Rick’s Racing Roundup: Late Model Fans Rejoice!

The wait is over for western Pennsylvania late model fans as the biggest weekend of the racing season is set to get underway.

(Pictured above: 410 Sprint Cars return to Knox Raceway this Sunday. Photo by Rick Rarer.)

The 17th Annual Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway will take center stage this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

For the second year in a row, the show will feature the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series and pay a whopping $50,000 to the winner on Saturday night.

Thursday and Friday will feature a new format as the traditional 6,000 to win events have been replaced with two 5,000 to win 25-lap features on both nights.

Also on the card again this year will be the RUSH Late Model Series, where they will compete for the biggest payday of their season. The Bill Emig Memorial presented by Sunoco Race Fuels and TBM Brakes will pay the winner a cool $20,000.

RUSH point leaders Jeremy and Mike Wonderling will try to fend off super late model drivers Chub Frank, Max Blair, and Michael Norris among other heavy hitters who will be throwing their hats in the ring.

Also expected to compete with the RUSH Series is All-Star Circuit of Champions sprint car series regular Tim Shaffer. The sprint car veteran just scored a RUSH late model win at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway a few weeks ago and won with the All-Stars last week during Ohio Speedweek at Atomic Speedway.

If Shaffer could pull off the win, it would be a popular one for sure.

Defending Firecracker champion Tim McCreadie will be on hand to defend his title. Photo by Scott Goodman.

Lernerville’s Firecracker weekend has become one of the most prolific events in the world of dirt late model racing. There will be a record high purse of over $300,000 during distributed over the weekend. This prestigious three-day racing tradition will now be the richest event of any kind ever held at the Lernerville Speedway, surpassing the 2022 edition.

Lots of heavy hitters are expected to be on hand for the weekend led by series point leader Ricky Thornton Jr, who already has eight wins on the season.

Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, and Jonathan Davenport are just a few of the big names that will be pitside to take on the tough western Pennsylvania regulars.

Pit gates for the Firecracker will open at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Grandstand gates open at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Hot laps are slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. each day, with opening ceremonies slated for 7:30 p.m.

For sprint car fans, the 410 sprints will be in action on Sunday evening at Knox Raceway, and for fans that can’t get enough late model racing, the super late models will make their only visit of the season to the Knox oval. 270 micro sprints and mini stocks will also be on the card this Sunday.

Racing is scheduled to get underway at 5:00 p.m. this Sunday, June 25.

Rick’s Racing Roundup is brought to you by:

Gatesman Auto Body
Zacherl Motors
Kerle Tire Company
Bauer Truck Repair