For three nights this past weekend the California based wingless sprint cars were in the area as part of a 14 event cross-country tour that is being called the Non-Wing World Championship Tour. How it is the World Championship I have no idea, there seemed to be only sprint car racers from the area where the event was being presented and those who had traveled from the West Coast to be part of the Tour. There were no challengers from outside the United States. Perhaps it should have been named the United States Championship or, perhaps, the Part Of The United States We Are In Now Championship.
A guy named Richard "The Gas Man" Griffin won the 30-lap SCRA sprint event at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday night and Billy "The Kid" Pauch, a name well know to racing fans in this area for his many wins in modifieds and sprint cars, won the 30-lap SCRA race at Grandview Speedway on Sunday night. The SCRA sprints also ran at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday night but no results were received and we were told that we would have to check the SCRA website to get that information. On a deadline to get this done we did not have the time to do all that. Not many locals took part in the SCRA sprint car events. They are wingless sprints. It takes a different type of driving style to run a wingless sprint as compared to the winged sprints that are the standard at area tracks. And we should add that a number of the top sprint car racers from this area were probably passing the SCRA sprinters headed East as they were headed to Knoxville, Iowa, the Mecca of sprint car racing for many. The Knoxville Nationals was being presented. That is four nights of winged sprint car racing with close to 150 sprint car racers out there. Steve Kinser won the finale on Saturday night worth $125,000. The 17 time Pennzoil World of Outlaws champion just seems to get better with age. He is currently leading the point standings in a chase for another championship.
Fred Rahmer and Lance Dewease headed to Iowa. When it was over Rahmer did not make the final cut and Dewease got a 14th place finish in the finale. Now this could actually be considered a World Championship. There were drivers from all over the country. There was even one or two from out of the country. It might have been as close to a World Championship of Sprint Car Racing as could be put together. We do have to point out that there was a lot of interest in the SCRA sprint cars at Lincoln Speedway as they had a packed grandstand to see Griffin, who traveled East about 10 years ago when the CRA sprints came to the area and won an event at Grandview Speedway, hold off a strong challenge by Tony Elliott to pick up the $4,000 first place money. An interesting note is that when the CRA, California Racing Association, came East and then traveled back to their California home base they folded not long after that. We hope that SCRA does not meet the same fate.
    Nat Tuckey won the Thundercar feature at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday while Doug Emrey won the URC winged sprint car feature that was the second part of the doubleheader sprint show at Grandview Speedway on Sunday night.
    THIS FRIDAY NIGHT,  August 16th, at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA it will be Kid's Night. The 410 sprints and 358 sprint cars will be back in action with an 8 p.m. starting time. In addition to the on-track racing action there will be bicycle and big wheel races for the kids. Many prizes will be given away. Lance Dewease currently leads the chase for the Cindy Rowe Auto Glass sprint point championship. On Friday, August 22nd, the Gumout Series for traveling sprint car racers makes an appearance at Williams Grove.
    SPRINT CAR RACING returned to Clinton County Speedway in Lock Haven, PA on Friday night with Blane Heimbach topping the field of 16 sprint cars. Jake Shady won the Super Stock feature while Kyle Parson won the Four Cylinder feature and Dave Riddell was tops in the Daredevils. Clinton County Speedway returns to action on Friday, August 16th, with Late Models, Super Stocks, Four Cylinders and Daredevils. No starting time was included in the information sent to us.
    BILLY PAUCH won the 25-lap main event for Modified stock cars on Friday night at East Windsor, NJ Speedway. Al Cheney was tops in the 15-lapper for Street Stocks and it was Dom Buffalino and Richie Pratt sharing the wins in twin-20 features for the Sportsman stock cars.
This Friday night racing continues at East Windsor, NJ Speedway with Modifieds, Sportsman and Street Stocks being featured in the 7:30 p.m. show. The night will honor Len Sammons, the late publisher and founder of the Area Auto Racing News, a weekly racing publication that offers national and local auto racing news. This writer has had a column in that publication for more than 20 years.
    BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY in Minersville, PA hosted NASCAR stock car racing on Friday night with Keith Hoffman wheeling the ABDO Electric/Johnny Ray Racing 1 to his second win of the season in NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge Modifieds action. Billy Moyer, Jr. took the win in the Sportsman feature and it was Dave Miller topping the Roadrunners.

   "The car has been strong in recent weeks but tonight Johnny (Ray) put a new Gechter motor in the car and it was much stronger," commented Hoffman in the winner's circle. "We had tried another brand of engine, but Barry built us an awesome piece with this one. I really felt the difference." On Friday at 8 p.m., August 16th, the NASCAR Modifieds will headline the AMSOIL Night action with Sportsman and Roadrunners being featured. The Sunday night show, scheduled for August 18th, has been cancelled. URC sprint cars will headline the action on August 23rd.
    AT BRIDGEPORT, NJ SPEEDWAY Doug Hoffman topped the Big Block Modifieds for the fourth time this season. Second generation racer Willie Osmun won the Sportsman feature and it was John Wyers getting the win in the sprint car main event. Racing action returns to Bridgeport, NJ Speedway on Friday night, 7 p.m., with Micro Sprints, 4 Cylinder Stocks and Outlaw Stocks. And on Saturday, August 17th, it will be the Modifieds, Sportsman and Winged Sprinters plus Big Wheel Racing for the Kids. Racing on Saturday starts at 6 p.m.
    GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY in Bechtelsville, PA had Ray Swinehart winning his fourth of the season in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge Modifieds on Saturday night. Jason Miller in the Rothrock Auto Sales entry won the 20-lap Late Model feature. Saturday night, August 17th, 7:30 p.m. the NASCAR Modifieds and Late Models will run in at least 12 big events of racing sponsored by Craftsman Tools and Arctic Cat.
    BILL NEY got the first win of his career in the 250cc Two Stroke Micro Sprints at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Brickerville, PA on Saturday night. Jim Harringer won the 250cc Four-Stroke feature. And it was Mike Miller getting his fourth win of the season in the 125cc main event while Gary Harnish won his first race in a couple of seasons in the Sportsman headliner. The 600cc Micro Sprints top the show this Saturday, August 17th along with Sportsman, 125's and 250's starting at 6 p.m. It will be Hyper Racing Night.
    MIKE IRWIN'S ONLY SUPER SPORTSMAN victory at Silver Spring Speedway came for the Godfrey Brothers in 1995.
It was only appropriate that the Godfrey car was back in victory lane on the night that honored Irwin, who lost a battle with Leukemia in 1997. Approximately $2,000 was collected for sportsman feature winner Pat Cannon and he then donated the money back to the American Cancer Society. Cannon, driving the Godfrey Brothers owned Super Sportsman, stated 14th, took the lead on the 18th lap and went on to win his first Cindy Rowe Auto Glass sportsman feature of the season. Cannon is a graduate student at York College studying business administration. Mark Billet won the Late Model feature and it was Frankie Herr getting the win in the D&F Lawn care Cash Dash for Sportsman. Again, in information received from Silver Spring Speedway, there was no mention of what racing is planned for this Saturday night.
    CHAD LAYTON appeared to be on his way to his eighth win of the season at Selinsgrove, PA Speedway on Saturday night but the right rear tire on his sprint car exploded with just four laps to go. Adrian Shaffer then inherited the lead and went on to win his second 25-lap sprint car feature of the season. Glenn Heddings won his first career Late Model victory while Gerald Kratzer was tops in the Pro Stock Championship event. Rick Bixler won his third Roadrunner race of the season. Selinsgrove Speedway returns to action this Saturday at 7 p.m. with the running of the 16th annual Bob Bender Late Model Memorial. The Ensinger's Performance Fuels event will pay $1,500 to win. Joining the late models will be the sprint cars, pro stocks and roadrunners.
    KEITH KAUFFMAN INHERITED THE LEAD with two laps to go on Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway and went on to win his seventh sprint car feature of the season. As usual he was driving the Middleswarth Potato Chips #7 and picked up $2,500 for his efforts.
Alan Cole looked like the winner in the sprint feature but was forced to the pits late in the race because of a flat tire. Kauffman got the lead and the win. Mike Hess was the winner in the Late Model feature race. It was his sixteenth career win but his first since 1996.  The 12-lap feature for Pro Stocks was won by Glenn Miller. Port Royal Speedway features the Sprints, Late Models, Pro Stocks and Powder Puff action on Saturday at 7 p.m. At least 50 new bicycles will be given away at the track and there will be meal certificates from Burger King. The sprint cars will be running in the Pete Swarmer Memorial Race.
ENJOY YOUR AUTO RACING WEEKEND.
Ernie Saxton can be reached at Esaxton144@aol.com