Pittsburgher 100 returns with larger purse at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway
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The Pittsburgher 100 has been on the dirt racing calendar for 36 years, but the goal for a new ownership group at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in Imperial is to put the event back on the map.
The new owners, Blair and Tabby Cress, are doing so by making this year’s version of their flagship race the highest paying super late model event in the 46-year history of the track.
The 36th Pittsburgher 100 kicks off Friday with a $10,000-to-win preliminary event, followed by a $50,000-to-win finale Saturday night.
Both races are sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Super Late Model Dirt Series.
“With $50,000 to win Saturday night, it puts the Pittsburgher back on that top level of crown jewel events,” PPMS operations manager Tyler Harris said. “It was there in the late 90’s and into the 2000’s, but over the years it slowly lost a bit of its luster but continued on. Now with the new ownership group there’s a distinct desire to have this event back in a prominent position.”
The Cress’ purchased PPMS from the Miley Family in June of 2023.
Ricky Thornton Jr. received a $30,000 check for winning the Pittsburgher 100 last year, so this year’s winner will earn $20,000 more.
The increase in purse puts the Pittsburgher finale in a tie for first place for highest winner’s payout for a super late model event in Pennsylvania with Lernerville Speedway’s Firecracker 100 in June and Port Royal Speedway’s Rumble on the River in August.
“The track has been open since 1979 and we’re going to pay out the most money in the 46 years it’s been continuously operating,” Harris said. “It’s a tremendous privilege to be able to do that. The pressure’s on, but we welcome that pressure, and I think we’re going to hit a home run (this weekend).”
Harris is anticipating a large crowd for both nights. Tickets can be purchased at ppms.com.
Aside from the increased payout, the Pittsburgher 100 is a major event for the Lucas series, because it is one of the events that will help determine a champion.
Starting last year, Lucas has adopted a format slightly similar to NASCAR to determine its champion. The top four in points in the “regular season” qualified to race each other for the title in the last seven races.
Thornton Jr., Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport and Tim McCreadie are the four drivers who qualified. Their points were reset and they are on equal footing going into the playoff.
The Pittsburgher was slated to be rounds four and five of the championship chase, but will actually be the first two.
The first three events — two at Brownstown (Ind.) and one at Atomic (Ohio) — were postponed last weekend due to rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. The series is working on a makeup date for Brownstown.
Regardless, whoever of the four championship contenders has a good weekend at PPMS will have a leg up going for the $200,000 prize that awaits the points champion.
“This is a big weekend for them,” Harris said. “The way the Lucas series puts their schedule together, the final seven events are of the utmost importance in determining a champion, and we’re fortunate that PPMS is one of those racetracks.”
Joining the Lucas series on the card this weekend are the RUSH crate late models for the Bill Hendren Memorial and the Penn Ohio Pro Stocks for the Bob Walters Memorial.