Area racing fans lucky to watch up-and-coming 'Buddy' Kofoid while they can

• Michael "Buddy" Kofoid won the 410 sprint race at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday.
• The win in the Weldon Sterner Memorial Race was his first central Pennsylvania victory.
• In a few weeks, Kofoid will make his NASCAR Truck Series debut on the dirt at Bristol.

Enjoy it while you can.

For the early part of the 2022 racing season, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid has been making frequent visits to the central Pennsylvania dirt tracks with Bernie Steuben’s Indy Race Parts No. 71 sprint car.

Saturday evening, the young California native, who lives in Indiana, drove to victory in the Weldon Sterner Memorial Race at Lincoln Speedway.

The win at the Adams County track was the fourth top-10 finish for Kofoid at Lincoln this year, including a second-place finish a few weeks ago.

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In between, Kofoid won a couple of national midget races

In a few weeks, however, he will make his NASCAR Truck Series debut on the dirt at Bristol.

Kofoid is a young man on his way up the ranks and we should all be happy we’ve had a chance to witness him in action on the local tracks.

More:California racer gets first central Pa. win at Lincoln; other weekend dirt-track racing

PIT STOPS

Pauch Sr. beats Pauch Jr.: Saturday at Bridgeport New Jersey, yet another father-son duo earned a one-two finish.

This time the “old man” bested the son.

Billy Pauch Sr. won the big-block-modified feature at Bridgeport over his son, Billy Pauch Jr.

Billy Pauch Sr. is himself a second-generation driver who has won in just about every type of dirt car, and a few on asphalt as well. His legendary career is nearing the 800-win mark. In recent years, however, it’s been his son, Billy Jr., who has been stealing more of the headlines.

On Saturday night, however, it was “Billy the Kid” who stood in victory lane after besting “The Kid’s Kid” for the win.

Drive for five: Port Royal Speedway has been offering weekly racing in the area since 1951.

In all those years, no driver has been able to win more than four consecutive point title in its main class.

Like other area tracks, the Port’s main class has evolved from basically stock cars to cut-down “bugs” to sprint cars. 

Only two drivers have won four titles in a row. “The Man from Mifflintown,” Keith Kauffman did it once on his way to the track’s all-time career win lead and nine total point titles.

Now Logan Wagner is riding a similar streak. Wagner has won the last four Port titles in the Zemco 410 sprinter. His father, Mike Wagner, owns two Port crowns as well.

Logan Wagner has won the last two races at the Port after Saturday’s victory and is hopeful of taking his early season success into the record books with a fifth consecutive track title.

Car counts: With weather affecting several local tracks, and also the All Stars out in Ohio, the 410 sprint counts on Saturday night were amazing. 

All told there were four classes of sprint cars in local competition at two tracks. Lincoln hosted the 410 “super” sprints and the 358 sprints. In addition to the 410s, Port Royal also hosted United Racing Club 360 sprints and the 305 sprints.

Since there are quite a few drivers who run both the 360 and 358 classes, and a few who swap between the 410s and 360s, one would assume that some of those car counts would have been affected. 

Not so.

Lincoln had an amazing 43 410 sprint cars and 28 358 sprint cars. On the same night, just two hours away, Port Royal drew 27 410 sprint cars, 27 360 sprint cars and 37 305 sprint cars.

That is 70 total in the 410 sprint count for the night. Spread between the four classes, with engine size being the main difference between all the cars, there were 162 sprints competing on the local tracks Saturday evening.

This weekend: The track on the fairgrounds in Bloomsburg is set to open its season this Thursday evening with a double-open-wheel program of 360 sprint cars. 

The wingless United States Auto Club East Coast Series will be joined by the winged URC series.

Williams Grove’s Friday show features the Grove’s 410 sprints, along with the USAC East Coast Series and the 305 sprints.

Saturday at Lincoln, the 410 sprints are joined again by the 358 sprints for the third week in a row. Golf Cart Services will sponsor the night.

Port Royal’s Saturday show features the 410 sprint cars, super late models and limited late models, while the United Late Model Series is joined by the 305 sprints and roadrunners at Selinsgrove.

BAPS Motor Speedway will play host to the super sportsmen, 602 crate sportsman modifieds, legends, extreme stocks and scramble cars Saturday. 

The wingless super sportsmen and limited late models are part of Saturday’s show at Path Valley Speedway, and Hagerstown Speedway has the late-model sportsmen, Mid-Atlantic modifieds, pure stocks and hobby stocks that night.

CHAMPION RACING OIL

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

SPRINT CAR SERIES

Presented by Hoseheads.com

(Wins in parenthesis)

1. Danny Dietrich (2)           274

2. Anthony Macri (2)           250

3. Justin Peck (1)                204

4. Freddie Rahmer (1)        181

5. Brent Marks (1)               173

6. Logan Wagner (2)          120

7. Buddy Kofoid (1)             119

8. Dylan Norris (1)               115

9. Chase Dietz                    94

10. Lucas Wolfe                  92

Reach Bryan Householder at sports@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @ydsports.