By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – When the 410 sprint cars return to Selinsgrove Speedway on Sunday, July 3, for the Middleswarth Potato Chips PA Speedweek Opperman-Bogar-Heintzelman Memorial, they will be racing for $10,099 to win thanks to a generous contribution from the family of Ralph Heintzelman Sr. to honor his recent induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
Members of the Bogar family and others are also making contributions to this year’s race to make it one of the four biggest payoffs for this year’s 10-race, 32nd Annual PA Speedweek Series presented by Red Robin. Grandstand and pit gates will open at 4 p.m. with qualifying slated for 7:30 p.m. Selinsgrove will use a rain date of Monday, July 4, if needed.
The 30-lap main event for the Lelands.com 410 sprint cars will now offer a purse of more than $35,000. Time trials, heat races, and a B-main will be the qualifying format. The Fast Tees Fast Time Award will pay $300. Joining the 410 sprint cars on the open wheel doubleheader will be the Apache Tree Service 305 sprint cars in a 20-lap main event.
Two previous 410 sprint car races at the track this season were won by Anthony Macri of Dillsburg and Gio Scelzi of Fresno, Calif. Brent Marks of Myerstown is the defending PA Speedweek winner at Selinsgrove.
A native of Beaver Springs, Ralph Heintzelman Sr. was arguably one of the sport’s best race car builders and mechanics in Pennsylvania in the 1970’s. He was hired by sprint car owner Luke “Dick” Bogar of Selinsgrove to wrench for driver Jan Opperman of California. The result was a stunning 44-win season in 1972 for the No. 99 team. Together, the trio won Opperman’s only sprint car track title at Selinsgrove a year later in 1973.
When Opperman left to race for USAC, Heintzelman kept going with driver Lynn Paxton and others. Before a devastating garage fire in 1980, Heintzelman was building chassis that were winning races across the country. He passed away in August of 2019 at the age of 81 and was inducted posthumously into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame on June 4 of this year.
The legendary Opperman, who won 19 sprint car races at Selinsgrove and also competed in the Indianapolis 500 during his career, passed away in September of 1997. Bogar, who was a prominent local businessman in the Selinsgrove area, died in October of 2014.
For a complete schedule, the latest news, results, and race status, visit selinsgrovespeedway.com or follow the track on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The speedway office can be reached at 570.374.2266.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE INFORMATION FOR SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2022:
RACING:
410 Sprint Cars (PA Speedweek)
305 Sprint Cars
TIMES:
Gates Open: 4PM
Qualifying: 7:30PM
ADMISSION:
Adults: $25
Students (12-17): $15
Kids 11 & Under FREE GA
Reserved Seats Add $2
Pit Passes All Ages: $30
RAIN DATE: Monday, July 4 at 7PM