Jeff Halligan Posts Second Place Finish in First Visit to Big Diamond

It’s been pretty clear in 2022 that Jeff Halligan and Risser Motorsports have found consistency at Port Royal Speedway and will be a factor when they compete there.  They have also had their moments at other tracks around Central Pennsylvania this year but haven’t quite reached the level of consistency at those facilities that they are striving for.

This past weekend presented a great opportunity for Halligan and team to work on that area of their program.  With Port Royal Speedway closed for a summer break, the Risser Motorsports / TheTreeCenter.com / Victory Auto of Lewistown / EMM Sales & Service / Jake’s Golf Carts / Pine Hill Trailers / Keystone Ag Spraying, No.45 slated a weekend double at Big Diamond Speedway and Lincoln Speedway.

August 12:  Big Diamond Speedway / Pottsville, PA

     [27 cars, Heat 3rd (6), A-main 2nd (4)]

The rare appearance for 410 sprint cars at Big Diamond Speedway drew a field of 27 competitors who competed in three, 10-lap heat races set up by a pill draw.  The top six finishers from each would advance to the A-main, with the top three participating in a redraw to set the top nine starting spots.  The final six feature starters would come from the B-main.  

Halligan started sixth in the second heat race, which was led by a stout front row of Mark Smith and Freddie Rahmer.  Jeff made quick work of the second row, blasting his way into third on the opening lap.  He set his sights on the front pair but settled for a third place finish in the qualifying race.

Three of the strongest cars in attendance, Rahmer, Smith and Halligan, pulled starting spots two, three and four respectively in the redraw, setting up a tight battle from the drop of the green for the fans.

Before the 30-lap main event could take the green flag, polesitter Tyler Esh pulled off with issues and retired from the event.  

Halligan grabbed the third spot on the opening lap, but soon found himself in a battle with sixth place starter Dylan Norris, who wrestled the spot away for a handful of laps.  By the time the race reached lap ten, the top three were Smith, Rahmer, and Halligan.  Norris had gone pit-side.

Moments later, Halligan drove past Rahmer to take the runner up spot and set his sights on Smith.  The Ephrata, PA driver closed the gap in traffic and with about ten laps remaining took his shot at Smith.

Halligan’s slide job in turn four cleared Smith, but the slider took the No.45 all the way to the wall and the light contact with the fence was enough to allow Smith to cross over and regain the lead.  

Halligan wasn’t able to get close enough to take another shot at Smith and settled for the second place finish.

August 13:  Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA

     [34 cars, Heat 5th (4), B-main 2nd (4), A-main 17th (22)]

A large field of 34 cars signed in at Lincoln Speedway Saturday night.  Halligan’s last race at the Abbottstown oval resulted in a 6th place finish against a formidable 42-car PA Speedweek field.

The top four finishers would transfer to the A-main from each of five 8-lap heat races, with the top two being handicapped to the front based on their season points average.

Halligan started outside row two in heat number four but couldn’t hold his ground.  He slipped to fifth on the opening lap and sixth a lap later.  He battled back to fifth on the final lap but was unable to transfer to the A-main.

With Halligan’s first goal of advancing in the heat to land a mid-pack starting spot, or better, for the 30-lap finale, the goal now shifted to simply making the field.  Rolling to the green once again from the 4th position, on the opening lap Halligan wheeled his machine into the runner-up spot and away from the verge of not transferring.  He held a firm grasp on the spot and locked himself and the Risser Motorsports team into the main event.

Halligan started the main event from the 22nd spot and made steady forward progress over the first ten laps.  The third year 410 sprint car pilot raced in the 15th position for the majority of the event, then reached 14th on lap 22.

In the closing laps Halligan wasn’t able to maintain the track position he had garnered.  He slipped backwards a few spots in the running order and crossed the finish line in 17th.

“I really enjoyed Big Diamond.  I wish we had more opportunities to race there.  We made good decisions and were able to keep this Panther Chassis up front to compete for the win.“, Halligan commented.

“We struggled to find the right combination at Lincoln.  We need to get our short track program to a more consistent level.  That’s the missing piece right now.  Some trips there (Lincoln) this year we’ve been pretty good and other times we just miss the mark.  We’ll figure it out.  We learn every time out.  Just need to keep digging.“

Halligan has accumulated podium finishes at three Central PA tracks in 2022.  At Port Royal he has five top three finishes, including two wins.  He also now has a second at Big Diamond to go with a third at Williams Grove in limited appearances there.  His best finish at Lincoln Speedway, in a handful of appearances this season, is a sixth during PA Speedweek.

Up Next

Jeff and the Risser Motorsports team will return to Port Royal Speedway Saturday, August 20th for Open Wheel Madness III where $5,000 will be on the line for the 410 sprint car winner.   

Saturday will be Salute to The Military Night with FREE General Admission to ‘The Speed Palace’ for all past and present military with proper identification.   The PASS/IMCA 305 Sprints and USAC East Coast 360 Wingless Sprints will also be on the card.

Season Stats

32 races, 2 wins, 11 top 5’s, 17 top 10’s, 22 top 15’s