Jeff Halligan Turns Full Attention to Tuscarora 50

In his last race at Port Royal Speedway, Jeff Halligan was out front and appeared to be on his way to his third victory of the season at the Pennsylvania half-mile clay oval.  That seemingly sure win evaporated when a car spun directly into his path and brought the night to a premature end for the Risser Motorsports / TheTreeCenter.com / Victory Auto of Lewistown / EMM Sales & Service / Jake’s Golf Carts / Pine Hill Trailers / Keystone Ag Spraying, No.45.

Saturday night Halligan was back at Port Royal on opening night of the Juniata County Fair for one final night race tune up opportunity before the upcoming three-day Tuscarora 50 event.

September 3:  Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA

     [29 cars, Heat 1st (1), A-main 11th (7)]

Three 10-lap heat races, lined up by a pill draw, kicked off qualifying for the 29 sprint cars on hand.  The top six finishers from each transferred to the A-main, with the top three handicapped based on season points to set the starting lineup for the main event.  The remaining six starters would transfer from the consolation race.  

Halligan landed the pole of heat number two by virtue of his draw.  From the drop of the green he was untouchable, pulling out to an immediate eight car-length lead by the middle of the backstretch.  The Ephrata, PA wheelman went on to a convincing win over Lucas Wolfe by a 7.223 second margin.

The handicap format put Halligan 7th to start the A-main.  The fast-paced 25-lap race went caution-free.  Jeff slipped back to 9th on the opening lap.  He spent the first half of the feature hanging on to a top ten spot.  Just after the halfway sign, he fell to 11th and was unable to recover the lost ground.

“We missed on a couple things and just got ourselves too tight.“, Halligan commented.  “We’ll learn from it, move on, and focus on the big weekend ahead.“

Although the team was disappointed with their results Saturday night, one bright spot for Halligan and the Risser Motorsports team was winning the $1000 Warrior Award.  The award, courtesy of Jim & Sandy Kline and J&S Classics, is presented to the driver who finishes in the position randomly drawn following the race.

Halligan was scheduled to compete in the Labor Day Classic at Port Royal Speedway on Monday afternoon but unfortunately all day rains washed out the 71st annual edition of the event.

Up Next

This week is all about the three All Star Circuit of Champions sanctioned races at Port Royal Speedway, which culminate with Saturday night’s $55,000 to win Tuscarora 50.  It’s not just the finale that will be rewarding to the top competitors.

Thursday’s preliminary action offers $8,000 to the winner, Friday’s ‘Night Before the 50’ awards the victor with a tidy $10,000 prize, and Saturday’s 55th annual installment of premier event not only drops $55,000 into the bank account of the winning team but also pays a minimum of $2,000 just to qualify and start the event.  The three day total event payout will exceed $230,000!

The prestigious and lucrative event has been circled on Halligan’s calendar since the team all year long.  The team has two wins and has been in the thick of things nearly every week this season at ‘The Speed Palace’.  They are primed and ready to be a factor when Saturday night rolls around.

Season Stats

37 races, 2 wins, 11 top 5’s, 18 top 10’s, 24 top 15’s