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Local Racing: Kauffman not slowing down at 57
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Article RatingIt's good to see Keith Kauffman still winning races at age 57. Kauffman's latest win was his 300th career victory, 298 of them in a sprint car and the other two in a late model. Just imagine how many wins he'd have if he would have raced local all of his career.
It's nice to have Cris Eash back racing sprint cars but in the same breath, it's unfortunate that his ride with the Kaltreider team did not work out. Eash parted ways with the team and piloted his brother Darren's sprint car last week at Lincoln.
I am glad the Super Sportsman car count is hovering around 40 per race at Williams Grove Speedway now. We will never see the days of 55 average cars in that division but it's where it needs to be at one track racing per night for the division to continue to be of local racing.
What an awesome Kids Night at Williams Grove last Saturday thanks to many of the Super Sportsman teams. In an effort spearheaded by car owner Dain Hursh and his driver JR Fry, the track was able to give away 80 bikes to kids. A total of 170 kids attended and a meeting was called by Fry to get bikes for the remaining kids. The remainder of the kids will get bikes in two weeks. That's what you call great sportsmanship and kudos to all involved in making that happen.
Glad to see both Williams Grove and Susquehanna getting full fields of 358 late models each week. The late models are a growing division and prove that they can support numerous tracks racing on the same night.
I wouldn't have guessed Todd Shaffer would be the point leader at Williams Grove in mid-June. But it's great to see the team owned by Gary and Patty Beam running well and in contention every week.
It seems Williams Grove cannot buy any decent weather on Friday nights. Two weeks in a row the program was rained out early through the card and the crowds showed both weeks that the weather channel plays a big part in their venturing out.
Fred Putney informed me that this past Saturday was the first week in a couple months that there was not at least some chance of rain for Saturday night racing at Lincoln. Fans continue to come out in big numbers each week.
While many of the racers at Lincoln last Saturday hated the surface at Lincoln, for the first time this year, Brian Montieth loved it! Montieth was hooked up around the top of the track for his first win this season and winning on the night that his car owner Jerry Parrish sponsored at the track.
It's good to see many people adding extra cash to the thundercar payoffs at Lincoln each week. The thundercars are definitely the red-headed step child of racing and take a back seat but always put on an exciting show for what fans stay to see them race.
Dave Shultz can still build some fast motors. His son Jason Shultz set fast time at Selinsgrove Saturday night for the Whitcomb Memorial and Pat Cannon was second quick in the Highlands Tire entry, both powered by Shultz power plants.
I think it might be a good for the sport with not one driver dominating in the 410 Sprints this season. So far, 15 different drivers have won local sprint car events in 2007.
On the same note, it's great to see good fields of 410 Sprints coming out each week to race. Hopefully the big car counts will continue into the upcoming Pennsylvania Speedweek and beyond.
Car counts in the 358 sprints continue to impress proving the division is a good one for Central Pennsylvania.
It's great to see Chad Layton pick up some sponsorship for the Wholesale Auto racing team. YTI Technical Schools have joined the #U1 team and along with a little more sponsor help, Layton will be back out two nights a week, which is where he should be.
Don't know if anyone's noticed, but the World of Outlaws has four or five different battles inside the top 10 in points right now. While Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana have checked out at the top, the remainder of the top eight spots are enjoying their own little battle.
Speaking of the Outlaws, Danny Lasoski and the Roth Motorsports team are not utilizing JEI Chassis. Lasoski is third in points.
I knew it wouldn't take Ricky Warner long to find a job. Look for an announcement next week but he should be working for another NASCAR Nextel Cup star on the WoO tour.
WHATS HAPPENING
The O'Reilly All-Star Sprints are in town beginning tonight for a three night battle with the Pennsylvania Posse.
Port Royal Speedway will host the All-Stars tonight in the Bob Weikert Memorial that will also see two lucky fans receive a quarter of beef thanks to Todd Weikert.
The All-Stars head to Williams Grove tomorrow night and are looking to end a long dry spell against the Grove regulars. In the last 17 All-Star events at the Grove, the Posse have one every one of them. Look for that record to go to 18-0 after tomorrow.
The All-Stars then head to Lincoln Speedway on Saturday night for a night of action in the Pigeon Hills.
Susquehanna Speedway is in action tonight with ARDC Midgets, Legends and School Bus Racing and then again Saturday with the 358 late models, street stocks and Xtreme Stocks.
Bedford Speedway will try again Friday with a regular show of late models while Path Valley will have a busy night of racing on Friday with seven feature events, which includes makeups from last week.
Trail-Way Speedway returns Friday with 358 Sprints and stock cars then again Saturday when the Super Sportsman Tour is in action at the Hanover track joined by the 600 Micros.
Selinsgrove Speedway hosts a regular Saturday show headlined by the 358 Sprints while Hagerstown Speedway will bring an end to the four race series called the Hagerstown/Winchester Shootout for late models.
PIT STOPS
Joey Saldana won for the seventh time last week in WoO Sprint action at the Eagle Nationals last week over Jac Haudenschild, Brooke Tatnell, Lasoski and Jason Meyers. The Outlaws will be in action this weekend at Knoxville Raceway where Stevie Smith plans to be in competition ... .
Dale Blaney captured the All Star win last week at Attica ahead of Rob Chaney, Dean Jacobs, Greg Wilson and Caleb Griffith. Blaney is expected to be in competition this weekend in Central Pa ....
Ohio Sprint Speedweek, sanctioned by the All Stars kicks off next week and has over 40 pre-registered drivers including Fayetteville's Lance Dewease. If a registered driver can win four of the seven races, he will win an extra $50,000 bonus....
Steve Casebolt became the youngest ever driver to win “The Dream” late model race last week at Eldora. Casebolt, 28, collected $100,000 for the big win in the Dale Beitler owned No. 19 late model....
Fred Rahmer and Lucas Wolfe are two of the 410 Sprint stars from Williams Grove that will be piloting 360 sprints as a part of the June 27th Kasey Kahne Foundation race at the Grove. The top 20 from URC points along with the top 20 from Grove 358 points will also be in attendance. Kahne along with Dave Blaney will be racing as well. Tickets are still on sale at the speedway office....
The World of Outlaws late models will invade Port Royal Speedway next Wednesday, June 20 for a big one night show. The 358 late models will also be on the card....
Lincoln Speedway was not able to defeat Mother Nature Wednesday night as the 55th Anniversary SHow for 410 sprints was rained out for a second time. The track will announce a makeup date.
Email reaches me at Bvores@aol.com...
