A racy track surface and side-by-side action highlighted Friday night’s program at Big Diamond Speedway, where Rick Laubach drove to victory in the BQ Concrete 358 Modified feature.
According to race coverage provided by Dino Oberto, Friday’s card at Big Diamond, sponsored by Frank DiMarco Autobody and Auto Repair of New Philadelphia, featured strong racing across all six feature events. In addition to Laubach’s win in the Modifieds, Zach Steffey and Nate Brinker split victories in the USS Achey Inc. 602 Crate Sportsman features, Alex Schoffstall picked up another Roadrunner win, and Kevin Fitzpatrick swept the Rookie 602 Crate Sportsman mains.
Laubach, of Quakertown, earned his 28th career win at the speedway after taking over the lead from Cody Manmiller on lap seven. After an early caution-filled start, Laubach worked his way to the front and held off Tim Buckwalter the rest of the way to claim his first victory of the 2026 season. Logan Watt rebounded from an early flat tire to finish third, followed by Brandon Edgar in fourth and Mike Lisowski in fifth.
In the make-up 602 Crate Sportsman feature from April 10, Steffey grabbed the lead after officials moved the front row back a row following multiple restart violations. He then held off Brinker for his first career Big Diamond win. Later in the regularly scheduled feature, Brinker used the outside lane after a lap 11 restart to get around Jimmy Leiby and race to the victory. Brinker’s pair of runner-up and first-place finishes also earned him a free American Racer tire for best overall finish across the two mains.
Schoffstall continued his strong early-season run in the Roadrunners, taking over after halfway and cruising to his second win of the season and 39th overall in the division. Mike Reichert finished second and Jim Kost came home third.
In Rookie 602 Crate Sportsman action, Fitzpatrick remained perfect on the season. He scored a dramatic last-lap pass in the make-up feature, then quickly took control of the regular feature to complete the sweep. With three straight wins to open the year, Fitzpatrick now moves out of the rookie division under track rules.
Story information contributed by Dino Oberto
Big Diamond Speedway Results - April 17, 2026
358 Modified Feature (25 Laps)
| Finish | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rick Laubach |
| 2 | Tim Buckwalter |
| 3 | Logan Watt |
| 4 | Brandon Edgar |
| 5 | Mike Lisowki |
| 6 | Kevin Beach Jr. |
| 7 | Cody Manmiller |
| 8 | Jax Yohn |
| 9 | Kevin Olenick |
| 10 | Mike Burrows |
| 11 | Alex Tonkin |
| 12 | Heath Metzger |
| 13 | Wayne Witmer |
| 14 | Jim Bobbitt |
| 15 | Kenny Hildebrant |
| 16 | Corey Renninger |
| 17 | Alan Rudalavage |
| 18 | WB James |
| 19 | Hunter Metzger |
| 20 | Cliff Quinn |
| 21 | Louden Reimert |
| DNS | Duane Howard |
602 Crate Sportsman Make-Up Feature from April 10 (20 Laps)
| Finish | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Zach Steffey |
| 2 | Nate Brinker |
| 3 | Steve Hughes |
| 4 | Trevor Bixler |
| 5 | Mikey Schneck Jr. |
| 6 | Ryan Graver |
| 7 | Colin Cox |
| 8 | Logan Starr |
| 9 | Matt Martino |
| 10 | Mike Stofflet |
| 11 | Dakota Kohler |
| 12 | Brennan Chapman |
| 13 | Kevin Smith |
| 14 | McKenzi Smith |
| 15 | Reice Widger |
| 16 | Shannon Slaughter |
| 17 | Tajae Adams |
| 18 | Jimmy Leibey |
| 19 | Aaron Weaver |
| 20 | Mark Behm |
| 21 | Ralph Melee |
| 22 | Dylan Cappel |
| 23 | Nick Hamm |
| 24 | Kevin Brady |
DNQ: Ed Mrochko, Dennis Graber, Michael Samony, Ryan Conrad, Teague Miller
602 Crate Sportsman Feature (20 Laps)
| Finish | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nate Brinker |
| 2 | Matt Martino |
| 3 | Ryan Graver |
| 4 | Mikey Schneck Jr. |
| 5 | Jimmy Leibey |
| 6 | Zach Steffey |
| 7 | Dakota Kohler |
| 8 | Mike Stofflet |
| 9 | Brennan Chapman |
| 10 | Reice Widger |
| 11 | Shannon Slaughter |
| 12 | Nick Hamm |
| 13 | Ed Mrochko |
| 14 | Tajae Adams |
| 15 | Ryan Conrad |
| 16 | Logan Starr |
| 17 | Kevin Brady |
| 18 | Ralph Melee |
| 19 | Steve Hughes |
| 20 | Dylan Cappel |
| 21 | Colin Cox |
| 22 | McKenzi Smith |
| 23 | Mark Behm |
| DNS | Trevor Bixlor |
Roadrunner Feature (20 Laps)
| Finish | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Schoffstall |
| 2 | Mike Reichert |
| 3 | Jim Kost |
| 4 | Joe Bassininsky |
| 5 | Joey Brennan |
| 6 | Seth Reichert |
| 7 | Andrew Buchinski |
| 8 | CJ Ferguson |
| 9 | Jonathan Trumbo |
| 10 | Chuck Fayash |
| 11 | Eric Buchinski |
| 12 | Terry Kramer |
| 13 | Brian Johnson |
| 14 | Jarod Bassinisky |
Rookie 602 Crate Sportsman Make-Up Feature from April 10 (15 Laps)
| Finish | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Fitzpatrick |
| 2 | Mason Harakel |
| 3 | Devin Whitmoyer |
| 4 | Payton Renninger |
| 5 | Josh Metzger |
| 6 | Zach Moyer |
| 7 | Lucas Weil |
Rookie 602 Crate Sportsman Feature (15 Laps)
| Finish | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Fitzpatrick |
| 2 | Josh Metzger |
| 3 | Devin Whitmoyer |
| 4 | Payton Renninger |
| 5 | Zach Moyer |
| 6 | Mason Harakel |
| 7 | Lucas Weil |
| 8 | Marcello Caminiti |