Port Royal, PA - Rain, nor sleet ,nor snow, nor unseasonably cold temperatures could stop the action on Saturday night as the United Racing Club kicked off their 75th anniversary season at the Juniata County 1/2 mile oval on Saturday night. On a classic Port Royal Slicked off, 3 lanes of racing surface, defending URC Champion Jason Shultz picked up the opening night win. His second win at the "Speed Palace" in the last 3 visits with URC.
27 cars signed into kick off the diamond anniversary season of URC and 24 360 sprint cars taking the green flag in the 25 lap main event which started out with a three wide battle of the lead coming to complete lap number 1 between Shultz ( Started 2nd), Anthony Macri (Started 3rd), and Dallas Schott ( Started on Pole). Macri would lead the lap and 3 and 3/4 turns of lap 2 when Jason Shultz pulled a slider across the nose of Macri to lead lap 2 when things settled in for the next few laps.
" This is the best we've felt here when the track is slicked off like this." Shultz said in Victory lane. " Last year we won this race around this time and it was rubbered down and it's a little bit different when you can win one like this its pretty special to me."
The only yellow flag of the feature event would fly on lap 5 when Andy Best who was running in the 8th spot battling with Ryan Taylor for 7th, would check up and the car got away from him and went around. No contact with the wall and some quick moves from the rest of the field would see Best Rejoin at the tail of the field.
Racing would resume with 20 laps to go with Shultz getting away from Anthony Macri and Ryan Smith (from 7th) would take 3rd from Dallas Schott and was going after Macri for the 2nd spot. Macri would use all the racing surface to the wall. Smacking his right rear Hoosier off of the wall as Smith pulled the slider but Macri's momentum was too much as he took 2nd going back down the back straight.
Top 4 of Shultz, Macri, Smith and Schott pulled away from the field and settled in for the next 6 laps until Shultz hit lap traffic with 13 laps to go when the distance between tightened up tremendously and would stay close for the rest of the race. Macri would be all of the back tail tank of Shultz for the next 3 laps and on lap 18 Macri would try to pull a slider going in to turns 3 and 4. Shultz was ready for and won the drag race to the line in what would be the winning move.
" I didn't see Macri too much. But when I did he lit me up a little bit." Said Shultz " He's one of my favorite guys to watch here. You can't beat him. The way he bangs it off the wall. It's unbelievable what he does."
Macri would then have to hold off a charge from Ryan Smith as he pulled a slider when Macri hit the wall in turn 1 allowing Ryan Smith the chance to chase down Jason Shultz. It was not enough as Shultz would pick up his 6th career URC Feature win over Ryan Smith, Anthony Macri, Dallas Schott and Pat Cannon rounded the top 5.
Next up for the United Racing Club is a Thursday Night Special where Adam Carberry will look to defend his win last year at The Bloomsburg Fair Raceway in Bloomsburg, PA . This Thursday night, April 14th. A double header of 360 sprint car action along side of the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars. Gates open at 4pm with racing beginning at 7pm
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 20-Anthony Macri[5]; 2. 10X-Ryan Smith[3]; 3. 20T-Ryan Taylor[1]; 4. 7-Andy Best[2]; 5. 77-Derek Locke[8]; 6. 11T-Mike Thompson[4]; 7. 63-Josh Weller[6]; 8. 5K-Jake Karklin[7]; 9. 8X-Cameron Merriman[9]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 47-Adam Carberry[4]; 2. 11-Ryan Stillwaggon[1]; 3. 99-Devin Adams[9]; 4. 27C-Craig Pellegrini Jr[2]; 5. 4-Ken Meisner[6]; 6. 7K-Ed Aikin[8]; 7. 8-Will Brunson[7]; 8. 15-Tyler Templin[3]; 9. 42-Jesse Pruchnik[5]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 23-Pat Cannon[1]; 2. 55-Dallas Schott[2]; 3. 35-Jason Shultz[8]; 4. 5G-Briggs Danner[6]; 5. 33-Derek Hauck[3]; 6. 28F-Davie Franek[9]; 7. 8C-Brian Carber[5]; 8. 2C-Cory Thornton[7]; 9. 23T-John Stehman[4]
B Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 63-Josh Weller[1]; 2. 5K-Jake Karklin[4]; 3. 8-Will Brunson[2]; 4. 8C-Brian Carber[3]; 5. 8X-Cameron Merriman[7]; 6. 2C-Cory Thornton[6]; 7. 23T-John Stehman[9]; 8. 15-Tyler Templin[5]; 9. 42-Jesse Pruchnik[8]
A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 35-Jason Shultz[2]; 2. 10X-Ryan Smith[7]; 3. 20-Anthony Macri[3]; 4. 55-Dallas Schott[1]; 5. 23-Pat Cannon[9]; 6. 77-Derek Locke[13]; 7. 5G-Briggs Danner[12]; 8. 33-Derek Hauck[15]; 9. 11-Ryan Stillwaggon[4]; 10. 47-Adam Carberry[8]; 11. 11T-Mike Thompson[16]; 12. 20T-Ryan Taylor[5]; 13. 99-Devin Adams[6]; 14. 5K-Jake Karklin[20]; 15. 7-Andy Best[10]; 16. 4-Ken Meisner[14]; 17. 28F-Davie Franek[18]; 18. 63-Josh Weller[19]; 19. 2C-Cory Thornton[24]; 20. 8-Will Brunson[21]; 21. 27C-Craig Pellegrini Jr[11]; 22. 7K-Ed Aikin[17]; 23. 8X-Cameron Merriman[23]; 24. (DNF) 8C-Brian Carber[22]
Photo credit; Jesse Carberry
- Robert Wojcik on Apr 11, 2022
- Article Date: 4/11/2022 by Bert Wojcik