While racing is in full swing out in central Pennsylvania, here in the
western part of the state things are just getting started. Only two of the
four western Pa tracks have opened their gates for the 2004 season. Those
being Lernerville Speedway, they've completed two of their three scheduled
shows this season, while Mercer Raceway Park is also two for three.
Meanwhile the Sprint Car's Sunday night home Tri-City Speedway is scheduled
to get things started Sunday May 25th, while Sharon Speedway will get their
season started on Saturday, May 1st.
As the season gets underway I thought I would take a minute to touch on some
of our western Pa drivers and what they have planned for this season.
ED LYNCH JR - will once again be the man to beat here in western Pa for
2004. Lynch has already won both Lernerville features without a challenge.
With Lynch making most all of his starts in western Pa look for another
twenty plus wins this season.
ROD GEORGE - the other big winner here in western Pa, 2004 looks the same as
2003 for George in his silver #4 The 03 Triathlon Sprint champ already has
one win this season, that coming at Mercer Raceway.
JIMMY HAWLEY - After leaving the Pete Grove #70 car early in 2003 Hawley sat
out the rest of the season. It looks like Hawley won't return to the wheel
in 2004. It's a shame that one of the area's top drivers won't be competing
this season.
ARNIE KENT - You might have a hard time keeping track of what car Arnie is
driving this season as he will be wheeling three different cars. At
Lernerville on Fridays he will be driving the Dionese #15 Sprinter with
which he already has a 2nd place finish. On Saturdays at Mercer Raceway he
will be behind the wheel of the Born 2 Run Sports Sprinter in 410
competition and the familiar #18 in 360 Sprint action. Arnie won the 360
Sprint opener at Mercer.
GARY KRIESS JR - The always exciting driver from Butler will be back behind
the wheel of his own 55j on Friday nights at Lernerville. On Saturday nights
at Mercer Raceway look for Kriess behind the wheel of 2003 track champion
Troy Preston's 1P.
JACK SODEMAN JR - After missing more than half the season last year Jack is
back with a new car this season. Sodeman debuted last Friday at Lernerville
where he won his heat and was fifth in the feature. Look for Sodeman to
visit victory lane soon.
ANDY MCKISSON - Driver of the yellow zero car plans to be at Tri-City
Speedway most Sundays this season like last, But is also looking to do alot
more racing this season than last. Look for Andy to do some traveling this
season and hit some new tracks along the way.
TOMMY QUARTERSON - Rumors keep circulating that Quarterson will be back
behind the wheel of the Powell #27 Sprinter. Western Pa could use another
good car and good driver, lets hope its true.
CHAD HILL - could be one of the breakout drivers for 2004. Hill got faster
and faster during the 2003 season. He will be back behind the wheel of his
own #44 and if keeps pace with 03 could be a big winner in 2004.
SCOTT PRIESTER - Look for Scott to debut this Friday at Lernerville Speedway
in his #11x Sprinter. Scott plans to debut a new car soon and return to
victory lane after a rough couple seasons.
JIMMY WELLER - This rookie has done more racing than any other western Pa
driver with trips to Florida and central Pa. Moving from the Big Block
Modifieds to the Sprints this season, Jimmy and team plan to run seventy to
eighty shows in the red #23. Jimmy knows how to go fast, I'd look for him to
win a couple by the end of the season.
Those are just a few of the drivers here in western Pa, I'll keep you posted
on their progress along with many others throughout the season. This weekend
Lernerville Speedway will be in action on Friday and Mercer Raceway on
Saturday. The weather looks great so far.
NEWS & WHATNOT
Get well wishes go out to nice guy Gary McCollum who took a nasty flip at
Mercer Raceway last Saturday and spent a couple days in the hospital. Gary
is home and doing better, get well cards can reach Gary at 459 Lincoln Ave,
Ravenna, Ohio 44266 or e-mailed to mccollumsprint@aol.com.
Ms. Motorsports 2004 Cara Foss is not online, you can check out her new
website at www.carafoss.com You'll find Cara's schedule for the season along
with lots of other info.
Susquehanna Speedway will open their season this Thursday, April 15th. They
will feature 410 Sprint Cars each week and use Sundays for raindates for
most of the shows.
After taking a couple seasons off Skip Dougherty is returning to Sprint Car
racing. Skip will be running a Green Flag limited Sprint this season at
Sharon Speedway. Skip is also considering some 410 shows too.
Former Sportsman Speedway Micro Sprint Champion Richie Hartman will be
racing 410 Sprint Cars this season. The team plans to do most of their
racing at the Port Royal Speedway along with some specials throughout the
season.
After a disappointing start to the 2004 season Dean Jacobs is out of the
Volcano Joes #2. This is the car that Jac Haudenschild drove last season to
victory in the Mopar Million. Joey Saldana has been named the new driver,
Dean did run a car for Kent Wolters at Eldora Saturday.
Thats all for this lap, until next time, thanks for reading and drop me a
line at www.sprintcarnews.com
For Western Pa Sprint Car fans or anyone that will be in the area during the season here is a look at the local Sprint Car tracks in the area, along with a look at each tracks special events, and when and what they will be running during the 2004 season. Also featured are a few tracks in the area that will feature Sprint Car specials this season.
The first Western Pennsylvania track scheduled to open its gates in 2004 is LERNERVILLE SPEEDWAY. Lernerville will be running Sprint Cars weekly on Friday nights as usual. Along with the Sprint Cars, Big Block Modifieds, Late Models, and Pure Stocks will share the card on regular Friday nights. Sprint Car specials at Lernerville that you will want to mark on your calendar include May 5th when the All-Star Sprints will make their first appearance to make up their feature that was rained out last season. A regular program for the Sprints, Late Models, and Stocks will also be run on the 5th. The next big show will be May 25th when the World of Outlaws invade for the "Commonwealth Clash" with 10,000 dollars going to the winner of the Sprints only program. The Outlaws return on August 20th for the running of the Don Martin Memorial/Silver Cup Race. This years edition will see the winner getting 30,000 dollars for the win. The final special will be September 3rd when the All-Stars will be back to do battle in the Earl & David Bauman Memorial. It will be a complete show for the Sprints this time and they will be joined by the Pure Stocks. You can keep up with all the news from Lenrerville on their website www.lernerville.com
The second track scheduled to get going here in Western Pa is MERCER RACEWAY PARK. Mercer has lots of specials scheduled this season, but when they aren't having a special show the Sprints will be doing battle every Saturday night. Mercer has scheduled their opener a day after Lernerville's with the first ever "Chiller Thriller". The NRA 360 Sprints will be going for 1,500 dollars and will be joined by the Late Models for the show. May 15th will be a big day for Sprint Car fans as it marks the return of the Western Pa Sprint Championship. The card will feature the 410, 360, and the PA305 Sprint Cars making for a Sprint Car triple header. Two more 360 shows will see the URC Sprints headlining the show on July 3rd, and then on September 18th the track will hold the first "360 Sprint Classic in an open show which will see the winner walk away with three thousand dollars. The popular Chuck Marsh Memorial will be run on August 21st with three thousand going to the winner. Wingless the Return Part IV will also be back and is scheduled for July 24th featuring both wingless and winged Sprints. Be sure to check out all the specials at www.mercerracewaypark.com
SHARON SPEEDWAY will be running on Saturday nights again in 2004, with even more improvements to the track. 410 Sprints will headline again along with the Big Block Modifieds, E Mods, and Stocks, with the addition of the new "Green Flag Limited Sprints". The new limited Sprint series will give drivers without the money to invest in a 410 motor a chance to race Sprint Cars on a more affordable level. The new Sprints will run 355 cu. inch spec motors and have smaller wings, along with some rules to help cut costs. The new Sprint division will run a limited schedule in 04. The World of Outlaws will be back as they will visit the Hartford oval on June 4th and July 28th. Good news for fans of the Sharon Nationals is the return of the All-Stars to the two day event. After a three year absence the All-Stars will headline the Nationals again on September 4th & 5th. Get all the latest info at www.sharonspeedway.com
TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY will celebrate the track's 50th anniversary this season. Once again Tri-City will be in action on Sunday nights this season. Tri-City is still the only track in Pennsylvania or Ohio running 410 Sprint Cars on Sunday nights. It will be pretty much regular Sunday night racing for the Sprints this season. Tri-City will have a 50th Anniversary show on July 4th which will feature the Sprints along with other six divisions that have competed at Tri-City over the years making for a seven division show. If you want to get your monies worth, July 4th is the show as admission will remain only ten dollars for the show. You can get all the latest info at www.tricityspeedway.com
Asphalt track JENNERSTOWN SPEEDWAY near Somerset Pa, will see the return of Sprint Cars in the form of the Winged Sprints on Asphalt (WSoA). They will make two visits, June 26th and July 31st. These two shows will feature the largest purse ever offered for 305 asphalt sprint cars. The payout will be $1100.00 to win with $400.00 to start back to 30th. The shows will boast a total purse of $15,000.00. The June 26th show will also feature the super fast ISMA Super Modifieds.
Speaking of asphalt tracks LAKE ERIE SPEEDWAY will also host Sprint Cars this season. For those of you who haven't ventured north to paved half-mile in Erie, it is a state of the art facility. The big Sprint Car show at the track in 2004 will be the first ever appearance of the USAC Sprint Cars on August 13th. The Sprints will do battle in a fifty lap feature. Right now it is the only Sprint show scheduled but watch their website www.lakeeriespeedway.com for any new additions throughout the season, The 305 Sprints are always a possibility.
There has been lots of changes at CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA SPEEDWAY over the winter. The biggest of them was the change from asphalt to dirt. With the addition of the new surface the promoters have added a pair of Sprint shows featuring two groups from Central Pennsylvania. The first show will be an appearance by the Pa305 Sprint series on May 21st, and then on August 28th the KARS 358 Sprints will make their first ever appearance at the track. CPS also announced they will be working with Sharon Speedway and will also be featuring the new Green Flag limited Sprints during the season, but haven't released the dates yet. You can visit their website at www.centralpaspeedway.com
Just down the road is GAMBLER'S RACEWAY PARK who will stage the tracks first ever 410 Sprint race in the track's thirteen year history. Sunday, June 13th the track will honor Al Hamilton (Owner of the famous #77 Sprinter currently driven by Lance DeWease) The feature will be a thirty lap affair with 2,500 dollars going to the winner. This should be a great show on the quater mile. Gambler's webiste is located at www.gamblersracewaypark.com
As you can see there are lots of Sprint Car races scheduled here in Western Pa this summer. So if you live here in Western Pa or are just passing through, finding a Sprint Car race should be no problem. For news and pictures throughout the season you can visit me at www.sprintcarnews.com
Its time to go racing again, and Lincoln Speedway got the northeast 2004
season underway this past Saturday with the "Ice Breaker 30". It was a wild
day to say the least. Twenty Sprint Cars showed up on a very cold day that
saw snow flurries and wind gusts of up to forty mph. Twenty cars were
scheduled to start the feature but after three red flags before one lap was
completed only ten cars actually took the green. After going winless in 2003
Fred Rahmer was about the only car in the field that had any luck all day.
With the red flags Rahmer moved from his fifth starting spot into the pole
posistion and led every lap to easily win the thirty lapper worth three
thousand dollars. Cris Eash rode home a distant second followed by Doug Esh,
Don Kreitz, and Mark Smith in fifth as only nine cars finished the feature.
Keith Kauffman and Brook Weibley both got upside down in the feature. Lance
DeWease lost his drive-line before completing a lap. Doug Esh got upside
down in his heat race. Both Darren Eash and Brian Leppo backed their cars
into the turn one wall at speed. Bobby Weaver made contact with the wall in
hot laps ending his day early. Brian Montieth, Adrian Shaffer, and Jim
Siegel all went off on the hook during the feature, while Josh Wells went
off on the hook in hot laps and the feature. Sam Schlusberg made his first
start in a Sprint Car and finished ninth. Fred Rahmer and Niki Young both
arrived with new haulers. Brian Montieth will be driving Jerry Parrish's 21
Sprinter every week at Lincoln this season. It wasn't the best race I've
seen thats for sure, but it was great to see a race again after the long
cold winter. After Saturday's opener I can safely say, No track tries harder
to get their show in than Lincoln Speedway, just another reason the stands
are always packed. I did venture to the muddy and icy infield to get some
pictures, you can check them out over at www.fscpictorial.com Lincoln
Speedway will be back in action this Saturday with another two o'clock
start.
Sunday's race at Williams Grove Speedway wasn't meant to be. I was watching
the news at my hotel Saturday night when they reported the opener was
cancelled due to frost on the track. Frost on the track??? A call to the
Speedway Sunday morning found that the race was now cancelled because of wet
grounds. Who knows?? Either way I didn't get to see any racing and the Grove
is planning on racing again this Sunday with a Sprints only program.
The coolest shirts on sale Saturday at Lincoln were definitely Keith
Kauffman's new shirts. They look super cool and also have the Sprint Car
Hall of Fame logo as Kauffman will be inducted into the National Sprint Car
Hall of fame this summer. You can check out Keith's new gear at
www.keithkauffman.com
The Winged Sprints on Asphalt, LLC (WSoA) and Dave Wheeler of Jennerstown
Speedway announced the signing of two dates for the Sprinters, June 26, 2004
and July 31, 2004. These two shows will feature the largest purse ever
offered for 305 asphalt sprint cars. They will be $1100.00 to win with
$400.00 to start back to 30th. Total purse of $15,000.00. The June 26th date
will also feature the ISMA Supermodifieds which will make for a must see
double header, I can't wait to see this must see show, as we don't get to
see these two groups in Pennsylvania every day. Check out the WSoA web site
www.wsoa.us for all the details.
The Haulmark All Star Circuit of Champions have moved the date of their
season opener scheduled at the half-mile Oglethorpe Speedway Park in
Savannah Georgia. The event was scheduled for March 5th and 6th but has been
moved to September 24th and 25th. The date was changed because the Savannah
Tourism Board has come aboard to sponsor the event and needs more time to
properly promote and advertise the show. Opening night for the All-Stars is
now Friday, April 2nd at Kentucky's Paducah International Raceway.
410 Sprint Cars will return to Bedford Speedway in 2004 as the Pa Posse
Sprint Car Invitational is slated for Tuesday June 8th. Wednesday the 9th
will be the raindate.
Tri-City Speedway will host their annual Mall Show this week February
26th-29th at the Cranberry Mall. Sprint Cars scheduled to be on display are
Andy Mckisson and Shelia Rankin. Tri-City also released their 2004 schedule,
its posted on their website www.tricityspeedway.com Opening day is slated
for April 25th.
Clinton County Speedway will open their 2004 season on Friday, April the
30th as the 410 Sprints will once again headline the show. Clinton County's
website also has a new look, check it out at www.clintoncountyspeedway.com
The 305 Sprint Cars at Fremont Speedway will be racing a little harder in
their heat races this season, as Ross Paulson and his business, The Computer
Man of Fremont will sponsor the 305 Computer Man Dash this season. The
winners of each heat will race in a dash at each regular show, and maybe
some of the special shows. The dash winner will take home forty dollars
with second winning thirty, while third and fourth will each get twenty.
Port Royal Speedway will not have any afternoon racing this Spring. Their
season opener will be March 27th and will get underway at 6pm. I'm going to
miss those Port/Lincoln doubles racing with everyone from the Port down 15
south to get to Lincoln on time.
MASS (Mid American Sprint Series) will hold it's rules and series meeting
Sunday, Feb 29th at 2 o'clock at Benic Enterprises, Fairmount Indiana. Scott
Benic & Joe Darmofal will be on hand to discuss all aspects of the new MASS
series. Memberships will be available for $200.00 per driver. Refreshments
will be served and everyone is welcome. For more information all Scott Benic
765-948-5758
The recently converted from asphalt to dirt Central Pennsylvania Speedway
released their schedule and have two Sprint Car shows on the schedule. The
first is May 21st when the Pa305 Sprints visit, then on August 20th the KARS
358 Sprint Car series will be on the card.
The Outdoor Channel will televise all seven World of Outlaw shows from
Williams Grove Speedway this season along with along with a handful of
Outlaw races from other tracks as well. The races will be aired every
Wednesday night for thirty-five weeks. It will be nice knowing when the
shows will be on, unlike before when you had to search the TV Guide hoping
to find out what time the race would be on. There is also a rumor there may
be some All-Star shows airing on the channel too, I sure hope so. I don't
have the Outdoor Channel yet but I'll have it ordered before they air their
first race of the season, that's for sure.
As of right now it looks like 410 Sprint Cars will return to Susquehanna
Speedway on a regular basis once again in 2004. The difference this time is
it will be on Thursday nights, not Sundays like before. Todd Fisher is the
promoter behind the shows which will be dubbed "Thursday Night Thunder" The
season will get underway Thursday April 15th, the purse will be similar to
Lincoln Speedways. There are lots of pros and cons to Thursday night racing,
but if Fisher can get everyone out of there at a early hour and keep
everyone happy, (not an easy job) hopefully he can make it work.
Sprint Car fans will want to mark May 15th on their calendar as Mercer
Raceway has announced the return of the "Western Pennsylvania Sprint Car
Championship" The show will be headlined by the 410 Sprints as they go
twenty-five laps for 2,500 dollars to win. Also on the card will be the
"Tri-State Clash" for the ESS and NRA 360 Sprint Cars. They will also be
racing twenty-five laps and the winner will get 1,500 dollars. Rounding out
the Sprint card will be the first ever visit of the PA305 Sprint series out
of central Pa. The Stock Cars will also be on the nights card.
Two racers competing for the 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year honors
with the World of Outlaws had rough starts to their season this past
weekend. Both Brian Brown and Erin Crocker got upside down at the World of
Outlaw US opener held at Manzanita Speedway.
A big tip of the hat goes out to Sprint racer Kasey Kahne who nearly won his
first Nascar race this past Sunday at Richmond. Like I said before, Kasey
can drive anything! That's all this time around, Until we meet again, thanks
for reading and feel free to contact me anytime at www.sprintcarnews.com
