Local Racing: Making a difference - with bean bags
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Article RatingThe National Sprint Car Bean Bag Association is looking to make a difference this season.
The NSCBBA has announced that its first major event of the 2007 season will be the inaugural Kevin Gobrecht NSCBBA Challenge. The event will be held in conjunction with the Kevin Gobrecht Memorial Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek event on June 30 at Lincoln Speedway.
The inuagural bean bag tournament will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the infield grass at Lincoln Speedway, and the organizers of the NSCBBA are hoping for big things out of this event.
“What made us decide to do it this year was when we registered as a non-profit, we wanted to try and do something good with what we do,” said Ross Fronk, Founder/CEO of NSCBBA. “Everybody at the races are good natured people, like the guys of the Beer Hill Gang, and we figured we should do something for somebody that's already established in the sport like the Gobrecht family. It would be a good place for us to start with doing some good Saturday work.”
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Kevin Gobrecht Memorial Fund, and be presented to the Gobrecht family later that evening during the racing program.
Tickets to the event are currently on sale for $25, which covers the entry fee to the tournament festivities and admission to the races that night. All of the money collected from admission to the tournament, beyond the cost of admission to the race, will be considered a donation. The tournament will have 64 contestants, 24 of whom have already signed up.
“We already have $400 from anonymous donors for that day, so we are already off to a good start,” said Fronk, who said he discovered the bean bag game while attending racing at Ohio's Eldora Speedway two years ago and brought it back to Central Pennsylvania. “We still have two-and-a-half months to go so I am hoping that we can collect over $1,000 for the Gobrecht family.”
Sprint car drivers Alan Krimes and Cory Haas both have committed to playing in the tournament, and Lucas Wolfe is a tentative entry as well. Fronk hopes to get a few more drivers to take part.
Those interested in participating in the bean bag tourney can sign up in the Lincoln Speedway office, on the Lincoln Speedway Web site message board or by contacting any of NSCBBA members that you might see at the track. More information can be found on the group's Web site, www.nscbba.org.
Those who are just interested in making donations may do so via NSCBAA, P.O. Box 692, Dillsburg, Pa., 17019.
New clay on the way
Lincoln Speedway will have 30 truckloads of new clay delivered on Monday with hopes of solving the track surface issues it has been dealing with this season.
Track officials are hoping to have cooperation from the weather next week following the delivery of clay from a York quarry, the same place that supplies Williams Grove and Hunterstown.
“We don't know what happened,” said Don Leiby, one of the three track owners. “We spent the extra money during the off season and were supposed to be getting a real good product. But somehow the samples got switched because we had the geologist back in last week and he said this wasn't the same clay that he had sampled for us.”
Lincoln's early season track surface has been well documented, although there still has been plenty of good racing in the Pigeon Hills this season.
The Jerry Parrish-owned team with driver Brian Montieth has announced it will compete at Port Royal Speedway until Lincoln's track conditions are corrected. Montieth has not been able to find any speed this season at Lincoln.
What's happening
Friday will be a big night of racing at Williams Grove Speedway, with the Tommy Classic for 410 Sprints. The race is now being run in memory of Tommy Hinnershitz.
The race, formerly known as the Spring Classic, will pay $6,000 to win out of a $30,000 purse.
Last year's winner was Doug Esh, who is still looking for that first 2007 season win.
TrailWay Speedway will host a 358 Sprint championship along with stock cars Friday night while micro sprints headline action at Path Valley and late models at Bedford Speedway.
Saturday night racing finds Saturday Night Series featuring the Super Sportsman at Williams Grove with $1,400 to win thanks to Quiznos Subs, $900 to win for the 358 late models thanks to Baer's Paving, $400 to win for the street stocks courtesy of Cockrell's Auto Body and a $500 to win Enduro sponsored by Superior Homes of Lancaster. Sponsors have stepped up to help the Saturday night program at the Grove.
Lincoln is back with Sprints, 305 Sprints and thundercars Saturday while Port Royal has a regular show, as does Selinsgrove.
The Lucas Oil Late Models invade Hagerstown Speedway Saturday night with the $10,000 to win Stanley Schetrompf Memorial.
Susquehanna Speedway returns with Super Sportsman, 358 late models and street stocks Saturday and a regional $1,200 to win 360 Sprint car event Sunday night along with Midgets.
Pit stops
Pat Cannon won the first ASCS Mid Atlantic 360 Sprint car show last Sunday at Susquehanna in the Highlands Tire Service-owned car. He led the entire distance, winning over Chad Layton, Dave Ely, Davey Franek and Jimmy Stitzel. Nineteen cars were on hand for the ASCS opener. . . . Craig Morrow won the Super Sportsman main at SSP on Saturday while Carlisle's Carl Billet took the late model win and Kory Sites won the street stocks. SSP press releases for the weekend racing did not come out until late Sunday, thus not making it into the Monday roundup. . . . Kenny Adams will be in the area this weekend racing with ASCS at Virginia Motor Speedway and Susquehanna. Adams is touring all around the country this season at the ASCS promotional racer. . . .
Steve Cannon was released from Geisinger Medical Center Sunday and is home recovering from a severe concussion suffered after a horrific crash at Selinsgrove Speedway. Cards will reach him at 217 Old Turnpike Rd., Califon, N.J., 07830. . . . Joey Saldana won for the fifth time on the World of Outlaw sprint tour Friday night at Attica Raceway Park over Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz. Kinser came back to win Saturday at Tri State Speedway over Jac Haudenschild and Jason Meyers. The Outlaws invade Knoxville Raceway this weekend. . . . Scott Bloomquist picked up a big $50,000 paycheck for winning the World of Outlaws late model series event last weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The Outlaws no longer have 360OTC as the series sponsor. . . .
We'd like to send out deepest sympathy to 410 Sprint car driver Lance Dewease, along with his family, on the passing of his father Stuart on Wednesday. Stuart Dewease was always at the track, and a big supporter of Lance's racing career from the beginning. He could always be found helping his wife Marilyn sell Lance's apparel. Rest in Peace, Stu. . . . E-mail reaches me at Bvores@aol.com.
