Marks Claims Annual Dream Race, Wagner Wins Speedweek Makeup

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: August 8, 2021

BY DREW PELLMAN
PORT ROYAL — It doesn’t seem possible, but Port Royal Speedway hosted the 15th running of the Dream Race Saturday night. One of the bigger events on the schedule each year, the 2021 version saw 34 sprint cars sign in at the Juniata County oval to go after the $10,000 top prize. Going into the night, Greg Hodnett (2008, 2015) and Lance Dewease (2016, 2018) were the only two drivers to secure multiple victories in the Dream Race, but Brent Marks — the 2014 winner — was out to add his name to that list as well.

It wasn’t going to be easy, however. The results of time trails, heat races, and a 7-car redraw put two of Port Royal’s fastest cars on the front row — Logan Wagner and Dewease. Marks would line up fourth, just to the outside of Danny Dietrich — another one of Pennsylvania’s best. And if that wasn’t tough enough, Anthony Macri — the defending Dream Race winner and always a top threat at Port Royal — was scheduled to line up right behind him in the sixth starting spot.

Just as soon as the action began in the 30-lap feature, it was quickly halted for a pair of cars slowing at different parts of the track — Jared Esh who needed to swap out a broken steering wheel before returning to the event — and Devon Borden who was done for the event with a parts failure.

Marks did manage to gain two spots on the opening lap, putting his #19M right on the tail tank of Dewease’s #69K as the green flag was unfurled again. From there, Marks — who clearly had the fastest car at that juncture of the race — went to work on the second-leading feature winner in Port Royal history and final made the pass on the fifth circuit.

The race didn’t produce another caution, leaving the result in the hands of the frontrunners who were desperately trying to maneuver through lapped traffic. At one point nearing lap 10, Dewease cut into Marks’ advantage, but it was only temporary. In fact, Macri was able to get by Dewease on the final lap to secure the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Marks ran away and hid from the rest of the field, eventually taking the checkered flag by nearly five seconds.

Following the top three across the line was Logan Wagner, Dietrich, Jeff Halligan, Mike Wagner, Mike Walter II, Dylan Cisney, and 2019 Dream Race winner AJ Flick. Macri was the fast timer in qualifying with a lap of 16.506. Dietrich, Marks, Pat Cannon and Halligan won the four heat races, while Dave Blaney took the B-main.

Marks’ work was only half done though, as the 25-lap makeup feature from the Pennsylvania Speedweek show was next on the program. He drew pill #9 in victory lane, which inverted the top 9 finishers from the Dream Race feature to form the starting lineup for the next main event. That put Cisney and Walter II on the front row.

Logan Wagner, clearly not satisfied after falling from the pole position to fourth in the first feature, got on the hammer immediately to go sixth to second in the first lap of the race. Contact, however, between his No. 1 and Walter’s #33W brought out the red flag as the second circuit was just getting started. Walter got the worst of it and was done for the night after getting upside down. He was okay. Wagner, however, was able to keep his car going without coming to a stop — allowing him to keep his position.

On the ensuing restart, Wagner made quick work of Cisney for the top spot and set sail from there until a lap 9 red flag for Halligan. Running fifth, Halligan’s No. 45 took a wild ride in between turns one and two. Fortunately, he was uninjured.

Three more cautions would slow the pace throughout the remainder of the event — two for stopped cars and one for a medical emergency in the crowd — but nothing was going to keep Wagner out of victory lane in this one. He won it by two seconds over Dewease, Dietrich, Cisney and a hard-charging Blane Heimbach. Marks, Macri, Mike Wagner, Flick and Lucas Wolfe completed the top ten.

Gregg Satterlee won the super late model feature.

Port Royal returns to action Saturday night with the return of the 410 sprint cars and super late models. The 305 sprints will also be on the card.