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PORT ROYAL -- The 2023 racing season is set to get underway Sunday afternoon at Port Royal Speedway.
The 81st Annual Opening Day program will feature the sprint cars and late models beginning at 2 p.m. The sprint car feature winner earns $5,000 and the late model winner $4,000.
A practice session is scheduled for Saturday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Fayetteville's Lance Dewease has scored the last two Opening Day feature wins in the sprint cars. Cory Eliason won in 2020. Hometown driver and Port Royal Mayor, Dylan Cisney, won the opener in 2019.
Colton Flinner won the late model opener last season kicking off a six-win championship run for the driver from the Pittsburgh area.
The schedule is once again stacked with high-paying races, not only for the sprint cars, but late models, and limited late models as well.
"I'm very optimistic about the 2023 season," promoter Steve O'Neal said. "We have what I feel is one of the best if not the best schedules in the country with exciting events scheduled weekly."
O'Neal, his promotional team, along with the Juniata County Agricultural society have turned the Juniata County Speed Palace into one of the top dirt track racing facilities in the country.
"The Fair Board continues to reinvest whatever they can back into the facility to continue to make it a nicer facility for everyone, which is all any of us could ask for," O'Neal said. "With that being said, the key to everything is our great fans that we hope continue to come out and enjoy our exciting shows and great facility."
The speedway has become a destination for fans and teams alike. All major dirt track racing sanctioning bodies will make at least one stop at the track this season and 14 different racing divisions among the 37 race dates.
"There are a few new exciting races added to the schedule this year, including a spring and fall two-day Outlaw sprint shows," O'Neal said.
"Along with this year's Dream Race (Saturday, July 29) being a huge
show thanks to Mike Cleck Paving coming on board to sponsor it. We
will run twin 25-lap features for the sprints that night with both
paying $10,000 to win, along with a full program for our late models
paying $5,000 to win."
"Our great sponsors are back and some even stepping it up more for the
season, which is a blessing as it takes everyone's help to run a
schedule like ours."
Like every season, O'Neal has concerns as well.
"Motor parts are still slow in getting ahold of, and this year Hoosier
tire has come out with new tires for both the sprints and our late
model divisions, which I hope will help with the supply issues of the
past year and also add to even more exciting races," he said.
The speedway joins many around the country with major high-paying shows.
"This upcoming year has also seen scheduling from tracks all over the
country with huge events that even a few years back were unthinkable
for short track racing. So, with Flo and Dirtvision tv showing most of
these events it leads to other challenges for all tracks. The bottom
line is to continue to put on exciting races and also to continue to
have our races televised for fans outside our area and for those that
for the night just that cannot be there, we need fans at the track to
support the shows as this is how they are paid for with tickets and
concession revenue along with our great sponsors."
Only five days after the opener, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car
Series visits the track. This will be the earliest in the season the
Outlaws have ever raced at the track. Typically, the Outlaws head from
Florida to the West Coast, but a schedule change this year, partly due
to the cost of travel, have them headed for central Pennsylvania.
The 30-lap sprint car features on Friday and Saturday night both pay
$10,000 to win. Last October, Dillsburg's Anthony Macri swept the
Outlaw shows at the track.
Macri is also the defending Tuscarora 50 Champion. This year's race
will be held Saturday, Sept. 9, and pay the winner $56,000.
Macri had 10 trips to sprint car victory lane at Port Royal in 2022.
The Outlaws head to Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, on Saturday, March
18, and Port Royal will take that Saturday off.
Logan Wagner of Harrisonville made history at the track last season
becoming the first driver to win five straight sprint car track
championships aboard the famous John and Pee Wee Zemaitis Zemco No. 1.
After the week off, sprint cars, late models and the limited late
models headline the next two programs at the track on March 25 and
April 1.
The 305 sprint cars are a big part of the schedule once again in 2023.
The division's first race is set for April 8.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns on Saturday, May 20.
The $29,000 to win Bob Weikert Memorial for the sprint cars is Sunday, May 28.
Port Royal's Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek races are set for
Saturday, July 1, the Greg Hodnett Classic and the Keith Kauffman
Classic on Monday, July 3.
The Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series sanctions the Rumble by The River
on Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26.
The Butch Renninger Memorial will kick off Fair Week on Saturday,
Sept. 2 paying $7,333 to the late model feature winner. The limited
late model winner of the Renninger earns $3,333.