In the matter of a few days, Big Diamond Speedway will present two of its more ambitious events on the 2014 schedule. Following last week's rainout, the Andy Fayash Memorial is set for tonight, and the touring World of Outlaws Late Model Series will return on Tuesday, June 24 for the "Diamond Shines 40" special.
Tonight's program, washed away last Friday night, will honor the memory of fallen racer, Andy Fayash. The likeable driver competed for numerous years and raced in nearly every division at the track. The sportsman division will compete in the Second Andy Fayash Memorial, paying $3,000 to the winner of the 30-lap feature event.
Also on the card will be the DIRTcar 358 modifieds, roadrunners and limited late models.
The Darrell Lanigan-led, World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns on Tuesday evening, five years to the day of the series' last visit. Josh Richard in the Rocket Chassis house car took the victory on June 24, 2009, but this year, York driver Rick Eckert is turning the wheel in the Rocket #1.
Plenty of touring and local late model stars are expected to compete, with an $8,000 paycheck awaiting the winner of the 40-lap feature event. Lanigan, Eckert, Chub Frank, Timmy McCreadie, along with Andy and Scott Haus, Sean Merkel and many more local drivers should make the night exciting.
The roadrunners are also on the program, with gates opening at 5 p.m. and racing to begin at 7:30.
Beaver Springs Dragway continues to set the mark for the nostalgia drag racing events on the east coast, and this weekend marks just one of the many special events for 2014 on "Beaver Bob" McCardle's schedule. The Second Annual PA Gasser Nationals begins today and runs through Saturday, with a Sunday rain date if needed.
Gates open today at 9 a.m.with time trials beginning at 11, with plenty of the cars of yesteryear in action. Willy's coupes and pickups, Austin's, Anglia's, and full bodied gassers will carry the front wheels with bumper dragging wheelstands and blast through the quarter mile, just like the "good old days".
AA/Gas Supercharged, Nostalgia Gas, Modified Gas, Competition Eliminator and Hot Rod will be the classes in action. Qualifying action will begin Saturday morning and eliminations will begin after12 noon. The fans will also be treated to a wheelstand contest, with judging by last year's winner.
In other drag racing news, Shamokin area drivers faced off in the Street Eliminator finals on Saturday at Numidia Dragway, as Mike Mackey defeated Joe Krushinskie.
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is in Epping, N.H., this weekend for the second of four consecutive race weekends, with the Second Auto Plus Northeast Nationals at New England Dragway. ESPN2 will provide one hour of qualifying action Saturday at 7 p.m. and three hours of eliminations on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2. Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Courtney Force (Funny Car), Alan Johnson (Pro Stock) and John Hall (Pro Stock Bike) were the 2013 winners.
Shawn Langdon (T/F), Tommy Johnson Jr. (F/C) and Erica Enders-Stevens (P/S), were winners last weekend at The Ford Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
In other racing action throughout the weekend fWilliams Grove Speedway presents a doubleheader of 358 and 410 sprint cars tonight, and returns to action tomorrow night with the popular Saturday Night Series of winged super sportsman, limited late models and street stocks....Selinsgrove Speedway hosts a four division show of 360 sprintcars, late models, pro stocks and roadrunners with a 7:30 p.m. starting time....The NDRL Late Model Series makes its first-ever visit to Port Royal Speedway Saturday night, joining the 410 sprint cars and econo late models on the schedule....Hagerstown Speedway, after flooding conditions last weekend, presents a full slate of stock car action including late models, late model sportsman, pure stocks, hobby stocks and four-cylinder stocks...Mahoning Valley Speedway hosts twin 50-lap modified features, paying $2,000 to the winner of each, along with the late models, street stocks, dirt modifieds, pro four-cylinder stocks and hobby stocks....Lincoln Speedway has a three-division show of 358 sprint cars, 410 sprint cars and PA Legends series cars....Grandview Speedway has an active weekend, with the NASCAR 358 modifieds and URC Sprint cars in action Saturday night, and the Hilborn Fuel Injection Tri-State Race Saver Series wingless sprint cars in action with the ARDC midgets Sunday night.....The folks at STP, in conjunction with the World of Outlaw Series, are offering race fans a free racing t-shirt, either WoO sprint car design or WoO late model, for buying two of their many products. Visit the webpage at www.stp2togo.com for all information.