Second win is sweet
PORT ROYAL — Justin Whittall dominated the sprint car feature Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway about one month after a nasty frontstretch crash took him out of competition for a few weeks.
His second career Port Royal win was worth $5,000.
“It has been one hell of a year so far between the crash and the concussion, I’m out of words,” Whittall said. “I was on edge the whole night. I was nervous the whole night, but I can’t thank my guys enough and my mom and dad. The crash is always on my mind. I’m speechless right now.”
Whittall, of South Hampton, N.J., started on the pole and secured the lead as he passed Jeff Halligan off the turn two cushion on the opening lap. Williams Grove winner TJ Stutts was racing third.
As Whittall streaked away, Stutts challenged Halligan for second.
A frontstretch crash stopped the race with five laps completed. Devon Borden, Lucas Wolfe and Jake Karklin were involved. All drivers were OK.
Whittall controlled the restart as Kody Lehman took fifth after starting 18th.
While Stutts and Halligan swapped second, Lehman took fourth from Mike Walter. Four cars raced for second. They were three wide down the backstretch. Lehman finally got by Halligan and Stutts. Whittall led by 4.5 seconds at the half-way point.
Walter passed Halligan and Stutts taking third. Whittall was struggling to lap slower cars with Lehman and Walter both closing.
Walter passed Lehman off turn four taking second with five to go.
It was all Whittall out front as he scored his second career Port Royal win over Walter and Lehman.
“They gave me a car that can win, I just have to hold up my end of the deal, and I’m getting close,” Walter said.
It was a second straight podium finish for Lehman.
“I was slowly reeling him in, but the lapped cars didn’t fall in my favor,” Lehman said. “My car was good on the bottom. I don’t think anybody could roll the bottom like I could.”
Chase Dietz extended his point lead with a fourth place. Stutts completed the top five. Gerard McIntyre Jr., Halligan, Mike Wagner, Mark Smith and Garrett Bard rounded out the top 10.
Heat races for the 30 cars went to Dietz, Walter and Whittall. Wagner won the consolation.
Brady Bacon won the USAC sprint car feature. It was his eighth career Eastern Storm win and 56th career win in USAC sprint car competition.
Briggs Danner led fourth starter Bacon throughout most of the 30-lap feature. Danner kept a comfortable lead over Bacon even as they raced through lapped traffic. Danner jumped the cushion and hit the second turn fence with eight laps to go. He came back off the fence nearly collecting Bacon. Danner slowed bringing out the caution.
Bacon assumed the lead and controlled the remaining laps and scored the win over C.J. Leary, Alex Bright, 13th starter Daison Pursley and Mitchell Moles completed the top five. Logan Seavey, Kevin Thomas Jr., Justin Grant, Ricky Lewis and Steve Drevicki rounded out the top 10.
Leary set quick time over the 27-car field with a lap of 18.205. Matt Westfall, Bright and Thomas Jr. won the heat races. Grant won the semi-feature.
Pursley used a last corner pass of Grant to win the 50-lap Silver Crown feature. Bacon, Westfall and Kody Swanson completed the top five with Dietz finishing sixth. Moles, Alex Bright, Danner and Seavey rounded out the top 10.
Bacon set a track record in Silver Crown qualifying at 19.816. Sunbury’s Mark Smith won the semi-feature.

