The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing will host its annual convention this weekend.

Held on the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, this year's convention will honor the memory of longtime Silver Spring Speedway announcer Jack Frazier.

In addition to announcing at the Springs, Frazier was very active in preserving the history of the sport. He served on the EMMR board for many years. Frazier was also a longtime board member for the York County Racing Club.

The EMMR began life as the Williams Grove Old-Timers under the direction of late promoter Jack Gunn in the mid-1970s. The first convention was held at Williams Grove Speedway, where past racers gathered to show off their old race cars and do some bench racing.

When the group purchased the old Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, the convention was moved there, although the group still holds close ties to many local race tracks. This year's convention is the 38th annual affair.

The convention runs Friday through Sunday, with track time for the vintage race cars from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The EMMR will also be a part of the racing programs at Williams Grove and Lincoln this week, with track time expected at both tracks.

The convention is named in honor of Jack Frazier this year, but will also honor the announcing careers of longtime Hagerstown announcer Frank Sagi, and the "Dean of Motorsports Journalism," Chris Economaki.

Friday morning there will be a tributes to Ray Tilley, Smokey Snellbaker, Johnny Grum, Milt Miller, Frank Sagi, Jim Siedel, Johnny Mackison Sr. and Lee Parthemore.

Grand marshals for the weekend are Dizzy Dean and Ted Seiders.

PIT STOPS

WEEKEND RACING: Williams Grove will have a big weekend of racing, starting with the annual Twin 20s for sprint cars on Friday evening.

Both features pay $2,500 to the winners. As mentioned above, the EMMR will be on hand with a display of vintage race cars and track time for those cars. Fireworks will round out the show.

Saturday the Grove hosts the super sportsmen, limited-late models and street stocks.

Trailway also has a two-race weekend. Friday it's the opening night of the Lincoln/Trailway Shootout for the 358 sprints. Limited stocks and Xtreme stocks are also on the program. Saturday, micro sprints take top billing.

Lincoln will be a busy place on Saturday evening. The sprint cars will race in the 33-lap Brandon Little Memorial Fallen Firefighters Night event. That race offers $5,033 to the winner. Little, who lived next to the speedway, was fatally injured in an accident while responding to a fire. The second leg of the Lincoln/Trailway Shootout for the 358 sprints is also a part of the program, and again, the EMMR will have a display and track time for the vintage racers.

At Port Royal Saturday, the sprint cars, late models, pro stocks and an enduro dash will make up the program.

Selinsgrove hosts the 358 sprints, late models pro stocks and road runners on Saturday, while Susquehanna Speedway Park will host the limited-late models, street stocks, Xtreme stocks, minivans and road warriors Saturday.

At Hagerstown Saturday, the late models go topless in the Bull Durham/Shorty Bowers Memorial race. That one pays $2,500 to win. The late-model sportsmen, pure stocks and hobby stocks also compete.

Sprint cars return to Bedford on Sunday evening to make up a show that was rained out earlier this season.

50 YEARS AGO: This weekend provided some sparks 50 years ago in 1962, when arch-rivals Johnny Mackison Sr. and Bobby Hersh were at their peak.

Friday at Williams Grove, Hersh edged Mackison for the victory. The win was the 17th of the season for Hersh in the Trone No. 39. Roger Sowers, Pee Wee Pobletts and Ronnie Cranston completed the top five.

Things boiled over on Saturday at Lincoln, when Mackison drove the Yorkshire Garage/ Emrich Chevrolet No. 1 to the victory over Hersh. The win was Mackison's 15th of the season and was also the 35th and last of his Lincoln career. Pobletts, Bud Folkenroth and Neil Haight completed the top five.

Mackison and Hersh got together on the last lap and Hersh was fined for a post-race fight with Mackison.

Flash forward 50 years, and note that last Friday night second-generation driver Johnny Mackison Jr. drove the Trone No. 39 at Williams Grove to help second-generation car owner John Trone keep up his owner points while the team's primary car was at Knoxville with Greg Hodnett.

Port Royal hosted Twin 20s for the modified stock cars Saturday night with Leroy Felty and Frankie Thompson picking up the wins. Felty won the first in the Gettle No. 77, with Thompson, Lorenze Alwine, Johnny Crawford Sr. and Joe Lingle in the top five. The win was Felty's fourth of the season.

In the second race, Thompson drove the McClure No. 15 to his fourth win of the season, with Johnny Dubendorff, Alwine, Felty and Crawford in the top five.

Sunday at Susquehanna, Folkenroth drove the Gurtizen No. 100 to his second win of the season. Of course that car was equipped with a supercharged Oldsmobile engine. Haight finished second, while Hersh edged Mackison for third. Ray Kable Sr. completed the top five.

-- Bryan Householder cover dirt-track racing for The York Dispatch. He can be reached at sports@yorkdis patch.com.