By Shawn Brouse
Port Royal – Port Royal Speedway will host a daytime fair classic when it spins off the 61st version of the Labor Day Classic for 410 sprints on Labor Day afternoon at 1 pm.
The ARDC Midgets will join the sprint cars for a midget and sprint day-at-the-fair doubleheader as part of the 158th annual Juniata County Fair that gets underway on September 1 and runs through September 8.
Presented by Foss Jewelers of Mifflintown and Lewistown, the sprint cars will vie for $4,000 to win and even $300 just to start the event.
The event will feature the midgets and take the race and the track back to its roots as the midgets compete under the sun during fair time.
It will be the third show of the season by the ARDC’s at the track this year with previous wins taken by Steve Buckwalter and Trevor Kobylarz.
The first Labor Day Classic was held in 1952 when Earl Bryner took the win. Since then names like Sherm Greenaway, Eddie McCardle, Toby Tobias, Leroy Felty, Bobby Weaver, Bobby Davis Jr., Don Kreitz Jr, Jeff Shepard and Mike Erdley have taken wins.
But no driver has been more successful in the Labor Day Classic for sprints than retired veteran Todd Shaffer of Millerstown, who owns six victories in the prestigious race.
Shaffer first took the win in his own No. 11 back in 1987 before repeating in 1990 and 1991. He then returned for wins in the Beam No. 88 in 1995, 2004 and in 2008.
Following Shaffer closely on the Labor Day win list is another retiree, Lynn Paxton, who not only won five in his career but did it in back to back style from 1976 through 1980.
Daytime master Don Kreitz Jr. also owns five Labor Day wins, coming in 1986, 1992, 1993, 1998 and in 2001.
Mike Wagner was declared the 2011 Labor Day winner. Wagner got the title after the race was rained out and officials averaged all drivers’ fair week race finishes with the lowest average getting the crown.
Ex-outlaw Daryn Pittman won the last Labor Day race that was actually contested in 2010.
Adult general admission is $15.00 with students ages 12 – 18 JUST $5.
Port Royal Labor Day Classic Winners: 9/1/52 No. 1 Earl Bryner, 9/7/53 No. 57 Sherm Greenaway, 9/6/54 No. 9 Eddie McCardle, 9/5/55 No. 3 Eddie McCardle, 9/3/56 No. 33 Bill Foust, 9/2/57 No. 11 Hal Hoose, 9/1/58 No. 80 Elmer Drum, 9/7/59 No. 6 Dick “Toby” Tobias, 9/5/60 No. 77 Leroy Felty, 9/4/61 No. 6 Dick “Toby” Tobias, 9/3/62 No. 15 Frankie Thompson, 9/2/63 No. 77 Ed Dunkle, 9/7/64 No. 1 Dick “Toby” Tobias, 9/6/65 No. 7 Leroy Felty, 9/5/66 No. 6 Dick “Toby” Tobias, 9/4/67 No. 35 Bobbie Adamson, 9/2/68 No. 66 Johnny Grum, 9/1/69 No. 66 Johnny Grum, 9/7/70 No. 5 Mitch Smith, 9/6/71 No. 66 Johnny Grum, 9/4/72 No. 99 Jan Opperman, 9/3/73 No. 29 Kenny Weld, 9/8/74 No. 8 Bob Weaver, 9/2/75 No. 5 Smokey Snellbaker, 9/6/76 No. 11 Lynn Paxton, 9/5/77 No. 1 Lynn Paxton, 9/4/78 No. 1 Lynn Paxton, 9/3/79 No. 1 Lynn Paxton, 9/1/80 No. 1 Lynn Paxton, 9/7/81 No. 56 Smokey Snellbaker, 9/6/82 No. 461 George Ferguson Jr., 9/5/83 No. 29 Bobby Davis Jr., 9/3/84 No. 80 Dave Wickham, 9/2/85 No. 29 Doug Wolfgang, 9/1/86 No. 69N Don Kreitz Jr., 9/16/87 No. 11 Todd Shaffer, 9/5/88 No. 19 Stevie Smith, 9/4/89 No. 77 Stevie Smith, 9/3/90 No. 11 Todd Shaffer, 9/2/91 No. 11 Todd Shaffer, 9/7/92 No. 69K Don Kreitz Jr., 9/6/93 No. 69K Don Kreitz Jr., 9/5/94 No. 461 Lance Dewease, 9/4/95 No. 88 Todd Shaffer, 9/2/96 No. 461 Lance Dewease, 9/1/97 No. 77 Fred Rahmer, 9/7/98 No. 69K Don Kreitz Jr., 9/11/99 No. 1 Jeff Shepard, 9/4/00 No. 88H Lance Dewease, 9/3/01 No. 69K Don Kreitz Jr., 9/2/02 No. 7 Keith Kauffman, 9/7/03 No. 7 Keith Kauffman, 9/6/04 No. 88 Todd Shaffer, 9/5/05 No. 35 Alan Cole, 9/4/06 No. 11 Mike Erdley, 9/3/07 No. 22 Greg Hodnett, 9/1/08 No. 88 Todd Shaffer, 9/7/09 No. 55 Mike Wagner, 9/6/10 No. 27 Daryn Pittman, 9/10/11 No. 55 Mike Wagner.
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