Mike Reft, 15, of Whitehall visited Victory Lane at Pittsburgh's Pa. Motor Speedway as a driver of a Pro Late Model Aug. 15, making it the second win for Reft this summer.

The DIRTcar Pro Late Model division has seen many young drivers come through the ranks but none as young as Reft. A veteran in the Young Guns division at PPMS at 14, Reft won at least 13 features in a season and a half.

A sophomore at Baldwin High School, Reft also plays golf and lacrosse.

He got his start in a late model when former PPMS late model racer Pete Rech of Castle Shannon sold his car to Reft's father, Jeff Reft, after the 2007 season. Rech and his brother Paul have assisted in the grooming process, beginning with practice laps at several area tracks when Mike was 13.

After more practice, Reft was given permission in late August 2008 by Ben Miley to tack onto the very end of the field with the intent of just making laps around the "Monster Half-Mile" at PPMS.

Reft also has two heat victories to go along with his two feature victories at PPMS -- not bad for a 15-year-old.

PPMS will be in action tomorrow with free admission being offered to Washington County residents with ID along with kids' bike races.

After two unsuccessful attempts to run the Bill Emig Memorial, Mercer Raceway Park owner Vicki Emig hopes the third time is a charm. The Bill Emig Memorial, named for her father, will feature $1,500-to-win races for Big-Block Modifieds and Sprint Cars. The previous races were canceled because of rain.

Coming off a BRP Tour win at MRP on Saturday, Jeremiah Shingledecker is considered a favorite against Del Rougeux Jr., Kevin Hoffman and Brian Swartzlander. Mercer's 358 Modified drivers will also compete against the Big-Blocks.

The Sprint Cars return to MRP, with Rod George of Kittanning leading New Castle's Arnie Kent by 32 points. George has five feature wins, three more than any other Sprint Car driver at MRP.

Racing gets under way at 7 p.m. tomorrow for the "Racing for a Cure" American Cancer Society Benefit Night with cancer survivors admitted free.

Today, Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown and Motordrome Speedway in Smithton have all divisions in action. ... Adam Kostelnik, a five-time Modified Champion at Motordrome, won for the eighth time this year. ... Tomorrow, Sharon Speedway plays host to the previously scheduled Faster Pastor event. Danny Holtgraver of Pittsburgh won his second Sprint Car feature of 2009 at Sharon. ... Tomorrow, it's Fan Appreciation Day at Pittsburgh Raceway Park in New Alexandria. Go to www.pittsburghracewaypark.com for details. ... Aliquippa's Tim Shaffer won the preliminary Wednesday at the Knoxville Nationals and finished seventh Saturday.