HALL OF FAMER SMOKEY SNELLBAKER had won just about everything there is during is long racing career. The only race that he had not won, at least amongst those that he was interested in winning, was the Firecracker 40 for Super Sportsman at Silver Spring Speedway. He changed that. On Saturday night the 64-year-old racer won the race after charging into the lead on lap 23 when Dave Calaman dropped out with mechanical problems. And  it was Bob Scott Jr. winning the Sutliff Chevrolet Street Stock feature. There was no information provided to us regarding what is running this Saturday night.
    STOCK CAR RACING IS GOING TOPLESS. At least that is what is going to happen at Hagerstown, MD Speedway on Wednesday, July 31. We wanted to tell you about this early so that you could make sure you mark the date on your auto racing calendar and get there early so you can get a good seat to see, up close, the TOPLESS excitement. What will happen at the one-half-mile clay oval on July 31st is that the Super Late Models will go TOPLESS. That does not mean the drivers will go without shirts, it means the cars will be run without roofs. This is not new but it has not been done in quite awhile. Some tracks, far down in the Southern states, have been running topless events but Hagerstown Speedway is the first in the area to give it a try. Promoter Frank Plessinger wanted to do something special for the 55th Anniversary of the speedway. In addition to the Stanley Schetrompf Renegade Dirt Cars Racing Series 55 lap event on Friday night, July 12th, Plessinger wanted another race to celebrate the special occasion.
    The TOPLESS event, sort of like the convertible racing of many, many years ago (Nelson Stacy won a convertible race at Langhorne, PA Speedway some years back and it still stands out as one of the greatest races I have even seen) will reward the winner with $4,000. With that kind of money being offered for the win, fans will get to see many visitors showing up for the Wednesday night show. The Ernie's Salvage Yard pure stocks will run in a special Invitational race that very same night. At Hagerstown Speedway this weekend, Saturday, July 6th, the late models, late model sportsman and pure stocks will be in action. Race time is 7 p.m. Admission for adults is just $9.00.
    TODD HESTOR won the 25-lap sprint car feature at Williams Grove Speedway after a two hour delay due to a rain shower. Darren Eash was tops in the 358 sprint feature grabbing the lead on the final lap.
    WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY will kick off a rich month of sprint car racing on Friday, July 5 with the running of the Mitch Smith Memorial sprint car classic. The event, part of the CARQUEST Auto Parts PA Sprint Speed Week Series, will pay $10,000 to the winner. Racing starts at 8 p.m. The race is run to honor the memory of one of the area's most exciting and famous sprint car drivers. At least five past winners are expected to compete in the 14th running of the annual summer classic. Lance Dewease will be a strong favorite to win his fifth Mitch Smith Classic. If he wins this time he will have won the event with three different car owners. In 1992,'95 and '97 he won driving for Walt Dyer and in 2001 he won with Joe Harz.
    After the Mitch Smith Classic, the super sportsman will join the 410 sprint cars on July 12th. The 358 limited sprints are back on July 19th. And on July 25,26,and 27th the Pennzoil World of Outlaw sprint cars will be in action.
    BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY will play host to the Georgie Stevenson Memorial on Friday, July 5 at 8 p.m. The show will include Twin-20 lap features for the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge Modifieds. The Sportsman stock cars will also be part of the show as will the Roadrunners. And topping off the night will be a "awesome" fireworks show. One of  the biggest fields of modifieds this season is anticipated for the Stevenson Memorial, dedicated to the memory of Georgie Stevenson and his spirit of working to raise funds to help others while dealing with is personal battle with cancer that tragically cut his life short at just age 12. This past Friday night Meme DeSantis won the 25-lap NASCAR Modified feature race topping Keith Hoffman (the current point leader), Duane Howard, Craig VonDohren and Kyle Weiss. The 20-lap Sportsman feature was won by Ed Scott while Dave Miller was tops in the Roadrunners.
    GOOD NEWS regarding young Kyle Ganoe who was so seriously injured in a sprint car racing accident at Port Royal Speedway a few weeks back. The 17-year-old racer is up and around and off the ventilator. Ganoe told Port Royal race director Tom Little, "I'm alive. I'm getting stronger." He says that he has received well over 300 cards from fans.

    He might be out of the Lehigh Valley Medical Center by now and doing therapy at Lewistown, PA Hospital. It is expected, if all goes well, that Ganoe will be able to visit Port Royal Speedway on July 6th for their Saturday night show of racing that is part of the PA Sprint Speedweek Series.
    Jeremy Gardner won the Doorways Unlimited KARS 358 Sprint Car feature on Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway. He lead all 25 laps. Bud Witmer won the 358 Late Model feature. The Pro Stock feature was won by Eric Cauffman and Herm Renninger was tops in the 30-lap Enduro Dash..
    And Ganoe plans to continue racing when he has recovered. That is his plan if he can come up with sponsorship and financial backing to put together a new team.
    GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY in Bechtelsville, PA offers an great evening of racing entertainment on Saturday, July 6th, 7:30 p.m. The annual Firecracker 40 for Late Models tops the show. This is the biggest event of the season for the Late Model racers. And on the card with the Late Models will be the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge Modifieds. Topping off the night is a huge Fireworks display. The Fireworks get high praise from fans at Grandview Speedway. And Harry's U-Pull-It, opening a new location in Pennsburg, PA, right near Grandview Speedway, will sponsor a special Late Model Cash Dash. This past Saturday Doug Manmiller won the NASCAR Modified feature for the fourth time this season and Randy Stoudt was the winner for the fourth time in the Late Models.
    SELINSGROVE, PA SPEEDWAY has a busy weekend of racing. On Saturday night, July 6th, the Late Model Open will be presented by Phillips Industries and Salem RV of Selinsgrove. The Late Model events will be featured but also part of the show are 358 sprint cars, pro stocks and roadrunners. And on Sunday night, the finale of the CARQUEST Auto Parts PA Sprint Car Speed Week Series is presented and is expected to attract the top names in 410 sprint car racing. Todd Shaffer will be signing autographs starting at 5:30 p.m. and lasting until 6 p.m. No time given for the start of either night of racing. Jim Nace won the 40-lapper for sprint cars on Saturday night while Jimmy Adams was tops in the Late Models and Peanut Heintzelman won the Pro Stock feature and Matt Drum earned the victory in the Roadrunner feature.
    LINCOLN SPEEDWAY has Greg Hodnett win the PA. Speed Week Sprint feature on Saturday night, his fourth win of the season. Neil Smith was the best in the Thundercar feature. There is no 410 sprint car racing at Lincoln this Saturday, July 6th but the Budweiser 358 sprints will be in action along with the ARDC midgets. In addition the Thundercars will be in action with racing starting at 7:30 p.m.
    SUSQUEHANNA SPEEDWAY was rained out this past Friday and has no racing this Friday, July 5. However the track returns to action on July 12th with a change in plans. We understand that the Modifieds will now run their own feature as part of this show rather than a challenge race with the Limited Late Models which had been planned. Now, on July 12th, there will be at 7:45 p.m. show of Super Late Models, Modifieds, PennMar Vintage Club appearance, and an Enduro. The Limited Late Models have been cancelled from the July 12th and August 16th shows. Super sportsman that normally run at Silver Spring Speedway will be part of that August 16th event.
    BILLY PAUCH won the "Run What Ya Brung" 25-lap Modified stock car feature race on Friday night at East Windsor, New Jersey Speedway while Rick Holsten won the sportsman feature and Al Cheney III got his fourth Street Stock win of the season. The first time 360 sprint car feature, attracting 15 sprinters (mostly from URC), was won by Jeff Busby. Management was so happy with the sprint car show they have scheduled them to be part of the July 5th show that has a 7:30 p.m. starting time. They are paying $500 to win in the sprint car feature. And they are running just a feature until the field of cars gets built up. Also on the schedule will be modifieds, sportsman and street stocks. Pauch will be looking for win number five in the modifieds and he is looking for a first win in the 360 sprint car feature.
    AT CLINTON COUNTY SPEEDWAY Eric Hons won the 25-lap Late Model feature on Friday night while Denny Fourney was tops in Super Stocks, Kyle Parsons earned a first in Four Cylinder action and Dave Riddell was the winner in the Daredevil Pure Stock division.
This Friday night, July 5th, the speedway will host a four division show of Sprint cars, Super Stocks, Four Cylinders and Daredevils. No starting time was given in the information sent to us.
    Ernie Saxton can be reached at esaxton144@aol.com.