By Kalida Landis
HANOVER, Pa.: Like most racetracks in central Pennsylvania, Trail-Way Speedway has been looking for the right time to open its gates.
The Coronavirus pandemic has forced the shutdown of entertainment and most businesses across the state since the middle of March, per government guidelines. Now that the number of new cases is decreasing, it’s time to get back to racing.
Trail-Way Speedway is scheduled to kick off its 2020 season on June 12 with Wurtzer’s Garage Night, which will feature the Hoosier Mid-Atlantic 358 Sprint Cars, the Central PA Legends sponsored by Harvest Chapel, 600 Micro Sprints, and Scramble Cars. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with racing starting at 7:45.
The Open Practice scheduled for June 16 will be moved to Tuesday, June 9. It will be a tune up for the start of the season.
Speedway officials are requiring everyone who attends to sign a COVID-19 waiver. The track will also follow CDC guidelines and urge fans, drivers, and race teams to wear masks and practice social distancing.
“After learning the CDC guidelines and hearing what tracks in our area are planning to do, we have adjusted our plan to move forward with our 2020 racing season,” said speedway co-owner Perry Hostetter.
“We were hoping to wait until it went green to have spectators, but we feel we need to make this announcement for our customers and our teams to let them know what’s going on and to inform them of our plans for the remaining months.”
Hostetter and his staff have rescheduled some of the postponed May events. The Street Stock Championship scheduled for May 8 will take place Friday, July 10. The Brian Blank Jr. Memorial for Street Stocks scheduled for May 22 has been moved to Friday July 3. Racing will begin at 7:45 p.m. for both events.
There have been other notable changes to the schedule. May 15 and June 5 Autograph Nights have been postponed and will be reassessed based on the COVID-19 situation. Armed Forces Appreciation Nights have also been moved to July 3 and 4 with free admission to anyone in the armed forces. The August 7 Thunder and Lightning Classic has been postponed to 2021.
Officials have also decided that, at this time, points will be awarded toward track championships. There are also a series of events that still highlight the 2020 schedule.
An AMA doubleheader will be held June 6 with the Vintage National Short Track sponsored by Hannum’s Harley Davidson starting at 11:00 a.m. The 2020 Armin Hostetter Classic AMA Short Track will begin following the conclusion of the National event. The scheduled start time for the Armin Hostetter Classic is 6:00 p.m.
The 410 Sprint Cars return to Trail-Way on August 2 for the Fourth annual Armin Hostetter Memorial. The Central PA Legends will also be on the card, with gates opening at 4:30 p.m. and racing beginning at 7. The rain date for this event will be August 30.
Super Late Models will be at Trail-Way on July 24 for the First annual Junior Eckert Memorial. The program will also feature the Limited Stocks and Street Stocks, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. and racing beginning at 7:45.
The Wingless Super Sportsman will make two appearances on The Farm June 26 and September 4. The PASS 305 Sprints are on the July 17 card. The Junk Car events will be held on July 4 and October 24.