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The All Star Circuit Champions invade tonight for the Bob Weikert Memorial race at Port Royal Speedway.
Since the race’s inception in 2003 there have been seven drivers score Weikert wins. All are regulars in the region. Fred Rahmer won the 2003 and 2004 programs. Todd Shaffer was victorious in 2005 followed by Lance Dewease in 2006. Greg Hodnett won four times – 2007, 2011, 2012 and last year. Jeff Shepard (2008), Stevie Smith (2009) and Doug Esh (2013) also claimed wins.
The event was not held in 2010 because of cold temperatures and high winds.
The Weikert Memorial has become the highest paying race at the Juniata County oval. This evening’s winner receives $15,000 plus contingency money. Last year Greg Hodnett went home with more than $13,000.
What’s in store for fans and drivers this evening? The first 450 fans entering receive a Weikert’s hat or coolie cup. Five boys and girls bicycles will be given away, 20 five-pound packs of beef will be handed out to fans and retired USAC Silver Crown Champion/Hall of Fame driver Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio will have his two-seat sprint car on hand and give three lucky fans a ride around the half-mile oval.
Danny Dietrich pilots the Weikert’s Livestock No. 29 tribute car. Dietrich finished third in last year’s event and put the Weikert car in the winner’s circle during last year’s annual Labor Day race. The Gettysburg driver is expected to challenge in tonight’s main event. Dietrich’s car will be on display for pictures starting at 4:30 p.m. The econo late models and xtreme stocks are part of the program, which gets under way at 7. Gates open at 4.
If tonight’s action isn’t enough, Fred Rahmer presents the first of three Sunday night specials at Path Valley Speedway this weekend. Rahmer should have the oval packed with cars and fans. At least 53 micro sprints are already registered. Many of the All Stars intend to stay and compete in Rahmer’s program. Look for Dave Blaney,Cody Darrah, Lance Dewease, Brian Montieth, Danny Dietrich, Greg Wilson and up-and-coming Parker Price Miller from Kokomo, Ind., at Path Valley – as many as 40 sprint cars are possible.
So who is Parker Price Miller? Maybe the next big thing. The 16-year-old won the 410 sprint car feature a week ago at Freemont, Ohio, Speedway and is the talk of the Midwest.
Hesston Speedway opens next Saturday night featuring semi-lates, e-mods and support classes. It’s good to see the Huntingdon County oval back in business after some time off. Look for a great summer of action at the Seven Points oval.
Eric Parker made it out last Saturday night for the first time at Selinsgrove Speedway. The 2014 PA 305 sprint car champion moved up to 360 racing and admits he has much to learn. Parker finished 17th. The Lewistown driver is headed back to Selinsgrove tonight where he will be joined by late model driver Tim Wilson of McClure. Port Royal Speedway gave the late models the night off allowing Wilson to travel.
Another Lewistown late model driver who could make news soon is Waylon Wagner. Look out if this guy gets a new chassis. I hope someone steps up to help Wagner pick up a fresh car. Wagner has a new 880 horsepower super motor at his disposal. Look out if Wagner’s team gets the power hooked up to the track.
Another Lewistown late model driver off to a good start is Nick Dickson, who has already made it to the winners circle this season. The family team is a threat at any track they visit.
Cumberland, Md., Speedway is reopening in late May after being closed for some time. Crews are hard at work bringing the fairgrounds oval back to life. I’ve been following its progress. As I looked at pictures this week I couldn’t help notice how the covered grandstand appeared very similar to the old grandstand at Port Royal. It sits back from the track and I hope the county, which owns the track, preserves the history.
The sprint car silly season has started early this year. Craig Dollansky left Destiny Motorsports this week and is currently without a ride. David Gravel was fired from Roth Motorsports for a half hour before being hired to replace Dollansky. California sensation Kyle Hirst replaced Gravel at Roth. These cars and drivers all compete on the World of Outlaws circuit.
Keith Kauffman gave a nice memorial tribute to the late Paul Boyer last week at Port Royal. Boyer served many years at Port Royal and other area tracks as scoreboard operator. Boyer lived in Lewistown prior to his passing.
It’s with much sadness I note the passing of Gerald “Jerry” Clark Thursday morning. Jerry was an integral part of the Juniata County Agricultural Society and Port Royal Speedway.
Clark was a long time fair board member, active in speedway operations, from the time the society took over operation of the track from Penn Central Racing Association in the 1960s. Later, Clark became president, guiding the track through some of its most trying times.
The thing I remember most is Clark was steady in his thoughts and decision making. Clark wasn’t interested in doing things like other tracks just because those tracks did them. Clark took the position of doing what was best for Port Royal Speedway. He was steady handling lawsuits when a wheel left the speedway and in the society’s battle over dust with the state Department of Environmental Resources. Both suits had the potential to stop or severely effect racing.
Drivers and owners liked and respected Jerry Clark. His relationship with the late Bob Weikert and Weikert’s family helped improve racing in Central Pennsylvania. Ironically, Clark’s passing came the week of the Weikert race at Port Royal.
Clark stepped down as president in the mid-1980s. He was named director emeritus and was a mentor to other board members learning fair and speedway operations. A dairy farmer for years, Clark retired from farming and worked for a local contractor several years. While there, he had a co-worker, a young racer named Keith Kauffman. Clark periodically asked Kauffman if he was ready to take back a hammer and return to construction. Kauffman normally laughed and declined.
We will miss Jerry Clark. He lived a full life, 93 years. He was inducted into the York County Racing Club Hall of Fame. It won’t be the same driving across Tyson Hill into Port Royal, I’ll miss seeing Clark sitting on his front porch. Jerry Clark made a tremendous impact on local racing. He won’t be forgotten.
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Craig Rutherford writes about motorsports for The Sentinel.