7/27/2025
Selinsgrove Speedway
Dietz With Late Race Pass To Win Opperman/Bogar/Heintzelman Memorial, Ehrenzeller Dominates Wingless Super Sportsman Feature
Written by Bert Wojcik
July hasn't been kind to anyone in the racing world. After raining out on Saturday night, the Sunday morning forecast looked grim. But as the morning turned to afternoon, the forecast became more clear. Selinsgrove was going to race. Quality over quantity was the name of the game when trying to fight with mother nature. A quality field was on hand for the annual running of the Opperman/Bogar/Heintzelman Memorial presented by BSC Mechanical. After all the rain over the weekend, Selinsgrove was blessed with a beautiful but hot Sunday night and a fantastic track surface. When it was all said and done, York, PA’s Chase Dietz would take his 2nd straight High Caliber Cranes 410 Sprint Car Feature and the $10,099 pay day. Meanwhile, McAlisterville, PA’s Dexter Ehrenzeller took home the Wingless Super Sportman win.
17 High Caliber Cranes 410 Sprint Cars signed in for action with Medford, NJ’s Justin Whittall drawing the 1 pill and getting an extra $199 from Central PA Home Improvements. With Dietz on the outside after setting Fast Tee’s Fast Time and getting an extra $300, the two would bring the field to green. Whitall took the high side for the initial start and got away from Dietz, who used the high side to his advantage in the BSC Mechanical heat race. Myerstown’s Brent Marks would make some moves to get around Mechanicsburg, PA’s Lucas Wolfe, who got an extra $100 for second quick time from PAPosse.com, for the 4th spot. Whittall didn't waste much time. Setting a torrent pace to start, he reached lap traffic by lap 7. Dirty air became a factor as Whittall’s lead would diminish, allowing Dietz and Gettysburg, PA’s Danny Dietrich to make it a three car fight for the lead. Just as Whittall reached the back of the field, Selinsgrove’s Chris Smith spun on his own right in front of the leaders. With the 360 rule Selinsgrove uses, even though Smith never stopped, the yellow was thrown for the one and only time of the feature event.
On the restart, Dietz would try to slide Whittall for the lead but lost momentum off of turn number two. Dietz would keep Whittall around a second behind him as Dietrich and Marks were about the same distance behind as well. Whittall would get in lap traffic. He would keep finding ways around the back of the field cars, but so would Dietz and Dietrich. Dietz kept chipping away at the lead. He was waiting for an opening and with seven laps to go, that opening would appear. Whittall would get a little too high going into turns one and two, opening the middle for Dietz who would clear Whittall for the lead with 7 laps to go. Dietz would extend the lead and no one had anything for him as Chase Dietz wrapped up a perfect night with his third career High Caliber Cranes 410 Sprint Car Feature win taking home the Opperman/Bogar/Heintzelman Memorial presented by BSC Mechanical. His crew chief, Tommy Carl, took home a $999 bonus from the Wagner Camp of Bannerville in honor of Ralph Heintzleman. Whittall, Dietrich, Marks and Jonestown, PA’s Brock Zearfoss rounded out the top 5. Blane Heimbach would get Inferno Armor from Hamm-Reilly Enterprises Hard Charger going plus eight from 15th to 7th.
“I felt we were a little off on the start and needed some fuel to burn off,” Dietz said in High Caliber Cranes Victory Lane with the new Hackenburg’s Plumbing and Heating Winners Neck Band. “Justin was really hitting the top in one and two and I was making good strides through the center down there. I was waiting for the bottom to rubber up a little bit and it finally did. It wasn't a ton, but enough to get a run on Justin. He was coming off the corner a little too sideways and I made it happen.”
“I knew once Chase showed me his nose on the lap before I should have gone down just because he found the rubber,” Whittall said on the front stretch. “I started messing up on my entries and that's where he got me. I was searching around and being conservative on my tires after the lesson we learned at Port Royal a few weeks ago.”
“I felt like I had the better car before the caution,” Dietrich said on the front stretch. “I was catching both of them pretty good. Then Chase moved down to the bottom and made it tough with dirty air. It was a pretty much a day race and made it really good. The track crew did a good job to give us multiple lines and that's what the fans wanted to see here tonight.”
10 Wingless Super Sportsman made the trip to Selinsgrove for the first of three races for them in 2025. Ehrenzeller and Richfield, PA’s Curt Stroup lead the field to green. The feature event would go nonstop for 20 laps with Ehrenzeller dominating the entire race. Behind him, a great battle was shaping up between Stroup, Mechanicsburg’s Steve Wilbur and Stoystown, PA’s Brett Perigo. Wilbur would clear Middleburg, PA’s Chad Thomas for the 4th spot and had his eyes set on closing in on Perigo for the 3rd spot while Ehrenzeller was walking away from the field. Wilbur made his way to the back tail tank of Perigo. Stroup was just a little too far ahead. Wilbur would get a run off of turn number 2 on the final lap as Dexter Ehrenzeller took home the feature win with Stroup finishing second and by .003 seconds, Wilbur would take third away from Perigo. Thomas would round out the top 5.
“I wasn’t sure if Curt was coming back at me and I knew Steve was there too,” Ehrenzeller said in High Caliber Cranes Victory Lane after a champagne bath from Miss Wingless Super Sportsman, Caidence Cline. “We've been working on our big track set up. This is our first time here and we couldn't be more excited.”
Selinsgrove Speedway is back in action this Friday Night, August 1st with Fan Appreciation Night. There are lots of giveaways and goodies all night long for the best fans in racing! The rescheduled Zimmerman’s United Late Models Series will make their return to go against the Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Models. The UEMS UMP Style Modifieds will make their debut and the Superior Home Street Stocks will round out the card this Friday.
Log onto www.raceselinsgrove.com for all updated news and points, as well as results.
Check out Social Media Pages on Facebook at Selinsgrove Speedway & Raceway Park, on Instagram @raceselinsgrove, and on X @selinsgroverace
Submitted By: Jenna Mowery
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