3/1/2026
Williams Grove Speedway
Wagaman Jr. Credits Owner And Crew For 2025 Williams Grove Title
Mechanicsburg - Defending track champion Troy Wagaman Jr. of Hanover will begin his 2026 Williams Grove Speedway campaign at the season opener coming up on March 22.
The event will also mark the start of his third full season behind the wheel of Mike Heffner’s No. 27 at the oval.
And he says while he only picked off one win at the Grove in 2025, he has always felt fast there.
“We’ve always had the overall speed there ever since I got in Mike’s car. It was kinda’ surprising honestly,” he says.
In just his first full year in the car he and the team took second in the oval point standings.
“And then we thought if we just cleaned up our outlaws shows (for last year) then we’ll probably be alright (to win the points). We only won once but I feel like I ran second or third like a trillion times,” he says of his 2025 Williams Grove season performance.
The team finished inside the top five on eight occasions aside from their lone victory.
“I knew we were really consistent. Consistency let us fall in. I wish we would’ve won some more but the guys never let me have a mechanical failure and it was just a good year.”
He credits his crew and car owner Heffner of Hellertown for making it all come together.
“The guys got everything thought out – it could be any thing down to an O ring for a bleeder. They have spares for everything. Stuff you wouldn’t think of. Stuff I never would of thought of some times,” he says of his team’s preparedness when they pull into the track.
“Mike gives us everything we need. And it makes it easy on me and I can focus on driving and on the racetrack, to not have to worry. It’s huge, huge, on my mental state and being able to stay consistent.”
And some nights, if he’s not feelin’ the W, that’s okay too.
“There’s just some nights it is what it is,” Wagaman says.
“And there’s just no reason to junk it when you’re just a fourth place car.”
Wagaman, who just turned 29 in mid- February, says he and the Heffner team expect to be at Williams Grove every Friday during the season ahead unless he feels collectively they all need a break from what is shaping up to be a stacked overall schedule for 2026.
“It would be cool to win 10 races, from a personal standpoint. I’ve never done that. But it’s really hard to do,” he says of the overall year ahead.
“We just wanna’ be prepared and ready to go. It’s been a nonstop off-season getting ready to go. We wanna’ get these first draw shows out of the way and then do time trials and see where we stack up.”
Wagaman says car owner Heffner is a one-in-a-million type of guy.
“He’s a very generous guy. He’s always been super generous, always making sure I have everything I need and the guys and I can’t appreciate him enough,” Wagaman says.
“He just cares so much about the sport in general. I don’t think people understand what he is to Central Pa racing.”
“He means so much to me. I can’t ask for more than Mike.”
Wagaman will be looking to score his first ever Williams Grove opening day win when the cars hit the track on March 22 at 2 pm.
The Williams Grove season lidlifter will feature the Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprints in a “sprints only” racing program.
Presented by Hoosier, the 25-lap main will pay $6,000 to the winner as part of the 2026 Pa Posse Racing Series in the region.
Adult general admission for March 22 is $25 with students ages 13-20 admitted for $10.
Kids ages 12 and under are always free at Williams Grove Speedway.
Keep up to date on all the latest speedway news and information by visiting the oval’s official website at www.williamsgrove.com or by visiting the oval on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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Article Credit: Shawn Brouse