5/18/2025
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway
Old School Steel, New School Speed - Nostalgia Night Results!
Nostalgia Night at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway went in the books without a hitch, despite strong winds and rain looming in the area most of the day.
The event featured nine heat races across five divisions and five feature events on Dirt’s Monster Half Mile.
In the Rohrich Parts Center | Chevy Performance RUSH Late Model 20-lap feature, Jake Gunn (14G), from McDonald, led all 20 laps to grab the win.
The PA Thunder on the Dirt Vintage Modifieds saw Ryan Maglione (555), from Avonmore, take the checkers in the Modified class, while Steve Longo (20), from Bradford, won the Coupes & Coaches division.
Garrett O’Patchen (25), from Scott Township, scored his first win of the season in the 15-lap Auto House Hobby Stock feature.
AJ Poljak (36), from Baldwin, made a late race move to earn his second straight victory in the Pittsburgh Truck Center Penn Ohio Pro Stocks.
And in the Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinder feature, Tyler Hollister (69), from McDonald, picked up his first win of the season.
Eighteen Rohrich Parts Center | Chevy Performance RUSH Late Models signed in for Nostalgia Night at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile, split evenly into two heat races.
The top four from each heat advanced to the redraw, where Jake Gunn (14G) pulled the pole for the 20-lap feature.
He was joined on the front row by Daryl Charlier (42), from Midway.
When the green flag dropped, Gunn jumped to the early lead with Charlier close behind and Clinton Hersh (16), from Somerset, settling into third.
That trio held their ground through lap eight before a lap nine caution reset the field.
Gunn chose the inside for the restart, but the yellow came out again before a full lap could be completed.
Once racing resumed, the top three remained unchanged.
On lap 14, Charlier pulled off unexpectedly with an apparent mechanical issue, giving Hersh the second spot as Gunn continued to stretch his lead.
By lap 17, Gunn had built a full straightaway advantage and never looked back, leading all 20 laps to score the win.
He was followed across the line by Hersh in second, Brandon Burgoon (5X) in third, Kassidy Kamicker (72B) in fourth, and Tommy Schirnhoffer (8S) rounding out the top five.
Heat race wins went to Brodie Oravetz (91) and Burgoon (5X).
In the 12-lap PA Thunder on the Dirt Vintage Modified feature, Ryan Maglione (555) jumped out to the early lead with Wally Stock (74), from Kecksburg, running second and William Stile (8+8), from Muse, in third.
That order never changed.
Maglione led all 12 laps to pick up the win in the Modified division.
Stock finished second, Stile crossed third, and Steve Longo (20), from Bradford, finished fourth overall to score the victory in the Coupes and Coaches class.
Garrett O’Patchen (25) started his night strong by winning his heat race, then pulled the pole in the redraw for the 15-lap Auto House Hobby Stock feature.
Tom Anton (64), from Jefferson Hills, lined up to his outside on the front row.
At the drop of the green, O’Patchen jumped out front with Stephen Shelpman (17P), from Pleasant Hills, sliding into second and Leroy Brown (40B), from Aliquippa, running third.
O’Patchen continued to lead lap after lap, but with four to go, Shelpman began closing in and looked ready to challenge for the top spot.
That run came to an end a few laps later when Shelpman tagged the wall on the front stretch, bringing out the caution.
On the restart, O’Patchen held strong and never gave the field another shot, cruising to his first win of the season.
Brown (40B) finished second, Anton (64) came home third, Tony White (56) crossed fourth, and Cole Cochran (72) rounded out the top five.
Heat race wins went to O’Patchen and Shelpman.
In the Pittsburgh Truck Center Penn Ohio Pro Stock 15-lap feature, Christian Schneider (17S) started on the pole after the redraw, with Daryl Charlier (74) lined up to his outside.
When the green flag waved, Schneider jumped to the early lead, but a caution on lap one slowed the pace and reset the field.
Schneider chose the outside on the restart and held the lead, with Jackson Humanic (17H), from Titusville, moving into second, AJ Poljak (36) in third, and Cody Koteles (1K), from Stockdale, in fourth.
On lap four, Poljak slipped past Humanic to take over second and began reeling in the leader.
Schneider continued to set the pace until lap 13, when Poljak made his move and powered into the lead.
He led the final two laps to claim his second win in a row.
Schneider (17S) held on for second, Koteles (1K) finished third, Charlier (74) crossed fourth, and Humanic (17H) rounded out the top five.
Heat race wins went to Poljak and Schneider.
Last but not least were the Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinders, with Ray Seibert (4), from Gibsonia, starting on the pole and Curtis Mohney (33M), from Templeton, to his outside.
When the green flag dropped, Mohney grabbed the early lead.
By lap two, he held the point with Tyler Hollister (69) running second and John Gill (19G) in third.
On lap five, T. Hollister made his move, taking over the top spot and putting Mohney back to second.
Cameron Hollister (44) worked his way into third, but the night belonged to his brother.
T. Hollister led the remaining laps to score his first win of the season, with Cameron finishing second, Gill third, Mohney fourth, and Seibert rounding out the top five.
The heat race win also went to T. Hollister.
Racing resumes at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile next Saturday, May 24, 2025, with the Final Bell Bash, featuring free grandstand admission for students. The evening's action includes the Rohrich Parts Center/Chevy Performance RUSH Late Models, Pittsburgh Truck Center Penn Ohio Pro Stocks, Auto House Hobby Stocks, Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinders, and Kehm Oil Young Guns. Gates open at 5:00 PM, hot laps begin at 6:00 PM, and racing starts at 7:00 PM.
Looking Ahead at Dirt’s Monster Half Mile
The action keeps rolling the following week with two huge nights of racing at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.
On Thursday, May 29, the Western PA Sprint Speedweek rolls into town for night two of the series, featuring the region’s top Sprint Car drivers battling at full throttle. They’ll be joined by the Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars, making it a can’t-miss night of open-wheel excitement.
Then on Saturday, May 31, PPMS hosts the annual Night of Champions, honoring the legends of the past while showcasing the stars of today. Fans can expect a full Action Event lineup including the Rohrich Parts Center | Chevy Performance RUSH Late Models, Pittsburgh Truck Center Penn Ohio Pro Stocks, Auto House Hobby Stocks, Crawford Auto Repair Open Four Cylinders, and Kehm Oil Young Guns.
Gates open at 5:00 PM, hot laps begin at 6:00 PM, and racing kicks off at 7:00 PM both nights.
Visit ppms.com/schedule for the full schedule and tickets!
Submitted By: Steve Skarupa
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