Brent Marks won the Tuscarora 50 opener Thursday at Port Royal (Chad Warner Photo) (Video Highlights from FloRacing.com)
PORT ROYAL, Pa. (September 9, 2021) - The “Myerstown Missile” Brent Marks certainly lived up to his nickname on Thursday night at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pennsylvania, opening the 54th edition of Tuscarora weekend with a FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory worth $8,000, his first of the season.
Blasting ahead from fifth on the grid, Marks, now a four-time winner against “America’s Series” over the course of his career, took the lead for the first time on lap 11 and never looked back, outdueling full-time All Star and two-time winner in 2021, Bill Balog. Impressive enough, of Marks’ four-career All Star victories, three have occurred at the Port Royal “Speed Palace,” with this most recent automatically locking Marks into Saturday’s $54,000-to-win main event.
Balog held on to finish second on Thursday night at Port Royal Speedway, followed by Swindell Speedlab’s Daryn Pittman, Rudeen Racing’s Cory Eliason, and multi-time Lernerville Speedway champion and early race leader, AJ Flick.
“I was just trying to be as smart as I could,” Brent Marks said in Port Royal Speedway victory lane, driver of the M&M Painting and Construction, BAPS Auto Paints & Supply, No. 19 sprint car. “The track actually turned out great for how much weather we got. I was a little worried early about how it was going to turn out, but it was a lot of fun. It’s been a while since we had a super, super fast track here, so it was definitely different to what we are used to. This car was a ton of fun to drive and I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”
Kicking things off from the pole position, Apollo, Pennsylvania’s AJ Flick earned the initial advantage, leading the first eight circuits over the “Northpole Nightmare” Bill Balog. Although stretching to a convincing lead, Flick’s momentum came to a halt on lap eight, as lapped traffic entered the picture creating a two lane roadblock. Balog quickly came to call, sliding by Flick with a move in turn four on lap nine.
Meanwhile, Marks, who had already battled his way to third by lap five, was also in position to pounce, ultimately following Balog by Flick just before the flagstand. The former full-time Outlaw was able to show his nose to Balog on multiple occasions on lap 10, finally working by the Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup No. 17B the following circuit.
From that point forward, it was all Brent Marks at the front of the pack, surviving one last literal tangle with heavy traffic, as well as pressure from Balog, before a late-race caution on lap 28 rid the track of slower cars.
“It got pretty wicked there in lapped traffic. Running wide open, I was getting leary on our fuel, so once I got back to traffic, I just tried to be careful,” Marks continued. “All in all, traffic allowed Bill (Balog) to close back in on me, so there’s definitely pros and cons to being careful. Those last three laps, I was just cruising around.”
Tuscarora 50 competition will continue with another preliminary contest on Friday evening, September 10. Dubbed the Night Before the Tuscarora 50, the Friday night program will award $10,000. The weekend will then cap with the 54th running of the 50-lap Tuscarora 50 on Saturday, September 11. Commemorating its 54th edition, the 2021 Tuscarora 50 will award a $54,000 payday.
For those who can not witness the All Star Circuit of Champions live and in person, FloRacing.com, the official media partner and broadcast provider of the All Stars, has you covered. To access live and on-demand racing action from the All Star Circuit of Champions, visit FloRacing.com and become an annual PRO subscriber. Race fans can see all the USAC and dirt late-model action they want in addition to Eldora Speedway’s slate of races and those of the All Star Circuit of Champions. The subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
Contingency Awards/Results: Port Royal Speedway | Thursday, September 9, 2021:
Event: Tuscarora 50 | Night #1 | $8,000-to-win
Entries: 45
C&R Racing Hot Laps: Logan Wagner | 15.357
Dixie Vodka Fast Qualifier: Anthony Macri | 15.157
Ford Performance Heat #1 Winner: AJ Flick
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2 Winner: Bill Balog
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3 Winner: Aaron Reutzel
Mobil 1 Heat #4 Winner: Spencer Bayston
Kistler Racing Products Heat #5 Winner: Brent Marks
Kear’s Speed Shop Dash #1 Winner: AJ Flick
Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts Dash #2 Winner: Bill Balog
Classic Ink USA B-Main Winner: Rico Abreu
Rayce Rudeen Foundation First Non-Transfer: Cap Henry
FloRacing A-Main Winner: Brent Marks
Hercules Tires A-Main Hard Charger: Rico Abreu (+13)
Qualifying
Group (A)
1. 67-Justin Whittall, 15.303; 2. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 15.417; 3. 2-AJ Flick, 15.457; 4. 25-Tyler Bear, 15.531; 5. 27-Devon Borden, 15.572; 6. 12-Blane Heimbach, 15.677; 7. 40-George Hobaugh, 15.733; 8. 19s-Curt Stroup, 15.781; 9. 35-Tyler Reeser, 99.999
Group (B)
1. 5-Ian Madsen, 15.247; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 15.272; 3. 17B-Bill Balog, 15.277; 4. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 15.308; 5. 99M-Kyle Moody, 15.528; 6. 33-Gerard McIntyre, 15.548; 7. 48-Danny Dietrich, 15.571; 8. 23-Pat Cannon, 15.659; 9. 14T-Tyler Walton, 15.823
Group (C)
1. 39M-Anthony Macri, 15.157; 2. 39-Daryn Pittman, 15.194; 3. 21-Brian Brown, 15.326; 4. 8-Aaron Reutzel, 15.343; 5. 10-Zeb Wise, 15.356; 6. 18-Gio Scelzi, 15.370; 7. 35H-Zach Hampton, 15.377; 8. 11T-TJ Stutts, 15.559; 9. 33W-Michael Walter, 15.636
Group (D)
1. 26-Cory Eliason, 15.214; 2. 13-Justin Peck, 15.305; 3. 55W-Mike Wagner, 15.308; 4. 11-Spencer Bayston, 15.374; 5. 6-Ryan Smith, 15.434; 6. 17-Steve Buckwalter, 15.520; 7. 4-Cap Henry, 15.527; 8. O7-Skylar Gee, 15.664; 9. 45-Jeff Halligan, 15.678
Group (E)
1. 1-Logan Wagner, 15.135; 2. 0J-Lynton Jeffrey, 15.297; 3. 5C-Dylan Cisney, 15.330; 4. 19-Brent Marks, 15.335; 5. 24-Rico Abreu, 15.396; 6. 42-Sye Lynch, 15.503; 7. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg, 15.511; 8. 51-Freddie Rahmer, 15.586; 9. 98-Jared Esh, 15.724
Heat #1 - Group (A) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 2-AJ Flick [2]; 2. 25-Tyler Bear [1]; 3. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [3]; 4. 12-Blane Heimbach [6]; 5. 27-Devon Borden [5]; 6. 67-Justin Whittall [4]; 7. 19S-Curt Stroup [8]; 8. 40-George Hobaugh [7]
Heat #2 - Group (B) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 17B-Bill Balog [2]; 2. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [1]; 3. 5-Ian Madsen [4]; 4. 33-Gerard McIntyre [6]; 5. 14T-Tyler Walton [8]; 6. 99M-Kyle Moody [5]; 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [3]; 8. 23-Pat Cannon [7]
Heat #3 - Group (C) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 8-Aaron Reutzel [1]; 2. 21-Brian Brown [2]; 3. 39-Daryn Pittman [3]; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri [4]; 5. 18-Gio Scelzi [6]; 6. 10-Zeb Wise [5]; 7. 35H-Zach Hampton [7]; 8. 11T-TJ Stutts [8]; 9. 33W-Michael Walter [9]
Heat #4 - Group (D) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 11-Spencer Bayston [1]; 2. 55W-Mike Wagner [2]; 3. 26-Cory Eliason [4]; 4. 13-Justin Peck [3]; 5. 6-Ryan Smith [5]; 6. 17-Steve Buckwalter [6]; 7. 4-Cap Henry [7]; 8. 45-Jeff Halligan [9]; 9. O7-Skylar Gee [8]
Heat #5 - Group (E) (8 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 19-Brent Marks [1]; 2. 5C-Dylan Cisney [2]; 3. 0J-Lynton Jeffrey [3]; 4. 1-Logan Wagner [4]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu [5]; 6. 42-Sye Lynch [6]; 7. 51-Freddie Rahmer [8]; 8. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [7]; 9. 98-Jared Esh [9]
Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 2-AJ Flick [1]; 2. 39-Daryn Pittman [2]; 3. 19-Brent Marks [4]; 4. 0J-Lynton Jeffrey [6]; 5. 8-Aaron Reutzel [5]; 6. 1-Logan Wagner [3]
Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 17B-Bill Balog [1]; 2. 26-Cory Eliason [2]; 3. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [4]; 4. 5-Ian Madsen [3]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri [6]; 6. 11-Spencer Bayston [5]
B-Main (12 Laps) - Top 4 Transfer
1. 24-Rico Abreu [4]; 2. 18-Gio Scelzi [3]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [1]; 4. 11T-TJ Stutts [16]; 5. 4-Cap Henry [12]; 6. 99M-Kyle Moody [10]; 7. 14T-Tyler Walton [7]; 8. O7-Skylar Gee [21]; 9. 10-Zeb Wise [8]; 10. 17-Steve Buckwalter [9]; 11. 67-Justin Whittall [2]; 12. 27-Devon Borden [6]; 13. 6-Ryan Smith [5]; 14. 35H-Zach Hampton [11]; 15. 19S-Curt Stroup [14]; 16. 45-Jeff Halligan [18]
A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 19-Brent Marks [5]; 2. 17B-Bill Balog [2]; 3. 39-Daryn Pittman [3]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [4]; 5. 2-AJ Flick [1]; 6. 0J-Lynton Jeffrey [7]; 7. 24-Rico Abreu [20]; 8. 8-Aaron Reutzel [9]; 9. 21-Brian Brown [15]; 10. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [6]; 11. 39M-Anthony Macri [10]; 12. 5-Ian Madsen [8]; 13. 5C-Dylan Cisney [16]; 14. 1-Logan Wagner [11]; 15. 18-Gio Scelzi [21]; 16. 55W-Mike Wagner [13]; 17. 11T-TJ Stutts [23]; 18. 11-Spencer Bayston [12]; 19. 13-Justin Peck [17]; 20. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [22]; 21. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [24]; 22. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [14]; 23. 12-Blane Heimbach [19]; 24. 14T-Tyler Walton [27]; 25. 10-Zeb Wise [26]; 26. 45-Jeff Halligan [25]; 27. 33-Gerard McIntyre [18]; 28. 25-Tyler Bear [28] Leaders: AJ Flick (1-8), Bill Balog (9, 10), Brent Marks (11-30)
2021 All Star Circuit of Champions Winners:
1. Screven Motor Speedway, Georgia (January 29, 2021): Donny Schatz
2. Screven Motor Speedway, Georgia (January 30, 2021): Aaron Reutzel
3. East Bay Raceway Park, Florida (February 2, 2021): Donny Schatz (2)
4. Volusia Speedway Park, Florida (February 3, 2021): Logan Schuchart
5. Volusia Speedway Park, Florida (February 4, 2021): Carson Macedo
6. Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (April 3, 2021): Justin Peck
7. Virginia Motor Speedway, Virginia (April 15, 2021): Tony Stewart
8. Williams Grove Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 16, 2021): Kyle Larson
9. Port Royal Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 17, 2021): Logan Wagner
10. Bedford Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 18, 2021): Anthony Macri
11. Sharon Speedway, Ohio (May 1, 2021): Justin Peck (2)
12. Tri-City Raceway Park, Pennsylvania (May 2, 2021): Sam Hafertepe Jr.
13. I-96 Speedway, Michigan (May 14, 2021): Tyler Courtney
14. Dirt Oval at Route 66, Illinois (May 15, 2021): Kyle Reinhardt
15. Circle City Raceway, Indiana (May 20, 2021): Tyler Courtney (2)
16. Circle City Raceway, Indiana (May 21, 2021): Tyler Courtney (3)
17. Gas City I-69 Speedway, Indiana (May 22, 2021): Cap Henry
18. Kokomo Speedway, Indiana (May 23, 2021): Zeb Wise
19. Port Royal Speedway, Pennsylvania (May 31, 2021): Lance Dewease
20. Fairbury Speedway, Illinois (June 3, 2021): Tyler Courtney (4)
21. Wilmot Raceway, Wisconsin (June 4, 2021): Tyler Courtney (5)
22. Plymouth Dirt Track, Wisconsin (June 5, 2021): Bill Balog
23. Angell Park Speedway, Wisconsin (June 6, 2021): Bill Balog (2)
24. SW Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (June 11, 2021): Ian Madsen
25. SW Fremont Speedway, Ohio (June 12, 2021): Cole Duncan
26. SW Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (June 14, 2021): Kyle Larson (2)
27. SW Sharon Speedway, Ohio (June 15, 2021): Danny Dietrich
28. SW Waynesfield Raceway Park, Ohio (June 16, 2021): Kyle Larson (3)
29. SW Muskingum County Speedway, Ohio (June 17, 2021): Justin Peck (3)
30. SW Portsmouth Raceway Park, Ohio (June 19, 2021): Paul McMahan
31. Stateline Speedway, New York (July 9, 2021): Hunter Schuerenberg
32. Sharon Speedway, Ohio (July 10, 2021): Spencer Bayston
33. Lake Ozark Speedway, Missouri (July 23, 2021): Cap Henry (2)
34. Lake Ozark Speedway, Missouri (July 24, 2021): Christopher Bell
35. Humboldt Speedway, Kansas (July 25, 2021): Tyler Courtney (6)
36. I-70 Motorsports Park, Missouri (July 27, 2021): Brian Brown
37. Mo. State Fair Speedway, Missouri (July 29, 2021): Tyler Courtney (7)
38. 34 Raceway, Iowa (July 30, 2021): Kerry Madsen
39. Knoxville Raceway, Iowa (July 31, 2021): Kerry Madsen (2)
40. I-96 Speedway, Michigan (August 20, 2021): Cory Eliason
41. Waynesfield Raceway Park, Ohio (August 21, 2021): Cole Duncan (2)
42. Grandview, Pennsylvania (August 26, 2021): Tyler Courtney (8)
43. Lincoln Speedway, Pennsylvania (August 28, 2021): Cory Eliason (2)
44. BAPS M. Speedway, Pennsylvania (August 29, 2021): Danny Dietrich (2)
45. Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (September 3, 2021): Zeb Wise (2)
46. Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (September 4, 2021): Spencer Bayston (2)
47. Port Royal Speedway, Pennsylvania (September 9, 2021): Brent Marks
2021 All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings (as of 9/9/21):
1. Tyler Courtney - 5854
2. Cory Eliason - 5584
3. Hunter Schuerenberg - 5450
4. Zeb Wise - 5326
5. Cap Henry - 5312
6. Bill Balog - 5276
7. Justin Peck - 5048
8. Kyle Reinhardt - 4804
9. Paul McMahan - 4308
10. Ian Madsen - 3872
About the All Star Circuit of Champions:
All Star Enterprises, LLC, wholly owned by Tony Stewart, d/b/a the All Star Circuit of Champions, is a winged sprint car series. The All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series is one of the oldest traveling 410 sprint car organizations and is a staple of grassroots, open-wheel racing. Formed in 1970 by Bud Miller, the series has largely been considered the first 'outlaw' Sprint Car organization of the modern era. Motorsports entrepreneur Tony Stewart agreed to terms with Guy Webb to become the sole owner of the original winged sprint car tour in January of 2015.
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About Mobil 1:
The world's leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1™ features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life. For more information, visit mobiloil.com, on Twitter @Mobil1 and, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mobil1. Mobil, Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Racing are registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
#Photo: Chad Warner
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com