Tag Archive for: #410sprintcars

Over the past month and a half, Jeff Halligan and team have experienced some good and some bad. After starting out the first few races of the season at Lincoln Speedway, the team got to get back to several other tracks within the Central PA region, as the race season went into full swing.

With a top five finish at Lincoln Speedway on March 15th, Halligan’s speed continued to show from previous weeks. Consistency also started to show, as this was the second top 10 finish of the season in just three races. Jeff was able to follow up that strong performance with back to back 7th place runs at the Port Royal Speedway, on very different track surfaces. A promising run seemed to be in store for the 45 at the end of March, at the BAPS Motor Speedway, until trouble took the Ephrata racer out of contention while running in the top 5.

As the calendar flipped to a new month, Jeff and team were able to start picking off more consistent top 10 finishes. Even with rain trying to wash out racing plans, seemingly every weekend, the team was able to score two more top 10 runs at Lincoln and BAPS Motor Speedway. The April 13th show at BAPS, was arguably the best run of the season for Halligan. Rolling off from the front row and sliding into the lead at the start of the race, Jeff was able to lead 14 laps before being passed by Danny Dietrich. Halligan then had to battle with the Heffner 27, where he managed to come out ahead, and grab a respectable 2nd place finish.

With double features slated at Williams Grove to make up a feature the following week, issues befell on the 45, as the car experienced trouble coming up to speed and ultimately sidelined the team for both features. More trouble found the it’s way to the car the following night (April 19th) at Port Royal, with Jeff having to retire from the feature race early, while running in the top 10.

The last weekend of the month of April featured an 11th place run at the Port Royal Speedway, with passing at a premium, and an unfortunate 6th place finish in the B Main at BAPS the following night.

“Last couple of weeks we’ve been fighting some gremlins,” stated Halligan. 

But hopes are still high. “We will be better moving forward.” 

As the team looks to put some of the struggles behind them going into May, Jeff again reiterated the necessity of consistency. “We really just need to stay consistent and string together top 5’s and wins will come.”

While some of the results have not shown it, the team has shown good speed and the ability to compete for strong results and even wins. With over half of the feature results this year, ending up in top 10 finishes, speed has surely not been lacking. 

“When we’ve been fast, we’ve been really fast, so looking to get back to that” mentioned Halligan. 

With a steadfast sense of confidence, since hopefully figuring out the issues with the car, Jeff seemed eager to get into a busy part of the year, with multiple high-paying shows and traveling series’ making their way into the Keystone state. Competing with both the World of Outlaws and High Limit Racing over the next month, will test the strength of the 45 car.

Upcoming schedule plans will include all three nights of racing action with the World of Outlaws at Lincoln Speedway and Williams Grove Speedway. 

After that, a Port Royal tune-up will be on tap prior to a big weekend of racing. The three-day Weikert Memorial at Port Royal Speedway, will follow, with Saturday’s finale paying $75,000 to win. With all of the top-level talent coming into town, finding a way to minimize the issues and find consistency in the car, will hopefully start an upward trend for the team and materialize strong results.

As racing starts to kick into full swing in the Central PA region, Jeff Halligan is gearing up for another season of 410 sprint car racing. Early season racing in Pennsylvania comes with many challenges. Weather being the prime reason affecting the ability to race. Being able to spend time on track early in the season is critical to prepare for a long season of racing, as the intensity only ramps up as the season progresses.

Halligan and the 45 team started their race season with two races at the Lincoln Speedway over the past three weeks. Jeff, who primarily now runs at Port Royal, once frequented the ⅜ mile track in Abbottstown in the 358 ranks. “Feels good to get back to Lincoln for a couple races,” stated Halligan. The team does plan to make starts at the track throughout 2025 when the Port Royal schedule doesn’t conflict. So getting to race there allows the team to narrow in on a baseline. “I think we are very close right out of the box early, which is a positive sign.”

The first two races for Jeff brought varying results. The Icebreaker 30 being the stronger of the two. After running in a podium position for the first third of the race and dropping back as far as 8th, Jeff would bring the 45 car across the line in the 6th position. He also picked up a heat win that day, leading every lap of his heat.

Race two, which occurred two weeks later on March 9th, saw some different track conditions and different fortunes for the team. After qualifying for the feature through a 5th place heat finish, the Ephrata native rolled off 15th in the A-Main. By the halfway point, Halligan found himself inside the top 10, but damage sustained shortly after hurt the 45’s chances at advancing. Halligan would manage to finish 14th at the end of the 30-lap feature.

As many teams open up their season and begin to set goals, it seemed appropriate to look inside the mind of the 30-year-old driver to see what his own personal goals are for 2025. “My goal in 2025 is to have the team and myself as prepared as possible for every race.” Jeff went on to mention that “if we do that, the results will take care of themselves.” The team is planning to run the entire Port Royal Speedway schedule throughout 2025.

The past few seasons for Halligan have featured some good runs, and also some not so good runs, which is a part of racing. Being able to eliminate all the factors you can prior to being on track is something that Jeff and team look to do in the 2025 season. “There’s too many to list on things to improve on from last year.” While a set number of wins or top 5’s was not on the list for Halligan, approaching the year with a renewed focus on being prepared will hopefully translate into better results.

Schedule plans for the 45 team feature a trip back to Lincoln Speedway on March 15th and then to Williams Grove on March 16th, pending weather. The team then looks to open up the Port Royal Speedway season the following weekend.