From Mike Leone
After five rainouts in the past seven race nights, Mercer Raceway Park hopes Mother Nature will give a reprieve for this Saturday night, June 12. The Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars for $1,500 to-win, Approved Toilet Rentals Modifieds, 4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Late Models, Big Daddyโs Speed Center Stock Cars, and the M&D Paving Mini Stocks will be one card. Race time is 7 p.m. Itโs Lambert Racing/Bagel Bites Corp. Night.
Saturdayโs featured promotion is $10 Family Night presented by Klingensmithโs Drugstore. Mom, dad, and as many kids 15 and under will be admitted into the races for just $10! A minimum savings of $15 off the already discounted $25 Family Pass.
Itโll be a big night for the kids Saturday! Kids bike races will be held on the speedway during intermission for those 12 and under. Helmets are required. Signups will be held in the midway with a parent or legal guardian.
Making his first ever appearance at The Park will be balloon artist extraordinaire, Isaac Grove, who is better known as โInKrEdibleIKEโ. โIkeโ will amaze the kids will his balloon-making talents. โInKrEdibleIKEโ is a lot more than just the traditional balloon giraffes and dogs. Heโs famous for his life-size lawnmower balloon he created.
Saturdayโs four Shafferโs Auto Service & Towing โIn the Spotlightโ drivers are Sprint Car driver Lindsay Enscoe, Modified veteran Rick Hall, FASTRAK Late Model standout Butch Lambert, and Stock Car driver Earl Snyder. The first 300 fans will receive a custom, color autograph card of these four racers. Fans will be able to meet these racers and see their cars in the midway from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. The rained out foursome from May 22 and June 5 will be rescheduled for the future.
โWe always look forward to our $10 Family Nights,โ explained marketing director Vicki Emig. โThese have always been big nights for us in the past and it allows so many families to attend that may have otherwise not been able to and gives us an excellent opportunity to showcase the great racing we have to many new people. Then throw in bike races, driver autographs, Ike, and itโll be a big night for the kids.โ
Current point leaders are Ed Lynch, Jr. (Apollo, Pa.)-Sprint Cars, Lonny Riggs (Volant, Pa.)-Modifieds, Kyle Zimmerman (Albion, Pa.)-FASTRAK Late Models, Chris Haines (Sandy Lake, Pa.)-Stock Cars, and Jordan Ehrenberg (New Castle, Pa.)-Mini Stocks. Amazingly none of the current point leaders have ever won a championship at Mercer.
โIโm really hoping for some good weather Saturday,โ stated new owner Bill Atman. โThis has just been so depressing for everyone. The drivers and fans have really been chomping at the bit to get back to track. Most all the nights have been so bad we havenโt even gotten an opportunity to try to get the races in. The racing has been excellent in the shows that we have gotten in and the car counts were up last time we raced. Hopefully the sun shines Saturday and everyone can have a great night at The Park.โ
Pit gates open at 3:30 p.m. with grandstands at 4:30. Hot laps begin at 6:15 and the first green flag waves at 7. Besides $10 Family Night, admission for all others is adults $12, students 6-15 just $5, and kids five and under are always free. Pits passes are $25. Fans can take advantage of the โSPEEDPASSโ by upgrading their admission ticket to the pit area at intermission for just $5 or $10 for the entire family.
Mercer Raceway Park is a 3/8-mile dirt track located minutes from both Interstate 79 and 80 just off Route 19 on Fairground Road in Mercer, Pa. Dirt track racing and quality family entertainment are presented weekly late March through early October. The office in New Bedford, Pa. is open year-round late mornings and after 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call the office at 724-964-9300 or the track on race day at 724-662-1310. Check out our website at www.mercerracewaypark.com for the latest. Go to www.twitter.com/mercerraceway or Mercer Raceway Park at www.facebook.com/mercerracewaypark to stay up to date.