Keith Kauffman may be on the way to his best season of sprint car racing ever......and he is over 50. On Saturday the Mifflintown, PA racer won the sprint car feature, the season opener, at the Port Royal Speedway. It was the fourth time that Kauffman has won an opening day event at the Juniata County oval. He has now won four sprint features and the season has just barely gotten started.

     Fred Rahmer, who started fourth took over the lead on lap four. It was about lap eight when Kauffman got the lead and set the pace for the balance of the 25-lap feature. Rahmer finished second while Todd Shaffer earned third. Sean Michael and Don Kreitz followed.

     Jason Schmidt earned his first Pro Stock win of the year.

     Port Royal Speedways returns to action on Saturday, April 6, with a three division show of AuMiller's Insurance Sprint Cars, Late Models and Stong's Auto Parts Pro Stocks. Gates open at 10 a.m. with racing 1 p.m.

     April 13th will feature the same racing show while April 20th will have the sprints, Late Models and Pro Stocks running a night show. The Gumout World of Outlaws support series will be at Port Royal Speedway on April 27, and that will include the first Enduro Dash of the season.

     WHAT A GREAT TURNAROUND. One week previous Jim Shuttlesworth, of Wellsville, left Silver Spring Speedway with a bent up racecar and a sore body following an accident on the backstretch.

     This week Shuttlesworth returned with his car in almost new condition. He started 9th in the 25-lap Cindy Rowe Auto Glass sportsman feature and was able to top opening day winner Rich Eichelberger to win his 101st career feature victory. It was his 9th in a sportsman mount.

     "It's a relief to know you can do what we did," said Shuttlesworth. "We made some junk last week. This is the same car. Ben Woodring, who built the car, worked on it from Sunday until Thursday. He replaced some of the roll cage and the front end. It was a lot of work. We got done this morning."

     Close to 60 sportsman racers were on hand for the straight sportsman show.

     Silver Spring Speedway returns to action Saturday, April

6, with the first evening program of the season. Gates open at 6 p.m. The show will include the sportsman and the first appearance of Sutliff Street Stocks.

     ON FRIDAY NIGHT GREG HODNETT picked up $6,000 for his victory in his second consecutive Early Bird Sprint Car Championship at Williams Grove Speedway. The win was the ninth career victory at Williams Grove for Hodnett and his second of the season.

     Really weird is the fact that now three drivers tied for fast time in qualifications. NASCAR Busch Grand National racer Kasey Kahne, who seems to show up at a different track each weekend, was the first to establish a track record, 16.588 seconds on the half-mile. James Chesson and Greg Hodnett tied the record later.

     Williams Grove Speedway is back in action this Friday, April 5, with a sprint/super sportsman doubleheader. First heat gets the green at 8 p.m.

     The 358 sprints join with the 410 sprints for doubleheader shows on April 12 and 19. The first of two visits this season by the Gumout World of Outlaws sprints happens on April 26.

     AT TRAIL-WAY SPEEDWAY Ed Hollenbech of Fredricksburg, PA won the 4-Cylinder Stock car feature. Drew Heistand of Manheim won the 600cc winged sprint car feature. It was his first win of the season.

     Dan Hageman of Lanoka Harbor, NJ won the modified light feature. Wesley Kellison won something called the 112-inches- and-up wheelbase figure-8 feature. Tom Paracello won the 111- inches-and-less wheelbase figure-8 race. Brad Kress won the first-ever scramble car road course feature for 4-cylinder cars.

     Trail-Way Speedway will host the 600cc winged sprints, figure-8 cars, 4-cylinder stocks and scramble cars at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6. And on Sunday, 1 p.m.. they will host the figure-8 cars, street stocks, scramble cars and junk cars.

     GARY TOMKINS of Clifton Springs, NY made his first visit to the Hagerstown, MD Speedway for the Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series one he will never forget. He beat the best in the business to win his first Super DIRT Series race. He lead from the 45th thru the 100th lap picking up $6000 for his efforts.

     Gary Stuhler won the 25-lap Late Model feature, his 100th career victory.

     Racing returns to Hagerstown, MD Speedway on April 6 with Fan Appreciation Night when $6.00 will be all that it costs to get into the races. The late models, late model sportsman and pure stocks will be in action. Race time is 6 p.m.

     ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT LINCOLN SPEEDWAY Greg Hodnett, the Memphis racing talent, won his second feature of the weekend having won at Williams Grove Speedway the night before.

     "you guys are so fortunate here," Hodnett said. "I would say there are 12 or so winning Outlaw drivers here in the pit area, and it's hard to beat them....I mean out on the Outlaw trail there might not even be 12 Outlaw winning guys out there."

     "After seeing Keith (Kauffman) carry so much speed into the corners at Williams Grove last week we changed a few things to make it better. It's a very tough circuit here in Pennsylvania and I'm very blessed to be here with the team I'm with. I know you guys are getting your monies worth I can tell you that."

     Strinestown's Gary Potts became the fifth different winner of the season in the Thundercar division. The vintage cars ran 12-lap features in two divisions. Stew Wenrich drove his 1965 Mustang to a win in the sportsman feature, and Lloyd Hockenberry won the modified feature in his 1970 Gremlin

.    Lincoln Speedway welcomes the Silver Spring limited late model division on Saturday, April 6th as the ever-popular late model division shares the limelight with Lincoln's super sprint and thundercar regulars. The first heat gets the green at 6 p.m.

     The following weekend, Saturday, April 13th, Lincoln Speedway will shift to 7 p.m. starts. The ARDC midgets will be part of that show along with the sprints and thundercars.

     CHILD RACER KYLE PURKS made his first race in a sprint car a winning one as the 16-year-old racer won the 25-lap main event. Purks had several racers challenge him for the victory. He started on the pole and lead all the laps.

     Jeff Smith held off Dale Kerstetter of Liverpool for his 23rd career victory at Selinsgrove. Kyle Bachman won the Pro Stock feature.

     And Billy McNeil was the winner of the 10-lap Roadrunner feature. Only five cars took part.

     Selinsgrove Speedway returns to racing action this Saturday, April 6 with another program of sprints, late models, pro stocks and roadrunners. Racing starts at 6 p.m.

     GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY had close to 100 race cars (modifieds, late models, sprints, micro sprints and full sprints) on hand for their five hour practice session last Saturday. And there was a strong fan turnout in beautiful weather conditions.

     Officially Grandview Speedway opens this Saturday, April 6, 6 p.m. with Trevdan Building Supply Night. The NASCAR Modifieds, with a 40 lap feature topping the action, and the Late Models will be in action. Adult admission for the track, located in Bechtelsville, PA, is just $12.00.

     Grandview Speedway runs each Saturday during the month of April with a 6 p.m. starting time.

     BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY in Minersville, PA opens for the 2002 season on Sunday, April 7, 2 p.m. The NASCAR Modifieds, Roadrunners and Sportsman stock cars will be featured. The track will run each Sunday through April.

     BRIDGEPORT, NJ SPEEDWAY had Jimmy Horton winning his 99th career victory in the big block modifieds on Saturday. Action returns to the 5/8th mile track on Saturday at 5 p.m. with big block modifieds, sportsman and Bridgeport limited sprints.

     AND FANS can see Indy Racing League cars in action during a special practice session for 19 teams. Sam Hornish, the champion and current point leader will be at Nazareth Speedway on April 5 for a full day of practice activities.

     Fans will be allowed in for just $5.00 and gates open at 12 noon for the practice session.

     The Indy Racing League talents will be in action at Nazareth in the Firestone 225 on April 21. Al Unser Jr. and Eddie Cheever will also be at Nazareth for the practice session.

     USAC Silver Crown cars, USAC Sprints and USAC Midgets will also be at Nazareth on the April 21 weekend with the IRL cars. Will be a great show. Telephone 1-888-629-RACE for information.

      Reach Ernie Saxton at erniesaxton@compuserve.com.