2021 08 12 Knoxville Brent Marks Sye Lynch Carson Macedo Paul Arch Photo Dsc 3997 (736)a
Justin Marks (19) races under Sye Lynch (42) and Carson Macedo on Thursday night at Knoxville Raceway. (Paul Arch photo)

POSSE NOTES: Marks Leads PA Knoxville Effort

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Brent Marks, Danny Dietrich and Anthony Macri tag-teamed the Knoxville Nationals on behalf of the Pennsylvania Posse.

For the first time since 2016, a trio of PA Posse drivers qualified for sprint car racing’s biggest event. Five years ago, Dietrich, Marks, Lucas Wolfe and the late Greg Hodnett made the 25-car field.

Additionally, Marks’ sixth-place run on Saturday was the PA Posse’s best finish in the Knoxville Nationals since 2011 when Daryn Pittman placed fifth in Mike Heffner’s No. 27 entry.

Macri and Dietrich finished 17th and 24th, respectively, in the 60th edition of the prestigious event.

Beyond the refreshing statistics, it was vital for a PA Posse representative to be back in the top-10 at the Knoxville Nationals.

The last driver to score a top-10 in the grand event was Hodnett, when he ran eight in 2016. Hodnett also scored one of the biggest wins for the PA Posse on Knoxville Nationals qualifying night in 2018, just a month before he died from injuries in a racing accident at BAPS Motor Speedway.

Hodnett finished 15th, one-lap down, in what ended up being his final Knoxville Nationals.

In 2019, Lance Dewease was the lone true Pennsylvania Posse driver to qualify for the main event, but he only logged 30 laps and finished 23rd.

Pennsylvania drivers Logan Schuchart and Marks made the Saturday night grand finale that year, but raced full-time with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series.

In 2017, Washington native Trey Starks repped the PA Posse in Scott Gobrecht’s No. 44 with his 18th-place finish. Hodnett, meanwhile, ran 19th after dropping out of the race with mechanical issues.

• Tyler Ross scored his third victory of the year on Saturday at Lincoln Speedway.

He topped Devon Borden by 1.893 seconds. Kyle Moody polished off the podium in third.

• One weekend after breaking through for his first two 410 wins, one by a margin of 10 seconds at Port Royal Speedway, Borden charged from ninth to second Saturday at Lincoln Speedway.

He finished just shy of two seconds behind Ross in a race that went nonstop for 30 laps.

• Cory Haas scored his second straight victory Friday night at Big Diamond Speedway in what was the track’s first 410 race in eight years.

The 44-year-old led all 30 laps from the pole despite his engine being down a cylinder.

• A four-race weekend is on tap for the Central PA 410 Sprint Car Series.

On Friday at Williams Grove Speedway, the 410s adjoin the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Lance Dewease leads Freddie Rahmer by 675 points in the track title chase with seven races remaining.

The inaugural Barry Skelly Memorial takes place at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday, an event honoring the longtime track photographer who succumbed to COVID-19 last August at age 79. Freddie Rahmer holds a 535-point cushion atop the standings over Alan Krimes.

Port Royal Speedway is also in action on Saturday, hosting the PASS 305 sprints and USAC East Coast Wingless 360 sprints as support divisions. Logan Wagner leads the point charge in the 410 class by 320 markers over Jeff Halligan.

On Sunday, Trail-Way Speedway in Hanover, Pa., hosts the fifth annual Armin Hostetter Memorial for the 410 sprints. Gates open at 4 p.m. with racing slated for 7 p.m.

In the 410 Central PA points, Freddie Rahmer clings to a 51-point lead over Lance Dewease. Anthony Macri (54 points behind), Danny Dietrich (59 points behind), and Brent Marks (129 points behind) complete the top five.