Inside Pennsylvania Motorsports - Spring 2023

PA MOTORSPORTS

STAYING ON TRACK

RACING FAMILY STACKING UP WINS

Lifelong friends keep racing in their lives

Spare time not easy to find for Dylan Cisney

lands in national hall of fame

Kreitzer

COVER PHOTO BY ROBERT INGLIS/INSIDE PA: RACERSANDREW YODER, LEFT, DYLAN YODER AND JIM

YODER, OF RURAL MIDDLEBURG, CENTER, IS FLANKED BY FELLOW RACERS NEPHEW ANDREW YODER AND SON DYLAN YODER, RIGHT.

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DRAG RACING DYNASTY

More than four decades of success continues with new generation

Story & photos by Shawn Wood

Motorsports can often be summed up in two words: Passion and family.

The Shrawder family of Paxinos is living proof of both.

From the Thunder Valley Drag Strip in Bristol, Tenn., to their home track of Numidia Dragway, the Shrawders have won high-paying events, track championships, and have made many friends along the way since their debut in the sport in the early 1980s.

Their foray into the world of drag racing came at the hands of Stace Shrawder.

Stace said he got in trouble for street racing a few times and that’s when he decided to take the passion for going fast to the drag strip.

“Our dad, Lester, was not into racing, but he liked hot rods,” Stace said. “We do a lot of work on the cars on our own .When you get to the track, everyone there treats you like family. If you are having a mechanical problem, they

THE SHRAWDER FAMILY OF PAXINOS STAND BY THEIR DRAG CARS BEFORE THE START OF THE 2023 SEASON. LEFT TO RIGHT ARE NATE SHRAWDER, HIS DAD STACE, UNCLE VINCE AND NEPHEW GIANNI CICCARONE IN HIS JUNIOR DRAGSTER.

come over and help or give you a part if you need one to make a pass.”

Lester Shrawder started the Shrawder Building and Excavating, LLC, business in Middleburg in 1967. Stace and his brother Vince run the family business to this day.

They had a third brother Chris, who got Vince into the drag-racing scene. Chris tragically lost his life in an auto accident in 1988 at 19.

Vince was the 2012 track champion in the Super Pro division at Numidia and he also won the prestigious Mutt & Jeff event at Beaver Springs.

“We’re a tight-knit family and there are 10 to 12 people who are helping out at the track all the time,” Vince said. “We love the competition.”

Vince races in the Super Pro division with a 1988

Chevrolet S-10 pick-up truck and his two dragsters.

Vince and Lisa have two children, Angela and Vince Jr., both of whom raced Junior Dragsters.

Angela’s son, 7-year-old Gianni Ciccarone is going into his second season in the Junior Dragster division. He attends Meadowview Christian Academy. His passion for the sport can be compared with that of legendary drag racer John Force.

And that’s not a stretch.

He’s even earned a nickname, ‘The Mayor of Numidia’ as he knows everyone, helps in the ticket booth, and hands out the time slips.

Gianni’s younger brother, Nico, is ready to go racing, but he is 4 and they won’t allow you to make a pass until you are 5.

GIANNI CICCARONE SITS IN HIS JUNIOR DRAGSTER AT HIS GRANDFATHER VINCE’S RACE SHOP IN PAXINOS. THE 7-YEAR-OLD IS READY FOR HIS SECOND SEASON OF JUNIOR DRAG COMPETITION AT NUMIDIA DRAGWAY THIS YEAR.

Their sister, Kierra, also raced in the Junior Dragsters.

“When he first started, I was scared to death to watch,” Angela said of Gianni in the dragster. “But he has caught on quickly.”

With trophies and plaques lining the race shop, it is easy to see the boys took to the sport quickly and have made a name for themselves not only locally, but also on the national scene.

Stace and Vince competed at US 131 Motor Sports Park in Martin, Mich., where the total prize money was more than $1.1 million in 2019. It attracted more than 1,200 cars for both divisions. Stace finished nineth overall out of 500-plus entrants in door-cars with electronics while Vince finished 18th out of 700-plus entrants in the dragster.

They’ll be looking to add to their overall awards when they head to North Carolina next week for the GALOT Motorsport Park Spring Fling.

“We try to get to do three or four travel races a year,” Vince said.

The brothers have also competed at the legendary Rockingham (N.C.) and Darlington (S.C.) drag strips.

Both men noted they can go almost two seasons’ without having to refresh a motor. They spend a couple of hours a week in the shop doing maintenance from changing the oil to checking out the valves.

“My first car was a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, but I wanted to go faster,” Stace said. “So, I switched to the

“WHEN HE FIRST STARTED, I WAS SCARED TO DEATH TO WATCH. BUT HE HAS CAUGHT ON QUICKLY.”

— ANGELA CICCARONE, ON HER SON GIANNI

Camaro and now I’m running a 1994 Chevy Lumina and a 1968 Camaro with a big block Chevy in the Lumina and a 427 cubic inch plant in the Camaro.”

Stace’s personal best so far was a 7.91-second run or 172 miles per hour, on the quarter mile. He won the $20,000 Jim Harrington Bracket Nationals at Numidia on July 17, 2022.

Vince has two perfect passes among his accolades. They came in 1998 and 2018. A perfect pass is where you have a perfect reaction time at the starting line, and you are dead on zero on the dial-in.

Nate, who is Stace’s son, is a 2014 Shikellamy High School graduate. He was captain of the football team and ran the 4x100 meter relay in track. He raced dirt bikes before getting into drag racing. He graduated from Penn State (Main Campus) with a degree in petroleum and natural gas mechanical engineering. He races a few times a year.

As for Gianni, he’s been watching videos on his iPad of his grandfather and uncle racing since he was two. He knows all the drivers.

“I like cleaning the car and it runs on alcohol,” he said. “I beat a 17-year-old last year. That was cool.”

In beating the opposing driver, Gianni had a reaction time of .006 at the starting line.

Gianni is hoping to add to the trophies and plaques in the shop like his grandfather and uncle have.

After all, he comes from a family who eats, sleeps, and bleeds drag racing.

His passion shows it.

THE POWER BEHIND VINCE SHRAWDER’S 2006 SUPER PRO DRAGSTER COMES FROM A 582 C.I. ALL ALUMINUM, BIG BLOCK CHEVY ENGINE.

STICKING TOGETHER

Lifelong friends keep racing in their lives

Story & photos by Shawn Wood

It is a little more than an hour’s drive from Williamsport to Beaver Springs Dragway in western Snyder County, but it’s become second nature for a group of racers from Billtown.

Since they were kids, Nate Clark, Matt Lantz, and Harvey Smith have been attending the drag races at the facility with their dads. Now they are making their own passes on the 1/8th-mile drag strip.

All three men are part of a group of 20 guys who either race, work on cars, build engines, fabricate parts, or help in the pits so that they can compete in heads-up racing where it’s win or go home.

“It’s the first to the end who wins,” said Clark. “You can’t get any more basic than that. It’s more fun for the spectators, I believe. Drag racing is cool. It is more fun to do than to watch once you learn how it works.”

The group also gets together on the first Saturday of the month during the summertime in Williamsport where they can take a couple of laps around downtown and then put

their cars on display while spending time with family and friends.

“We’re trying to get the younger kids into the car culture, rather than having them sit at home and playing on their Xboxes,” Smith said of the Saturday night downtown scene. All three have full-time jobs.

Clark works for the city of Williamsport; Smith is a driller and blasts holes at quarries while doing some side work for local racers and Lantz is a partner at RMJ, a car restoration company. The latter is one of the main sponsors of the racing at Beaver Springs.

Clark married into racing. His wife Lindsay’s dad is Dave Shirn, a pro stock driver who raced at Clinton County Speedway.

Clark races a 1998 Ford GT Mustang while Smith races a 1981 Chevy Camaro and Lantz races a 2002 Chevy Camaro. All three men have worked on each other’s car at various times.

In high school, Clark hated the Ford Mustang, as he grew

HARVEY SMITH, LEFT, HELPS NATE CLARK, RIGHT, TAKE THE MUFFLER OFF HIS 1998 FORD GT MUSTANG DRAG CAR AT CLARK’S RACE SHOP IN WILLIAMSPORT. CLARK IS WAITING ON HIS ENGINE TO RETURN FROM THE BUILDERS.

up a Chevy guy. Now he races one, but with a twist.

“It has a 5.3 LS Chevrolet engine in it and the guy who builds it is a Ford guy,” Clark said. “We had another friend who is also into racing, and he is a Ford guy. I was in a spot and needed a place to live. So, I stayed with him, and he always had Ford-related magazines laying around the apartment.

“I was an import guy when I started getting into cars and in reading the Mustang magazines, I found out that I could buy headers for $300 for a Ford and I was paying $800 for a Chevy 4-cylinder, and that was for one header, and that’s what got me into the Ford,” he said.

“My brother Jeremy was a Chevy guy, but he too runs a blue 1998 Ford Mustang GT with a Chevy LS engine.”

Clark’s dad Randy raced at Beaver Springs back in the day and so did Lantz’s dad whose car was known as the ‘Quarter Pounder.’

All three men ran their personal bests at the track last year in the 1/8th-mile distance with Smith going 5.70 seconds; while Lantz went 5.40 seconds and Nate made a pass at 5.26 seconds, or 134 miles per hour.

“I got into using the LS engine as well,” Smith said. “If it wasn’t for these guys (Matt and Nate) helping me out, I would have gotten out of the sport. The LS engine is like the old-school, small-block Chevy engines, they’re everywhere.”

Each agreed that Beaver Springs Dragway owner Mike McCracken, of Altoona, has kept the family atmosphere

going that previous owner and founder ‘Beaver’ Bob McCardle started many years ago.

“Mike’s a racer but he understands the family aspect of the sport,” Lantz said.

“One time, I had an issue with a fender and was going through the pits to see if someone had one that I could use. I wasn’t having any luck finding one when Mike approached me and asked what was going on. So, I told him the situation and he said he would be right back. He came back to my pit stall a few minutes later with the fender off of his car so that I could race. He wouldn’t take any money for it.”

Clark’s two kids, Maddison, 11, and Ben, 6, are into the drag racing scene as well, not only supporting their dad at the track, but Maddison takes video with a cell phone from the spectator fence of Nate at the starting line so he can see how the suspension is working off the line.

Both kids have the racing bug and agree that they don’t want to see their dad sell the car for them to get a junior dragster; they want to watch him race.

Lantz’s daughter, Olivia, 7, also has the racing bug.

Whether it is straight liners, oval track, or road courses, family is still at the forefront of motorsports.

And that’s the beauty that these friends have been able to pass on to their children and it’s the atmosphere that remains present today at Beaver Springs where they can race, help each other, and know their kids are having a good time as well.

DYLAN CISNEY, LEFT, BENCH RACES WITH LATE MODEL DRIVER RICK ECKERT, RIGHT, WHILE CISNEY’S CREW CHIEF JIM SHREINER, MIDDLE, LOOKS ON, IN THE PITS AT PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY ON OPENING DAY. CISNEY WENT ON TO WIN THE SEASON OPENER FOR THE 410 SPRINT CARS.

Shawn Wood/Inside PA

RACER, MAYOR, SALESMAN, FAMILY MAN

Spare time not easy to find for Cisney

Story by Harold Raker

If this is racing season, Dylan Cisney is busier than a makeup artist at a Kiss concert.

You think you can keep up?

Consider:

Cisney is a fulltime 410 sprint car driver with a 75-race schedule this year and a baby on the way.

He is employed as a traveling salesman by his car sponsor, Valley Supply, which sells construction materials.

He is remodeling his home in Port Royal to make room for the family addition, due in June.

Oh, and he is also the current mayor of Port Royal and is on the ballot in next month’s primary election.

OK, you can pause to take a breath.

He and his wife Maggie have two sons, Connor, 11, and Mason, 2. The 31-year-old has been racing (starting in gokarts) since he was 7. In 2010, as a 17-year-old Juniata High School senior, he raced a 410 sprint car for the first time.

But he ran a full-sized race car when he was 15.

“I was driving a full-sized race car before I was able to drive

a street car,” Cisney said.

After racing go-karts for nearly 14 years, Cisney moved into the super sportsman, the main class at the now defunct Silver Spring Speedway near Mechanicsburg, which included running fulltime in the Super Sportsman touring series. Cisney also raced a 600cc dirt modified.

Cisney never lost hope that his dream of racing a 410 would eventually come true. He came close, racing a 360 sprint car at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, a track owned by two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart.

“My dream has always been to race in NASCAR,” he said. “My means of getting there was to drive a sprint car and I’ve had that opportunity over the last 14 years. I’ve gotten the chance to be in the racing business, and I’ve made a lot of friends.”

He added, I’ve grown up with some of my heroes like Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne and it wasn’t too many years ago that I was watching those guys on TV and now I get to race with them and call them friends, that’s a pretty close second.”

His interest in racing began with his dad, David, who raced

Shawn Wood/Inside Pa

DYLAN CISNEY, LEFT, TALKS WITH CAR CHIEF ADAM STULL, RIGHT, PRIOR TO THE OPENING DAY AT PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY. STULL ASSEMBLES THE CARS FOR CISNEY WHILE DOING MOST OF THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AT THE SHOP.

go-karts for many years, mostly at the local track, Seven Stars Speedway near Thompsontown.

When his dad decided to retire from kart racing, Dylan joined him for his final year.

“We both had our own go-kart and trailer that year and he did most of the work on them,” Dylan said.

“After one year of that, dad hung it up and turned into a fulltime owner for the next 21 or 22 years,” he said.

His dad owned the karts, and also bought his modified sportsman and finally the 410 in 2010. David’s final season as a car owner was 2021, when Dylan got an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Veteran Wisconsin sprint car owner Scott Cowman, who had been involved with the Cisneys’ racing operation for several years, gave Dylan the chance to race his car.

At the time, Dylan was racing the family car as well as some shows with Cowman’s car.

Both cars were being run out of the Cisneys’ race shop, but there were two separate teams and two of everything from trucks to tools to pit buggies to ties.

“Things were working out but it was a lot of extra work to keep track of everything” Dylan said. “So when Scott presented me the opportunity we decided that would be the way to go.”

Dylan didn’t betray the boss’ confidence in him. The team drove 13 hours to run a pair of races near Cowman’s hometown in Wisconsin and Dylan won both.

But it was not all fun and games that year.

Dylan unwillingly became part of a widely viewed internet

video last fall when he was involved in a death-defying crash in the annual Tuscarora 50 race at Port Royal. Cisney’s car tangled with another, flipped upside down and caught fire.

Fellow racers Danny Dietrich and Logan Wagner, along with track safety crew members, rushed to free him from the burning wreckage.

Yet, Cisney, thankful for the quick work of everyone involved, never gave a thought to walking away from racing.

“I was in the shop the next morning limping around and getting things moved around and getting the car cleaned up,” he said.

“We took the weekend off to rebuild and got ready to go again,” he said.

“You can ‘t worry about that stuff,” he said. “You have to be mentally tough as much as you are physically tough.”

This season, his second full campaign with Cowman, started out much better. He won the 81st season opener at Port Royal last month, coming out of a late four-car battle and making a last-lap pass for his second career 410 win at Port.

One goal this year is to get back to Eldora, this time in a 410 to run in the King’s Royal.

“That would be the next big one we would like to tackle,” he said.

Cisney, who had numerous setbacks last season, in addition to the wreck at Port Royal, hopes the opening race was an omen and that he has put his bad racing luck behind him in his first year with his third child.

STAYING ONTRACK

THE YODER RACE TEAM POSES IN FRONT OF THEIR THREE LATE MODEL STOCK CARS. FROM LEFT, ANDREW, DYLAN AND JIM.

Racing family stacking up wins

Story by Harold Raker

Photos by Robert Inglis

Doing an interview about his family’s stock car racing one afternoon last month, Andrew Yoder could see his 3-year-old son, River, enjoying himself on the front lawn of his uncle Jim’s home in the rolling hills of rural Snyder County.

Andrew may also have been looking at the next generation of Yoder Racing.

At 28, Andrew is the youngest of the successful Yoder family of race drivers. The others are his uncle Jim, 55, and Jim’s son, Dylan, 31. Jim and Dylan race as a team while Andrew, helped by his uncle Gene (Jim’s brother) run their own operation. Their shops are located about two miles apart between Selinsgrove and Middleburg.

Between the two race shops, the wins are piling up with no apparent end in sight.

Jim and Gene were neighbors growing up with engine builder Phil Miller. Miller and his dad talked Jim into racing and Gene joined him in the pits.

“I always said he’s the one I blame for getting me involved in this,” said Jim said with a laugh about Miller, who is one of

JIM YODER HAS RACED STOCK CARS FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS AND HAS WON FEATURES IN STREET STOCKS, LIMITED LATE MODELS AND SUPER LATE MODELS AT TRACKS IN PENNSYLVANIA AND NEARBY STATES.

his race care sponsors. “He got me involved in this and now I can’t quit.”

Nevertheless, they are having too much fun racing to think about quitting.

Jim, who started racing stock cars (street stocks and semilates) in the mid-1980s, moving into the super late models in 1991, doesn’t know how many wins he has, but the first one came 26 years ago, and he has won a race or two nearly every year since, but usually many more.

“I was keeping track for a while but I haven’t looked at it,” he said, “but it would probably be close to 100.”

All along, both Jim and Gene had an idea they would one day be joined on the track by their own sons.

Gene saw the potential in Andrew at a young age when the future late model standout started claiming checkered flags and track championships in a variety of go-kart classes.

“Andrew was good at it right off the bat, so we stuck with it, and it just went from there,” Gene said. “He had the knack for it.”

Gene knew Andrew was headed for the big tracks. In fact, “I wanted us to do it earlier.”

The first time they put Andrew in a super late model, a huge jump up from karts, Yoder entered the Chili 100 race at Clinton County Speedway and ran all 100 laps, finishing ninth. He followed that up by winning his first three races in the Econo class at Port Royal Speedway.

Dylan had his own kart when he was 7 or 8 and started racing at age 9 at Selinsgrove Raceway Park, located on the

400MILESofTRAILS

LATE MODEL CHASSIS IN JIM YODER’S RACE SHOP AWAIT THE START OF THE RACES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AND ELSEWHERE.

THAT FIRST

inside of the half-mile Selinsgrove Speedway. In fact, he won the first race ever held on the track’s opening day.

“I won that first race and I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said. “(Winning) that first time, that’s what got me started and I didn’t want to quit after that.”

The Shippensburg University graduate and former eighthgrade mathematics teacher in the Line Mountain School District went on to win more than 100 kart races before moving up, as he and his father planned, to the limited and eventually super late models.

Unlike his go-kart racing, success was a little slower to find Dylan in the super late models. Nevertheless, that first win is one he will not forget.

It came in the prestigious Labor Day race at Port Royal Speedway in his first season racing with Krenn Motorsports. But it gets better.

“I was 17, and I passed Scottie Haus for the win,” Dylan recalled, referring to the legendary racer who dominated Port Royal Speedway for years.

From there, Dylan started collecting wins and track championships to add to his improving resume.

He has won two track titles at Port Royal and, had it not been for the track’s all-time win leader, Danville’s Jeff Rine, he would probably have won a few at his home track of Selinsgrove.

“I ran second to Rine a few times,” Dylan said, adding, “He spoils my fun.”

Dylan, father of a 3-year-old daughter, Ella, now works for a

“I WON

RACE AND I’VE BEEN HOOKED EVER SINCE. ( WINNING ) THAT FIRST TIME, THAT’S WHAT GOT ME STARTED AND I DIDN’T WANT TO QUIT AFTER THAT.”

— DYLAN YODER

DYLAN YODER, WHO WON MORE THAN 100 GO-KART RACES, HAS FOLLOWED HIS DAD, JIM, IN RACING LIMITED LATE MODELS AND SUPER LATE MODELS, AND HAS WON TWO TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS AT PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY.

restaurant supply company in Buckhorn and his schedule –12-hour days Tuesday through Thursday – allows him to be free to race.

Meanwhile, Andrew was just starting to go kart racing when Dylan moved up to the bigger tracks and bigger cars. Before moving into stock cars, Andrew was a crew member for Dylan.

Not only did Andrew win on the kart tracks, but he also got a chance to race Jim’s super late model in the former Chili 100 at Clinton County Speedway in 2013. He ran all 100 laps in his first outing in a super late and finished ninth.

The next year, he won his first three races at Port Royal in the Econo late model class.

Andrew started racing go-karts in 2007, and sold all his karts and equipment in 2023 to race limited late models.

“I always wanted to go (late model racing) at Clinton but Port started a two-barrel class and I found a neighbor who had a car and it was pretty much ‘here you go.’ Things fell the right way, it was kind of what I was hoping for,” Andrew said.

He said there were some difficult moments early, but “once I started going it was kind of there.”

“It wasn’t the best but if you pay attention, you learn a lot and when someone is trying to teach you something, you pay attention,” Andrew added.

He has since run a super late model for Ed Powell Motorsports but also raced limiteds, where he won the Selinsgrove track championship in the last two seasons.

As the 2023 season got under way, Andrew said he didn’t

A CARBURETOR FROM ONE OF THE YODERS’ RACE CARS SETS IN JIM’S SHOP.

“I have always had a passion for racing whether it were 2 Matchbox cars rolling down hill, who’s paper airplane could go farther or a good ole fashion foot race. I just needed to do my best and challenge myself. We practice our business in asimilar way by continuing to work on speed and accuracyfor the customer so they can get back to their busy schedules knowing that they are in a safe and reliable vehicle”.

- Larry

THE YODERS, FROM LEFT ANDREW, DYLAN AND JIM, ARE READY TO GO FOR MORE CHECKERED FLAGS IN 2023.

Saturday, March 18:Shor tTrack SuperSeriesIcebreakerforModifieds &602CrateSportsmanModifieds

Saturday, April1: PASS305SprintCars,LimitedLateModels &Roadrunners

Saturday, April8:SuperLateModels,LimitedLateModels &Roadrunners

Saturday, April22:URC360/358Challenge &PASS305SprintCars

Sunday, April23: 410 SprintCar s&IMC AModifieds

Saturday, May6:SuperLateModels, WingedSuperSportsman &Roadrunners

Saturday, May13: PASS305SprintCars,LimitedLateModels &Roadrunners

Sunday, May14: 410 SprintCar s&SuperLateModels RayT illeyClassic

Saturday, May27: TBD

Saturday, June3:URC360/358SprintCar s&LimitedLateModels

Saturday, June 10:PASS305SprintCars,LimitedLateModels &Roadrunners

Sunday, June 18:AppalachianMountainLateModelSpeedweek/PaulLongMemorial/ 25thAnnualSuperLateModelNationalOpen&358SprintCars

Saturday, June 24:PASS305SprintCars,LimitedLateModels, &Roadrunners

Sunday, July2:PASpeedweekOpperman-Bogar-HeintzelmanMemorialfor 410 SprintCar s&W inglessSportsman

Saturday, July8:PASS305SprintCars,LimitedLateModels &Roadrunners

Sunday, July23: 410SprintCar s&TheJoeWhitcombMemorialURC360/358SprintCars

Saturday, July29: PASS305SprintCars, Roadrunners&TBA

Saturday, August5:PASS305SprintCars, Roadrunner s&TBA

Sunday, August20:TEZO’SAIl StarCircuitofChampion 410 SprintCar s&PASS305SprintCars-KramerCup

Saturday, August26: PASS305SprintCars,LimitedLateModels &Roadrunners

Sunday, September 3: 410SprintCar s&SuperLateModels

Saturday, September 16:Jim Nace Memorial 41st Annual NationalOpenfor 410 SprintCar s&TBD

Sunday, September 17:Jim NaceMemorial NationalOpenfor360/358SprintCars

plan to run for points anywhere, but that can change if you win the first race or two.

He has won titles at Clinton, Selinsgrove and Port Royal but he said the most fun he had was in 2019 when he won the championship in the former Mason-Dixon traveling series.

“Out of everything, that was the best one,” he said, adding that if such a series would return, he might be interested.

Andrew, who works with his dad running a garage in Kreamer, said he doesn’t see himself leaving racing, at least not because of his family.

“I met my wife (Krista) at the racetrack. She loves it, the kid loves it and I have a kart for him whenever he’s ready.’’

The Yoder Racing family shows no signs of winding down.

Jim, who is a modular home builder foreman by day, said he plans to race a few more years, or “as long as I can win.”

He added, “I’ll keep trying as long as I am in the hunt.”

The Yoders have occasionally raced at the same track at the same time and finished one-two-three in a couple of limited races, but not yet in the supers. Jim and Dylan have finished one-two in the supers a few times.

JIM YODER’S SHOP HOLDS SOME OF THE TROPHIES THAT HE AND HIS SON, DYLAN, HAVE WON ON A VARIETY OF RACETRACKS.

“It took me a long time to beat him in the feature,” Dylan said of racing with his dad. “But when I did, we ran first and second a couple times (at Selinsgrove).

“Once he passed me with five to go and we finished onetwo and another time we were side-by-side coming to the checker. I ran him down and almost passed him at the checkers,” Dylan said.

Added Jim, “I just enjoy racing as long as long as we’re doing good. We like to beat each other, but we don’t try to overdo it.”

Gene is having just as much fun working to make the cars go fast and spending time with the family.

“We’ve had a lot of fun, I wouldn’t want do anything else,” he said

Gene admits that when the three Yoders do race together, they do want to win, but having fun is the most important. “We do it all ourselves. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

“It’s a lot of fun, it sure is.”

And just maybe the oldest member of the racing clan will be around long enough to see River join in the action.

ANDREW YODER, LEFT, AND CREW MEMBERS UNLOAD HIS LATE MODEL RACE CAR FROM THE HAULER.

ANDREW YODER, WHO WON A LOT OF RACES IN A VARIETY OF GOKART CLASSES, IS THE TWO-TIME DEFENDING LIMITED LATE MODEL CHAMPION AT SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY. HE WILL CONTINUE TO RACE BOTH CLASSES OF STOCK CARS THIS SEASON AND TRY TO KEEP ADDING TO HIS WIN TOTAL.

TheROTTEN FORGOTTEN

Series bringing back old clunkers for one last ride

Story by Gene Ostrowski

little more than 18 months ago, Joe Jensen of Nescopeck, and his brothers, had a conversation about how sad it was that so many old and used-up circle track race cars were just setting and rotting away.

Collectively, they kicked around the idea of somehow resurrecting those cars and, with a minor investment, getting them back to the track for racers to have some fun without going broke in the process. Shortly after, the “Rotten Forgotten Racing Series” was born.

When putting the weekend card of racing together, racetrack promoters typically try to pack in racers and fans for the best possible show that runs between two and three hours. From the outside, the feat seems pretty straight forward, but there are many obstacles such as running too many divisions that make it challenging. With that in mind, many area racetracks have cut back on the number of divisions on any particular night, while others have tried to combine weekly divisions and adjust the rules accordingly.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it ends with racers leaving the sport and cars sitting in the weeds because they no longer fit into any specific class of competition.

The Jensens had hoped their new racing series could help bring some light back for some of those old cars and racers that just want to get on the track and have a little bit of fun. What they had hoped for has begun to come true. Remember, they are all very familiar with success when it comes to racing.

“We are all too familiar with what it costs to have success

in racing. Racing should be a fun release on one’s weekend, not another job that comes with a mortgage,” noted Joe.

Joe is one of six brothers who have a strong family history with going fast, racing and winning. After all, their father, Dan, is a very knowledgeable mechanic and racer, who with very limited funds, crafted and drove many race cars to victory. Another well-known relative is their uncle, Richie Jensen. Back in the late 1980s and into the ‘90s, whether it was on dirt or asphalt throughout the northeast, the man to beat on any given night was Richie Jensen.

With 63 wins and six consecutive championships (seven overall), Richie dominated the Late Model division at Selinsgrove Speedway. With a home-built Asphalt Modified, he was the kingpin of the division when it came to open competition events at Evergreen Raceway, the same track in which he also holds two Late Model titles.

Joe’s brother, Noah, is a former Clinton County Speedway Pro Stock champion and their father, Danny, is very familiar with victory lane himself. Ironically, the majority of the Jensen clan are very experienced drag racers as well, stemming from their uncle, Andy.

Andy Jensen has been winning drag racing events and championships for decades. His lifetime of accomplishments in the sport is a whole other story in itself.

Last winter, Joe contacted Evergreen Raceway promoter Jason Makarewicz during the off-season. His goal was to persuade Jason into allowing his newly born “Rotten Forgotten Series” to compete on select race days during the 2022 season. He was nearly turned away at first, but

the two worked out a deal that was beneficial for the track and the racers in the division. The intent was to keep the competition close, the fans engaged and the cost low, which included no track payout for those events.

For decades, the Jensen family has always held a special place in their hearts for Evergreen Raceway, which is just a handful of miles from where they live.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for Evergreen Raceway,” said Joe.

“My Uncle, Murf Conklin,’ is racing’s biggest supporter, and has had a huge effect on the passion my brothers and I have for stockcar racing. Murf probably took us over to Evergreen a hundred times in the late 90s and early 2000s.”

Normally, no track payout means little or no racer support. However, Joe set out to change that. His focus was to put something fun together for the drivers, where they wouldn’t get sidetracked by winnings, points, etc. The series is run more like a racing club, separate from a regular track division. They have their own tech person, own rules, own sponsors and own fun.

“It was a far-fetched idea, but we thought that it was possible,” said Joe Jensen. “We just had to come up with the right set of rules and enforce them, not to mention finding a place to race.”

When the division kicked off last season, there were a handful of cars, many of which were raced by the Jensen and Dawson families. The cars ranged from old asphalt Street Stocks and Pro Stocks to dirt Pro Stocks and Late Models. The series grew during the course of the season

and several former racers came out of the woodwork and have begun to refurbish some of the older racecars during the offseason.

Since its inception, a tire rule was established to help equalize the competition and give the racers an affordable path into the joy of short track racing. Depending on the type of racecar, racers would often change tires after one or two nights of competition. That isn’t the case for the Rotten Forgotten racers, many of which raced the entire season on one set of street legal DOT tires.

“Implementing the tire rule is what really helps us enforce the competition,” noted Joe. “Obviously, with the mix of cars that we have in the class, some have much more power than others and that’s where the tires play their part. Having too much power with the street legal tire will limit the traction and the tires will spin, in turn reducing speed.”

“It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Many racers have had their eye on the new class that has found a home at Evergreen Raceway, including Moe Hunsicker of Drums. Moe is a competitor in Evergreen’s Factory Stock division, but he’s been spending time prepping a ride for his 16 year old daughter, Paige, who is planning on joining the action in the series by making her stock car debut in the 72C FireHouse Music Chevy.

Excited about the opportunity to compete in the series, Paige Hunsinger said, “I have been driving since I was five, racing karts with my dad. Now I finally get to race big cars!”

The group had hoped for just a handful of dates for the

Photo provided by Bill Elkins SAM JENSEN (16) DRIVES INSIDE TOMMY DAWSON IN A ROTTEN FORGOTTEN SERIES EVENT LAST YEAR.

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2022 season at Evergreen. With success, the track has invited them back, giving them 14 race dates this season. Even though Evergreen will host the majority of the race dates for the series, Joe did mention that he and his team have been in contact with other tracks within the area to gauge their interest.

“We’re definitely looking into some other tracks as well,” he said.

“If they work with us and we have support from the racers and fans, we’ll be there.”

Some of the series regulars from the towns of Nescopeck and Hobbie alone are Sammy, Danny, Joe, Tommy, Jonny and

APR22/23

Noah “Chub’’ Jensen and Tommy and “Big Tom” Dawson. The series sponsors and supporters consist of J’s Auto Detailing, Mathews Fuel Service, Nescopeck Custom Machine and Jensen’s Engine Technologies. Any drivers who are interested in the series can and would like any questions answered can contact Joe through The Rotten Forgotten Racing Series group on Facebook.

Evergreen Raceway Rotten Forgotten dates: May 21, May 28, June 11, June 18, June 25, July 2, July 16, July 30, Aug.13, Aug. 20, Sept. 3, Sept. 10, Oct. 1 and Oct. 13-16 (King of the Green Weekend), race date to be determined.

DRIFTEVERGREEN

APR29 OPENPRACTICEFORALLDIVISIONS

APR30

MAY7

MAY13

MAY20

MAY21

ENDURO/OPENPRACTICEFORALLDIVISIONS

TOURMODS/602MODS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/NOVICE PLUSECTQMandJuiceboxRaces

DRIFTCLINIC

RUSTY WALLACE RACINGEXPERIENCE

LATEMODELS/FACTORY STOCKS/RAF/NOVICE/ECTQM

FANAPPRECIATION DAY/FAMILYDAY/AUTOGRAPH DAY$8GRANDSTANDS-LMTWIN25’SPLUSJuiceBoxRaces

MAY28

JUNE3/4

JUNE11

JUNE18

JUNE25

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JULY8/9

EVERGREENMODS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/RAF/LEG/BANDOS MEMORIAL DAYSPECTACULAR -CONERACESFORSTREETSTOCKS

DRIFTEVERGREEN

LATEMODELS/602MODS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/NOVICE/RAF EGR/MVSRACE#2602DTS -LATEMODELCONERACE

TOURMODS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/RAF

TONYFISHERMEMORIALTMTWIN25’S-EGR/MVSRACE#24CYLDTS -PLUSJuiceboxRaces

EVERGREENMODS/LATEMODELS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/NOVICE WIREGUYS DAY-ConeRaceforEvergreenRaces

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LARRYD APPRECIATIONSS Twin20’s

DRIFTEVERGREEN

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EVERGREENMODS/LATEMODELS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/RAF PLUS ATQMRA -ConeRacefor4CYL

JULY30 602MODS/LATEMODELS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/RAF/NOVICE CHRISTMASINJULY- ConeRacefor603 -PLUSJuiceBoxRaces

AUG5/6

DRIFTCOMPETITION#1

AUG13 602MODS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/NOVICE/RAF EGR/MVSRACE#4602DTS

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TOURMODS/LATEMODELS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/RAF EGR/MVSRACE#44CYLDTS -ConeRaceforTM -PLUSJuiceboxRaces

DRIFTEVERGREEN

EVERGREENMODS/FACTORY STOCKS/RAF/NOVICE/LEG/BANDO

ATQMRA-AmericanThreeQuarter MidgetRacingAssoc.

ECTQM -EastCoastTQMidgets

RAF -Rottenand Forgotten

SHOWISCONSIDEREDCOMPLETE AFTERALLHEATSAND RUN

SEPT9

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OCT1

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OCT20/21/22

OCT28/29

RUSTY WALLACE RACINGEXPERIENCE

TOURMODS/LATEODELS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/RAF/ATQMRA

602MODS/LATEMODELS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/NOVICE/ECTQM

EGR/MVSRACE#5602DTS -PLUSJuiceboxRaces

DRIFTEVERGREEN

LATEMODELS/STREETSTOCKS/4CYL/NOVICE/RAF

EGR/MVSRACE#5602DTS

DRIFTCOMPETITION#2

RAIN

HALLOWEENDRIFTBASH

Photo provided by Bill Elkins

JOE JENSEN CELEBRATES A WIN IN VICTORY LANE WITH HIS DAUGHER, CHARLJ, LAST OCTOBER.

THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN

Kreitzer’s track(s) record lands him in national hall of fame

Story by Shawn Wood

James Brown, known as the hardest working man in show business once said, “Music — it requires more than brawn. It requires a lot of heart. You gotta put love in there.”

Change the quote to motorsports rather than music and you’d be referencing Alan Kreitzer.

The son of a World War II U.S. Navy Veteran, Kreitzer was born in 1953 and almost immediately into the world of local dirt track racing.

That same year, his maternal grandfather Ray Garver Sr. built the 3/8th-mile Silver Spring Speedway in Mechanicsburg.

Seventy years later, Kreitzer’s passion for the sport, his love for his motorsports family, and the global respect that he has earned find him being an inductee in the promoter’s category at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa, next month.

“Bob Baker from the Hall of Fame called me to let me know

RACING

Photo provided

ALAN KREITZER RACES HIS SPORTSMAN AT SILVER SPRING SPEEDWAY IN 1975.

that I had been selected,” Kreitzer said. “It was unexpected but very nice.”

From track prep to promotions to even a stint as a driver, Kreitzer has done it all in Central Pennsylvania.

“My dad, Will, promoted Silver Spring from its inception, and I literally grew up in auto racing,” Kreitzer said. “It was something that became second nature to me as well as my entire family. We were all involved and enjoyed it and worked on it as a family.”

The land upon which Silver Spring was built was owned by Kreitzer’s maternal grandfather.

“He was approached by the Penn-Mar Racing Association, which was a stock-car club at the time, about building a track for Wednesday night racing,” Kreitzer said. “He was an entrepreneur, and he purchased the property during the World War II timeframe.

“He had an auction house and livestock market already on site, so, he proceeded to construct the speedway. After one night, Penn-Mar didn’t think they were going to be able to race (weekly). So, my grandfather put my dad, who had an interest in auto racing, in charge and that’s how it all started.”

By the time Alan was 12, he was running the water truck at the track on Fridays. His dad would water the track on

Saturdays.

A few years later, after Alan admitted he was a bit of a pain in the butt, his dad gave him his first taste of running the grader.

“To this day, I truly enjoy running the grader,” Kreitzer said.

It was not an unfamiliar sight to see Kreitzer on the grader at other tracks that he has promoted.

Kreitzer spent the 1976 season racing in the sportsman division at Silver Spring, but it started to become a bit of a problem with his dad being the track promoter.

“I enjoyed the racing, but I really enjoyed the promotional side of the sport more,” he said.

Kreitzer graduated from Elizabethtown College in 1979 with a degree in business administration, economics and computer science. He worked at Merrill Lynch in Harrisburg right out of school as a stockbroker.

“I was still doing promotions at the time as dad took care of the track during the day so that I could work a real job and I did the promotions in the evening,” Kreitzer noted.

In 1986, his dad passed away and Kreitzer was trying to keep the real job and the speedway going at the same time, but it came to be that it was too much to do.

“I wasn’t able to do due justice to both jobs on a full-time

Photos provided

ABOVE: ALAN KREITZER, LEFT, INTERVIEWS KYLE PETTY AFTER A RACE. RIGHT: ALAN KREITZER PERCHES ON THE WALL DURING A RACE.

basis, so I resigned my position at Merrill Lynch and took over the promotions at Silver Spring full-time,” he said.

The speedway closed in 2005, but most of its Saturday night programs were moved to nearby Williams Grove, also on Saturday nights.

Kreitzer is quick to point out the success of the track not only came from the family but from those who work behind the scenes as well.

“They were more than just friends, they became family over time, and I was very blessed at all of the tracks that I was at to have great people working for me,” he said,

Among them is his wife Sherry of 36 years. The couple has been together for a half-century. Her dad was a car owner at Silver Spring and of Alan’s four sisters, two are married to racing people.

Kreitzer noted it was his dad who started the Sportsman 100 event at Silver Springs. Race fans still talk about the drivers who won the event at the track.

In 1991, while operating Susquehanna Speedway, Kreitzer produced an idea that turned out to be one of his biggestever contributions to the Central Pennsylvania sprint-car scene.

“We were trying to run a Sunday-night, sprint-car show and it’s not easy as you are at the end of the line, both for fan money and cars,” he said. “And on our holiday weekend, like the July 4 holiday, a lot of our good cars were leaving us to go to Ohio Speedweek.’’

“So, the thought was that if the local tracks at that time,

(Williams Grove, Lincoln, Susquehanna), would go together and promote a series, then it might keep some of our guys at home.”

The late Hall of Fame inductee Steve Smith won the first five-race series, and that was the birth of Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedway Week. It remains one of the most anticipated events on the sprint-car calendar to this day.

The following year, Silver Spring, Path Valley, Hagerstown, and Selinsgrove joined the schedule. The series has grown exponentially since.

The 2023 season marks the 34th year of the event and its biggest point fund ever at $30,000 with six of the 10 nights paying $10,000 to win the feature.

“It has turned into something pretty good,” Kreitzer said in an understatement. “Nick Toro at Williams Grove saw the value of trying to keep the local drivers at home. I think the other tracks were kind of a ‘show-me thing’ and they wanted to see if it would work and after the first year, they saw the value of it.”

Kreitzer added, “I have personally found that cooperation in Central Pennsylvania is pretty good when you have something reasonable, and I think Speed Week is that. I got along well with all the promoters throughout the years.”

And at this stage in life, Kreitzer is showing no signs of slowing down in his love for motorsports.

“I still enjoy watching racing,” he said. “Dirt track racing is one of the most exciting things to be involved with. I’ve never lost that passion.”

And that’s something even the Godfather of Soul could dig.

A LEGACY CONTINUES

Next generation of Heydenreich family getting behind the wheel

Story

When your last name is Heydenreich and you live in Bloomsburg, it is fair to say that you will have racing and coal dust running in your veins and have driven around in circles at some point in your life.

In this sense, going in circles means turning left, to go right.

The next generation of open-wheel racers to carry on the Heydenreich name are Dane and Cole Heydenreich, of Bloomsburg, sons of open-wheel racer Eric Heydenreich and his wife Jessalynn.

Their famed cousin is longtime open-wheel chauffer John Heydenreich, who lives in Indianapolis. The latter is a veteran of the USAC Midget National Series and USAC Silver Crown series and was the 1990 winner of the

prestigious Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. The boys, Cole 10, and Dane 9 started racing go-karts when they were 4. They attend Central Columbia Middle School where Cole is in 5th grade, and Dane is in 4th grade.

Their younger brother Hank, who just turned 4, will probably begin his racing career near the end of next year.

Along with racing, the boys also have an interest in baseball. They not only enjoy playing the game but also attend Phillies games and they like motorsports-related video games.

“They are both pretty good racers in the go-karts and quarter-midgets,” Eric said. “Cole is an aggressive driver, and he enjoys racing the micro sprint.”

Cole expressed to his dad that he wants to run both the

& photos by Shawn Wood

ERIC HEYDENREICH, LEFT, WORKS WITH HIS SON COLE, ON HIS 125CC MICRO SPRINT AS THEY PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING RACING SEASON AT THE FAMILY RACE SHOP.

micro and go-kart this year.

“I wasn’t as aggressive a driver as Cole is,” Eric said when asked if he saw any similarities between his driving and the boys' driving when he was their age. “Cole is good at avoiding wrecks. They want to go to different tracks, and they want to run to have fun.”

Cole, who enjoys math in school (his mom has a mechanical engineering degree from Penn State), races Rookie blue go-karts, 125cc micro sprints, and quartermidgets. He may move up to the 250cc rookie micro sprintcar class at some point this year.

Dane, who likes social studies in schools races the Rookie purple go-karts and the quarter-midget.

“The quarter-midgets are great for side-by-side racing but on the other hand it is really hard to pass,” Eric said of the boys’ ability to run multiple classes and learn the art of

racing. “In the go-karts, at a track like Greenwood, it’s a big track and it gets you better at being smooth and staying out of trouble. You run both (classes) and it helps you in the long run.

“That translated over into the micro for Cole and in his first time out last year he was pretty much up to speed with them and it’s a good class to learn in.”

Cole, who wanted to race motorcycles at Motorama in Harrisburg this year, was runner-up in the go-kart track title at Greenwood a few years ago.

During the winter months, the boys keep their need for speed going as they race Radio Controlled trucks with their dad at the Bloomsburg Raceway and Hobby shop.

The family suffered a devastating house fire on Febr. 19, 2021, in which they lost everything including the boys’ gokarts and related equipment along with their RC trucks.

THE YOUNGEST OF THE THREE HEYDENREICH BOYS, HANK, SITS IN HIS DAD’S MIDGET AS HE AWAITS HIS TURN TO RACE AND CARRY ON THE FAMILY NAME ON THE DIRT TRACKS OF PENNSYLANIA.

While the family made it out alive, they lost their Beagle named Blue, despite a valiant effort by Eric to run back into the house and rescue her.

“We were lucky the quarter midgets were in the trailer in the driveway and the firemen on scene were able to keep the trailer from being involved,” Jess said. “Aside from a melted taillight, the trailer and all contents were spared.”

The racing family stepped right in to help ease the burden of their losses.

“Our families and racing community were incredibly generous,” Jess said of the support after the fire. “The board at Keystone Quarter Midgets was generous and replaced the end-of-season gifts that were given to the boys several weeks before the fire, including awards and photos.”

Jess’ family has no racing history, but her dad, Marty Chamberlin, a car and motorcycle guy, really enjoys helping in the pits.

With the family-owned coal business, Sones Coal Yard, and their involvement with concession stands at county fairs and the baseball schedule, the boys don’t run for points but have raced at places like Keystone, Lehigh Valley, and Snydersville, for the quarter-midget while they have run go-karts at Selinsgrove Raceway Park and Greenwood Action Track.

“I’ll probably run the micro more than the go-kart,” Cole said. “I like being either the pitcher or catcher in baseball.”

“I like that I can go to the track and have fun,” Dane said about racing. “I like being a pitcher and going to the Phillies games.”

Robert Ballou is Cole’s favorite driver while Brady Bacon is Dane’s favorite driver.

Their grandfather, Rich Heydenreich, also raced quartermidgets back in the day.

“I got a big ride in the midget at Bloomsburg Raceway last year when Eric wasn’t around,” Rich said. “I putted around and got my feet wet in the midget, but Uncle Freddy (Fred Heydenreich, John’s father) raced under Fred Charles. He had one of the few roadster midgets in Pennsylvania.”

Rich, who was an elementary school teacher in Bloomsburg for more than 30 years, having graduated from then Bloomsburg State Teachers College, now Bloomsburg University, still works in the office at the family coal business which has been around for more than 70 years.

“They have potential,” Rich said of his grandsons. “They like to work on the cars, and they are always tinkering with stuff, which is good. The big thing is that it’s a family thing. You hear that from a lot of people in racing, but it truly is. It is a good family sport.”

And when you’re a Heydenreich, racing, and anthracite coal run deep in the family veins.

DANE HEYDENREICH, LEFT, WATCHES AS HIS GRANDFATHER, RICH HEYDENREICH, SHOWS HIM THE PROPER WAY TO SECURE THE LEFT FRONT TIRE ON HIS GO - KART.

Historic Selinsgrove Speedway becomes family business

When fans arrived at the Selinsgrove Speedway season opener last month, they should have immediately noticed some changes. The biggest of which are the names of the promotional team.

Stephanie Baker and her sons, Ethan and Reece Stutts, took over the promotional duties at the track, which is celebrating its 77th birthday this year.

“We didn’t get the keys until Jan. 6 so there are a lot of things we want to do that we just couldn’t because of weather,” said Baker before the opening a month ago. “We steam-cleaned all the buildings and recently have been working on the track surface so it’s nice and smooth for

the modifieds.’’

Selinsgrove opened Saturday, March 18 with the Short Track Super Series with the modifieds racing for $5,000. The 602 Modifieds also joined the program racing for $1,500.

“The biggest change the fans will see during the season is that when we race the 305 Sprint Cars, Limited Late Models and Roadrunners the admission price will be $10 with students and children getting in free.” Baker said. “When we have races with smaller purses, we want to make it more affordable for the fans.”

“Another change for the fans will be the concessions. We will keep all the traditional racetrack favorites like

STEPHANIE BAKER IS FLANKED BY HER SONS, REECE STUTTS, LEFT, AND ETHAN STUTTS, IN FRONT OF THE INFIELD PRESSBOX OF THE SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY.

THEY ARE THE NEW OPERATORS OF THE 77-YEAR- OLD RACETRACK, WHICH OPENED FOR THE SEASON LAST MONTH.

Story & photos by Steve Williams

the pizza and sandwiches but will be adding soups and salads throughout the year. We want to offer more healthy options.” Baker continued.

“Michelle Bitting from Newport will be running the concessions and she will be adding pierogies and ice cream and will add some other specials throughout the season.”

Another change in the concessions will be in the pit area.

“Blane Heimbach will have his food truck out there for the drivers.”

“The first turn concession stand will be offered to different community groups to operate as a way for them to raise some money and of course Crystal Nace will continue to operate the popular souvenir stand.”

Baker said that, after the modified race, the plan was to tear down the infield tower and move the scoring and timing up to the first-turn suites.

The bottom part of the infield structure will stay the same and be remodeled for race central for the infield kart track known as Selinsgrove Raceway Park.

Another noticeable change is the voice on the PA system. John Krall will replace the longtime announcer Steve Inch. Krall raced at the speedway in the 70s and most

THE REFURBISHED PRESS BOX IS SHOWN BEFORE THE START OF THE SEASON - OPENING RACE LAST MONTH AT SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY.

MEADE HAHN (7) AND NATHAN LONG (63) WILL RACE WHEN THE SUPER LATE MODEL DIVISION RETURNS TO SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY THIS SEASON.

SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY

Layout: Half-mile semi-banked clay oval

Location: Penn Township at the intersections of Routes 11&15 and Route 35, Snyder County

Racing Divisions: 410 sprint cars, 360 sprint cars, 305 sprint cars, super late models, limited late models, roadrunners, on a rotational basis

Track phone: 570-374-2266

Website: selinsgrovespeedway.com

Email: publicrelations@selinsgrovespeedway.com

Twitter: @RaceSelinsgrove

recently handled victory Lane at the Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown.

Another Lincoln alum will be Donny Leiby who will do track prep. Leiby is the son of former Lincoln promoter Don Leiby.

“Warren Alston and Micah Mosey will be the flagmen with a lot of the guys from years gone by working the corners so there will be some familiar faces around,” she said. “There still are a lot of details being worked out” for the other upcoming changes.

What is known is that Sunday Aug. 20, Tony Stewart’s All Star Circuit of Champions will return for the first time in several years. The 410 Sprint Car series will be joined by the 305 Sprint Cars for the Annual Kramer Cup in honor of Kramer Williamson, the speedway’s 1978 Champion.

The All Stars will be one of seven races for the popular winged sprint cars, including the May 14 Ray Tilley Classic, the July 2 Opperman-Bogar-Heintzelman Memorial PA Speedweek and the season-ending Jim Nace Memorial.

First appearing in the 1960s and then known as semilate, stock car racing has evolved into super late models and will be on the card a total of five times this season.

The super late models will be featured June 18 in the revived Appalachian Mountain Late Model Speed Week’s Paul Long Memorial.

The United Racing Club 360/358 Sprint cars will appear four times including the Jim Nace Memorial. Other divisions including the IMCA Modifieds and Sportsman will also appear during the season.

ValleyTracks

ValleyTracks

Satisfying your need for speed

BAPS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Layout: 4/10th-mile semi-banked oval

Location: 690 York Road, York Haven

Racing Divisions: Super Sportsman (Winged), Limited Late Models, Street Stocks, Extreme Stocks, 602 Modifieds, 410 Sprint Cars

Website: http://www.bapsmotorspeedway.com

Email: kgouse@bapsmotorspeedway.com

Twitter: @bapsrace

BEAVER SPRINGS DRAGWAY

Layout: ¼-mile asphalt drag strip

Location: Mid-way between Selinsgrove and Lewistown on Route 235 north

Address (GPS): 109 Race Track Lane, Beaver Springs

Racing Divisions (partial list): Footbrake, super pro, junior drag, ATV, junior ATV, modified, top ET, top ET junior, outlaws

Track phone: 814-329-0810 or 570-658-8601

Email: mike@beaversprings.com

Website: www.beaversprings.com

CLINTON COUNTY SPEEDWAY

Layout: 3/8th-mile, semi-banked clay oval

Location: 98 Racetrack Road, Mill Hall, a half-mile off Exit 178 on I-80

Racing Divisions: Limited late models, 305 sprint cars, 270 micro sprints, 600 micro sprints, pro stocks, 4-cylinders, and special events

Track phone: 570-726-7223

Website: clintoncountyspeedway.com

Email: info@clintoncountryspeedway.com

Twitter: @ClintonCoSpdwy

EVERGREEN RACEWAY

Layout: 3/8th-mile asphalt oval

Location: 183 Mill Mountain Road, St. Johns

Racing Divisions: Tour Modifieds, Evergreen Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Factory Stock, 4-Cylinders, 4-Cylinder Novice

Track phone: 570-956-6347

Website: evergreenracewaypark.com

GREENWOOD VALLEY ACTION TRACK

Layout: 1/5-mile banked dirt oval

Location: 179 Bottom Rd., Orangeville

Racing Divisions: 600 Winged Micros, 600 Wingless Micros, 270 Micros, 270 Rookie Micros, 125 Micros, Adult Caged Karts, Junior Caged Karts, Rookie Blue Caged Karts, Rookie Purple Caged Karts, Kids Carts

Track phone: 570-380-9182 / 570-204-9137

Website: greenwoodvalleyactiontracks.com

LINCOLN SPEEDWAY

Layout: 3/8th-mile high-banked clay oval

Location: 800 Racetrack Road, Abbottstown

Racing Divisions: 410 sprints, 358 sprints

Track phone: 717-624-2755

Website: lincolnspeedway.com

Email: lincolnspeedwaypa@gmail.com

Twitter: @lincolnspeedway

NUMIDIA DRAGWAY

Layout: ¼-mile dragstrip

Location: 10 Dragstrip Road, Numidia

Racing Divisions: Super Pro, Pro, Street, Motorcycle, Jr. Dragster

Track phone: 570-799-5090

Website: numidiadragway.com

Email: vinnydimino@gmail.com

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY PARK

Layout: Half-mile semi-banked oval

Location: 17911 Dry Run Road, Spring Run

Racing Divisions: Wingless Super Sportsman, 270 micros, 600 micros, 4-cylinder

Thundercars, Strictly Stocks, Late Models, 305 sprints, IMCA-style modifieds

Track phone: 717-349-7111

Web site: http://www.pathvalley.com

Email: dun4@embarqmail.com

Twitter: @PVSpeedway

PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY

Layout: Half-mile semi-banked oval

Location: Halfway between Harrisburg and State College just off Route 322 along Route 75, Juniata County

Racing Divisions: 410 sprint cars, super late models, limited late models

Track phone: 717-527-2303

Web site: portroyalspeedway.com

Email: info@portroyalspeedway.com

Twitter: @PortRoyalSpeedway

WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY

Layout: Half-mile, semi-banked oval

Location: 10 miles south of Harrisburg, off Routes 15 or 74 near Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County

Racing Divisions: 410 sprint cars, 358 sprint cars

Track phone: 717-697-5000

Website: williamsgrove.com

Email: williamsgrove@verizon.net

Twitter: @WilliamsGrove

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