By: Mike Ackelson
July 17, 2026 – For Immediate Release:
Wilson Shatters 25-Year Drought, Whitling Striking Late, and Baker Prevails in RUSH Stock Shootout at Tri-City
FRANKLIN, PA – A massive crowd witnessed history Friday night at Tri-City Raceway Park during the annual $40 “Pack the Car” promotion. The action-packed night served as the final tune-up on the half-mile clay oval before next week’s highly anticipated Andy & Billie Lutz Memorial.
The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply 410 Sprint Car feature saw Jeremy Kornbau and Matt Farnham lead the field to the green flag. Farnham wasted no time, launching off turn two to grab the early lead. The Tonawanda, New York native set a blistering pace, turning laps in the 15-second bracket. By lap five, Farnham opened up a massive six-second lead. The first caution flew when Kornbau’s safety belts came undone, forcing him into the pits before he safely rejoined the tail end of the field. By lap nine, Farnham continued to set the pace, while a fierce battle raged behind him with Bob Felmlee, Brandon Matus, and Greg Wilson fighting tooth and nail for positions two through four. A bizarre final caution slowed the field on lap 14 when a circuit breaker blew, knocking out the lights in turn one. Track officials quickly resolved the issue, setting up an intense 11-lap shootout. Wilson, who restarted fourth, systematically worked his way to second and began reeling in Farnham’s 7NY machine. On lap 22, the Benton Ridge, Ohio driver made his move, snatching the lead on the backstretch. The two ran neck-and-neck for two laps until Wilson used heavy lapped traffic to open up a one-second gap. Wilson took the checkered flag, marking his first victory at the Venango County track in 25 years.
“Man, it’s been a long time since we won here,” Wilson smiled in victory lane. “Thanks to all the hard work my crew put in, this is very special. The track was awesome—multiple grooves and it had some character.” Farnham settled for a hard-fought second. Points leader Brandon Matus finished third, maintaining a razor-thin 3-point advantage over fourth-place finisher Bob Felmlee (480 points), while Logan McCandless completed the top five.
The open-wheel excitement was matched by the RK Virgile Iron & Steel Pro Stocks 15-lap main event, which opened with Curtis L. Bish jumping out to the lead. Bish found himself locked in a side-by-side duel with points leader Jake Whitling for the first three laps before clearing the second-generation driver off turn four. The battle fronted the field until lap nine, when Scott Malone looped his car in turn four to bring out the night’s only caution. On the restart, Bish continued to set the pace, but the track’s all-time leading feature winner, Bobby Whitling, played the waiting game. Bobby slipped past his son Jake with four laps remaining to take second, quickly closing the gap to Bish’s rear bumper. As the white flag flew, Bish ran high off turn two, leaving a lane open, Whitling pinned his No. 7W machine to the bottom of the track to make pass, securing his 67th career track win and his third of the season.
“Man, that was fun,” Whitling said. “Patience was the key, and when Bish gave me an opening, I took advantage. Anytime you win, it’s special.” Bish finished second, with Jake Whitling, Joe Stajnrajh Jr., and Pat Fielding rounding out the top five.
Meanwhile, the 21st Century Energy Group RUSH Sprint Car feature belonged entirely to Blaze Myers. From the drop of the green flag, Myers asserted his dominance, building a straightaway lead over Lucas Roessner and Zach Morrow. A caution on lap 14 for a CJ McClintock spin reset the field. On the ensuing restart, Roessner’s strong night ended abruptly due to a mechanical failure. Myers cruised the rest of the way to capture his 20th career Tri-City victory and his fourth win of the season.
“We’ve been tinkering with the car, and I think we found something that made it come to life,” Myers stated. “The track was perfect and had some character that made it a lot of fun to race tonight. I can’t thank Ted and Cal Hull enough; they give me a hot rod to race here.” Morrow finished second, followed by Devon Deeter, Gale Ruth Jr., and Samantha Priest.
Without question, the race of the night came in the Complete Car Care Center RUSH Stock Cars 15-lap feature, which boasted a spectacular eight official lead changes. Defending track champion Raidden Wilson took the opening lap lead with William Baker Jr. glued to his bumper. An early yellow flew when Jim Buchanan spun in turn four. Following the restart, Wilson and Baker resumed their side-by-side battle, running inches apart with Wilson narrowly scored as the leader. Baker finally cleared Wilson on lap six, holding the point until lap nine when JR Brown spun in turn one, for the final caution of the race. The double-file restart allowed teenager Cole Laskey to join the party. Laskey surged forward, leading lap 11 by a bumper. Baker wrestled the lead back on lap 12, but Laskey fought right back to lead laps 13 and 14. On the final lap, Laskey attempted to shut the door on Baker entering turn three. Baker found just enough room down low, pulling even off turn four. The duo drag raced to the line, with Baker taking the win by mere inches for his fifth victory of the year.
“That was the most fun I’ve had all season,” Baker said. “What a race between Wilson and Laskey. It was close, clean racing. I hope the fans enjoyed the show because that was a heck of a finish.” Laskey settled for second, with Wilson third, Robert Switzer fourth, and Jim Buchanan recovering for fifth.
Action next week continues on Friday night for the annual Summer Sizzler. The high-stakes night features the FAST 410 Sprint Car Series competing in the Andy & Billie Lutz Memorial, paying a massive $8,600 to win. The Pro Stocks will battle for a $1,000 top prize, while the RUSH Stock Cars compete for $500 to win.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply 410 Sprints 25 Lap Feature Finish: 1. (W20) Greg Wilson [4]; 2. (7NY) Matt Farnham [2]; 3. (13) Brandon Matus [5]; 4. (6) Bob Felmlee [3]; 5. (29M) Logan McCandless [6]; 6. (22P) Jonathan Preston [14]; 7. (94) Todd Hoddick [15]; 8. (56N) Nash Gierke [9]; 9. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh [8]; 10. (33) Brent Matus [12]; 11. (32) Jeremy Kornbau [1]; 12. (55) Scott Rogers [13]; 13. (30) Jazlyn Boyles [11]; 14. (47L) Dusty Larson [7]; 15. (19M) Bodey McClintock [10]
1st Heat Race Finish: 1. (29M) Logan McCandless [4]; 2. (6) Bob Felmlee [2]; 3. (W20) Greg Wilson [5]; 4. (47L) Dusty Larson [4]; 5. (56N) Nash Gierke [7]; 6. (30) Jazlyn Boyles [1]; 7. (55) Scott Rogers [6]; DNS (94) Todd Hoddick
2nd Heat Race Finish: 1. (7NY) Matt Farnham [2]; 2. (13) Brandon Matus [2]; 3. (32) Jeremy Kornbau [8]; 4. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh [4]; 5. (19M) Bodey McClintock [7]; 6. (33) Brent Matus [1]; 7. (22P) Jonathan Preston [5];
RK Virgile Iron & Steel Pro Stock 15 Lap Feature Finish: 1. (7W) Bobby Whitling [4]; 2. (29) Curtis J Bish [2]; 3. (07) Jake Whitling [1]; 4. (04) Joe Strajnrajh Jr. [3]; 5. (23) Pat Fielding [5]; 6. (12M) Scott Malone [7]; 7. (19T) Troy Norman [8]; 8. (57) Jason Kimmy [6] DNS (61M) Charlie McMillen
Heat Race Finish: 1. (7W) Bobby Whitling [2]; 2. (29) Curtis J Bish [3]; 3. (07) Jake Whitling [4]; 4. (04) Joe Strajnrajh Jr. [3]; 5. (23) Pat Fielding [7]; 6. (61M) Charlie McMillen [8]; 7. (12M) Scott Malone [9]; 8. (19T) Troy Norman [5]; 9. (57) Jason Kimmy [6]
21st Century Energy Group RUSH Sprint Car 20 Lap Feature Finish: 1. (41) Blaze Myers [2]; 2. (68) Zach Morrow [4]; 3. (54) Devon Deeter [5]; 4. (24) Gale Ruth Jr. [6]; 5. (21N) Samantha Pries [8]; 6. (10) Brayden Blackshear [12]; 7. (5B) Joe Buccola [10]; 8. (21) Grayson Bayle [7]; 9. (7) Cooper Macormac [11]; 10. (17M) CJ McClintock [3]; 11. (58) Logan Lockhart [9]; 12. (16) Jayden Shiffer [14]; 13. (213) Lucas Roessner [1]; 14. (1t) Ricky Tucker III [13]
1st Heat Race Finish: 1. (68) Zach Morrow [2]; 2. (213) Lucas Roessner [1]; 3. (41) Blaze Myers [7]; 4. (58) Logan Lockhart [4]; 5. (21) Grayson Bayle [6]; 6. (7) Cooper Macormac [3]; 7. (1t) Ricky Tucker III [5]
2nd Heat Race Finish: 1. (24) Gale Ruth Jr. [5]; 2. (54) Devon Deeter [1]; 3. (17M) CJ McClintock [2]; 4. (21N) Samantha Pries [3]; 5. (5B) Joe Buccola [6]; 6. (10) Brayden Blackshear [4]; 7. (16) Jayden Shiffer [7]
Compete Car Care Center RUSH Stock Car 15 Lap Feature Finish: 1. (620) William Baker Jr. [2]; 2. (2c) Cole Laskey [4]; 3. (77) Raidden Wilson [1]; 4. (97) Robert Switzer [5]; 6. (22) Jim Buchanan [3]; 6. (22S) JR Brown [6]
Heat Race Finish: 1. (77) Raidden Wilson [2]; 2. (620) William Baker Jr. [5]; 3. (22) Jim Buchanan [1]; 4. (2c) Cole Laskey [4]; 5. (97) Robert Switzer [6]; 6. (22S) JR Brown [3]
Upcoming Races
July 24 – Summer Sizzler – $8,600 to win Andy & Billie Lutz Memorial FAST 410 Sprint Series – Pro Stocks – RUSH Stocks
July 31 – 4 Star Racing – Twin State Auto Club Night
August 7 – NO RACING
August 14 – 4 Star Racing Final Points night – Legends Night + Autograph Night
August 21 – Super Late Model Special – Penn Ohio Pro-Stocks Tour – RUSH Stocks – 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
Special Races
General Admission
Adults (17+) $20.00
Students / Seniors/ Military $15.00
Kids 10 and Under FREE
Pit Passes (3+) $40.00
Marketing Partners
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, 21st Century Energy Group, RK Virgile Iron & Steel, Complete Car Care Center, Marsh Heating & Cooling, Erie Beer, KEI Klapec Express Trucking, Shambaugh Towing, McCandless Ford, United Community Independence Program, Close Racing Supply, Schaeffer’s Oil, BKI Bert Klapec INC, Clarion County Community Bank, McCandless Trailer Sales, Heffren Septic systems, Gates & Burns Reality, Bernards Electrical Service & Troubleshooting, Sunbelt Rental Meadville, MAD Tree Service, Friedhaber’s Appliances, PJ’S Excavating & Concrete, Top Notch Tree and Stump Services, Vape Shop & Game Room, Tionesta Builders Supply, First Rate Reality, Log Cabin Restaurant, MAD MAC BBQ, Bish Heating and Cooling, Forbidden Fantasies Adult Cabaret, Triple Sanitation, Franklin Service & Supply and Oil Creek Family Campground, Flea Flickers, Allegheny Toyota, American Legion Post 0334
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 Park on Facebook.
Photo credits to Scott Goodman, Greg Wilson, Kacy Jacquillard
Leave a Reply