Port Royal Celebrates Champions At Banquet, Names Oval Sportsmanship Awards In Greg Hodnett’s Honor

Story By: SHAWN BROUSE / PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY – PORT ROYAL, PA – Port Royal Speedway officials, drivers and teams gathered Saturday night November 17 for the oval’s annual awards banquet, held this season at the Moose Family Center in Lewistown.

Feted were the five speedway champions along with the top 10 in points from all divisions.

All champions received beautiful engraved watches courtesy of Foss Jewelers of Lewistown as well as personalized jackets courtesy of Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic.

Logan Wagner of Harrisonville took home top honors in the Weikert’s Livestock 410 sprint car division for what was his first oval track title.

Aboard the Zemco No. 1 sprinter, Wagner notched two wins on the season plus 18 additional top 10 finishes to secure the title with an average feature finish of ninth.

Finishing second in points, the late Greg Hodnett was declared the 2018 Sportsmanship Award winner.

Oval officials announced upon bestowment of the award that henceforth all division sportsman would be the recipients of the Greg Hodnett Sportsmanship Award with the yearly laurels being dedicated in his honor.

Apollo’s AJ Flick received the Most Improved Award in the 410 sprints having secured his first ever oval victory on September 1st. Flick was the 2017 Rookie of the Year.

Tyler Reeser was named the 410 sprint Rookie of the Year after also notching his first oval win in 2018 in his first full rookie season.

Danville’s Jeff Rine accepted accolades for his first ever track title in the River Valley Builder’s super late model class.

Rine scored five wins at the track in 2018 plus nine additional top 10 finishes to put up an average feature finish of fourth for the title.

Rine now has a Port Royal fairgrounds title to go on his wall along with an even dozen at the Selinsgrove fairgrounds speedway and five at the Bedford fairgrounds speedway.

Coming home fourth in 2018 Port Royal late model points, Andy Haus was recognized as the 2018 Moon Shine Camo Rt. 35 Dirt Late Model Challenge Series champion as a representative of Port Royal on the perpetual trophy.

After finishing 14th in 2017 season points, Maryland’s Chad Myers took home Most Improved honors in late models with a 2018 point finish of seventh.

Jerry Bard was the 2018 super late model Rookie of the Year.

Dylan Yoder, who ended the year second in late model points by just 10 markers received the Greg Hodnett Sportsmanship Award.

Massachusetts’s driver Kyle Smith was applauded as the 2018 Creasy Signs 305 Sprint Car Series titlist at the track.

Smith ended the season with an average feature finish of fourth and a pair of wins.

Drew Ritchey, who was third in series points, received the Hodnett Sportsmanship Award.

Derick Garman won his first ever Port Royal title in the Gray’s Insurance econo late model class, ending the year with an average feature finish of third and a pair of victories.

Devin Hart was the econo late model Greg Hodnett Sportsmanship Award winner.

Perennial track champion Bill Powell walked away with his fourth Juniata Junction xtreme stock division title after four wins and an average feature finish of second.

Powell also owns three previous track titles in the now defunct pro stock class.

Josh Bender was the Greg Hodnett Sportsmanship Award recipient.