By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Selinsgrove Speedway will present the 30th Annual Expert
Settlement Services Jack Gunn Memorial for sprint cars at 7 p.m. Saturday,
May 15. For the fifth consecutive year, the Gunn Memorial will consist of a
30-lap challenge race between the traveling United Racing Company sprint
cars and the track’s weekly A&A Auto Stores 358 sprint cars. The race will
pay $3,500 to win and $225 to start.
The tribute race is run each year to honor the memory of the late
Hall-of-Fame race track promoter Jack Gunn, who operated Selinsgrove,
Williams Grove, Penn National, and Hagerstown Speedways during his career
and brought mid-state dirt track racing to national prominence in the
1970’s. Gunn was inducted posthumously into the National Sprint Car Hall of
Fame (Knoxville, Iowa) in 1990.
Time trials, heats, and C- and B-Mains will be the format for setting the
24-car starting field for the Gunn Memorial. The late models and pro stocks
will also be on the program Saturday night. Track gates will open at 5
p.m.
Over the years, several of the biggest names in sprint car racing have won
the prestigious Jack Gunn Memorial at Selinsgrove Speedway. Lynn Paxton of
Dillsburg, Steve Kinser of Bloomington, Ind., Doug Wolfgang of Sioux Falls,
SD; and most recently, as 358 sprint drivers, TJ Stutts of Liverpool; Chad
Layton of Harrisburg; Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove; and Dave Calaman of
Carlisle are a few of the past winners of the Gunn Memorial.
Since the race became a challenge event, a Selinsgrove regular has been
victorious each year except in 2009, when Trevor Lewis of Upper Black Eddy
scored the win for URC. Heimbach won the race in 2008 and 2006. Calaman
scored the challenge victory in 2007.
In the A&A Auto Stores 358 sprint cars, five races have produced five
different winners this season, including Stutts, Heimbach, Pat Cannon of
Etters, Colby Womer of Mt. Pleasant Mills, and most recently defending
champion Nate Snyder of Halifax.
Title sponsor Expert Settlement Services, Inc., located at 103 South Market
Street in Selinsgrove, offers a full array of real estate settlement
services, assisting buyers, sellers, and owners who are refinancing with
cost effective settlement services.
Gunn Memorial Purse: 1) $3,500 2) $1,700 3) $1,200 4) $1,100 5) $1,000 6)
$700 7) $575 8) $525 9) $515 10) $500 11) $360 12) $340 13) $320 14) $300
15) $270 16) $250 17) $240 18-20) $235 21-24) $225
Gunn Memorial Admission: Adults $15; Students (12-17) $12; Kids 11 & Under
Free; Pit Pass $25
Selinsgrove Speedway will host an open practice session from 6:30 – 9 p.m.
this Wednesday, May 12. General admission is free; the cost per race car is
$100.00
Selinsgrove Raceway Park will present a program of go karts, micro sprint
cars and Briggs & Stratton slingshots at 7 p.m. Friday, May 14. Track gates
will open at 5:30 p.m.