Flick Becomes 150th Different 410 Winner

Written by Bert Wojcik

Friday night could have been a preview of what's to come this year at the Selinsgrove Speedway. The best of the best in Central Pennsylvania when it comes to the High Caliber Cranes 410 Sprint Cars and the Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Models were going at it in two races that outdid any expectations the night may have had to open up the 80th season of racing at the Fastest Half Mile on the East Coast presented by Sunbury Motors. With Apollo, PA's AJ Flick scoring his first career High Caliber Cranes 410 Win and Indiana, PA's Gregg Satterlee picking up the opening night win with a late race charge in the Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Models. All this action took place in just a 2 and half hour window.

18 High Caliber Cranes 410 Sprint cars signed in for racing action. With a slight chance of rain, the Selinsgrove Speedway officials kept the show moving on Friday night. Almost immediately after the final heat race for the Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Models finished, the call went out for the first feature of the season to start in 5 minutes. Flick and High Limit Series competitor “The Madman” Kerry Madsen from St. Mary’s, NSW, Australia brought the field to green with Flick taking the advantage on Madsen while York, PA's Chase Dietz was nipping on their heels as Flick led the first feature lap of the 2026 season.

Meanwhile, defending High Caliber Cranes 410 Sprint Car Champion Danny Dietrich from Gettysburg, PA was moving from his 5th starting spot and started to battle for third with Dietz when the motor expired on the Vermeer Racing #55, bringing an end to Madsen’s night while running second. During the caution period, Dietrich would pull up next to Dietz to indicate that his right rear was going down. Dietz did not take the hint and stayed out for the restart with 15 to go. Dietz was passed by Dietrich and Elverson, PA’s Austin Bishop as Dietz would slow and make his way to his crew in the infield for a new right rear, causing the second caution of the race. Dietz would rejoin.

That would move Dietrich behind Flick. Flick would find the high side and use clean air to pull away from Dietrich with 14 laps to go. As laps wound down, Dietrich fell back to nearly a second behind, but started to knock time off as Flick got into lap traffic with less than two laps to go. Dietrich would cut nearly 8 tenths off and was all over the tail tank of Flick, but Flick was too strong as AJ Flick became the 150th different winner in the High Caliber Cranes 410 Sprint Cars at Selinsgrove with Dietrich, Bishop, Carlise, PA's Jason Shultz, and Sunbury’s Mark Smith rounding out the top 5.

“This is pretty damn cool isn’t it?” Flick exclaimed in High Caliber Cranes Victory Lane. "There were top notch drivers here tonight. We got a heck of a group of guys and my expectations were not to come in here and win. We couldn't play with the wing too much. I did everything I could to keep Danny guessing and was committed to the bottom in three and four.”

22 Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Models signed in for their first event of the season. They would not be outdone by the 410’s on the night as defending Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Model Champion Rick Eckert of York and, making his second Super Late Model start, Port Royal’s Lane Snook, the defending Creekside Auto Sales Limited Late Model Champion would lead the field to green. Snook looked like he did all last year in his limited, getting out to an early lead on Eckert and would lead the first 7 laps before Allison Park, PA's Colton Flinner would make contact with the wall in turn three and have to be double hooked for an end to his night.

Satterlee, from his third starting spot, would get around Eckert with Centerville, PA's Max Blair trying to find his way around Eckert. Eckert and Blair would make contact, allowing Ross Robinson of Georgetown, DE to close in and make it a three wide battle for the third spot. Blair would get around Eckert and so would Robinson for fourth as Middleburg’s Dylan Yoder would come to a stop on the back straightaway. He would rejoin as we reached the halfway point.

On the restart, Satterlee would take the bottom away from Snook and make him go up high as he pulled a nose ahead of Snook. Snook would keep pace with Satterlee, but just as he started to make time up, it was too late and Satterlee won his 9th Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Model win over Snook, Blair, Robinson, and Eckert.

“I was able to get a run on Snook and I knew I was going to struggle to pass him when it got strung out,” Satterlee said in High Caliber Cranes Victory Lane. "We really worked on the car to get it a good balance on the car this winter. It was a technical track tonight. If you missed the bottom you were off the guardrail but the track was excellent tonight. We hope to be in this spot a lot this year here."

Selinsgrove Speedway is back in action this coming Friday, April 17th with the Selinsgrove Ford Super Late Models, and the Keller's Auto Body PA Sprint Series 305 Sprint Cars and the Gator’s Guns Street Stocks making their season debut.

Log onto www.raceselinsgrove.com for all updated news and points, as well as results.

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Qualifying: 1. AJ Flick (77, 15.831), 2. Chase Dietz (23, 15.852), 3. Austin Bishop (11A, 16.099), 4. Kerry Madsen (55, 16.159), 5. Mark Smith (17, 16.222), 6. Danny Dietrich (48, 16.259), 7. Billy Dietrich (8D, 16.293), 8. DJ Christie (5, 16.359), 9. Jason Shultz (35, 16.418), 10. Kody Lehman (47K, 16.442), 11. Mike Thompson (11T, 16.450), 12. Ryan Taylor (20, 16.467), 13. Joey Amantea (88J, 16.541), 14. Davie Franek (28F, 16.687), 15. Zach Newlin (11Z, 16.797), 16. Andy Best (34, 16.837), 17. Jake Waters (10, 17.250), 18. Jake Karklin (5K, NT)

Heat 1: 1. AJ Flick (77), 2. Austin Bishop (11A), 3. Jason Shultz (35), 4. Mark Smith (17), 5. Joey Amantea (88J), 6. Mike Thompson (11T), 7. Jake Waters (10), 8. Zach Newlin (11Z), 9. Billy Dietrich (8D)

Heat 2: 1. Kerry Madsen (55), 2. Danny Dietrich (48), 3. Chase Dietz (23), 4. Ryan Taylor (20), 5. DJ Christie (5), 6. Kody Lehman (47K), 7. Davie Franek (28F), 8. Andy Best (34), 9. Jake Karklin (5K)

Feature: 1. AJ Flick (77), 2. Danny Dietrich (48), 3. Austin Bishop (11A), 4. Jason Shultz (35), 5. Mark Smith (17), 6. Ryan Taylor (20), 7. Joey Amantea (88J), 8. Chase Dietz (23), 9. Kody Lehman (47K), 10. DJ Christie (5), 11. Andy Best (34), 12. Mike Thompson (11T), 13. Zach Newlin (11Z), 14. Davie Franek (28F), 15. Kerry Madsen (55), 16. Jake Waters (10), 17. Billy Dietrich (8D), 18. Jake Karklin (5K) - DNS

Hard Charger - Andy Best (34) +5