By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Selinsgrove Speedway will present two sprint car racing specials this weekend, Friday and Saturday, June 29-30, offering nearly $30,000 in prize money for 358-360 sprint cars.
Friday night’s race at 8 p.m. will be the fourth event in the inaugural six-race, $120,000 Mach 1 Chassis Mid-Atlantic Championship Series for 358-360 sprint cars. The 25-lap main event will pay $2,500 to win and $250 to start out of a purse totaling $15,000. Track gates on Friday will open at 5:30 p.m., with warm-ups scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Three races in the series have produced three different winners. The opener at Selinsgrove on March 31 was won by Pat Cannon of Etters. Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove won the URC-sanctioned Jack Gunn Memorial Challenge Race at Selinsgrove on May 12. Daryn Pittman of Owasso, Okla., scored the single event of the series at the Lincoln Speedway last Wednesday.
In the series standings entering this Friday’s race, Cannon leads the chase for the championship with 890 points over Mark Smith of Sunbury with 840 points. The top five include Davie Franek of Wantage, N.J. (780); TJ Stutts of Liverpool (760); and Pittman (650). The top 10 finishers in the point standings will share an $8,000 point fund sponsored by Mach 1 Chassis of Mechanicsburg.
Other series events at Selinsgrove Speedway this season will include Sunday, Aug. 5, and the 12th Annual National Open for 358-360 sprint cars on Saturday, Sept. 1.
The speedway will swing back into action at 7:30 p.m. Saturday will the annual running of the Middleswarth Potato Chips Firecracker 30 for 358 sprint cars. The 30-lap main event will pay $2,000 to win and $250 to start out of a purse totaling $12,975. Time trials, heats, and a B-main will be the format for qualifying for the Firecracker 30.
Past winners of the Firecracker race as a 40-lap contest include the late Jim Nace of Thompsontown (2002), Bob Beidleman of Walnutport (2003), Dave Calaman of Carlisle (2004), Nate Snyder of Halifax (2005), and Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove (2006). In 2007, the race was abbreviated to 30 laps and was won by Calaman. Scott Flammer of West Milford, N.J., (2008) Pat Cannon of Etters (2009), Snyder (2010), and Logan Schuchart of Hanover (2011) are also past winners of the 30-lap event.
Joining the 358 sprint cars on Saturday’s program will be the late models, pro stocks, and roadrunners. Track gates will open at 5 p.m. Saturday, with warm-ups slated begin at 7 p.m.
Selinsgrove Raceway Park will present full-points go kart races on Sunday, July 1, and Tuesday, July 3, at 7 p.m. Tuesday night’s event will be the annual Middleswarth Potato Chips Firecracker Special for Go Karts. Track gates will open at 5 p.m. both nights.
For the latest news, results, and race status, visit selinsgrovespeedway.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. The speedway office can also be reached at 570-374-2999.
Purse for Mach 1 Chassis Mid-Atlantic Series for 358-360 Sprint Cars (June 29): 1) $2,500 2) $1,500 3) $1,200 4) $1,100 5) $1,000 6) $925 7) $825 8) $725 9) $650 10) $600 11) $500 12) $400 13) $300 14) $275 15-24) $250
Gates Open: 5:30 PM; Hot Laps: 7:30 PM; Race Time: 8 PM
Admission for June 29: Adults: $15; Students (12-17): $12; Kids 11 & Under: Free; Pit Passes: $25
Purse for 2012 Firecracker 30 for 358 Sprint Cars (June 30): 1) $2,000 2) $1,300 3) $1,200 4) $1,100 5) $1,000 6) $650 7) $500 8) $450 9) $400 10) $375 11) $350 12) $325 13) $300 14) $275 15-25) $250
Gates Open: 5 PM; Hot Laps: 7 PM; Race Time: 7:30 PM
Admission for June 30: Adults: $14; Students (12-17): $12; Kids 11 & Under: Free; Pit Passes: $25