BRUNO IS THE THE USAC EAST COAST HALF-MILE KING AT PORT ROYAL

Winner #3B Christian Bruno. (Steve Koletar Photo)

  By: Kurt Bettler

Port Royal, Pennsylvania (September 5, 2026)………Christian Bruno continued his remarkable 2026 season on Saturday night, dominating the United States Auto Club (USAC) East Coast Sprintcars Presented by Baer Den Farms and Powered by Can-Am feature at Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway to score his fifth feature victory of the season.

Dubbed the “half-mile king,” Bruno wasted little time making his presence known on the famed Port Royal half-mile.

Ed Aikin jumped out to the early lead, with reigning series champion Steven Drevicki quickly moving into second. By the second lap, Bruno had climbed to third, and on lap three, he made a bold two-for-one move, passing both Drevicki and Aikin to take command of the race. From there, the #3BC set sail.

Chris Allen Junior moved into third before the red flag flew on lap nine after an incident involving Blaine Emery, Olivia Thayer and others in turn one. Fortunately, all drivers were able to walk away from the incident, and the field was reset for the restart.

Once the green flag returned, Bruno immediately began pulling away from the field. Behind him, however, the battle for the remaining podium positions was anything but settled.

Aikin held onto second while Allen, Drevicki and Kenny Miller III battled for position behind him. As the laps clicked away, Drevicki began working the low side in an effort to take third from Allen.

With 10 laps remaining, Allen made his move on Aikin and took over second, while Bruno continued to stretch his advantage at the front. With seven laps remaining, Drevicki finally worked his way into third.

Miller, who had started ninth, was also charging through the field. With five laps remaining, the veteran moved into fourth and set his sights on the cars ahead.

Bruno encountered traffic late in the race, but it did little to slow the runaway leader. Carrying a lead of nearly nine seconds, Bruno cruised to the checkered flag and his fifth USAC East Coast Sprintcar feature win of the 2026 season.

Allen Junior crossed the line second, followed by Drevicki, Miller and Aikin to round out the top five.

While Bruno controlled the feature, the Port Royal event was also made special by additional support for the teams competing.

Downs Automotive added $200, Can-Am Powersports contributed another $1000, and Bettler Brothers Racing added $50 to each heat race winner. Jason Cherry, Jake Galloway, David Swanson, Steve Downs, Gary Huston, Joe Kata and Chris Allen Jr. also collected additional money from Can-Am Powersports and Downs Automotive before the feature even took the green.

Bettler Brothers Dinners for Winners Heat Race Money went to Aikin, Stroup and Bruno

For Bruno, the Port Royal victory adds another impressive chapter to what has become a breakout 2026 campaign. Five feature wins now sit beside his name, and Saturday night he once again proved that when the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars hit a half-mile, the No. 3BC is a tough car to beat.

USAC EAST COAST SPRINTCARS PRESENTED BY BAER DEN FARMS RACE RESULTS: September 5, 2026 – Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, Pennsylvania

E. SCHNEIDER & SONS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Ed Aikin (#7 Aikin 7) (2), 2. Joe Kata (#10 Kata) (4), 3. Kenny Miller III (#23m Miller) (8), 4. J.R. Fulper (#67x Fulper) (3), 5. Mick D’Agostino (#91D D’Agostino) (6), 6. Scott Frack (#39x Frack) (5), 7. Sean Case (#9c Case) (1), 8. Olivia Thayer (#39T Thayer) (7), 9. Jordan Fulton (#39 Fulton 39) (9). NT

BDB GRAPHICS SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Curt Stroup (#26 Stroup) (1), 2. Steven Drevicki (#19 Drevicki) (8), 3. Shane Braxton (#35 Braxton) (2), 4. Jonathon Swanson (#17J Swanson) (4), 5. Jason Cherry (#67 Cherry) (3), 6. Blaine Emery (#12 Emery) (7), 7. Brett Rose (#45R Rose) (6), 8. Gary Huston (#44 Huston) (5). NT

MALLEY POOL WATER THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Christian Bruno (#3BC JMO) (7), 2. Chris Allen Jr. (#71 Allen) (4), 3. Steve Downs (#12D Downs) (1), 4. Jake Galloway (#27G Galloway) (6), 5. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. (#83 Buckwalter) (8), 6. Matthew Swift (#03 Swift) (5), 7. Greg Shepsis (#75 Shepsis) (2), 8. David Swanson (#117 Swanson) (3). NT

BOULEVARD TRUCK REPAIR SEMI: (10 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Scott Frack (1), 2. Blaine Emery (2), 3. Brett Rose (5), 4. David Swanson (9), 5. Olivia Thayer (7), 6. Greg Shepsis (6), 7. Jordan Fulton (10), 8. Sean Case (4), 9. Gary Huston (8), 10 Matthew Swift (3). NT

CAN-AM FEATURE: (25 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Christian Bruno (4), 2. Chris Allen Jr. (8), 3. Kenny Miller III (9), 4. Steven Drevicki (3), 5. Ed Aikin (1), 6. Joe Kata (6), 7. Steve Downs (5), 8. Shane Braxton (2), 9. Curt Stroup (7), 10. Jonathan Swanson (11), 11. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. (15), 12. J.R. Fulper (10), 13. Jason Cherry (14), 14. Brett Rose (18), 15. Jacob Galloway (12), 16. Mick D’Agostino (13), 17. Scott Frack (16), 18. David Swanson (19), 19. Blaine Emery (17), 20. Olivia Thayer (20). NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Ed Aikin, Laps 5-25 Christian Bruno.

**Bruce Buckwalter Jr. flipped during hot laps.

NEXT USAC EAST COAST SPRINTCARS PRESENTED BY BAER DEN FARMS RACE: September 19, 2026 – Bridgeport Motorsports Park – Swedesboro, New Jersey

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:

RAD Race Design Hot Lap Hero: Kenny Miller III

Bitner Automotive Fast Time of the Night: Christian Bruno

Hoosier Tire Poker Chip: Curt Stroup

C & C Landscape Hard Charger: Chris Allen Jr. (8th to 2nd)

JPA Hard Luck Award: Scott Frack

J & W Home Improvement Highest Finishing Crate or 305: Greg Shepsis