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Full night Saturday with racing plus make-up features, kids bike races & RAD Night

By Mike Leone

June 7, 2012

(Hartford, OH)…Mother Nature has continued to play havoc with Sharon Speedway. After losing three of the four events in April, Saturdays in May improved until storms wiped out the second leg of the Bill Emig Memorial features on Sunday, May 27 followed by another rain out last Saturday.

Hopefully better weather is on the horizon for this Saturday (June 9) as it’s a full show of
“Steel Valley Thunder� featuring the Governor Insurance Agency DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds, Barris Supply FASTRAK Late Models, Gibson Insurance Agency Stock Cars, Summit Racing Equipment Econo Mods, HTMA/Precise Racing Products Econo Mods and the Deforest Used Parts Mini Stocks. The Econo Mod and Mini Stock make-up features are also slated. Race time is 7 p.m. It’s Globe Restaurant @ Truck World Night.

Saturday’s promotions are RAD Racing Poster Contest Night along with kids bike races during intermission. The kids bike races are for those ages 3-12. There will be four separate groups. Helmets are required. Saturday’s home-cooked meal is rigatoni and meatballs for $6.

The National Center for Prevention and Research Solutions, the RAD Racing Team, RAD Racer Amanda Stiffler, and Sharon Speedway are hosting the now twice rescheduled RAD Night at the Races Saturday. For over 20 years, the RAD Racing Team and Race Against Drugs have supported drug free youth through their partnership with motorsports.

RAD Racer Amanda Stiffler and Sharon Speedway are inviting students in elementary, middle/junior high, and high school to participate in the RAD at the Races Poster Contest. All youth participating in the poster contest will receive free entry to the event.

A winner from each school level will be selected and may be published in the Stay on Track Activity Book that will be distributed to children across the country in 2012. All winners will be recognized on the RAD Racing Team website at www.radracingteam.org. Posters will be judged on creativity, application of racing theme, level of detail, originality and clarity. Entry forms are available at http://www.sharonspeedway.com/wp-content/u...-Entry-Form.pdf.

The only thing that has stopped Kevin Bolland Rex King this season is rain. The veteran racers have evenly split the four DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds features run to date with Bolland leading King by 12 points in the standings. Drivers like Dave Murdick, Jeremiah Shingledecker, Rex King, Jr., Dean Pearson, Jim Weller, Jr., Rob Kristyak, Kevin Hoffman, and Jim Rasey have all been fast, but have yet been to unseat the duo.

Two-time winner Will Thomas III is in his first full season of FASTRAK and has been impressive as he currently leads second year racer Matt Latta by 25 points. Max Blair won his first of the season during the Bill Emig Memorial, while Sunday’s feature was rained out and will be made up on August 18. The next big FASTRAK event is June 23 for the second annual “Gary Knollinger Memorial� paying $2,000 to-win.

The E-Mods continue to fill the pits week in and week out. On May 26, a season high 37 cars turned out for the UEMS-sanctioned event. Joel Watson was able to become the season’s fifth different winner in as many races in the competitive division joining Brent Rhebergen, Mike Kinney, Jack Young and Joe Gabrielson. Interestingly enough, it’s Shawn Shingledecker atop the standings by seven over Young.

The Stock Cars will be back to regular rules on Saturday. Chris Schneider invaded and won on the “open� rules event, while the May 27 feature will be made up at the next “open� rules event on September 14. Tim Burns, who ironically won two “open� shows in 2011, leads the points by 10 over four-time champion Steve D’Apolito, who is looking for his first win of the season. While the Stock Car count has been early on, a few new cars were already in the pit area last Saturday before the races were rained out at 4:30 p.m.

A lot of points will be up for grabs on Saturday night for the Econo Mods as they will not only run their typical heats and feature, but also will begin the night with the May 27 make-up feature paying $350 to-win. Brandon Blackshear is the division’s only repeat winner as he leads the points by nine over Brian Hathaway, who scored his first career win last month.

Like the Econo Mods, the Mini Stocks will also have a great opportunity to add points to their season totals as their $200 to-win May 27 make-up feature joins their regularly scheduled program. And like Blackshear, Bill Fuchs is the division’s only repeat winner to date. Last year’s top winner has his hands full this year as the competition has increased. The Greenville, Pa. racer leads Scott Gilliland by six points in his quest to defend his championship.

Pits open at 4 p.m. on Saturday with grandstands at 5 on Saturday. Race time is 7 p.m. Adult admission is $13 and pit passes are $25. Kids 13 and under are always free.

Sharon Speedway is owned by the Blaney, Weller, and Kirila Families and is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305. For more information, check out the website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481 330-772-5481 . Become a fan of Sharon Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonspeedway and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharonspdwy.

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