virginiasprintseries Archives

Harris hauls at Hampton

By Jim Haines HAMPTON, Va. (Sept. 16) – Jerald Harris in the Harris Movers IMCA RaceSaver Sprinter sure had a handle on the Langley Speedway Saturday evening as he led every lap for a convincing win, his Virginia Sprint Series-leading third of the year. Harris and Matt Mullins lead the field to green with a bad outcome leaving Chris Humblet and Aaron Leach being towed to the infield and finished for the night. The second start was a good one as Harris jumped out and had Mullins right behind with Caleb Harris in third and Matthew Leach fourth. Harris was on a rail lap after lap with Mullins holding on the second as Leach made his way to third. Leach was all over Mullins when they got to traffic but Mullins stayed smooth and limited chances for Leach to pass. Harris was cruising as he took the final lap and completed the heat and feature sweep of the night as Mullins pulled away to come in second. Leach ended in third. Harris had also won [Read More]

Shatzer Streaks to hometown Hub City Win

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Aug. 5, 2023) – Hometown driver Dylan Shatzer streaked to heat and feature wins in the Saturday night IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car show at Hagerstown Speedway. Twenty-four cars took to the Hub City oval in the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series and Virginia Sprint Series co-sanctioned event. Shatzer and Ryan Lynn paced the field to green with Shatzer low and Lynn high, but before the field could even settle down, Lynn coasted to a stop with mechanical issues. On the restart, Shatzer took off with Reed Thompson and Stevie Kenawell close behind. Shatzer was trying to run away as Thompson and Kenawell were keeping in touch, but even as traffic came in to play the track was wide with many groves it wouldn’t hold up Shatzer. It all went wrong for Kenawell as he slid to a stop with a few laps to go, giving Thompson one more shot at the win. On the green, Shatzer took off clean and Thompson stayed close, but not close enough to mount a charge [Read More]

Scarborough sweeps Winchester

By Jim Haines WINCHESTER, Va. (July 29, 2023) – John Scarborough had a perfect night Saturday, winning his heat and taking the top spot of the feature at Winchester Speedway co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series. Twenty-four IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars signed in on what turned out to be a breezy, nice evening. Scarborough and Ryan Lynn paced the feature to green with Scarborough staying low and leaving Lynn to deal with a charging Donnie Hendershot. The track was full of cars and traffic came in to play quickly, bunching up the frontrunners. Scarborough stayed low and worked his way through but not without Hendershot and Lynn staying right on him and sometimes next to him. Hendershot made a run for the lead after getting by Lynn but a yellow for a stalled car slowed the pace. With two to go, Scarborough took off and Hendershot was not able to keep Lynn behind him as retook second and laps ran out to make a charge as Scarborough flashed under a [Read More]

Harris is first to repeat 2023 Virginia Sprint Series checkers

SHENANDOAH, Va. (July 15, 2023) – The Virginia Sprint Series got its first repeat winner of the season Saturday night as Jerald Harris streaked to a second straight IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car victory as black clouds rolled toward Shenandoah Speedway. Also the feature winner two weeks ago at Langley Speedway, Harris prepped for the main event by topping his heat race then, with inclement weather on the way, helped Daren Bolac leading the main event field to green. Harris stayed a little high and swept around Bolac to take the top spot as Aaron Leach made his way to third. Laps flew by on the pavement as Harris stayed smooth with tire management a priority. Bolac headed to the pits as Matt Mullins made his way to third with Robert Tyler making it to fourth. The caution-free event helped Harris maintain his smooth pace. He had the field closing but the challengers ran out of time. Harris topped the field and beat the rain to the checkered flag. Leach and Mullins were next across the [Read More]

Harris rockets to Virginia Sprint Series checkers

By Jim Haines HAMPTON, Va. (July 1, 2023) – During the Virginia Sprint Series’ annual visit to Langley Speedway leading into the July 4 holiday, the rocket turned out to be on track with Jerald Harris streaking to sweep the night. Harris and Matthew Leach paced the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car field to green with Harris out first and bringing Billy Hubbard along as Leach and Chris Humblet fought for third. Harris was running hard but trying to save tires as the key to keeping fast on pavement is to keep tire wear to a minimum. A restart at halfway after an accident clean up meant they would all get a crack at Harris but he proved to be up for it ,staying strong out front. Laps clicked off until Billy Hubbard had to retire after breaking a wheel to slow the field, an incident that gave the now second-running Humblet. Harris shot off on the restart with Humblet close behind, but nothing would stop Harris from flashing under the checkered flag and becoming the [Read More]

Spahr sprints to Hagerstown win

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 17, 2023) – Already a six-time winner in Pennsylvania Sprint Series action this season, Logan Spahr became a first-time winner in two other IMCA RaceSaver series Saturday night. Spahr collected the checkers at Hagerstown Speedway in the event co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series, Laurel Highlands Sprint Series and PASS. The annual meeting of the three series was another great event with 43 cars checking in. Michael Alleman and Ken Duke paced the field to green with Alleman out first and right away joined by Austin Reed. Duke and the front group swapped the lead every lap. Alleman was fast on the bottom while Reed stayed to the top. Spahr showed up and moved to second as Reed started to fade with mechanical problems but Duke was right there to take up the charge. Spahr found a new line and moved to the front, leaving Alleman and Duke to fight it out for second. After a quick caution for a spinner it was back at it but nobody would catch Spahr as [Read More]

Co-sanctioned Hagerstown show next for PASS

By Frank Buhrman HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 15, 2023) – The River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series will make its only 2023 appearance at Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway this Saturday, joining a co-sanctioned program hosted by the Virginia Sprint Series and also involving the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series. It’s a Dad’s Night Out special program for Father’s Day weekend, with the IMC RaceSaver Sprint Cars racing, along with the wingless super sportsman cars that normally run at Path Valley Speedway, and the track’s regular late model sportsman division. PASS has only run in seven races at Hagerstown (although some teams have run more when VSS was racing there without the PASS co-sanction) and no driver has won more than once, which creates an opportunity for those drivers with single wins who plan on racing: Ken Duke, Jerald Harris, a VSS regular, Stevie Kenawell and Mike Melair. One could end the evening as the first two-time winner for a PASS race. To do that, though, they’ll have to overcome Logan Spahr, who won the first six PASS races [Read More]

Much traveled Scarborough is RaceSaver winner at Natural Bridge

By Jim Haines NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (May 27, 2023) – Being an IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car driver from Vermont, John Scarborough has traveled a lot. He says Natural Bridge Speedway in Virginia has become one of his favorite tracks and he showed why Saturday night by sweeping the night, topping his heat race and then the Virginia Sprint Series main event. Scarborough and Aaron Leach pacing the field at the start with Scarborough hugging the bottom and staying out front as fourth starting Jerald Harris quickly made his way to second. The top two stay glued to each other as they left the rest to trade spots all through the race. With the 20 laps going quickly, traffic was in Scarborough’s favorite line as Harris made a final push with two to go, getting inside the leader, but he could not make the pass and Scarborough flashed under the waving checkered flag first. It was Jerald Harris, Daren Bolac, Caleb Harris and Leach completing the top five behind him. Scarborough became the fourth different winner [Read More]

First Fast Friday to Faison

By Jim Haines ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (May 12, 2023) – On the first warm night, the Virginia Sprint Series took to the Carolina coast for its first Fast Friday event of the year at Dixieland Speedway and Delaware hot shoe C.J. Faison came out on top of the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car main event. Faison and Billy Hubbard paced the field to green with Faison sticking to the bottom with Hubbard and Jerald Harris right behind. Faison tried to get away and at first that strategy was working but Harris made his way to second and, after a spinner caused a caution to tighten the field, would stay right there. Laps were clicking off as Lance Christie made his way to third but all Harrison could do was to get close as waving checkered flags flew over Faison, the third different winner in as many series events so far in 2023. Next it’s off to Hagerstown Speedway this Saturday, May 20 with the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series for a co-sanctioned event.

Rhodes sprints to IMCA RaceSaver win at Winchester

By Jim Haines WINCHESTER, Va. (April 29, 2023) – With most of the Eastern race tracks raining out, the return of IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars to Winchester brought a good field of sprinters to the Virginia oval co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series. Zach Rhodes topped the 24-car main event for his first win in the sanctioned division. Heats kicked off the night with Donnie Hendershot, A.J. Barton, Jarrett Rosencrance and Dave Grube taking wins. The feature lined up with Rhodes and Fred Arnold on the front row. Rhodes had the best line at the start with Arnold dropping in for second right away, as the rest of the field tried to get their own line working to move forward. Rhodes liked the bottom and stayed glued to it with Arnold and Logan Jones fighting over second with the other positions changing every lap. Jones made his way to second and Arnold fell to third with Donnie Hendershot and Dave Grube trying to run them down. Jones was all over [Read More]