The 86th running of the Indianapolis 500 may have been the most exciting that this writer has seen in many years. And the win by Helio Castroneves was very popular with the fans. Not since Al Unser did it back in the seventies had anyone won the Indy 500 two years in a row.

    The emotion shown by Castroneves was wonderful. Climbing the fence, in front of the fans, with his crew, had the fans asking for more. It was truly a great happening in motorsports.

    And later on the same day, Mark Martin (one of the elder set in Winston Cup) showed that the youngsters have not completely taken over the sport of NASCAR Winston Cup racing. Martin, 43, ending his 73 race winless streak, showed that he still had what it takes to be a winner. And the win came in the longest race on the Winston Cup schedule, the Coca-Cola Racing Family 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC.

    "Now we have to figure out how to win at Dover," said Martin in victory lane.

    The NASCAR Winston Cup racers will be at Dover Downs International Speedway this weekend. In fact the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will run today, Friday, at 2 p.m. The NASCAR Busch Series will be there on Saturday afternoon and the Winston Cup cars close out the big MBNA sponsored weekend of racing with a 400-mile event on Sunday.

    Martin made his crew very happy when he announced that he would share the $1 million bonus that he was getting for winning a R.J.Reynolds No Bull 5 event. Martin received $1 million and Janet Hogan of Sterling, Va, an ardent racing fan, also received $1 million as part of the special Winston No Bull 5 promotion. However it was the first time Hogan had ever attended a Winston Cup race. She is a member of the U.S.Capital Police force.

    Both events made for some wonderful motorsports on TV though I do have to say that the Coca-Cola 600 is just too, too long. The race took 4 and ½ hours to complete and you could be sitting in the best seat in the house, my easy chair in the den, and it still was too, too long.

    IT'S OFFICIAL. With his win on Saturday night, Harrisburg's Chad Layton has accepted the fact that members of a local business have posted a bounty on his head.

    His victory in Saturday's 22nd Annual Jack Gunn Memorial, run in honor of the memory of one of the truly fine race promoters, was the defending speedway champions fourth in a row at Selinsgrove Speedway, where he won 12 events last season.

    No mention is made of the name of the business posting the bounty but it is now at $200 for the driver that can beat Layton at Selinsgrove provided he is still running at the finish.

    "What I would like to do is let it go to about five or six hundred dollars and then I'll go to the rear and start," shouted Layton to the fans

in the stands on Saturday night. "But if I win, I get the money."

    This Saturday night at Selinsgrove, PA Speedway the sprints, late models, pro stocks and vintage race cars are in action with gates open at 5 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.

    A second night of racing will take place at Selinsgrove Speedway this weekend with Sunday night racing starting at 6:30 p.m. The oval will feature the Jan Opperman Memorial for 410 sprints and Super Sportsman (normally seen in action at Silver Spring Speedway on Saturday nights). The 30-lap Memorial for sprints will kick off the Middleswarth Potato Chips Susquehanna Valley 410 sprint series. And if a driver, scheduled to start in the front row, chooses to go to the rear for the start and wins, he or she will pick up an extra $10,000.

    IN WHAT WAS SAID TO BE A WILD NIGHT OF MODIFIED STOCK CAR RACING, Duane Howard powered the Big Spring Car Wash 126 Modified to victory in the $4000 to win NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge 50-lap feature for modified stock cars at Big Diamond Raceway on Friday night.

    There were so many cautions that officials had to stop the race with just 19 laps completed for a fuel stop.

    Andy Fayash won the Sportsman main event and Doug Hendricks got his fourth win of the season in the Roadrunner feature.

    Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, PA will offer the NASCAR Modifieds, Sportsman and Roadrunners starting at 8 p.m. on Friday night.

    LANCE DEWEASE won the 25-lap sprint car feature Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway and it was Greg Leiby winning in the 358 limited sprint car competition.

    For the win Dewease picked up another $3000 payoff for what was his fourth win of the season and it was the 80th career win for Al Hamilton, car owner, at Williams Grove.

    The Super Sportsman join the sprint cars this Friday, May 31st, at 8 p.m.

    GEORGE FULTZ won his first Late Model feature race of the season at Clinton County Speedway in Mackeyville, PA. Fultz held off the challenges of Bobby Stokes to gain the victory. The Super Stock feature went to A.Y. Schilling while Gus Chapman won the Four Cylinder feature and Rod Shelly was tops in Daredevil action.

    Though there was nothing in the information we received from the track we are taking for granted they will be running the same classes of competition this Friday, and each Friday, at 7 p.m. They will also have a special match race between Jeff Weaver in a sprint car and Bobby Stokes in a Late Model. The last time they did this Weaver won. This is to create interest in the sprint car event schedule for the track on June 7.

    DEFENDING MODIFIED STOCK CAR CHAMPION Doug Hoffman won the 25-lap Modified stock car feature at East Windsor, NJ Speedway on Friday night after Kenny Brightbill and Jimmy Horton spun each other out with a lap to go in the main event.

    Mike Lyons was tops in the Sportsman main event and Al Cheney III won the Street Stock feature race. Mark Bitner won the Windsor Outlaw Sprint Car feature.

    Friday night action continues with a "Run What Ya Brung" open competition show for modifieds, sportsman,  and street stocks. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Also in action will be the Limited Sprint cars.

    AT GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY on Saturday night Meme DeSantis was able to drive the Norm's Save Station/Berks Meats sponsored modified to victory for the second time this season in the 30-lap NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge Modified stock car feature race. Kerry Kratz was right on his rear

at the finish.

    In the two Late Model features the wins went to Ron Chrisman and Ron Kline. Each were first time winners this season.

    NASCAR Modifieds and Late Models are in action again this Saturday at the Bechtelsville, PA clay, one-third-mile, banked oval starting at 7:30 p.m. At least 12 events are presented.

    PORT ROYAL, PA SPEEDWAY has Mark Smith winning the 25-lap Aumiller's Insurance Sprint Car feature race on Saturday night. It was the first ever win for Smith at the Port Royal oval and earned him $2,500.

    "We worked hard for this. We changed the deal around a bit. The track was smooth and fast, not like before (two weeks ago). This is special. We hope to make it back here a little quicker next time," said Smith in victory lane.

    Kenny Dickson won the 20-lap Late Model feature race and Jim Palm was tops in the Stong's Auto Parts Pro Stock event. Bill Powell won the Enduro race.

    This Saturday Port Royal Speedway will feature the sprints, late models and pro stocks at 7 p.m.

    The Thursday, June 13th show has been changed. It had been scheduled as a COMDIAL Sprint Series event. However, citing the poor economic times in the area of the speedway, the event will now be just a regular sprint show along with Pro Stocks. The purse has been reduced to that which is paid for a regular weekly event. That show will be started at 7 p.m.

    FRANKIE HERR looked like a sure winner of the 15th Annual Will Kreitzer Memorial race at Silver Spring Speedway on Saturday night. However with just three laps to go his car developed ignition problems and he was forced to stop. Howie Locke, who had a fantastic run, had went to the pits for a tire problem with six laps to go and then came from the rear to take second to new leader Craig Morrow. With one lap to go Locke took the lead and went on to win his first feature since September, 1999. It was his first win in the Memorial race.

    Mark Billet won the AC Delco Late Model feature race and it was Craig Morgan taking the win in the Street Stock main event.

    We are going to take for granted the same show will be run this Saturday night, 7 p.m. since the information received from the track did not indicate what would be presented.

    LANCE DEWEASE won the Lincoln Speedway 30-lap Memorial Day Super Sprint Championship on Saturday night, his third win of the season. He had just won the night before at Williams Grove. Fred Rahmer and Dewease had quite a battle going on for the win but Rahmer had a tire losing air in the final laps and that was the deciding factor as to who would be in victory lane.

    Neil Smith won his second of the season in Thundercars while Randy West won the 15-lap Micro Sprint feature event.

    Auto Racing Club of Hagerstown, MD will sponsor the night of racing on Saturday, June 1, with the Super Sprints, Budweiser 358 sprints and Miller Brothers Chevrolet Thundercars running. Racing starts at 7 p.m.

    PETE SKIAS won the 250cc two stroke 30-lapper at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway on Saturday night. Other feature winners were Chad Rhoads, Josh Weller and Mike Rutherford. 164 micro sprints were in the pits for the Saturday show.

    The track is closed this Saturday and returns on Saturday, June 8, with four classes of micro sprint racing.

    Nathan Dubarow won the Richard Bonebrake Memorial Late Model race on Saturday night at Hagerstown, MD Speedway. AMA Grand National Flat Track Motorcycle Championship racing will be featured on Saturday night at 8 p.m.

    Susquehanna Speedway in Newberrytown, PA tried to open their season on Sunday night. A late starting show turned into a rainout when only two events could be completed before the rains came. They will run again on June 7, 7 p.m. with Modifieds, Super Late Models and 4-Cylinder Stock cars.