MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Last year’s Pennsylvania Speedweek was arguably the most star-studded in the history of the series.
Kyle Larson, Sammy Swindell, and Robert Ballou, all auto racing greats in their own regard, headlined the race for the title.
The field this year, meanwhile, seems more wide-open than ever.
Since Larson can’t defend his Pennsylvania Speedweek championship, due to his obligations with Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series, someone different will emerge.
There are only two past Speedweek champions expected to race all week, Danny Dietrich and Lucas Wolfe, but both have just three wins combined this year.
Anthony Macri leads the overall Central Pennsylvania points chase, but finished ninth in last year’s Pennsylvania Speedweek points. Brent Marks is a favorite, but he is still gathering resources after bringing back his family car midway through the year.
Freddie Rahmer has won everything in the area but a Pennsylvania Speedweek title. Ryan Smith and TJ Stutts, meanwhile, have new purpose heading to the 10-race, 10-night slate.
Outsiders Paul McMahan, Rico Abreu, and Sam Hafertepe Jr. figure to shake things up.
Young, relatively unproven faces such as Devon Borden, Justin Peck, and Justin Whittall have thrown their names into the mix.
Larson, NASCAR Cup Series winner Christopher Bell, Pennsylvania Posse legend Lance Dewease, former World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series champion Daryn Pittman, and California hotshoe Buddy Kofoid will all run partial schedules.
Here is the wide-open field for this year’s running of Pennsylvania Speedweek.
Full-week drivers
No. 39 Anthony Macri
A four-time winner this year, the Central Pennsylvania points leader seems to keep adding to his skillset at just 22 years old. Macri has what it takes to win the title, having won on tracks big and small. Resources are aplenty, too. He is perhaps the favorite to win at Port Royal and Selinsgrove.
The deciding factor, however, are confined places like Lincoln and Grandview, where he needs the most growth.
No. 19 Brent Marks
Since bringing back his family operation in the No. 19, Marks has cracked victory lane four times, including once with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series at Eldora Speedway on May 8. He is fresh off a win at Path Valley Speedway Park on Sunday, giving him wins on fast half miles (Eldora and Selinsgrove), tweeners (BAPS Motor Speedway, a four-tenths mile), and bullrings.
The upside is he’s one of the most skilled racers around. The deterrent for the 30-year-old, meanwhile, is time-trialing.
No. 48 Danny Dietrich
The 2016 Pennsylvania Speedweek champion is always a favorite when this event rolls around. He and his No. 48 Gary Kauffman Racing team are battle-tested, coming off a runner-up points effort to Tyler Courtney in last week’s Ohio Speedweek. But the ebb and flow of Dietrich has suppressed results in 2021. Dietrich’s ebb, like his 31-race winless drought earlier this year, can be a confounding one. When Dietrich flows, though, he’s as forceful as they come. Tactfulness, therefore, will be his key to success.
No. 27 Devon Borden
An expedition from Washington to Pennsylvania to test the waters in a 410 has morphed into something more of a settlement for the 18-year-old. In just two months, Borden has gone from his first 410 race to racing for esteemed car owner Mike Heffner.
This past weekend, Borden finished fifth at Williams Grove, went from the B-Main to seventh at Lincoln, and finished on the podium at Path Valley in the No. 27 tribute livery to the late Greg Hodnett. He is the most talked-about teenager among Pennsylvanians in some time, and it seems to be merely the beginning.
No. 51 Freddie Rahmer
One of the smoothest racers in the area, the 25-year-old Rahmer continues the pursuit of his first Pennsylvania Speedweek crown. He’s had better years to this point, but winning at least once the past four months should mean all is well with Rahmer and his family operation ahead of the 10-race, 10-night grind.
Rahmer excels at Williams Grove and Lincoln, and is the reigning track champion at both venues. Grandview and Hagerstown suit him well, too. If anything holds him back, it’s Port Royal, a place he’s winless at since 2018.
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