Trending
For the second atraight week, there’s three nights of 410 sprint car action planned in the area.
This evening it’s a tune-up race at Port Royal. Tune up for what? The All Star Circuit of Champions invade next week for the Bob Weikert Memorial race.
This evening’s program will be run using the All Star race format, allowing drivers to time trial and prepare in the same manner that will be required for next week’s show. That helps level the playing field between the locals and traveling stars. Joining the 410 cars are 305 sprint cars and super late models.
Aaron Ott leads Greg Hodnett in early season sprint car points at Port Royal.
Selinsgrove Speedway is open for business and will host a regular four-division show tonight. Selinsgrove postponed last week’s program, prompting rumors the track would not complete the season. That is not the case – promoter Charlie Paige announced this would be his final season as the operator of the Snyder County oval, but a spokesman for the fair baord that owns the facility indicated earlier this week that it’s hoped an announcement will be made before season’s end on next year’s promoter.
Lincoln Speedway has a regular show tonight. Lance Dewease scored his first win of the season last Saturday night at the Adams County oval.
Is there a better track to watch sprint car racing in our area than Susquehanna Speedway? I’ve never seen a bad race at the York County facility. Last Sunday night was a barn burner with Danny Dietrich outrunning Ryan Smith and Donnie Kreitz Jr. to record the win. Dietrich led the race before giving way to both. Dietrich went on a mission, going to the top of the track and rim rode his way back out front. Dietrich hit the wall hard in turns three and four on the final lap and the bounce was enough to help push him to victory. Fans definitely got their money’s worth of excitement from the event.
Sprint car counts last week improved to 30 at Lincoln, 25 at Port Royal and 26 at Susquehanna. There were some 360 cars from Selinsgrove that helped fill out the fields.
Here’s an injury update on the World of Outlaws drivers hurt at Placerville, Calif., last week: Jason Johnson will be out of action 8-12 weeks with a fractured back. Daryn Pittman had surgery on his broken collarbone and missed all of one weekend. Cody Darrah filled in for Pittman, who announced he will race this weekend.
Donny Schatz is dominating Outlaw action having won four races in California and five overall.
The All Star Circuit of Champions had last week off. They race this evening at Wayne County, Ohio, before arriving tomorrow at Bedford for a Sunday night special.
Lucas Wolfe will campaign the Jim and Laura Allebach orange 5W in races that he’s not scheduled to drive the Zemco sprinter. The equipment is left over from when Wolfe campaigned the same car with the World of Outlaws.
Next Sunday Fred Rahmer presents his special sprint car race at Path Valley Speedway.
Next week’s Weikert Memorial pays $15,000. Todd Weikert is giving away 20 five-pound packages of beef, 10 kids bicycles and the first 450 general admission fans receive a free Weikert hat or coolie cup. Retired great Jack Hewitt will be on hand with his two-seat sprint car for rides. Dave Blaney will likely be in attendance both tonight and next week at the track. Blaney announced he will race at Port Royal tonight.
Now for some sad news. This week we lost longtime race fan and former Port Royal Speedway scoreboard operator Paul Boyer of Lewistown. Boyer served multiple terms on the Juniata County Agricultural Society Board of Directors and faithfully kept the Port Royal Pace truck spotless for years. Boyer was an overall good guy and great race fan. I don’t know of a more devoted Keith Kauffman fan any where.
Boyer popped up at tracks all over the country watching All Star and Outlaw races. Former Port Royal president Tom Little reminded me of one of Boyer’s most famous road trips, which was later remember as funny. It wasn’t funny at the time though. Boyer was heading to the Knoxville, Iowa, Sprint Car Nationals. Boyer arrived at the airport and went to the rental car booth to claim his car. He asked the attendant how far it was to the speedway. The attendant didn’t know what he was talking about. Boyer then said how far is it to Knoxville? He was told it was right down the road. Boyer knew something was wrong because it is a drive from the closest midwest airport to the corn fields of Knoxville, Iowa.
I don’t know how or why. Maybe he got on the wrong plane. Maybe he assumed that the only Knoxville in the world that mattered to any one was in Iowa. Did you figure it out yet? Boyer somehow or another was at an airport in Tennessee. Paul will be missed by those of us that knew him and loved him. There’s another huge race fan at the speedway in the sky.
Until next week, please drive safely!
***
Craig Rutherford writes about motorsports for The Sentinel.