PORT ROYAL, Pa. (June 10) — Kyle Hardy is hoping that Saturday’s 18th-to-seventh climb in Appalachian Mountain Speedweek action at Port Royal Speedway is symbolic in the way the rest of his miniseries goes.

The Stephens City, Va., driver isn’t in a terrible position through two races: sixth in Appalachian Mountain Speedweek standings, 75 points behind leader Tyler Emory. But that’s not where Hardy positionally wants to be as the miniseries heads south of the Mason-Dixon Line on Sunday at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. | RaceWire

“I want to win the title, but 70-some points behind, it’s going to be tough,” Hardy said. “We needed a good top-three run tonight. Slowly getting there. Would like to get a win one of these nights.

“We’re going to have to beat them all. To be able to get out of the hole we’re right now, we’re probably going to have to win two and not finish outside the top-five in the other ones. It’s still up in the air. If someone has a bad night … it could be pretty tight. We just have to stay after it and keep an open mind. Make sure we don’t have mistakes, finish every race and the points will show in the end.

“When I started out (Saturday at Port Royal), I thought it was going to be a lot better,” he added. “We hot-lapped good. I thought we were going to be able to translate to qualifying. We missed it a little bit. Glad we made somewhat of a rebound and was able to pick up some spots.”

In Friday’s opener at Clinton County Speedway, Hardy qualified 13th and finished ninth, not finding many ways forward around the third-mile oval in Mill Hall, Pa. This miniseries he’ll be alternating between the Harry Shipe’s No. 00 machine and the Somey Lacey No. 45 entry — both Rocket Chassis.

The Shipe No. 00 is Hardy’s short-track car, appearing Friday at Clinton County and upcoming races Tuesday at Path Valley (Pa.) Speedway and Saturday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa. The Lacey No. 45, meanwhile, will be in action tonight at Hagerstown, as well as Thursday and Friday at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway and next Sunday’s race at Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway.

So far this year, Hardy has 10 victories among Crate, Limited, and Super Late Model competition in the Mid-Atlantic region. Two of those victories are in the Super on May 13 at Winchester (Va.) Speedway and May 27 at Lincoln Speedway, both $3,000 paydays.

“We’d definitely like to have more Super wins,” Hardy said. “Ten wins across Limiteds, Crates and Supers … we’re pretty happy with it. Just have to keep plugging away, it’s a lot of work throughout the week. It takes a lot of money. Just have to keep digging.”

Hardy’s especially looking forward to Hagerstown. Of the five Super events at the Maryland half-mile last year, Hardy won two of them and finished no worse than fourth in the remaining three, including his fourth-place effort in last April’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race behind Tyler Erb, Tim McCreadie and Gregg Satterlee.

“I’m really looking forward to Hagerstown and really excited for (Path Valley) with my short-track car,” said Hardy, who took $3,000 and $3,500 victories at Hagerstown on June 25 and July 16 last year. “Really can’t wait to go there. Honestly just thankful to have a Speedweek close to us. Just need to get some good runs and build a notebook. I hate to say it ain't early in the year. We’re well through halfway. Just have to keep plugging away and get this car better, and hopefully we can pick up a win by next week.”

Norris repeats at Port Royal

Michael Norris of Sarver, Pa., isn’t considered a Port Royal Speedway regular, but whenever he’s come around to The Speed Palace this year, his handle of the half-mile is irresistibly strong.

The new driver of Joe Corrado’s No. 10 machine stomped the field Saturday in the second round of Appalachian Mountain Speedweek — an event that attracted 50 entries — leading all 35 laps from the pole for the $5,000 victory. Before the race’s only caution with two laps to go for debris, Norris had built more than a six-second advantage.

“It’s a testament to all the good guys here,” Norris said. “This place is off the chain in terms of competition. I mean, just look throughout the field, the caliber of guys that are here. To be standing on top in the end, I’m very humbled and very proud of our team. As I said, I’m just the lucky one that gets to hold the steering wheel. They do all the work.”

It’s his second straight win at Port Royal this year. On May 6, Norris beat Mason Zeigler for $4,000, a victory that looks even better now given that Zeigler started from the pole of Saturday’s Dream XXIX. This year, Norris has partnered with Corrado, the western Pennsylvania car owner who had Jared Miley in the seat of his familiar orange and blue No. 10 the last handful of years.

The car is capable of reeling off big wins — last May, Miley won the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series event at Port Royal — and Norris knows it.

“I just have to thank Joe Corrado for giving me this opportunity,” Norris said. “We’ve been here once and the car was really good. I was nervous because the track was different than what it was the year before. It’s hard when you’re leading because you don’t know good how you are and where you’re gaining and losing. I wasn’t sure if that caution was going to help or hurt me because clean air means so much here.”

The only races Norris is sure he’ll compete in the rest of the miniseries are Thursday’s and Friday’s event at Bedford Speedway. Outside that, the other races “are up in the air,” said Miley, who can’t win the Speedweek title because he missed Friday’s race at Clinton County.

“We have to make some money to pay the bills, you know?” Norris said.

Odds and ends

Rick Eckert of York, Pa., finished fourth on Saturday at Port Royal after a broken shock caused him to finish 11th on Friday at Clinton County Speedway in Mill Hall, Pa.; Eckert is second in miniseries standings, 43 points behind leader Tyler Emory and four points better than Gregg Satterlee in third. … Twenty-seven drivers have entered both miniseries races thus far: Tyler Emory (843 points), Eckert (800), Satterlee (796), Austin Berry (779), Matt Cosner (772), Kyle Hardy (768), Jeff Rine (762), Covert (759), Dan Stone (753), Dylan Yoder (745), Eddie Carrier Jr. (741), Andrew Yoder (735), Drake Troutman (735), Bryan Bernheisel (716), Coleby Frye (695), Dillan Stake (682), Hayes Mattern (662), Dylan Cecce (648), Shaun Jones (644), Matt Cochran (632), Travis Stickley (624), Justin Weaver (613), Larry Neiderer (612), Nathan Long (604), Randy Christine (604), Ken Trevitz (600), R.J. Dallape (600). … Saturday’s seventh-place run will likely be Colton Flinner’s only Speedweek event as the Allison Park, Pa., driver tends to his father Mark, who’s currently battling stage 4 colon cancer.