PHOTO PROVIDED Chase Dietz wins the 2026 season opener at Lincoln Speedway.

It was a perfect opening day, the crowd packed the stands for the annual Ice Breaker and the racing was much needed after enduring a long cold winter and nobody cared what the groundhog said.

The 30-lap, $6,000-to-win sprint car main event had Zeth Sabo and veteran Lance Dewease lead the field to green. Dewease made his debut for new car owner Rich Eichelberger.

Cameron Smith powered to the front, looking to pick up where he left off with his victory in Lincoln Speedway’s final race of the 2025 season. Sabo settled into second with Dewease running third and Danny Dietrich fourth as the field began to sort itself out.

Tyler Ross spun in Turn 3 on lap six and as the field prepared to go back to green, Dewease — running third — pulled to the top of turn three under caution with brake issues, ending his bid for victory despite an early strong run.

Smith restarted in the lead, but Sabo’s aggressive charge resulted in another hard wheelie in turn two that dropped him back to seventh. Dietrich capitalized, advancing to second while Freddie Rahmer moved into third, followed by Logan Rumsey and defending Ice Breaker winner Chase Dietz, who steadily worked forward from his sixth-place starting position.

The lap traffic came into play when Dietz surged past Rahmer for third, while Dietrich closed rapidly on Smith. On lap 16, Dietrich powered off turn two to take command of the race, only to see Dietz continue his charge and claim second one lap later.

Dietz made a bold move off turn four to take the lead on lap 18. The red flag soon followed on lap 19 after Hayden Miller flipped in Turn 1. The field for a restarted with Dietz, Dietrich, Rahmer, Smith and Rumsey forming the top five.

Dietrich battled as the leaders navigated heavy traffic, but Dietz showcased patience and precision, slicing through slower cars to maintain control. Behind them, Rahmer and Smith thrilled fans with a side-by-side battle for third that swapped positions multiple times.

Dietrich made one final push in the closing circuits, but Dietz’s masterful moves in traffic allowed him to pull away and secure the season-opening victory as a caution flew simultaneously with the checkered flag when Billy Dietrich spun in turn four.

On Saturday,Lincoln Speedway is back in action with the 410 sprints. Racing is scheduled for 3 p.m. with pit gates opening at 12:30 p.m. and grandstand gates opening at 1 p.m..

Port Royal opens March 13-14 with the Short Track Super Series. Williams Grove opens on March 22 and the Clinton County opener is April 12.