News Director 
Story By: MARTY CZEKALA / CRSA – SODUS, NY – The A-Verdi Storage Containers CRSA Sprints powered by Super Gen Products are ready for a weekend road trip to Penn Can Speedway Friday and Thunder Mountain Speedway Saturday for rounds three and four of the Joe’s Garage Southern Tier Series.
For Penn Can, this is the makeup race from June 14 that was rained out. It will be the 34th time “The Future Stars of Sprint Cars” takes to the track in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania It is the first of two trips on the 2024 calendar.
As for Thunder Mountain, this is the second trip this season to the high-banked facility in Center Lisle. The track hosted the season opener in which defending series champion Jordan Hutton kicked off the season with a win.
Here’s a look at what to expect for the weekend.
Last Time Out: CRSA traveled to Fonda Speedway July 27 for the second round of the I-90 Pit Stop Challenge.
Looking to tie the record for CRSA wins at Fonda with four, Jordan Hutton took the win over Jeff Trombley with a last-lap pass around the outside in turn two.
The win was Hutton’s third of the season, making the driver of the No. 66 a perfect two-for-two in the I-90 Pit Stop Challenge.
“It means a lot to win at Fonda,” said Hutton, whose win rate at Fonda is at 44 percent. “I saw him go low entering one when the white flag came out; I said, ‘I got him now.’”
Trombley was half a mile away from scoring his 14th career CRSA victory, which would have tied him with Danny Varin, Josh Pieniazek and Scott Goodrich for all-time victories. The win would’ve also been his first since 2022. However, a cylinder dropped into the corner, causing Trombley’s No. 3a to lose power.
Points Standings: With a fifth-place finish at Fonda, Tomy Moreau increased his points lead in the CRSA standings to 36 after seven races over Kyle Pierce.
Pierce is in a tight battle for second as Dalton Herrick has closed in for the spot with three points separating the two drivers.
After a violent flip that he walked away from last weekend, Blake Warner has lost ground in the championship race. He is now 75 points behind Moreau. Ron Greek rounds out the top five, 86 points behind.
The rest of the top 10 is John Cunningham sixth, Hutton seventh, Adam Depuy eighth, Jerry Sehn Jr. ninth and Cliff Pierce 10th.
For the Joe’s Garage Southern Tier Series, the top four in points are separated by six markers. Billy VanInwegen holds a four-point lead on Herrick, Hutton is third five back and Kyle Pierce is fourth six behind.
Embrace the Grind: August will be a busy Month for the CRSA Sprints, as five races, including a pair of two-in-twos, will be contested in the eighth month of the calendar.
The series was scheduled to run at Utica-Rome Speedway last Friday but was rained out.
The weekend after Penn Can and Thunder Mountain, CRSA has another two-in-two at Outlaw Speedway and Woodhull Raceway for a pair of Dandy Triple Play events.
Finally, the month ends Aug. 23 when CRSA heads to “The D-Shaped Dirt Demon” Brewerton Speedway for the first time in series history. It will be the first time in recent memory a 305 Sprint race will be contested on the 1/3-mile facility.
Last Time at Penn Can & Thunder Mountain: The last time the 305 Sprints were at Penn Can on King of the Can, Kyle Pierce took the checkers. On one of the biggest weekends of the year at the 3/8-mile facility, “The Flyin’ School Teacher” made his way from fourth to the front. It was a bounce-back win for Pierce after a tough season.
For Thunder Mountain, Jordan Hutton took the lead on lap seven from Johnny Smith and Billy VanInwegen to beat 24 other drivers and Mother Nature in the season opener.
The defending champion enjoyed the bottom throughout the race, but at the halfway point of the 25-lap feature, Hutton took advantage of it to win by five seconds. It was Hutton’s first-ever top-five at Thunder Mountain.
Herrick’s Heirs: Dalton Herrick is one of the drivers to watch out for this weekend. The 2022 series champion in the No. 29 has the second most top fives of any driver at Penn Can at eight, including a win in PA in July 2022. Last time at Penn Can, Herrick finished fifth after starting 11th.
As for Thunder Mountain, Herrick is on another level. Leading the categories with four wins and nine top-fives, Herrick knows how to find his way to victory. Last May, Herrick put No. 29 in fourth place.
“We’ve been good there, but trying to figure out the new surface,” said Herrick in a preseason interview. “It’s always suited our style. One of those places that has a ton of bite and suited my style. I want to lean on something against the fence and hammer the top.”
By the Numbers: At Penn Can, the average car count since 2014 is over 19. 72 drivers have finished in the top five all-time and 25 drivers have recorded a checkered flag. Jeff VanSteenburg and Joe Kata lead the way in wins with three.
For Thunder Mountain, 12 drivers have taken a checkered flag and 45 drivers have recorded a top five finish. While Herrick is on top, Dana Wagner is second with four top five finishes. The average car count has been under 20 cars since 2012.
From the Frontman: “It’s great to return to the Southern Tier! We haven’t raced down there in about two months and we’re looking forward to great shows with great fans at Thunder Mountain and Penn Can.” ~ Mike Emhof
From the Track Promoters: “The team here is excited to have the CRSA Sprints back for their first of two showings of the 2024 season. Mike and his team always bring a great show and we know our fans love it.” ~ Keith Beach, Penn Can Speedway
“Thunder Mountain is a high banked track, very wide and gives lot of room for racing. We’re excited to welcome the CRSA Sprints back to the track after they kicked off our 2024 season.” ~ Karl Spoonhower, Thunder Mountain Speedway
Up next: CRSA has another two-in-two of the season Aug. 16 and 17th at Outlaw Speedway and Woodhull Raceway for a pair of Dandy Triple Play races.
