Story By: JEFFREY AHLUM / GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY – BECHTELSVILLE, PA – Grandview Speedway is prepared and ready for the Labor Day holiday weekend with the presentation of two-days of racing to end the month of August.
This Saturday, August 31 will feature the T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds and the T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman in another NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series program starting at 7:30 pm. The show will include qualifying events for both classes leading up to the 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature and the 25-lap T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman feature event.
Saturday’s program will also include some extra fun and as a bonus for the younger fans, there will be a kid’s money scramble at intermission. The kids will be divided into four age groups and sent scrambling to pick up as many scattered coins on the front straightaway of the Speedway as they can during a timed session. It was amazing last year how quick the kids were, and how much fun they had scooping the coins up off the race track like little vacuum cleaners!
Prior to the racing action on Saturday will be the weekly Low Down and Dirty Meet and Greet. This week’s drivers include Modified driver Eric Kormann, Sportsman drivers Dylan and Decker Swinehart along with Stephen Smith III.
The Meet and Greet is held in the main gate area starting at 5 pm. and is a great time for fans to meet the drivers up close, collect some autographs, take photos, and talk racing one on one.
Adult grandstand admission is $20, students 10-15 with ID are $10, while children ages 9 and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $35 for NASCAR members and $45 for non-members.
Pit gates will open at 4 pm. with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm. warm-ups starting at 6:15 pm. and the first race of the evening getting the green flag at 7:30 pm.
The racing weekend will actually kick off on Friday, August 30, and will feature the Outlaw Racing Series Enduro and Outlaw Racing Series Vintage Cars in action along with the Slingshots starting at 7 pm. Pit gates open at 2 pm., with Grandstand gates open at 5 pm.
On Friday night grandstand admission will be $10, with children ages 12 and under admitted for free. Pit admission is $30 for the Friday event.
The 54th annual Freedom 76 Modified Championship is fast approaching, coming up on Saturday, September 21. Lap sponsorships at $20 per lap are now available by contacting Tina Rogers, Tommy Kramer or Jeff Ahlum at the track on race night, or email at www.jeffreyahlum@gmail.com or www.grandviewspeedway1963@gmail.com or Venmo @Tina-Rogers327.
Lap sponsorships are a great way for fans to wish their favorite driver’s good luck in the big race, or for businesses to do some advertising. All lap sponsorships will be read on the public address system each week leading up to and including race night on September 21 and will be posted on social media.
The Freedom 76 weekend begins on Friday, September 20 with the 11th annual Freedom 38 Sportsman Championship race paying $2062 to the winner, along with practice time for Modified drivers wishing to participate in the Freedom 76.
On Friday, pit gates open at 3 pm, with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm, and racing starting at 7:30 pm. Adult Grandstand admission is $5, while children ages 9 and under are admitted for free. Pit admission on Friday is $35, and no license is required. There is no rain date for the Friday event.
Racers are reminded that the Freedom 38 is open to regular Sportsman division drivers only, drivers who compete regularly in Modified division competition are not eligible to compete.
On Saturday, September 21, the 54th annual Freedom 76 will be run for the 358 Modifieds paying $30,062 to the winner! The program includes qualifying races, cash dash and the Minuteman 20 leading up to the 76-lap Championship main event. Pit gates open at 9 am, for inspections, Grandstand ticket windows open at 3 pm, with racing starting at 7 pm. Fans will be able to enter the Grandstand areas between 9 am, and 12 Noon to reserve seats with blankets.
Adult Grandstand tickets on Saturday will be $40, students 10-15 with ID are $20, while children ages 9 and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission will be $45, and no license is required. There will be no advanced tickets sold for this event, and the rain date is Saturday, September 28.
For the Freedom 76, the tire rules for the event are as follows, ANY American Racer tire and compound, but it must be the Grandview Speedway tread pattern. All Grandview engine and body rules apply, please check the website for details or any questions please call Cliff Quinn at 484-357-2587 or Ed Scott at 610-298-2408.
Those wishing to camp at the Speedway please note: Campers can enter the grounds in the fourth turn area on Saturday, September 14 and remain there until the 22nd. However, because there are no hookups, sleeping in the campers can only take place September 20-22.
Ten-time track champion Jeff Strunk continues as the point leader looking for another point title with three weeks of point racing remaining. Strunk has been a model of consistency, with only one race finish not being in the top ten all season.
The most amazing fact this season is that there have been nine different feature winners in T.P. Trailer Modified competition this season, but all five drivers in the top five positions in points, Jeff Strunk, Craig Von Dohren, Mike Gular, Eddie Strada, and Jared Umbenhauer have yet to score a feature win this season.
T.P. Trailer Modified feature winners so far this year have been Brett Kressley with five, Louden Reimert with three, Doug Manmiller has two wins (one of which is a Thunder Series win), Mike Mahaney, John Willman, Bobby Trapper Jr., Nate Brinker, Cody Manmiller, and Ryan Watt all with one win each. Eric Kormann has also recorded a win during Thunder on the Hill series action.
In T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman action this season, defending champion Logan Watt continues as the point leader, looking for his second consecutive championship. Watt has finished outside the top ten only five times all season, four of which have occurred in the last five events, but Watt continues to maintain the point lead as everyone else has been chasing him.
Dylan Swinehart now sits second in points, and last week joined the two win club, joining Watt and Gavyn Krupp as two-time feature winners.
Drivers with one win each include Kenny Bock, Brian Hirthler, Mark Kemmerer, Jesse Landis, Addison Meitzler, Colton Perry, Zach Steffey, Jared LaBagh, and Alex Bartorillo.
All of these drivers plus many more will be in action this Saturday night looking for a feature win or to improve their position in the standings heading into the final weeks of the point championship chase.
The final night of points will be Spunktown Tavern and Restaurant Championship Night on Saturday, September 14, featuring the T.P. Trailer Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman in a double-header starting at 7:30 pm.