Tonight the All Star Circuit of Champions return to Port Royal Speedway for the Bob Weikert Memorial sprint car feature. The race was rained out May 9.
Pro stocks, 305 sprint cars and powder puff racers also are part of the show, which begins at 7.
Weikert was a fixture in sprint car racing for more than three decades. His cars raced all over the country and he once was voted America's most popular race car owner. Weikert always had the best drivers and equipment available and it showed. His intense desire to win was always there and he expected the best from every driver and mechanic that worked for him. They normally delivered.
Weikert believed in rewarding drivers for their success. More than once he gave the driver the entire purse money won and bought Kenny Weld a new car after a National Open race at Williams Grove. That's the kind of guy Bob Weikert was.
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The URC sprint car group races at Selinsgrove Speedway this evening. The pro stocks and roadrunners are also part of the program. Race time is 7.
The Appalachian Mountains Late Model Speedweek program is set to get under way this evening at Hagerstown Speedway. Action moves on to Selinsgrove tomorrow and Winchester, Va., Monday. Williams Grove hosts action Tuesday. Lincoln races Wednesday and Port Royal Thursday. Action closes out next Friday night at Bedford.
Josh Richards of Shinston, W. Va., is the defending series champion. Each race pays $5,000 to win. Features will be 40 laps. Lincoln Speedway's race will be the Charlie Grinestaff Memorial and pay the winner $7,000.
The World of Outlaws run a three day program this week end at Knoxville, Iowa. Local drivers Lance DeWease, Tyler Walker, Daryn Pittman and Adam Wilt plan on heading west.
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The Keystone Cup sprint car series has come and gone. The series had limited success this year. Car counts were good at Lincoln and Selinsgrove. They were off at Grandviwew, Hagerstown and Port Royal. Attendance was off at Hagerstown and Port Royal for sure. Look for promoters to reevaluate this program for 2011.
Some seasoned veterans won races last weekend at area raceways. Rich Eichelberger recently turned 60 and scored wins at Williams Grove and Selinsgrove last week. This was during super sportsman racing where there is no power steering. That's pretty impressive. Also, Jack Pencil won the Three States Flyer race at Hagerstown. Pencil never won at the hub city oval before. I didn't know that and was surprised to find it out. Pencil is a former MACS series and Bedford Speedway champion.
Bedford's World of Outlaws late model race last Friday night was rained out. No make up date has been announced yet. The Outlaws suggested a date in August.
How about Waylon Wagner and Scott Flickinger - talk about two hard chargers. Wagner started 22nd last Saturday night at Port Royal and finished second. Flickinger came from 19th starting spot to fifth. Good job guys. Both race late models.
Jeff Rine rewrote the history book at Selinsgrove Speedway last week. Rine scored his 60th career win at the Snyder County oval. It was also his fifth win in a row. That's a feat that has never been done before in late model competition there.
I also have to congratulate Scotty Haus and Lynn Gaw. They won their first Port Royal late model feature since teaming back up last Saturday night. The car Haus drove is the same one he ran several years ago under a different number. Jim Yoder previously ran this same car.
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Condolences go out to the family of Cowboy Teen Little who passed away this past week. Little fought a brave battle with cancer right until the end. His courage and will should be an inspiration to us all.
Little was the dean of midstate racing broadcasters, having co hosted WJUN 92.5's Racing Round Up for 27 years. A half-hour format on auto racing would be unheard off at most radio stations but Little and his sons made it work Little was on the show just two weeks ago. Services are this morning at Brown Funeral Home in Mifflin.
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NASCAR is in Pennsylvania this week at Pocono. TNT has TV coverage Sunday. Race time is 1 p.m. Tony Stewart is the defending race champion. Kevin Harvick is the current Sprint Cup points leader. Kyle Busch enters the race fresh off a win at Charlotte, N.C., last week end. The Cup cars return to Pocono Aug. 1.
That's going to do it for another week. Get out and enjoy a race at your favorite track. Until next time, please drive safely!
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Craig Rutherford writes about motorsports for The Sentinel. He is associated with Port Royal Speedway.
