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AT WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY new promoter Bob Jones wants everyone to know that the rumor that 410 sprint car race would be replaced by 358 sprint cars on the Friday night schedule in 2004 is not true.
"410 sprint cars will continue to be the regular Friday night attraction at Williams Grove Speedway, "said Jones. "The 358 sprint cars will be here on a fairly regular basis as they have been in the past.
With many tracks suffering from a lack of sprint cars when the 410 sprints are scheduled there has been a lot of rumors circulating that some tracks might be changing, getting away from booking 410 sprint cars.
With some teams spending more than $40,000 for a motor the cost of racing a 410 sprint car has become just too costly for many and the fields have shriveled up.
A recent show at Susquehanna Speedway had less than a dozen sprints show up and a Thunder on the Hill sprint show, paying $4,000 to win, at Grandview Speedway attracted just 15 sprint cars. However just a few days later, at Williams Grove Speedway, a regular Friday night show for the 410 sprinters attracted almost three dozen racers. Who can figure it out?
Williams Grove Speedway does have a busy month of August and a variety of attractions.
On Friday, August 8th, the Super Sportsman (normally seen at Silver Spring Speedway) and 410 sprint cars will make up the show starting at 8 p.m. It will be Auto Locator Night.
And on August 15th the United Racing Club sprint cars make their only appearance of the season in a doubleheader show with the 410 sprints. Look for some of the regulars to compete in both divisions.
The 358 sprints join the 410 sprints on Friday, August 22nd.
The Jack Gunn Memorial, featuring three 20-lap features for the 410 sprint cars, will take place on Friday, August 29th. For those who are new to the sport Jack Gunn was the very talented promoted who ran things at Williams Grove Speedway for so many years and was involved at Selinsgrove Speedway. He passed away a number of years back after a battle with cancer.
GREG HODNETT AND CHAD LAYTON were the big winners at Williams Grove Speedway this past Friday. Hodnett, who travels from his Memphis, TN home to race in Central Pennsy on weekends, won his sixth 410 sprint feature of the season. Second spot went to Lance Dewease.
Chad Layton, who has been the hot shoe in 358 sprint cars this season, won his second of the season at The Grove topping Scott Ausherman.
FRIDAY NIGHT RACING ACTION was rained out at Clinton County Speedway. A combination of heavy downpours on Thursday and rain early on Friday made the track conditions too wet to race.
Five divisions of competition will be in action on Friday, August 8th, as the Clinton County Fair continues. Daryl Stimeling, current point leader, will lead the sprint car racing action. There will also be racing for the Super Stocks, Daredevils, Pro Stocks and Enduros plus Kids power wheels races will feature the youngsters.
Racing action starts at 7:30 p.m.
BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY in Minersville, PA had their racing show rained out on Friday night. Racing action this Friday, 8 p.m., will feature the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds, and Roadrunners. There will also be racing for the Kids in Big Wheel competition.
HAGERSTOWN, MD SPEEDWAY has a full slate of racing events scheduled for the balance of August. With a lot of rainouts the track has had to shuffle their schedule around quite a bit.
The AMA Motorcycle U.S. Progressive Insurance Flat Track Grand Nationals is scheduled for Saturday, August 9th. The best motorcycle racers in the nation will be in action. Racing starts at 8 p.m.
The following week, Hagerstown will be in action on Friday and Saturday nights, August 15 & 16th. On Friday night, it will be the final round of the Winchester/Hagerstown Shootout that was postponed because of rain back on June 21st. Joining the Late Models will be open competition pure stock car racing. Gary Stuhler will be looking to wrap up his second Shootout title.
And on Saturday it will be the return of the Renegade Dirtcar Racing Series for the Conococheague 100. The race, featuring many of the nation's top late model racers, will pay $10,000 to win. Late Model Sportsman will also be part of the show.
Jeremy Miller won the ITSI late model Maryland State 40 at the Hagerstown, MD Speedway on Saturday night. Defending track champion Dave Rice Jr. got his first win of the season in the Hoosier Tires Mid-Atlantic late model sportsman feature. And it was Mike Warrenfeltz taking the win in the Ernie's Salvage Yard pure stock main event. Scott Sipes won the 30-lap Enduro Dash.
AT GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY on Saturday night Meme DeSantis won the rich Stauffer Construction Forrest Rogers Memorial 50-lapper for NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Modifieds. The win, the third of the season for the "Temple Tornado", was worth more than $10,000. Craig VonDohren followed DeSantis across the line in a very close finish.

Jeff Strunk, the current point leader in the chase for the Grandview Modified crown, has a setback when he had early race problems and was credited with a 26th place finish. Strunk is also leading the New England Regional NASCAR standings which can be worth $45,000 to the Regional titleholder at the end of the season.
Chris Shuey won his fourth of the season at Grandview Speedway in NASCAR Late Models.
Craftsman Tools will sponsor the night of racing at the Berks County racing facility on Saturday night, August 9th. Featured will be the Modifieds and Late Models, at least 13 events of racing, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Coming to Grandview Speedway on Thursday, August 14th, 7:30 p.m. will be the Traffic Jam 100 feature the Advance Auto Parts DIRT Big Block Modified racers battling against some of the local talents. The 100-lap feature offers $6,000 to the winner and that is sure to attract a strong field of racers.
LINCOLN SPEEDWAY had Greg Hodnett winning his second feature of the weekend as he won Friday night at Williams Grove and then came back to put his mount into victory lane on Saturday winning the 410 sprint car main event.
Niki Young grabbed second and Fred Rahmer, many time track champion, earned a third.
The win was the seventeenth overall for Hodnett in the 410 sprinters.
FRANKIE HERR had to qualify through the consolation and start 23rd in the 25 lap feature race for Super Sportsman at Silver Spring Speedway on Saturday night. Herr led only one lap of the feature race and that was the one that really counts, the last one to pick up the win.
The win was Herr's second of the season at Silver Spring Speedway and his 18th career win.
Carl Billet got his 50th career win in the Late Model stock car 20-lap feature race.
In the Silver Spring legends race, former sportsman track champion Dwight Leib passed former street stock champion Jeff Condran for the win.
The speedway is back in action on Saturday, August 9th, 7 p.m. with super sportsman and street stocks. Races will be sponsored by Appalachian Harley-Davidson of New Kingstown. Appalachian will have prize giveaways for the fans.
JOHN WAGNER held off Blane Heimbach to win the 25-lap sprint car feature race at Selinsgrove Speedway. Wagner was just one-half car length in front of Heimbach at the finish to earn his first career win at the half-mile oval.
Wagner, a former Jasper sprint car racer at Bridgeport, NJ Speedway, became the 11th different win in sprint car competition this season.
Jeff Smith recorded his third win of the season in the 25-lap late model feature, while Kyle Bachman won his SEVENTH of the season in the 15-lap pro stock main event. Brad Mitch got the top spot in the 12-lap roadrunner event, his first career victory.
Selinsgrove Speedway returns to action this Saturday, August 9th, with the 17th annual running of the Bob Bender Late Model Memorial. The special event for late models will be 30 laps in distance and will pay $1,700 to the winner. Also competing will be the sprint cars, pro stocks and roadrunners starting at 7 p.m.
CHECKING AROUND at other area speedways we find that Doug Hoffman picked up another win in the Big Block Modified stock cars at Bridgeport, NJ Speedway. Wade Hendrickson, a former champion, was second followed by defending champion Duane Howard.
A rarity in racing Bob Lineman, Jr. and Richie Pratt, Jr. battled to a dead heat finish in the 20-lapper for the Sportsman stockers.
Jasper Sprint car action had John Barnett, Jr. winning over Steve Strubble.
There were 142 race cars in the pits for the five division show of racing.
The Modifieds, Sportsman, Jasper Sprints and Outlaw stocks will be back in action at Bridgeport, NJ Speedway on Saturday, 6 p.m.
DOWN IN DELAWARE Kevin Welsh of Far Hills, NJ won the 25-lap United Racing Club sprint car feature and then had it taken away because his car came up light on the scales after the race and the win was given to point leader Dave Ely. Mike Haggenbottom, who took last weekend off from racing sprint cars to run the ARCA RE/MAX stock car events at Pocono Raceway, finished second.
TWO AREA TRACKS fell victim to the weather on Saturday night, so what is new, when rain washed out the racing at New Egypt, NJ Speedway and at Wall Township, NJ Speedway.
New Egypt Speedway had race cars on the track when the rains came and they will try again this Saturday at 6 p.m. while Wall Township Speedway cancelled their Saturday night show early in the day. They have two nights of racing this weekend.

Ernie Saxton can be reached at Esaxton144@aol.com or visit his website at www.saxtonsponsormarket.com