The second half of Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek begins Wednesday at Port Royal Speedway, where Chase Dietz looks to extend his 40-point miniseries lead while Anthony Macri returns to one of his strongest tracks.
Macri has dominated the Speed Palace in recent years, Lance Dewease continues his pursuit of Keith Kauffman's all-time wins record, and a deep list of invaders led by James McFadden and Brady Bacon adds even more intrigue.
Throw in six different Port Royal winners through six races this season, Kyle Larson's absence and a look back at last year's controversial Speedweek finish, and there's no shortage of storylines entering one of the miniseries' marquee stops.
ANOTHER NEW WINNER?: Parity has been the theme at Port Royal Speedway in 2026. Through six 410 Sprint Car features, the Speed Palace has produced six different winners. Danny Dietrich opened the season March 21 before Jake Karklin and Doug Hammaker each broke through for their first career 410 victories on April 4 and June 13, respectively. Ryan Smith ($6,000 on April 11), Brock Zearfoss ($5,000 on May 2) and Chase Dietz ($15,000 Keith Kauffman Classic on May 16) round out the winners list. That leaves Port Royal standouts Anthony Macri, Lance Dewease and Logan Wagner among the notable names still searching for their first victory at the half-mile this season.
RED-HOT DIETZ TESTED?: With Tommy Carl on the wrenches, Chase Dietz is in the midst of a breakout season, leading the nation with 14 victories in 410 Sprint Car competition. Three of those wins have come during Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek through the first five races, including triumphs at Lincoln Speedway and BAPS Motor Speedway. Holding a 40-point advantage over half-mile ace Anthony Macri, the final five Speedweek races — all on half-mile tracks — present Dietz's biggest challenge yet. Only one of his 14 victories this season has come on a half-mile, the May 16 Keith Kauffman Classic at Port Royal Speedway. He's won 13 of 20 races (65 percent) on tracks smaller than a half-mile compared to just one victory in 21 starts (4.8 percent) on half-miles. Still, Dietz enters with momentum at the half-mile winning his most recent Port Royal start and posting two runner-up finishes (March 21 and April 11) in four appearances there this season.
ANTHONY MACRI'S PALACE: Anthony Macri's numbers at Port Royal Speedway have been mesmerizing since the start of the 2020 season, piling up 31 victories in 92 starts — a remarkable 33.7% win rate that accounts for more than one-third of his 87 overall victories during that span. The reigning three-time PA Speedweek champion has also won four of the last 10 Speedweek races at the Speed Palace, including last year's drama-filled Wednesday night stop. Macri only has one appearance at Port Royal this year — an 11th-place finish March 21 — as he's not even a week into his return from C4 and C4 compression fractures that sidelined him since April 4.
DEWEASE EYEING HISTORY: Five victories separate Lance Dewease from Keith Kauffman's all-time Port Royal Speedway record of 129 Sprint Car wins. The 60-year-old Hall of Famer enters Wednesday with 124 career victories at the Speed Palace and has already won twice this season — both at Williams Grove Speedway — giving him his highest winning percentage since 2023, when he won four times in 49 starts. While victories have become more difficult to come by in recent years, Dewease reminded everyone he's still a threat at Port Royal by capturing last year's PA Speedweek Saturday finale there, his most recent triumph at the half-mile.
INVADERS: Australia's James McFadden continues to lead the contingent of outsiders taking on Pennsylvania's best. Driving the Tarlton Racing No. 21, McFadden has posted finishes of eighth at Williams Grove, third at Lincoln Speedway, second at BAPS Motor Speedway, 14th at Lincoln and eighth at Grandview Speedway, leaving him fourth in the PA Speedweek standings, 70 points behind Chase Dietz. Four-time USAC National Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon has been even more impressive. The Broken Arrow, Okla., veteran has finished in the top 10 in all five Speedweek races, including four top-five finishes and Tuesday's runner-up effort at Grandview. High Limit regulars Kerry Madsen and Tanner Holmes are also expected to bolster Wednesday's field. Both have ties to Central Pennsylvania, with Madsen operating out of crew chief Tye Wolfgang's shop in Port Royal and Holmes's Buch Motorsports team from PA.
NO KYLE LARSON: Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson won't make his customary PA Speedweek appearance Wednesday at Port Royal Speedway. Larson, the 2020 PA Speedweek champ, has competed in this event four of the last six years, but this season's NASCAR schedule — with Sunday's race at Sonoma Raceway in California followed by this weekend's stop at Chicagoland Speedway — made a midweek trip to Central Pennsylvania too impractical.
FLASHBACK TO LAST YEAR: Anthony Macri’s 2025 Wednesday Speedweek win at Port Royal came with no shortage of controversy. The race’s closing laps featured a fuel-stop debate, Danny Dietrich refueling in the work area, Macri spinning to avoid Brock Zearfoss’ flipped car while keeping the lead, and Kyle Larson sounding off afterward on smaller fuel cells after finishing second. Track promoter Steve O’Neal later defended the officiating, saying the final caution wasn’t a phantom stoppage to save Macri, but acknowledged the speedway was left in a no-win situation.
2026 Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek Format Refresher
With Speedweek set to kick-off tomorrow at @WilliamsGrove here's a refresher on the PA Speedweek Format 👇 pic.twitter.com/KXzDsyUv5R
— PA Speedweek (@PASpeedWeek) June 25, 2026
2026 PA Speedweek Order Of Events At Port Royal Speedway Wednesday
Here is our tentative order of events for tomorrow’s @PASpeedWeek event featuring the 410 springs along side the URC 360 sprints!
— Port Royal Speedway #SpeedPalace (@PortRoyalSpdway) June 30, 2026
General admission - $30
Student (ages 13-17) - $20
Ages 12 and under - FREE
Pits - $40 pic.twitter.com/TRYfVvsEsZ