Macri Motorsports #39M Stormed from 11th-to-1st to Become Ninth Different Champion in Last Nine Years |
| ZERO TO HERO: James McFadden Rallies from Crashes and Flips to Win Famed Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal Macri Motorsports #39M Stormed from 11th-to-1st to Become Ninth Different Champion in Last Nine Years |
 PORT ROYAL, PENN. (September 12, 2026) – Across the first two nights at “The Speed Palace,” James McFadden had smashed the outside wall in turn one to go for a huge flip and crushed the inside wall of the front stretch to go for another massive ride. The Macri Motorsports #39M team was replacing parts left and right, and it paid off in the best way possible with a Tuscarora 50 title come Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway.While McFadden started from inside of row six, Danny Sams III of North Port, Florida led the first 16 laps of the 50-lapper aboard his Randerson Racing #24D. He controlled the opening portion of the race while Tanner Holmes and Kasey Kahne kept the pressure high before Holmes ultimately slid by on Lap 17. Holmes’ command aboard the Buch Motorpsorts #13 was short-lived, however, as not long after he took the top spot from Sams, here came McFadden in the Macri #39M. Going 11th-to-1st by Lap 20, J-Mac slid by Holmes to steal the lead and never looked back. The Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia native endured the halfway open red and made all the right changes to lead the final 25 laps and cross the stripe with a 1.907-second margin of victory. Cashing a $59,000 payday in the 59th annual event, McFadden is now the ninth different champion of the Tuscarora 50 in the last nine years. Saturday’s score marked his second trip to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane this season – first was with Tarlton Racing in Arizona – but his fifth-career triumph with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing. It was the ultimate payoff for McFadden, who had long hoped of becoming a winner at Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway – finally doing so in his 36th try at the Juniata County oval. Saturday’s score marked the second time that Macri Motorsports has topped the Tuscarora 50 title – first winning the crown jewel of Port Royal in 2022 when Anthony Macri himself drove from 19th-to-1st. Their win with McFadden further cemented the remarkable season that crew chief Joe Mooney and the rest of the #39M team have enjoyed with no matter who is sitting in the seat. Their car has won with the World of Outlaws at Williams Grove (with Kasey Kahne driving), earned the Kings Royal crown at Eldora Speedway (with Anthony Macri driving), and now the Tuscarora 50 title at Port Royal Speedway (with James McFadden driving). Oregon native Tanner Holmes – all the way across the country from home – earned his career-best finish at Port Royal with a runner-up effort worth $25,000 in the Buch Motorsports #13. After leading Laps 17-19, Holmes kept McFadden honest on the final restart before finishing second with what he called “a home run effort” for their team based out of Pennsylvania. Coming to life in the second half of the feature, Brent Marks restarted seventh and slowly maneuvered his to way to finish third aboard the Chase Briscoe Racing #19. He claimed $12,500 in the final podium spot of the Tuscarora 50 and finished as the highest Pennsylvania native. Closing out the top-five at Port Royal was Troy Wagaman Jr. in fourth aboard the Heffner Racing #27 and Rico Abreu in fifth with his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #24. Also earning top-10 finishes at the Tuscarora 50 was Chase Dietz in sixth, Danny Dietrich in seventh, Daison Pursley in eighth, Ryan Smith in ninth, and Justin Whittall in tenth. THE ALL-IN NOTEBOOK (Saturday, September 12, 2026)Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, Pennsylvania)59th Annual Tuscarora 50 pres. Ramsey’s Car Wash & Packer’s Concessions Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps (Flight A) – Rico Abreu (15.489)Capitol Renegade QuickTime (Flight A) – Rico Abreu (15.368)Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps (Flight B) – Daison Pursley (15.471)Capitol Renegade QuickTime (Flight B) – Chase Dietz (15.409)TJ Forged Heat One Winner – Tanner HolmesDMI Heat Two Winner – Logan WagnerBR Motorsports Heat Three Winner – Kody HartlaubRod End Supply Heat Four Winner – Kasey KahneFK Rod Ends Heat Five Winner – Troy Wagaman Jr.Checkered Customs Heat Six Winner – Danny Sams IIISugarBee Apple C-Main Winner – Michael WalterWinters Performance B-Main Winner – Brian BrownDURST Dice Roll Driver – Brent Marks (9th-to-3rd)Jake’s Golf Carts Fastest Lap – Kasey Kahne (17.380 on Lap 2)Rod End Supply Hard Charger – Daison Pursley +14 (22nd-to-8th)Whiskey Meyers Victory Lane Visitors – Macri Motorsports (1st of season)CASM Win Sticker – James McFadden (5th of career)Lap Leader(s) – Danny Sams III 1-16; Tanner Holmes 17-19; James McFadden 20-50. Interstate Batteries A-Main Results (50 Laps): 1. 39M-James McFadden[11]; 2. 13-Tanner Holmes[3]; 3. 19-Brent Marks[9]; 4. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[5]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu[7]; 6. 23-Chase Dietz[8]; 7. 48-Danny Dietrich[17]; 8. 9-Daison Pursley[22]; 9. 69K-Ryan Smith[16]; 10. 67-Justin Whittall[21]; 11. 4-Kasey Kahne[4]; 12. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[14]; 13. 55-Kerry Madsen[15]; 14. 9R-Chase Randall[18]; 15. 55W-Logan Wagner[6]; 16. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[23]; 17. 26-Justin Peck[27]; 18. 87-Aaron Reutzel[25]; 19. 71R-Logan Rumsey[24]; 20. 24D-Danny Sams III[1]; 21. 21-Brian Brown[19]; 22. 77K-Kody Hartlaub[2]; 23. 8-Lance Dewease[26]; 24. 66-Ryan Newton[20]; 25. 10-Ryan Timms[10]; 26. 5-Kasey Jedrzejek[13]; 27. 71-Parker Price Miller[12] NEW Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Championship Standings (After 44/54 Races):1. 2,625 pts – Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #24 (Rico Abreu)2. -85 pts – Ridge & Sons Racing #87 (Aaron Reutzel)3. -158 pts – Spire Motorsports #77 (Giovanni Scelzi)4. -265 pts – Rudeen Racing #26 (Justin Peck)5. -279 pts – Clauson-Marshall Racing #7BC (Tyler Courtney)6. -297 pts – Chase Briscoe Racing #19 (Brent Marks)7. -379 pts – JST Motorsports #88 (Tanner Thorson)8. -478 pts – Buch Motorsports #13 (Tanner Holmes)9. -483 pts – Vermeer Motorsports #55 (Kerry Madsen)10. -555 pts – Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9 (Daison Pursley)11. -877 pts – CJB Motorsports #5 (Brenham Crouch sub w/ Dominic Scelzi)12. -897 pts – Chase Randall Racing #9R (Chase Randall)13. -909 pts – Mosites Lynch Racing #42 (Sye Lynch)14. -995 pts – Michael Dutcher Motorsports #17GP (Brock Zearfoss)15. -1,045 pts – Randerson Racing #24D (Danny Sams III) WHAT’S NEXT: The 16th annual Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial is on tap for Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing. Lucas Oil Speedway’s “Diamond of Dirt Tracks” in Wheatland, Missouri will welcome teams for the three-day extravaganza on Thursday-Saturday, September 17-19. Tickets are available for purchase at HighLimitRacing.com, or you can watch every event live on FloRacing. |