A racing fan is a very special breed of fan. They will stand in line early for tickets, throw a blanket down on their favorite seat in the stands, withstand possible dust, delays and whatever else, but no matter, good or bad, they are at their favorite track each and every week.
Selinsgrove Speedway, in conjunction with Jeff and Kathy Kurtz, owners of Jeff's Auto Body and Recycling Center on the Snydertown Road, will host the 3rd Annual Fan and Driver Appreciation Night with a four division show tomorrow evening.
The winners of each of the four divisions will see increases in their respective purses, as the 358 sprint car and late model winners will receive $2,000 each for the 25-lap feature event, while the pro stock winner will receive $500 for winning the 15-lap main event and the 12-lap roadrunner winner will grab a $200 paycheck.
With track gates scheduled to open at 5 p.m., the first 700 general admission adults/students and first 400 pit admissions will receive a voucher for either a free hamburger, hot dog, french fry or slice of pizza at the speedway's concession stands. Plus, there will be eight grand prize gift card sets (Weis, Sheetz, Wal-Mart) valued at $300 each given away to adults and four Nintendo Wii game systems to kids through ticket drawings courtesy of Jeff's Auto Body & Recycling Center.
"Kathy and I really enjoy putting this together for the fans and drivers," said Jeff Kurtz. "Each year it seems to be getting bigger and better. This is our way of showing our appreciation to everyone in racing who also supports our business."
A driver meet and greet autograph session will take place behind the covered grandstands prior to racing action, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Other area dirt track racing action finds Williams Grove hosting a doubleheader open wheel program tonight for the 358 and 410 sprint cars. Tonight's program will include time trials for the 410 division and serve as a tune-up for the upcoming World of Outlaws Summer Nationals show, July 22-23.
The World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series is at Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway this weekend for the prestigious King's Royal. Saturday's 40-lap feature at the Ohio speedplant pays $50,000 to the winner. The Series then heads to Western Pennsylvania's Lernerville Speedway on Tuesday night before heading into Williams Grove.
Tomorrow the Mechanicsburg oval hosts Kid's Night along with the three division show of super sportsman, limited late models and street stocks. Big Diamond Speedway will offer their three-card show of 358 modifieds, sportsman and roadrunners tonight, along with the popular one-on-one match races for the roadrunner class.
Lincoln Speedway returns to action Saturday night with the 410 sprint cars and thundercars along with the United Racing Club (URC) Sprint Car Series. Grandview Speedway hosts its two division program of 358 modifieds and late models; Hagerstown Speedway will feature the late models, late model sportsman and pure stocks and Port Royal Speedway will offer 410 sprint cars, late models, 305 sprint cars and an enduro dash.
Maple Grove Raceway presents the ever-popular Super Chevy Weekend, a three-day event featuring Chevrolet automobiles. Gates open each day at 8 a.m. at the Reading area strip and racing begins each day at 9 p.m.
Various sportsman classes along with the Outlaw Pro Mods, NHRA stock and super stock classes will run time trials today and Saturday, while eliminations will begin on Sunday. The fans will also be thrilled with jet dragsters and funny cars along with a wheel stander.
The Super Chevy Show offers fans plenty of options including a car show, flea market/swap meet, technical seminars and racing action. After a hugely successful Nostalgia Nationals weekend, Beaver Springs Dragway returns to its three-day program; Vegas Fuel Street Racing drags tonight, test and tune day tomorrow and IHRA Summit Series points racing on Sunday. Numidia Dragway kicks off the weekend with its street legal drags tonight and will host the NADM East Coast Diesel Nationals Saturday, and present its NHRA Summit Series points chase on Sunday.