Freddie Rahmer (51) battles Danny Dietrich Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway. (Julia Johnson Photo)
Freddie Rahmer (51) battles Danny Dietrich Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway. (Julia Johnson Photo)
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NOTES: Rahmer Makes Most Of PA Speedweek Opener

June 26, 2021

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – If there’s anyone who made the most of their circumstances in the Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek opener Friday at Williams Grove Speedway, it’s Freddie Rahmer.

The 25-year-old earned hard charger honors, driving from 11th to fourth in the caution-free, 25-lap main event, and salvaged a fine points night that could have otherwise gone south.

Now Rahmer sits fourth in the series standings amongst drivers expected to compete in all 10 events, 18 points behind Anthony Macri. Driving from 11th to fourth is a 30-point swing, a margin that could pay dividends in Rahmer’s pursuit of his first Pennsylvania Speedweek title.

“It was a pretty good night, was right there most of the night, just didn’t get in the redraw,” Rahmer said. “Just have to stay focused and do the best out of each situation.”

The 25-year-old drew the second-to-last pill in the first flight of time trials, where he qualified seventh. Passing in the heats was infrequent, and therefore Rahmer started third and finished third, putting him 11th to start the feature.

Rahmer, the reigning Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedway track champion, has had better years to the point, but he does have wins in every month since March. He races like his personality: steady and often unbothered, making his chances of rebounding that much greater.

“I feel good about our chances to run all these races,” Rahmer said before the race on Friday. “Our car is going pretty good, our motor is running real well. We just [need to] keep focused. There aren’t going to be good nights every night, or go smoothly every night, so if we don’t time [trial] well we have to keep fighting.”

Rahmer was in that position on Friday, where he then backed up his pre-race words and some strong self-analysis.

“Mentally, I feel the best I’ve ever been to go into this week, [Pennsylvania Speedweek]” Rahmer said. “I’m excited for that.”

– Friday marked Davey Brown’s 795th career win as a crew chief. It also stood as Lance Dewease’s 102nd career win at Williams Grove and his fourth overall win in his last five races.

– Coming off a runner-up finish in the Ohio Speedweek points chase with the All Star Circuit of Champions, Danny Dietrich raced to another podium effort on Friday.

 

He got the short end of the stick in the redraw, starting the feature eighth of the eight draw-eligible drivers, but plotted his way to a third-place finish. Dietrich stands five points out of the de facto series lead, behind Anthony Macri, going to Lincoln Speedway on Saturday.

– Nineteen-year-old Buddy Kofoid, the USAC National Midget Series point leader, started ninth and backslid to 14th in his Central Pennsylvania sprint car debut Friday.

– Rico Abreu, currently third in the series points amongst the expected full-week drivers, slipped to fifth in the closing stages after starting on the pole.

The fan favorite led the first 10 laps, before eventual winner Dewease stormed to the lead on a two-for-one pass on lap 11.

Abreu should make another strong case tonight at Lincoln, having won one of the two features at the venue during Pennsylvania Speedweek last year.

 

– Logan Wagner, the three-time reigning Port Royal Speedway track champion, set quick time in flight two but faded to finish 10th in the main event.

– Alan Krimes finished sixth aboard Stewart Smith’s No. 27s on Friday. He plans to race five more times during Pennsylvania Speedweek: Lincoln on Saturday and Monday, Port Royal on Wednesday, Hagerstown on Thursday and Williams Grove next Friday.

– Lucas Wolfe buried himself in time trials (13th of 19 in flight one), but raced his way into the main event from outside the cutline in his heat. He then went 17th to 13th in the 25-lap feature. Not a night to celebrate but it keeps him in the series points battle (eighth amongst the full-week drivers, 71 points behind Anthony Macri)

 

– Justin Whittall and Devon Borden were the only two full-week competitors who failed to qualify for the main event.

Whittall qualified ninth in flight two, but backpedaled in his heat to finish seventh, outside the cutline. An early exit in the B-Main shortened his night.

Borden, meanwhile, appeared to overdrive his qualifying lap, putting him 17th of 19 cars in flight one. The 18-year-old who was just named the full-time driver of Mike Heffner’s sprint car operation couldn’t recover from there. 

Unofficial Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek points, *expected full-week drivers only*

  1. No. 39M Anthony Macri 150 points
  2. No. 48 Danny Dietrich -5
  3. No. 24 Rico Abreu -16
  4. No. 51 Freddie Rahmer -18
  5. No. 15H Sam Hafertepe -36
  6. No. 19M Brent Marks -39
  7. No. 13 Justin Peck -58
  8. No. 5W Lucas Wolfe -71
  9. No. 5 Paul McMahan -79
  10. No. 6 Ryan Smith -86
  11. No. 24 TJ Stutts -109
  12. No. 99M Kyle Moody -114
  13. No. 67 Justin Whittall -126
  14. No. 27 Devon Borden -134