z) Zack Swartz

1st Heat: 1. (62) Jacob Wheeler, 2. (114) Justin Forsythe, 3. (5) Andy Thomson, 4. (45) Andrew Thompson, 5. (64K) Michael Phillipson, 6. (9R) Ben Aley, 7. (325Z) Zack Swartz

2nd Heat: 1. (44) Jordan Wheeler, 2. (54) Tim Callahan, 3. (158) Camden Franz, 4. (0) Carl Ealy, 5. (D10) Kevin Dotten, 6. (10S) Tevan Schaffer, 7. (66M) Matthew Miller