Rain played havoc with the race schedules again this weekend. Ma Nature continues to show that she is not a fan of auto racing....at least some events.

     The stage has been set for what might be the biggest weekend of short track auto racing this season.

     AT SELINSGROVE,PA SPEEDWAY on Saturday, April 27, the

second annual PACK THE TRACK II promotion will be presented. Fans are admitted to a full evening of auto racing events for FREE.

     Included in the Saturday night show, which starts at 7 p.m., will be sprint cars (35 tried to qualify for the feature last Saturday), late models, pro stocks and roadrunners. The free night of racing will be sponsored by Cindy Rowe Auto Glass and Selinsgrove Hotel.

     One of the top names in local sprint car racing won the feature on Saturday with Jim Nace in victory lane. It was his second 358 victory. Jeff Smith won in the late model feature and Kyle Bachman got the win in Pro Stocks.

     On Sunday night the 30-lap Jan Opperman Memorial sprint car race, for 410 sprinters, will be presented. Middleswarth Potato Chips is the primary sponsor of the night that will include a $10,000 Lash Service Center $10,000 Chip Challenge. That Challenge allows the drivers set to run in the front row of the feature to choose to start at the rear and if they win they get $10,000 extra. Also part of the show is the Super Sportsman normally seen on Saturday nights at Silver Spring

Speedway.

     Opperman's first race car, when he arrived in this area, was the Hank's Auto Parts No. 4 and it will be on display on Sunday night. Lance Dewease will sign autographs from 4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

     Also on the agenda will be the area's first offering of "Living Where The Thunder Hides, Jan Opperman's Life Story and Ministry." Authored by Jack Albinson, the 128-page account of what Opperman believed and spent his life sharing with others is the fourth major publication on his life. The book, in limited quantities will be available throughout the weekend.

     Racing on Sunday starts at 6 p.m.

     EAST WINDSOR, NJ SPEEDWAY had their opening night postponed because of heavy thunderstorms on Friday night. They will try again this Friday at 7:30 p.m.

     There will be Big Block and Small Block Modified racing along with sportsman stock cars and street stocks. New will be limited sprint car racing.

     LANCE DEWEASE scored his first win of the season in sprint car competition at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday night. Adrian Shaffer was tops in the 358-sprint cars.

     The victory was the 50th career win for Dewease at the Mechanicsburg, PA oval and he becomes the first driver to reach that number in sprint car competition at the popular racing facility.

     And the victory was the 77th for the #77 sprint car owned by Al Hamilton. He is now four short of tieing the record owned by Bob Weikert.

     Dewease dedicated his victory in memory of long time track official Chub Shadle who passed away on April 15th.

     The GUMOUT SERIES sanctioned by the Pennzoil World of Outlaws will be featured on Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway.

     FRANKIE HERR had finished no worse than third in the first three weeks of racing at Silver Spring Speedway with the Super Sportsman. On Saturday night he was able to get a win.

     "It is nice to win a race early in the season," said Herr. "We want to win races and hopefully the points will take care of themselves." That means he would like to win some races and the championship. He has 13 career wins at Silver Spring Speedway.

     Joe Whiteley won the Street Stock feature and it was Jeff Leiphart getting the win in Late Model competition.

     This Saturday, April 27, the ARDC midgets will join the Super Sportsman for a great night of racing.

     GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY in Bechtelsville, PA lost another night of racing to rain. A steady rain started to fall while the track was being prepared and continued for about one hour washing out any hope for racing.

     Two NASCAR Modified features and a late model feature will be presented this Saturday, April 27th at 6 p.m.

     On Saturday, May 4, Auto Locator will sponsor the night of racing and will be putting up $100 for each qualifying heat winner in both modifieds and late models.

     Auto Locator has become quite a support of local short track auto racing.

      PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY had almost all the qualifying heats in the record book on Saturday afternoon when rains came wiping out the balance of the show. Rain checks from April 20 will be honored on April 27 and May 4.

     However fans are reminded that if they use their rain check for April 27th when the GUMOUT SERIES sprint cars are visiting along with an Enduro show, there will be an additional charge.

     Gates open at 4 p.m. for the Gumout show but no starting time was listed.

     WADE HENDRICKSON won the big block modified feature at Bridgeport, NJ Speedway. Veteran Ron Roberts was first in the sportsman, his first career win in that division. And it was Kevin Nagy winning the Limited Sprint feature and Trevor Lewis won the United Racing Club sprint car feature.

     On Friday night they have micro sprints and 4 cylinder stocks on the 1/4-mile track and Street Stocks on the 5/8th mile. Racing on Friday nights start at 7:30 p.m. Modifieds will top the Saturday action at 5 p.m.  along with sportsman and Limited Sprints.

     MEMPHIS BASED GREG HODNETT won the sprint car feature at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA on Saturday night. It was his career third win in the sprints at Lincoln and his second of the season. Hodnett drives the Apple Motorsports/Cars By Dealers Magazine No. 12 sprinter.

     Darren Eash, brother to 410 sprint talent Chris Eash, won the 358 sprint car feature. And it was Nat Tuckey became the sixth different winner in Thundercar competition.

     On Saturday, April 27th, Lincoln Speedway plays host to super sprints, 358 sprints and thundercar racing action. Joining them will be the Williams Grove Old Timers. Racing gets the green flag at 7 p.m.

     TWO TIME AND DEFENDING TRACK CHAMPION MIKE RUTHERFORD won two features at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Brickerville, PA on Saturday night. Rutherford, who had won at Linda's Speedway the night before, won the 125cc and 250cc

two-stroke micro sprint features.

     School teacher Jennifer Schlegel won the 250cc-four- stroke feature for micro sprints and it was Tim Brown on top in Sportsman.

     They had 146 micro sprints in the pit area..

     The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway will present their second program of the season on Saturday starting at 6 p.m. A full evening of micro sprint car racing.

     AT HAGERSTOWN, MD SPEEDWAY on Friday night the 40-lap Winchester-Hagerstown Speedway Shootout for Late Models was won by Tom Myers. The Pure Stock feature went to Mike

Warrenfeltz.

     This Saturday, April 27th, 7 p.m. the Renegade Dirt Car Racing Series invades Hagerstown Speedway. The offer the best dirt track racers in the nation. The 50-lap late model event will pay $7,000 to win. Late Model Sportsman and Pure stocks will also be part of the night.

     BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY in Minersville, PA was rained out on Sunday afternoon. The NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented

by Dodge Modifieds will be in action on Sunday at 4 p.m. A 25-lap feature tops their program. And the Sportsman and Roadrunners will be part of the show.

     WHEN THE SPRINT CAR CHALLENGE is presented at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, PA on Sunday night, May 5, more than 50 sprint cars are expected to see action. And there will be racing for the ARDC midgets. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m.

     There will be an ARDC Legends autograph session featuring former champion Leigh Earnshaw, Hank Rogers, Van May, Frank Fiore and defending ARDC champion Ray Bull. That will start at 5 p.m.

     The sprint car racing action will feature the URC sprints, ESS sprints and some PA Posse sprint car drivers. We are told that Fred Rahmer and Lance Dewease are planning to compete. A 30-lap feature will start 24 sprint cars.

     FOR THOSE WHO have asked, if a track that you are interested in is not mentioned in this column, it is most likely because we do not get information from them or it arrives too late to make the column.

     Ernie Saxton can be reached at  ESaxton144@AOL.COM.