Selinsgrove Speedway
Selinsgrove Speedway is one-half mile (0.8 km) dirt racetrack in Penn Township just south of Selinsgrove, Snyder County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It hosts Road-Runner, Pro Stock, Late Model, and Sprint Car racing every Saturday night. It also hosts Go-kart and Micro Sprint races every Friday night on its in-field track, the one-fifth mile (0.3 km) Selinsgrove Raceway Park.
History
Selinsgrove Speedway was built in 1945 under the supervision of Joie Chitwood, a Hollywood stunt man and race car driver from Denison, Texas.[1] The land had previously been a family farm owned by the Allison and Davis families of Snyder County. They sold it to the Dauntless Hook and Ladder Volunteer Fire Department of Selinsgrove in 1941 as a permanent home for the fire company's annual carnival. The first race was held on July 20, 1946 as an American Automobile Association sanctioned event promoted by Sam Nunis. The winner was Bill Holland, who would go on to win the Indianapolis 500 in 1949. Placing second was Red Byron, who won the first NASCAR-sanctioned race ever, held on February 15, 1948 at the Daytona Beach Road Course and would go on to become the first champion of the NASCAR's Strictly Stock division, now known as the Sprint Cup Series.[1]
The grandstand at Selinsgrove Speedway was constructed in 1948. Still standing as of 2012, the grandstands were built from 175,000 board feet (400 m³) of lumber with a capacity of 5,500 spectators. Lights for night racing were added in 1953.
Selinsgrove Speedway began hosting weekly events in 1950, under the promotion of George "Buster" Keller. Weekly racing continued until 1959, when the action at the track slowed to occasional races. In 1963, weekly racing resumed once again. Chris Economaki, a pioneer of motorsports writing, served as the track announcer during the early 1950s.[1] The track continued to expand its operation over the years and was managed by several promoters.
As of 2012, Selinsgrove Speedway is owned by the Selinsgrove Fair Association, with Charlie Paige as the promoter. Paige has directed improvements and expansion at Selinsgrove Speedway. New concession stands have been built, as have new restrooms and V.I.P. facilities. The smaller Selinsgrove Raceway Park was built in the infield in 2001 and the backstretch and turns 1 and 3 were widened in 2006.
Selinsgrove Open
The track started the sprint car racing special event in 1983.[2] The event was won by 1984 track champion Maynard Yingst.[2] Yingst won the event in 1984 and 1985 before becoming the national championship winning Funny Car crew chief for 1989 NHRA driver Bruce Larson.[2] Several national sprint car drivers have won the event, including Dave Blaney, Sammy Swindell, and Greg Hodnett.
- 1983 Maynard Yingst[2]
- 1984 Maynard Yingst
- 1985 Maynard Yingst
- 1986 Don Kreitz, Jr.
- 1987 Dave Blaney
- 1988 Keith Kauffman
- 1989 Doug Wolfgang
- 1990 Sammy Swindell
- 1991 Johnny Mackison
- 1992 Don Kreitz, Jr.
- 1993 Todd Shaffer
- 1994 Todd Shaffer
- 1995 Fred Rahmer
- 1996 Fred Rahmer
- 1997 Fred Rahmer
- 1998 Greg Hodnett
- 1999 Fred Rahmer
- 2000 Fred Rahmer
- 2001 Todd Shaffer
Racing Series
The following racing series have run events at Selinsgrove Speedway since 1946.
|
|
References
- 1 2 3 Dave Herrold. ""The Story" - The History of Selinsgrove Speedway". Selinsgrove Speedway. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
- 1 2 3 4 "Selinsgrove Open September 14th preview". Motorsport.com. 2002-09-10. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
Coordinates: 40°47′14″N 76°52′13″W / 40.78722°N 76.87028°W