Local racing to start back up after washed-out weekend

Last weekend’s wet and cold conditions caused the entire local racing slate to be canceled, leaving fans with a week off. The World of Outlaw shows at Port Royal, the STSS modified show at Hagerstown and Williams Grove’s opener were all scrubbed from the calendar.

In fact, even the USCS 360 action in the South was affected by weekend weather. That sprint car series was scheduled for a two-day weekend in Magnolia, Mississippi. Friday was rained out, but on Saturday local racer Davie Franek scored the win.

It’s time to move on to the upcoming weekend, with the Outlaws scheduled for the area again. The weekend starts at Williams Grove on Friday evening. The Outlaws visit the Grove as much as any place during the season, and Friday will be their earliest attempt at a Grove show ever.

Last year, Lance Dewease won three Outlaw shows at the Grove, including the National Open. Local racer Brent Marks won another, while Outlaw champion Brad Sweet finally got the Williams Grove monkey off his back with a win in the other race.

Over the years, the Outlaws have raced at the Grove well over 200 times with the exact total closing in on 230 races there. In the past decade, local drivers have won 21 World of Outlaw shows at the Grove, while Outlaw regulars have won 19. Four of the shows were won by invaders who were not regulars with either series.

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On Saturday, the Outlaws move to Lincoln Speedway for the first of two shows there this season. Lincoln moved its starting time to 6 p.m. this week.

Last year, local Outlaw Jacob Allen brought the house down with a win at his hometown track. Allen is the son of Bobby Allen, one of the original Outlaws. The Allens' Shark Racing shop is just down the road from Lincoln in Hanover.

The Outlaws appeared at Lincoln during their first season in 1978 and were a staple there for many years. After leaving the track late in the 1990s, the Outlaws returned in 2012 and have been back every year since. They have presented 50 shows at Lincoln over the years.

In the 11 years since the Outlaws returned to Lincoln, the score is evenly split with local drivers scoring six wins and Outlaw series regulars scoring six wins.

Changes coming: The much-awaited debut of the new Hoosier tire for sprint cars was set to happen last weekend, but now will happen this weekend. The new tire is said to be different from the tire that has been in use for many years. No one has had a chance to race on the tire yet, so it could prove interesting. Local tracks have said that drivers have four weeks to use up their supply of old tires, but all Outlaw races will be on the new tire only.

The Outlaws are also requiring the use of a fire suppression system in sprint cars this year. No one else has mandated the system yet, although both the All Stars and local tracks are strongly recommending it.

More racing: In addition to the Outlaw shows in the area, BAPS Motor Speedway and Selinsgrove are set to open this weekend.

At BAPS, the winged supe5 sportsman racers will be joined by the 358 modifieds and the Legends cars for the opening-day show Saturday evening.

Selinsgrove opens Saturday with the Short Track Super Series modifieds and the 602 crate sportsman modifieds.

YCRC: The York County Racing Club will actually kick off the week with a general membership meeting Wednesday evening. The event will be held at the Club Hall in Zions View. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m., with refreshments available beforehand.

All Star series sprint car driver Justin Peck will be the guest speaker for the meeting. Peck has ventured to the area regularly when the All Stars aren’t racing; he has already won locally this season, picking up the victory in Lincoln’s second race of the year. While Peck is an Indiana native, he drives for a locally-based team. Brownstown-based Tom Buch owns the No. 13 racer that Peck drives.

Also at this YCRC meeting, nominations for the Hall of Fame will be open. Anyone wishing to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame should be on hand to present their nomination to the club officers during the meeting. The club’s board of directors then use the nominations to select each year’s Hall of Fame inductees.