From Mike Leone
Markleysburg, PA — (January 15, 2013) — Sprint Car enthusiasts throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Mid-Ohio Valley regions will want to mark Sunday, May 5 on their calendars. History will be made as the “410” Sprint Cars will make their first ever appearance at the Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex located off historic US Route 40 in Markleysburg, Pa. The scenic area in Fayette County is about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and just minutes from the West Virginia and Maryland borders.
The “410 Showdown in the Laurel Highlands” won’t be just any Sprint Car race, but will boast a healthy purse featuring $4,000 to the winner, a strong $350 to take the green flag of the feature, and $100 to any non-qualifier. The payout will be higher than any weekly event throughout the Commonwealth, and is expected to be the richest non-sanctioned event in 2013 in western Pennsylvania!
With its location, strong payout, and neutral grounds, the event is expected to draw cars from western and central Pennsylvania, northeastern Ohio, and the Mid-Ohio Valley.
“Going to Roaring Knob over the years, I always thought it would be a great place to see the Sprint Cars,” stated Mike Leone. “It’s kind of the best of both worlds as it’s still somewhat of small track at 3/8-mile, but it’s wide sweeping turns gives it that big track feel. It’s a great place to watch the races with no obstructions whether it’s from the grandstands, hillside grass seating or drive-in parking. Plus it’s always fun to see Sprints at a new place and The Knob’s location should draw an interesting field of cars!”
Roaring Knob is one of the relative new tracks in Pennsylvania as it opened its gates for the first time in 1998. Over the years, Roaring Knob has contested events for most every division in the region, while holding steadfast to its headlining Super Late Models.
Current owner/promoter Rick Jones took over “The Knob” in 2010. Today, Roaring Knob continues to be one to the top Super Late Model tracks in Pennsylvania. This season, Roaring Knob will again host the nationally-known Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as well as regional groups like the Three State Flyers and the Appalachian Speedweek. Roaring Knob has also become prominent in the Crate Late Model world with strong weekly car counts and big touring events under the RUSH Dirt Late Model Series banner.
“I’ve always enjoyed the Sprint Cars,” acknowledged Jones. “I haven’t been in 410 Sprint Car country with the tracks that I’ve promoted over the years, but always wanted to try a show. I talked to Mike about it, and we came up with a good payoff that should give incentive to racers from all over the region to come. The other key was finding a date that didn’t conflict with anyone else, which wasn’t as easy it sounds. We wanted to get this announced early so people can make plans to be part of this historic, can’t miss event!”
From its early days of growing out of the old Super Modifieds in the 1960s, the Sprint Cars quickly became one of the most popular divisions in the Keystone State. In years gone by, tracks like Motordrome 70, Morgantown, Jennerstown, and Bedford would have been the closest to Roaring Knob to hold weekly Sprint Car racing. Today, the Pennsylvania tracks of Williams Grove, Lincoln, Port Royal, Lernerville, and Mercer continue to run them on a weekly basis. Also, not too far is the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association that hosts weekly action at Ohio’s Skyline Speedway and other speedways in southern Ohio and West Virginia.
Stay tuned for more information as the event draws near. Mike Leone can be contacted at 724-967-2363, mikeleone@zoominternet.net, or on Twitter @mikevleone.
Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex is a 3/8-mile clay oval located near Markleysburg, Pa. just off of scenic Route 40 at 380 Fearer Road (look for the road sign) just seven miles east of Nemacolin Woodlands on the right, one mile west of Yough Lake on the left. Check out the website at www.roaringknob.com or call 410-857-3821 (office) or 724-329-0306 on race day.