PORT ROYAL — Ryan Smith came out on top of a thrilling battle with Chase Dietz and won the sprint car feature Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway, in Port Royal.

The $6,000 win was Smith’s first of the season aboard the iconic Kreitz Racing 69K and came in the third race of the PA Posse Sprint Car Series.

Smith tracked Dietz down and they went back and forth for the top spot, while trying to navigate around slower traffic.

Smith, who turned 38 on Sunday, finally cleared the traffic, eventually pulling away from Dietz over the final laps.

“Lapped traffic was tricky,” Smith said. “The race track was really good tonight. Donnie (Kreitz) and Davey (Brown Sr.) gave me an awesome car. When it’s like this, I’m the guy to beat, and this car is the car to beat.”

“It was around the top for a while, but I knew eventually it had to go away,” Smith said. “My car got better and better the longer I ran.”

Smith’s been fast in the early-season, but things haven’t gone his way, including losing the lead late in the feature Friday night at Williams Grove.

“It’s been a trying couple of weeks here,” Smith said. “We should have won one last night, but we got it done tonight. We’ve struggled at the beginning of the year and a lot of that was me. I think I got the feel back and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”

“We got to traffic and I had to slow my pace up,” Dietz said. “I thought we were okay, I knew we weren’t great, and it was a matter of trying to move around to see where I could keep my speed up.”

Dietz started second with Troy Wagaman Jr. on the pole of the 25-lap feature. Wagaman grabbed the lead. On lap three, they swapped the lead in turns one and two. Dietz ran the top off turn four taking the lead from Wagaman. Smith ran third after starting fourth.

Meanwhile, last year’s track champion, sixth starting Justin Whittall, was charging forward on the cushion taking third from Smith. Dietz led by two-seconds as Whittall took second from Wagaman with

nine laps completed. With Dietz lapping cars already, Whittall close to his bumper with 10 laps completed.

Whittall tried to take the lead with a third turn slider, but got sideways after contact with a lapped car. Whittall did a 360 and kept going. The yellow came out. Whittall pitted and did not rejoin.

Smith drove by Wagaman for second spot on the restart. Smith stayed within striking distance of Dietz. They caught slower traffic again with eight laps to go. Smith nearly took the lead off the inside of turn four. Dietz tried to take his lane away entering turn one, but Smith moved up to the middle lane to get by and into the lead with seven laps to go.

Smith led Dietz as they were stuck behind two slower cars racing side-by-side for position at the back. Smith tried to go between the slower cars in turns one and two, Dietz ran the cushion nearly getting back around Smith as they raced off turn two. He got by Smith but his entry was blocked into turn three.

They were four-wide off turn four with Dietz on the top and Smith racing between two slower cars. Smith just cleared Dietz for the lead with four to go.

“At that point, the only place I could go was the fence,” Dietz said. “We got to him, but his lane cleared and that was it.”

Smith pulled away over the final two laps, winning by 2.4-seconds over Dietz. Wagaman held off 10th starter Brent Marks for third. Ninth

starter Lance Dewease completed the top five. Justin Peck, Giovanni Scelzi, Brock Zearfoss, Danny Dietrich and Logan Wagner rounded out the top 10.

The 42 cars were split into two groups for qualifying time trials. Jake Karklin was quickest in Group A at 15.828, while Smith topped Group B at 17.099. Dietz, Wagaman, Whittall and Peck won the heat races. Dominic Melair won the B-main.

There was no such drama in the 25-lap late model feature. Centerville’s Max Blair led every lap unchallenged after starting second. His margin of victory was 10.4 seconds in the non-stop race.

Greg Satterlee, Justin Weaver, Rick Eckert and Gary Stuhler completed the top five. Ross Robinson, Andrew Yoder, Dillan Stake, Hayes Mattern and Dylan Yoder completed the top 10.

Satterlee was quick-time at 20.425. Satterlee, Eckert and Blair won

heat races for the 23 cars.

Port Royal returns to action Saturday night at 6. It’s Camera and

Autograph Night with late models, limited late models and 305 sprints. The make-up features from April 4 for the limited late models and 305s will be held as well.

RACING RECAP

Justin Peck passed Smith for the win with a few laps to go in Friday

night’s sprint car feature at Williams Grove Speedway. Dewease, Buddy Schweibinz and Marks completed the top five. Derek Locke won the 358 sprint feature over Cole Young, Austin Reed, Matt Findley and Cody Fletcher.

AJ Flick won the sprint car feature Friday night at Selinsgrove

Speedway. Danny Dietrich, Austin Bishop, Jason Shultz and Mark Smith completed the top five.

Gregg Satterlee won the late model feature at Selinsgrove over Lane Snook, Blair, Ross Robinson and Eckert.