Auto Locator Racing.com This, That and the other...

     Rain, more rain, some snow, sleet and even more rain plus cold temperatures created a less than desirable weekend for auto racing. Just about every event scheduled for the weekend was cancelled.
At Grandview Speedway rain washed out the annual free-to-the-public practice session just as activity was about to start. Event organizer Bruce Rogers waited for more than an hour, with rain falling harder when the decision was made, before call the day's activities off.
           The green flag will fall on the 41st consecutive season of stock car racing at Grandview Speedway on Saturday, April 5th. The Patriot Bank sponsored night of NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series Modified and Late Model stock car racing will get started at 6 p.m.
Stock car racing will be the main attraction at the one-third-mile, banked clay oval throughout the season with the final events being planned for late September. Opening night attendees will be treated to a 40-lap feature with the NASCAR Modifieds. And Patriot Bank, a first time sponsor at Grandview, will welcome spring with free packets of seeds for early arriving fans. "Fans coming out on opening night will need a program book. There have been many driver changes made this season. Defending champion Jeff Strunk has a new ride. Multi time champion Craig VonDohren is also in a new ride. In fact there have been at least a dozen changes, perhaps more. It is going to be an exciting time to be watching stock car racing at Grandview," said event organizer Bruce Rogers.
The opening night show will include at least 13 events of stock car racing. Saturday night racing will start at 6 p.m. throughout the month of April and featuring the NASCAR Modifieds and Late Models in each show. On Saturday, April 19th the Checkered Flag Fan Club will be on hand to honor the racers.
New this season will be the mandatory use of transponders by all the racers. "We think that this is really going to help keep the showing moving along. It will settle "debates" about who is supposed to be racing where and who finished in what position. Of course we will still have our live scorers but the combination of transponder and scorers will do much to make the events run more smoothly. And there will still be the one way radio communications that helps get the drivers in the right starting positions. And the radios help with safety as our officials are able to warn racers if there is a mechanical or tire problem that they are not aware of," commented Kenny Rogers who works with his dad in promoting the events.
Fans will be happy to know that there is no increase in admission prices for the regular events. Adults will pay $12.00 while young people 6 through 11 will pay $3.00. Children under 6 are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Again in 2003 RCN-4, the Lehigh Valley cable TV outlet, will be taping several events for later showing. The first event of the season to get TV exposure is the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series Modified and Late Model doubleheader on Saturday, May 10th.
Grandview Speedway is located on Passmore Road, just off Route 100, 10 miles north of Pottstown in Bechtelsville, PA. For information telephone 610.754.7688 or visit their website at www.grandviewspeedway.com.
     AFTER LOSING ITS FIRST TWO AFTERNOON SHOWS TO THE WEATHER, Silver Spring Speedway switches to Saturday night racing this Saturday, April 5. A 6 p.m. starting time will be in effect throughout the month of April at the Springs. Gates open at 4 and warm-ups get the green at 5:30 p.m. If the weather cooperates this weekend, it will be the first race of the speedway's historic 51st season for the Cindy Rowe Paintless Dent Repair Super Sportsman. The sportsman will be racing for $1,350 on opening day.
The Sutliff Chevrolet Street Stocks will join the sportsman as part of the program next week. In addition to qualifying and a feature event, the street stock heat winners will participate in a three-lap, $100 to win cash dash sponsored by J.C. Dunphy's House of Bull, located in Camp Hill. The late models join the sportsman on April 12 for their first race of the season. The late model heat winners will also run in a three-lap dash paying $150 to win and sponsored by Dunphy's.
     SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY AND RACEWAY PARK officials cancelled their Saturday and Sunday racing programs due to the bad weather. The Speedway's 2003 season did get off to a successful season with a large crowd on hand, even with rain falling at times, to see Mark Smith of Newville win the Middleswarth Potato Chips Susquehanna Valley 410 Sprint Car Series opener over Todd Shaffer of Millerstown. Jason Schmidt won the opening event for Pro Stocks. Selinsgrove Speedway gets back in action on Saturday, April 5th with the season openers for the Cindy Rowe Paintless Dent Repair sprint cars, MAPCO Machine Shop late models, roadrunners, plus the Salem RV Center/Keller's Auto Body pro stocks. Following three Sunday cancellations, Raceway Park's 2003 opener for go karts and micro sprint cars is slated for this Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Track gates open at 5:30 p.m.

     RAIN WASHED OUT THE SATURDAY SHOW planned for Port Royal, PA Speedway. The show was cancelled early in the morning following the first of several showers and weather reports indicating things would get no better.
This was the third attempt to operate the Juniata County oval this spring, Bug Day, and two other programs have been lost since the original March 15th starting date.
The track is now set to open on Saturday, April 5 at 1 p.m. On the card will be Aumiller & Associate Sprint Cars, AB Auto Glass/Ramsey's Car Wash Late Models and Stong's Auto Parts Pro Stocks.
More information can be had at www.portroyalspeedway.com
    BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY in Minersville, PA had their opening Sunday program cancelled by Ma Nature.
Opening day is now set for Sunday, April 6th, 2 p.m. with the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series Modifieds, KARS 358 Sprint cars and Roadrunners. There will be no Sportsman-Modified stock car racing.
Big Diamond will host a second Sunday afternoon event on April 13 with the NASCAR Sportsman-Modifieds getting their first racing in the books along with the NASCAR Dodge Modifieds and Roadrunners. The track will be closed on Easter Sunday.
Action switches to Friday nights for the balance of the season starting on April 25th at 8 p.m.
    BRIDGEPORT, NJ SPEEDWAY was a washout on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately that is all we can tell you. There was no information received from the track regarding plans for the coming weekend.
    EAST WINDSOR, NJ SPEEDWAY RACERS came out to the track's annual awards function and rules meeting expecting to hear plans for the 2003 season. The plans they heard were not what they expected.
With racers already having their equipment ready for the new season, new track promoter Jim Cardinale, speaking for track operators Don Jones Sr. and Jr. (they did not even show up for the meeting), announced that the April 18th opening date was on hold.
There was now a possibility the track would be paved and if that should happen there would be no racing until mid-summer. If the track is not paved there is no set opening date for dirt track racing action.
The uncertainty of racing at East Windsor, NJ Speedway had many race teams making plans to race elsewhere or trying to sell off their equipment.
Many seem to feel that the track may not open at all and could be sold as housing sites. That would have East Windsor Speedway joining a long list of area tracks that have disappeared over the years including Nazareth, Dorney Park, Harmony Speedway, Flemington, NJ Speedway, Penn National and others.
     LINCOLN SPEEDWAY canceled their Saturday night 410 sprint and 358 sprint events because of the bad weather. Nothing was received as this was going to press regarding their plans for this Saturday. You can pretty much figure that 410 sprint cars will be part of the Saturday night action. Racing at 6 p.m.
     WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY was forced to cancel their final Sunday afternoon show. Only one of six Sunday afternoon programs was run because of the early season bad weather.
Weather has made the season start the worst since 1994 when the track lost all their Sunday afternoon shows due to bad weather. However in 1994, once the season did get started, they lost just three events due to weather for the balance of the season.
Action switches to Friday night, April 4, with late model stock cars joining the 410 sprint cars. Action starts at 8 p.m.
     AT HAGERSTOWN, MD SPEEDWAY the first qualifying heat was just taking to the track on Saturday night when the rains came. With 46 Modifieds on hand to be part of the Home Depot/Super Dirt Series Opener the racing event was canceled. And the Sunday rain date, with forecasts for rain and snow plus cold temperatures, was also canceled.
Hagerstown Speedway will offer a Saturday, April 5th show, 6 p.m., which will feature the ITSI Late Models, Hoosier Tires Mid-Atlantic Late Model Sportsman and the Ernie's Salvage Yard Pure Stocks. The night of racing will be the Maryland Lottery Fan Appreciation Night. General admission for the tripleheader show will be a low, low $6.00 and kids under 12 are admitted FREE. And there will be an Easter Egg Hunt and candy scramble.
Readers wanting to reach us can do so at Esaxton144@aol.com or telephone 215.752.7797. We should point out that every effort is made to include all local speedways in this weekly column. Deadline for information in this column is Monday morning of each week.