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Happy Independence Day week end! The 2016 edition of PA Sprint Car Speedweek is coming to a close.
Tomorrow’s the Port Royal Speedways hosts their second program of the week. Sunday, Selinsgrove Speedway closes out the series.
Greg Hodnett held the speedweek points lead as this effort was prepared.
Williams Grove Speedway was hit by rain last Friday night which washed out speedweek opening night. Lance Dewease won the Kevin Gobrecht Memorial race Saturday at Lincoln Speedway. Greg Hodnett scored the victory in the Harry Fletcher Tribute event Sunday night at Path Valley. After a day off action resumed Tuesday at Grandview Speedway where the A-Main was postponed after 15 laps were run. Heavy rains were the reason for the stoppage. The program will be completed July 26. Hodnett added to his points lead through time trials and heat races. Racing continued at Hagerstown, MD Wednesday followed by Port Royal last night and Williams Grove Speedway tonight.
Tomorrow’s Port Royal Speedway program includes another leg of the Route 35 Dirt Late Model Challenge. Late Model drivers from Port Royal and Selinsgrove Speedway’s battle for a $ 2,000 top prize. Hayes Mattern of Beavertown, PA won the April 23 kickoff late model challenge at Port Royal.
Steve Buckwalter is the defending Port Royal Speedweek winner.
Selinsgrove Speedway honors the memory of the late Jan Opperman and Dick Bogar tomorrow in the speedweek finale. This duo made history all over the country in the orange Bogar Racing No. 99. During much of their run they were joined by mechanic Ralph Heintzelman and crew member Terry Reidinger. This group was a factor anywhere they chose to compete. At Selinsgrove they scored 19 wins along with the 1973 track championship. Opperman went on to qualify and compete in the 1974 & 76 Indianapolis 500 before returning to PA to compete in sprint cars. Opperman suffered a career ending injury at Jennerstown Speedway in 1981. Opperman passed away in 1997. Dick Bogar passed away in 2014. Bogar’s family lumber company supplied the material which built the current covered grandstand at Selinsgrove Speedway.
Stevie Smith is the defending winner of PA Sprint Car Speedweek and the Opperman/Bogar Memorial at Selinsgrove Speedway.
Lance Dewease, Donnie Kreitz and Davey Brown Sr have been been dubbed the “over the hill gang” by long time racer Lynn Paxton. Only thing is, they are far from being over the hill. Over Dewease’s first nine starts, he visited victory lane four times. Last weeks Lincoln victory was Dewease 20th career speedweek win.
Greg Hodnett scored the 26th speedweek win of his career last Sunday night at Path Valley. Hodnett may be on the way to another speedweek title. Hodnett has won the series four times.
The 60-year young Sammy Swindell won a 360 sprint car race last Saturday night at Knoxville, Iowa Speedway. Swindell fell to seventh place before rallying back to score the win.
Chad Kemenah won the Ohio Sprint Car Speedweek title last week. Kemenah is also the current All Star Circuit of Champions points leader.
The Hesston Speedway hosts a super late model event tonight which pays the winner $1,500.
The 358 late models are going topless this weekend at two area speedways. Susquehanna Speedway hosts action tomorrow. Action shifts to Bedford Speedway Sunday night. In case you are unfamiliar with the term topless, the late model racers remove their roof which allows fans to see the drivers better.
It was nice to see Tony Stewart return to victory lane last Sunday at Sonoma, CA. Stewart is being honored in an unusual way by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During his final season of Sprint Cup competition, a small dirt race track is being built inside the speedway in the turn three area. The track will be usable enough to hold an exhibition race for midget cars when the Sprint Cup cars race there later this month. Current plans are to construct the raceway large enough for a small number of special shows around Indy race weekends. Sprint cars and midgets would be the preferred classes to compete.
Tomorrow’s NASCAR Sprint Cup action is at Daytona International Speedway where NBC TV will take the reigns for the remainder of the season. Tonight’s program gets under way at 7:45 and is on NBC Network.
Happy holiday to all! Hope to see you soon at an area speedway!