By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Selinsgrove Speedway will present the 31st Annual PA Speedweek Finale for 410 sprint cars at 7:30 p.m. this Sunday, July 4. Selinsgrove’s 30-lap Speedweek race is run as the Middleswarth Potato Chips Opperman-Bogar-Heintzelman Memorial, and will pay $7,500 to win to commemorate the track’s 75th anniversary.
Joining the Lelands.com 410 sprint cars on the special Fourth of July program will be the Apache Tree Service 305 sprint cars in a 20-lap feature.
Grandstand and pit gates will open at 4 p.m. Qualifying is slated to start at 7:30 p.m.
Selinsgrove Speedway is the only dirt track where the late Hall of Famer Jan Opperman clinched a championship. That title run occurred in 1973 while Opperman was driving the Bogar Speed Equipment No. 99 owned by Selinsgrove resident Dick Bogar and wrenched by Ralph Heintzelman of Beavertown.
Opperman died in 1997, with Bogar and Heintzelman passing away in 2014 and 2019, respectively.
Since the inception of PA Speedweek in 1991, Selinsgrove Speedway has hosted a series event 27 times. Fred Rahmer of Salfordville scored seven Selinsgrove Speedweek victories during his career, the most of any driver.
Beginning in 2002, Selinsgrove added the Opperman Memorial title to the Speedweek classic, when Middleburg’s Todd Hestor took the win. Subsequent Opperman Memorial winners have been Greg Hodnett, 2003, 2011; Fred Rahmer, 2004, 2005, 2008; Doug Esh, 2006; Sean Michael, 2007; Chad Kemenah, 2009; Daryn Pittman, 2010; Lance Dewease, 2012; Brent Marks, 2014; Stevie Smith, 2015; Danny Dietrich, 2016, 2020; Rico Abreu, 2017; Lucas Wolfe, 2018; and Dylan Cisney, 2019.
For the third consecutive year, the Bogar family is adding a $99 bonus to the winner’s share as an homage to the famous orange No. 99 sprint car.
Fast Tees of Thompsontown is sponsoring $300 for the Fast Tees Fast Time Award in memory of Jim Nace.
Additional bonuses being put up for the 410 sprint car drivers include a $503.53 hard charger bonus sponsored by Troutman’s Meat Market in memory of Bill Stahl of Selinsgrove, a life-long race fan and former newspaper delivery boy for both Bogar and Opperman who passed away in April.
Bodmer Family Footcare of Selinsgrove along with Selinsgrove businesses The Wicked Dog and Keller’s Auto Body are sponsoring a $500 hard luck award for the 410 sprint cars.
As a salute to the fans and in celebration of the Fourth of July holiday and the speedway’s 75th anniversary, many race teams contributed to the t shirt toss that will take place during sprint car time trials.
The Middleburg IGA is sponsoring the Speedweek trophy and Victory Lane cakes.
Apache Tree Service of Middlesburg announced a $300 hard charger bonus for the 305 sprint car feature.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE INFORMATION FOR SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2021:
RACING: 410 Sprint Cars/PA Speedweek Finale
PASS/IMCA 305 Sprint Cars
GATES:
Pit 4PM
Grandstand 4PM
QUALIFYING: 7:30PM
ADMISSION:
Adults $25
Students (12-17): $15
Kids 11 & Under FREE GA
Pit Passes $30