Speedway Offers " Wing Smorgasbord " For Memorial Day Weekend
Sunday Triple Header Sprints
Super Sportsman, PASS 305 Sprints & 410 Sprints Ray Tilley Classic
Speedway Pacetruck Recently Recognized As Nicest Looking Pacecar At Car Show
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Selinsgrove Speedway will honor the memory of one of Pennsylvania’s greatest open wheel racers with the running of the Ray Tilley Classic for 410 sprint cars at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 26. The 30-lap tribute race sponsored by Icon Legacy Custom Modular Homes will pay $5,000 to win out of the $23,000-plus purse.
Joining the 410 sprint cars for the special Memorial Day weekend program will be the super sportsman and the 305 sprint cars to round out an open wheel tripleheader at the historic Snyder County half-mile clay oval. Track gates will open at 5 p.m.
The late Ray Tilley of Pine Grove clinched four career sprint car titles (1965-66 and 1968-69) at Selinsgrove and remains on top of the track’s all-time sprint car win list with 69 career victories. Tilley passed away on Aug. 19, 2011, from complications of a stroke at the age of 77. Last year’s inaugural Tilley Classic race was rained out.
Members of the Tilley family from Utah, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania will be in attendance. Tilley’s grandson, Andrew Tilley, who recently graduated from ministry school, will deliver the invocation and family friend Linda Herrold of Selinsgrove will sing the National Anthem. The Tilley family will also present a custom-made trophy cup to the winner.
Terry Mummert, a friend of the Tilley family, will have Ray Tilley Classic t-shirts for sale the night of the race. They will be available in a variety of colors and sizes.
The May 26 race, which will include time trials, heat races, and a B-main for the qualifying format, will mark the second appearance of the season by the 410 sprint cars. Greg Hodnett of Thomasville won the March 10 season opener for 410 sprint cars.
The RAACE Foundation will also be at the track May 26 to generate awareness of the organization’s mission. The RAACE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the epidemic of child sexual abuse by raising public awareness. Stevie Smith of Broken Arrow, Okla., a long-time supporter of the Foundation, is tentatively scheduled to be in competition May 26 and will participate in a pre-race autograph session. Smith owns six career wins at Selinsgrove including a victory in the 2003 National Open.
The super sportsman and the 305 sprint cars will compete in a series of heat races and 20-lap features, respectively. The July 7 super sportsman race last year was won by Jim Shuster of Newville. The 305 sprint car race will be a first in the track’s history.
The night before the Tilley Classic, Selinsgrove Speedway will present a four division show of 358 sprint cars, late models, pro stocks, and roadrunners at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 25, sponsored by the Sunbury Eagles Club No. 503.
For a complete schedule, the latest news, results, and race status, visit selinsgrovespeedway.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. The speedway office can be reached at 570.374.2999.
Admission for May 26, 2013:Adults $20; Students (12-17) $15; Kids 11 & Under FREE; Pit Passes $30
Stutts Earns ESS 360 Victory Over Stellar Field Of Sprint Cars
Brings Home Runnerup Finish In 358 Event As Well
TJ Stutts
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – TJ Stutts of Liverpool and Pat Cannon of Etters each took a victory in the 25-lap features for 360 and 358 sprint cars, respectively, in an action-packed show Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway that drew a total of 57 open wheel racers.
Stutts took his first win of the season in the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint (ESS) 360 sprint race. The $3,000 victory in the Mach 1 Chassis-sponsored event was the 16th of Stutts’ career at the track driving the Mountain View Travel No. 23. He became the seventh different winner in 358-360 sprint car competition this year.
The non-stop 360 sprint race was a new track record and timed in 8:18.546.
Cannon, who finished second in the 360 sprint race, came out swinging in the 358 sprint feature later in the night and scored his 43rd career victory in convincing style at the wheel of the Highlands’ Tire & Service Center No. 3. Cannon also became the first repeat sprint car feature winner of the season at the track. Ironically, Stutts chased down Cannon in the 358 sprint feature and settled for second.
Jim Bernheisel of Lebanon won his first race of the season in the 25-lap super late model feature and became the division’s sixth different winner. The win was the second of Bernheisel’s career at Selinsgrove.
Nathan Long of Selinsgrove was awarded the win in the 15-lap pro stock feature when Brad Mitch of McClure was disqualified for an illegal engine during the post-race inspection. Long will be credited with his second win of the year.
Selinsgrove Speedway will be in action two nights over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday with a four division show of 358 sprints, late models, pro stocks, and roadrunners at 7 p.m. on Saturday, followed by an open wheel tripleheader featuring the 410 sprint cars in the Ray Tilley Classic, super sportsman, and 305 sprint cars at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Track gates will open at 5 p.m. both nights.
Outside front row starter Jeff Cook powered into the lead at the start of the ESS 360 sprint car feature. Cook led the high-speed chase with polesitter Dave Ely and fourth-place starter TJ Stutts in close pursuit. On the second circuit, Stutts steered into second and began to track down Cook.
On the seventh lap, 11th-place starter Pat Cannon got by eighth-place starter Mark Smith for the fifth position. By lap 10, a thrilling wheel-to-wheel duel began to unfold for the lead between Cook and Stutts. Three laps later, Cannon advanced to third and made it a close three-car battle at the front of the pack.
Stutts made the winning pass by Cook using the inside lane entering the third turn on the 14th circuit. Cannon then passed Cook for the second position on lap 18 and began to reel in Stutts. With five laps remaining, Cannon was closing the gap with Stutts while Smith raced into the third position.
Stutts crossed under the checkered flag 2.5 seconds ahead of Cannon, Smith, 12th-place starter Robbie Stillwagon, and Cook.
Cannon Picks Up Second 358 Win Of The Season
Pat Cannon
Second-place starter Duane Mausteller pulled into the lead at the start of the 358 sprint car feature. After one lap was completed, the caution flag unfurled for debris on the speedway. On the restart, Mausteller continued to set the pace in front of polesitter Larry Kelleher and sixth-place starter Cody Keller.
By lap five, Keller had taken over the runner up position while both 12th-place starter Kevin Nouse and 11th-place starter Pat Cannon raced into the top five. By lap nine, Cannon advanced to third and a three-car battle unfolded for the lead. A circuit later, Cannon stormed into second and set his sights on Mausteller.
Using the inside lane off turn four on lap 11, Cannon made the winning pass by Mausteller. Once in front of the field, Cannon began to streak away while Mausteller, Keller and ninth-place starter TJ Stutts dueled for positions in traffic.
On lap 19, Stutts secured the second position and attempted to reel in Cannon to no avail. At the finish, Cannon was victorious by a convincing 4.7 seconds over Stutts, Keller, fourth-place starter Eric Tomecek, and Mausteller.
Bernheisel Wires Field For Latemodel Checkers
Jim Bernheisel
At the start of the late model feature, third-place starter Jim Bernheisel horsepowered his way to the front of the pack and led flag-to-flag for the victory. Bernheisel was trailed by polesitter Meade Hahn and second-place starter Donnie Schick for most of the event.
By lap 10, Bernheisel, who quickly stretched his lead to a straightaway, began to encounter slower traffic. With five laps remaining, Bernheisel set the pace with Hahn, Schick, ninth-place starter Jim Yoder, and fourth-place starter Chad Davis racing in the top five.
The event’s first and only caution flag unfurled on lap 23 when Hayes Mattern spun in turn three. When the race resumed, Bernheisel pulled away from the field and posted a one-second margin of victory over Hahn, Yoder, Schick, and Davis.
Third-place starter Brad Mitch powered into the lead at the start of the pro stock feature. Mitch was chased by second-place starter AJ Stroup for the first two laps until Stroup dropped out of the race while the field was pacing under caution.
When the race resumed, Mitch was followed by sixth-place starter Nathan Long and eighth-place starter Shaun Miller. On a lap 11 restart, seventh-place starter Kyle Bachman fell off the pace in turn two. On the final restart, Long remained in striking distance but couldn’t pull off a pass. Mitch took the checkered flag but was later disqualified due to a motor technicality. Long was awarded the win over S. Miller, Troy Miller, Tommy Slanker, and Hank Steffen.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY: 18 May 2013 Empire Super Sprint (ESS) 360 Sprint Cars – 36 Entries 25-Lap A-Main: 1) 23 TJ Stutts ($3,000) 2) 3 Pat Cannon 3) 1 Mark Smith 4) 89 Robbie Stillwaggon 5) 10 Jeff Cook 6) 5 Justin Barger 7) 65 Dave Ely 8) 45H Chuck Hebing 9) 87B Jason Barney 10) 13 Kevin Ward Jr. 11) 7C Dylan Swiernik 12) 25 JJ Grasso 13) 28 Steve Poirier 14) 28F Davie Franek 15) 1B Joey Biasi 16) 19K Paul Kinney 17) 1Z Jessica Zemken 18) 17J Lance Younge 19) 25P Michael Parent 20) 21 Duane Mausteller 21) 1R Sam Reakes DNF 22) 67 Steve Collins DNF 23) 98 Joe Trenca DNF 24) 73 Kramer Williamson DNF 25) 33 Shawn Donath DNF 26) 29 Josh Weller DNS Heat Winners: Pat Cannon, Jessica Zemken, Davie Franek, Josh Weller Dash Winner: Davie Franek B-Main Winner: Lance Younge
358 Sprint Cars – 21 Entries 25-Lap A-Main: 1) 3 Pat Cannon ($1,500) 2) 23 TJ Stutts 3) 99K Cody Keller 4) 1W Eric Tomecek 5) 21 Duane Mausteller 6) 4R Kevin Nouse 7) 2 Jason Shultz 8) 19 Colby Womer 9) 76 Larry Kelleher 10) 77 Derek Locke 11) 15 Mark Bitner 12) 66 Mike Walter 13) 5 Tyler Ross 14) 5B Josh Beard 15) 34 Austin Reed 16) Jessica Anderson 17) 29S Derek Steward 18) 42 Alan Spriggle 19) 67 Jason Cherry 20) 22M Brian Garland DNF 21) 38 Scott Wilson DNF Heat Winners: Eric Tomecek, Duane Mausteller, Cody Keller
Late Models – 25 Entries 25-Lap A-Main: 1) 119 Jim Bernheisel ($1,500) 2) 7M Meade Hahn 3) 27 Jim Yoder 4) 6 Donnie Schick 5) 91 Chad Davis 6) 61 Ken Trevitz 7) 26 Jerry Bard 8) 119B Bryan Bernheisel 9) 88 Tony Adams 10) 2 Steve Campbell 11) 4D Chad Hollenbeck 12) 24 Dylan Yoder 13) 2J Jeff Rine 14) 16 Matt Cochran 15) 99Z Dave Zona 16) 21 Scott Haus 17) 32 Lindsay Barton 18) 90 Kyle Rhoads 19) KB0 Kerry King 20) 9 Hayes MAttern 21)KB1 Kerry King Jr. 22) 10 Dave Stamm 23) 76 Andy Haus DNF 24) 30 Sam Schaeffer DNF 25) 18 Eric Markel DNF Heat Winners: Dave Zona, Jim Bernheisel, Jim Yoder
Pro Stocks – 14 Entries 15-Lap A-Main: 1) 63 Nathan Long (Awarded Win) 2) 115S Shaun Miller 3) 115 Troy Miller 4) 19H Tommy Slanker 5) 34 Hank Steffen 6) 85 Terry Lauver 7) 06 Frank Reisser 8) 28J Jeff Ceballo 9) 32 Tom Hartman 10) Kyle Bachman DNF 11) 85L Pete Lauver DNF 12) 26 AJ Stroup DNF 13) 111 Derrick Garman DNF 14) 10M Brad Mitch DQ Heat Winners: Brad Mitch, AJ Stroup
LOCAL TRAFFIC INFORMATION
From now through the end of August the bridge at the north end of Selinsgrove will be closed to northbound traffic. Please detour by using the Selinsgrove bypass at the Route 35 blinking light to travel north after events.
All race teams must fill out a W-9 tax form in order to receive prize monies from Selinsgrove Speedway. Prize money will not be given to teams that do not have a current W-9 on file at the speedway as required by law. Forms may be turned in to the handicapper at the pit gate when you enter the speedway, at the registration window prior to hot laps or at the payout window prior to being paid for your event. The form can be printed HEREor picked up at the speedway.
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