08/30/2026
Althouse Cruises to 48th Career Mahoning Valley Speedway Park WIn: Schaffer, Kibler and Jones also Victorious
By Ted Grow
Lehighton Pa (8/29/2026) Frankie Althouse secured his class-leading fifth win of the 2026 season, once again showing why he is the current favorite to claim the Street Stock championship.
Josh Kuryona and Cody Geist shared the front row for the start, with Geist leading the opening lap. Kuryona quickly reclaimed the top spot on lap two, engaging in a hard-fought, side-by-side battle with Geist.
Meanwhile, Althouse steadily worked his way through the field after starting mid-pack. By lap 10, he had moved into second and was knocking on the door for the lead.
On lap 11, Althouse made an outside move to take the lead. He would pace the field for the next four laps before Kuryona battled back on the inside to retake the top spot on lap 15.
Althouse wasn't finished. He cleared Kuryona on lap 17 and pulled away to secure his fifth victory of the season in a caution-free event.
Adam Steigerwalt made a late charge, nipping Kuryona at the finish line to claim second. Kuryona held on for third, earning a career-best finish and rounding out the podium.
With another victory added to his impressive 2026 campaign, Althouse continues to establish himself as the driver to beat in the Street Stock championship fight.
Nick Schaffer, who has been running a part-time schedule at Mahoning Valley Speedway in 2026, walked away with his first win of the season Saturday night at the famed ¼-mile Lehighton, Pa., oval.
Pole sitter James Tout would lead the field early, quickly opening up an advantage of nearly 10 car lengths. The complexion of the race changed on lap nine when Beau Drobot spun, bringing out the caution and restacking the field.
The yellow flag would prove costly for several drivers. As the caution flew for Drobot, second- and third-place runners David Imler and Terry Peters made contact, resulting in significant damage to Imler’s car. Point leader Shayne Geist was also caught up in the incident, sending him to the pits. Geist would not return to the race.
Peters benefited from the timing of the caution and would line up second for the restart behind Tout. Ryan Berger and Danny Marsh followed, while 13th-place starter Travis Solomon had worked his way forward to sixth.
As the laps clicked away, Schaffer continued his march toward the front. He would make his move on Tout on lap 18, powering around the outside to take control of the race.
Solomon was also on the move, eventually beating Tout to the finish line for second. His strong run put him in position to close the gap on point leader Shayne Geist—and, depending on the official points calculations, he may have taken over the championship lead following Saturday night’s action.
For Schaffer, however, the night belonged to him. After running a limited schedule throughout the 2026 season, he finally broke through for his first victory of the year at one of Mahoning Valley’s most competitive bullrings.
Bobby Jones in only his second start of the season walked away with the 602 Modified Main event after the initial green flag flew pole sitter Max Pfeifer would bring out the caution in turn one for a self spin handing the pole over to Bobby Jones for the 2nd attempt at the initial start Jones would cruise his way to his 1st win of the season at the ¼ mile.
Bob Kibler raced his way to his third consecutive victory and fourth overall of the season, continuing his impressive run at the front of the field.
Mark Fister jumped out to the early lead, but things quickly heated up. As Fister took control, contact was made, triggering a chain reaction and bringing out the first caution of the night. Officials ruled Fister responsible for the incident due to over-aggressive driving, sending him to the rear of the field.
That handed the lead to current point leader Tyler Stangle, who was still hunting for his first win of the season. Stangle took full advantage of the opportunity and controlled the race through the opening 17 laps.
But on lap 18, Kibler made his move! Working his way to the front, Kibler wrestled the lead away from Stangle and never looked back.
Kibler powered on to score his third straight win, crossing the checkers first over Stangle. But the finishing order would change following post-race technical inspection.
Stangle was disqualified for a frame-height infraction, moving Stangle’s teammate Ron Pierson into the runner-up position.
Another win. Another trip to victory lane. Bob Kibler is officially on a hot streak! After the victory the car was sold to Breiner Racing. Kibler goes out on top.
Results:
Street Stocks (30 Laps) 1. Frankie Althouse 2. Adam Steigerwalt 3. Josh Kuryona 4. Jill Snyder 5. Jon Moser 6. Brandon Christman 7. Jamie Smith 8. Kenneth Reeder 9. Cody Geist 10. Jake Kibler 11. TJ Kemmerer 12. Kerry Boehm
Hobby Stock (25 Laps) 1. Nick Schaffer 2. James Tout 3. Travis Solomon 4. RYan Berger 5. Terry Peters 6. Parker Phillips 7. Arland Moyer Jr 8. Daniel Marsh 9. Dale Moninghoff DNF Shayne Geist David Imler Jr Beau Drobot Robert Miller
602 Modifieds (30 Laps) 1. BObby Jones 2. NIck Baer 3. Kevin Brown 4. Max Pfeifer
Pro 4 (20 Laps) 1. Bob Kibler 2. Ron Pierson Jr 3. Mark Fister 4. Rich Pursell 5. Kadie Pursell DQ Tyler Stangle
