RPW Exclusive: Pennsylvania Posse ’25 Preview Part II: Driver Changes & Favorites

Column By: DERICK KRINER / RPW – GRANTVILLE, PA – What was once a rare occurrence has become common in modern day racing.

That being the rollercoaster ride of driver changes.

Drivers switch cars more frequently now due to the need for sponsorship money and strong results. While 2025 doesn’t feature a ton of new driver pairings for the Posse, there are a few big ones.

Coming off of another strong season in his own car and in the Zemco 1, Chase Dietz now joins forces with Stehman Motorsports. A ride previously taken by Devon Borden, the team and Borden split and that left the door open for Dietz.

Picking up a few wins in 2024, Dietz has shown a lot of promise. Even outside of 410 competition, Chase has had excellent runs with the USAC Silver Crown division. Speed for the 23 team was lacking at points throughout the last season, but with a fresh season ahead, Dietz should be in a good position to make solid gains.

The other big driver swap has come in the Eichelberger 8. What had seemed to be retired following the departure of its most recent pilot, Freddie Rahmer, has now become the home of Brock Zearfoss for events throughout the 2025 season. Brock will also travel in his own family 3Z car, but having a pairing with a proven winner in the 8 team, should give Brock a strong chance to make a strong homecoming season run.

A great segway into talking about the possible champions for 2025. Most would point towards past strongholds in Anthony Macri or Danny Dietrich, even Freddie Rahmer. As many have probably seen, Macri and Dietrich are planning to travel a fair amount in 2025 and that would put other possible favorites in a good spot to steal a track title or even the Central PA points.

Over the past few seasons, one driver has emerged as someone to compete with even the top tier outlaw teams. That being the aforementioned Chase Dietz. Sitting on the pole of the National Open prelim feature last season and even leading some laps in other big shows throughout the year, Chase proved he had speed.

It will be a question of what chemistry the team can come up with. The 23 car has a schedule that would not align with any speedway track championship, but they should be in contention for the Central PA points title.

Another driver that has a great chance to pick up a track championship this season is Troy Wagaman and the Heffner 27 team. Troy had many strong performances at Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedway in 2024 and it would be expected that the team picks right back up where they left off.

I could see Troy winning the Williams Grove title. Lincoln would also be a possibility, but it would depend on how committed to 27 is to running there every week.

The track that seems to be the most wide-open in terms of championships is Port Royal. With the 69K going in a different direction with Logan Wagner and Anthony Macri not being a full-time track competitor, this opens the door for drivers like Justin Whittall and Mike Wagner to secure a points title. Both have shown speed in recent seasons and picked up wins.

Mike was the 2024 track champion and won one of the Living Legends features, his highest paying race win to date. I would expect to see one of them holding the championship trophy come Tuscarora 50 weekend.

On to predictions for wins and other small titles. The PA Speedweek title this year will be competitive as it always seems to be. A slight shift in the schedule adds a wild card at the end, with Path Valley. Both drivers who are on my list for possible Speedweek winners, have performed well at all the tracks the 10-day series hits.

Danny Dietrich came up a few points short of the title last season and will once again have to battle for the title with Anthony Macri. Either of these two would be the odds-on favorite to take the title home in 2025.

For wins, we would expect to see Freddie Rahmer and Brock Zearfoss get into victory lane a little more in the coming season. Freddie having made the switch back to the family car will have some challenges to overcome, as speed has been questionable in the 51 car over the past few years.

Zearfoss, coming back to his roots and winning at BAPS in the final race of the year, could have a chance to break out and win a handful of races as he looks for confidence after years with the best of the best on the road. Troy Wagaman Jr and Chase Dietz will probably stay stride for stride with each other for wins and will each net around 5 wins, if not more.

Another prediction is some first time 410 winners. Kody Hartlaub would be a favorite to get that done after many strong runs in the Trone 39 in 2024. For Port Royal, there are also several drivers that look to pick up 410 honors for the first time. I would put Michael Walter on the top of that list. He and the BK Motorsports 77 have had really good speed in some shows, just haven’t had the starting position to capitalize.

That team qualified for the Tuscarora 50 at the end of the season, also. Look for them to pick up a win in 2025. A feel good win in 2025 would be to see the newly rejuvenated J&S 22 car find victory lane with Doug Hammaker behind the wheel. The car driven by racing legends such as Greg Hodnett, Fred Rahmer, and Jason Johnson, has come back and Sandy Kline has put a local shoe behind the wheel.

Regardless of whether any of this pans out, 2025 is a year that will feature a lot of good racing throughout Central PA. With several teams also traveling “off the porch” throughout the season, the Posse’s strength will be showcased on some of the biggest stages.

Anthony Macri, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, and Justin Whittall all have Outlaw shows on their schedule outside of PA and look to represent well. Follow the storylines throughout the season!