Tracks getting ready for season

December 31, 2016

Area speedways and race teams are gearing up for the 2017 season. Selinsgrove Speedway will open the race season April 8 with 360 sprint cars, including the Empire Super Sprint  group, super late models and pro stocks to kick off the year. Two practice sessions are planned on March 25 and April 1 on the newly resurfaced Snyder County oval, which received 120 tri-axle dump truck loads of sifted clay on the track this fall. Selinsgrove promoters will release the full schedule after Jan. 1. The speedway’s annual Susquehanna Valley Mall race car show dates are Feb. 26 through March ...

Travel series set final season schedules

December 10, 2016

The Performance Racing Industry trade show concludes today in Indianapolis. The annual event draws racing people from all over the country. A great deal of racing news is shared during the event. This year is no exception. Final schedules were released by most national race series. Here’s a list of those pertaining to Central Pennsylvania: The World of Outlaws sprint cars visit Lincoln Speedway May 17. Williams Grove hosts Outlaw action May 19-20, July 21-22 and Sept. 28-30. Port Royal Speedway’s race date will now be known as the Nittany Showdown, on Oct. 14. The ...

Racing’s offseason changes continues at all levels

December 3, 2016

The offseason doesn’t seem to exist in racing anymore. Dale Blaney will pilot the the John and Pee Wee Zemaitis-owned Zemco No. 1 in 2017. The 52-year-old Ohio native is a six-time All Star Circuit of Champions title holder. Blaney scored seven All Star wins last season en route to a runner-up finish to champion Chad Kemenah. Blaney is excited about his venture into Pennsylvania where he plans to enter 50 to 60 races next season. The team will start the year in Florida in February. Blaney has a knack of rebounding from adversity quickly. His longtime mechanic, George Fisher, ...

Tracks to honor winners tonight

November 19, 2016

Port Royal and Lincoln speedways hold their award banquets tonight. Champions will be crowned and hopefully there will be some new information about the 2017 season. Lincoln announced the Icebreaker 30 for 410 sprint cars will open the northeast racing season Feb. 25. Offseason work continues at area tracks before winter weather arrives. Path Valley Speedway is in the process of bleacher replacement work. Here’s an update on the silly season of racing: A new driver may be named for the Zemco No. 1 sprint car next week. The rumor mill originally placed Stevie Smith filling that ...

With season complete, sprint car driver shuffle begins

November 12, 2016

It’s officially the offseason for local racers. The silly season has begun. A number of top sprint car drivers are in search of  a ride for 2017, including Dale Blaney, Danny Lasoski and Joey Saldana on the national tours. Area teams have started making changes as well. Lucas Wolfe and Zemco parted ways this past Monday. Wolfe secured the Michael Barshinger ride previously driven by Cory Haas. This team plans 70-80 races next season and a trip to the Knoxville Nationals. The rumor mill has Stevie Smith back in the Zemco ride for the second time. The pair enjoyed success before. ...

Preseason polls prove nothing

November 8, 2016

The most incredible thing I saw all weekend was someone who pointed this out on Twitter: Penn State (7-2) has more wins than Notre Dame (3-6) and Michigan State (2-7) have combined. The Fighting Irish started at No. 10, while the Spartans were No. 12 in the preseason AP poll. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, didn’t receive a single vote in the Top 25 until they beat Ohio State two weeks ago. Now, PSU is 12th in the College Football Playoff poll — likely to rise to at least 10th this week after losses by Nebraska and Florida — and Sunday the Lions moved up to 12th in the AP ...