07/14/2026
This weeks race release is brought to you by Harper's Tavern
Myers, Swavely, Bartik, and Carraghan Roll Back Into Victory Lane on Fast Friday Night at Linda’s
By Kasey Kreider
A fast-paced evening of action at Linda’s Speedway saw three past champions of the quarter-mile – and perhaps a future one – find their way into the winner’s circle at the end of Friday night’s competition.
The return of the Mt. Gretna Roller Rink 270 Micro Sprints after a weekend off also marked a return to victory lane for current Linda’s Speedway points leader Cory Myers, as the Orrtanna native extended his points lead in pursuit of a first championship at the quarter-mile with his third win of the 2026 season.
Myers didn’t take command of the race until the second half of the feature, as it was Nate Gibble leading the first 11 laps before Brent Shearer swiped the top spot away on the 12th circuit.
Shearer then paced Jesse Snyder around the track for the next few laps before being involved in a collision with a lapped car on the entrance to turn 3. Shearer was knocked out of the race in the incident, while Snyder couldn’t miss the chaos either and was eventually forced to retire as well.
The entanglement that occurred ahead of him allowed Myers to inherit the race lead, and he pulled away from teammates Mike Rutherford and Billy Logeman over the final run of the race to drive the JVI Group No. 20 RTS Chassis to the twin checkers first. With a maximum points effort and another up-and-down night for Brandon Heist, Myers extended his points lead to 34 with six points races left in the season.
Defending National Open champion and former Wingless 600 track champion Jason Swavely ran away with Friday night’s A-Main for the Winged 600 Micro Sprints. After passing Izzy Landis for the lead on lap 8, Swavely scampered away from both her and points leader Matt Warner in a 25-lapper that never saw a caution flag. Swavely won the race by nearly three and a half seconds to pocket his second win of the year at the quarter-mile.
Continuing his dominant 2026 season of competition across both Linda’s Speedway and Xcel 600 Modified Tour competition, 2024 track champion Tyler Bartik collected his fourth triumph of the season at the quarter-mile. Bartik dominated Friday night’s festivities while points leader Richie Hitzler suffered an engine issue in hot laps and was forced to hop into a backup car for the feature. As a result, Bartik took over the Linda’s Speedway points lead, as he now carries a 13-point advantage over Hitzler in the standings.
Four-time Linda’s champion Dave Carraghan used another lightning-fast opening lap to springboard himself from third to first and take his third win of the season in the Hoffer Paving All Star Slingshots. The win for Carraghan was his second in three days, as he had also triumphed at Action Track USA in Kutztown on Wednesday. The victory was also an emotional one for Carraghan, as it was his first race back at Linda’s Speedway since the passing of his mother in June.
Linda’s Speedway has a five-division show on the calendar for next Friday, July 17. The Mt. Gretna Roller Rink 270 Micro Sprints will continue their championship chase racing alongside both the Hoffer Paving All Star Slingshots and the J&J Auto Body Junior Slingshots. Both stock car classes will also be in action, as the Precision Powder Coating Chargers and the GP Motorsports Front Wheel Drive Cars return for a double dosage of full-fendered action.
Gates will open at 5 p.m., with hot laps kicking off the on-track festivities at 7 p.m. Grandstand admission is still just $5, but live streaming coverage will be provided by The Cushion for those who are unable to attend.
