Story By: DINO OBERTO / MAHONING VALLEY SPEEDWAY – LEHIGHTON, PA – Mahoning Valley Speedway will be silent this upcoming Saturday, July 1 as the date is a scheduled off night so fans, teams and staff can take in the 4th of July holiday.
Action will return one week later on Saturday, July 8 with a full slate of action at the paved ¼-mile oval headlined by not one but two big feature race.
Race #3 of the Evergreen Raceway/Mahoning Valley Speedway Dual Track Series (DTS) for the 602 Crate Modifieds and the Annual Mike Krempasky Street Stock Memorial will share the spotlight.
The first two DTS for the 602 Crate Modifieds has been well attended and likewise very competitive.
In the opening race sponsored by Rustic Roots Salon of Lehighton on April 22 run at Mahoning, Broc Brown held off Nick Baer and Paulie Hartwig III to capture the win.
Evergreen Raceway played host to Race #2 of the DTS sponsored by Blue Mountain Woodworking of Bath and the 40 lap feature was chock-full of twists and turns with drama-filled excitement throughout the contest.
At the end it was a day long to be remembered for the George family of as Brody George held off his brother, Jaden Brown, in a close finish.
Now it’s back to Mahoning Valley for another 40-lap contest, this one sponsored by Bruce George Paving and Excavating Inc., of Kunkletown.
Respective track points and series points for the 602 DTS will be kept and aside from regular payouts there will be a point fund in place paying $1500, $1000 and $500 to the top three. Plus each race will designate five “Lucky Draw” awards of $200.
Each feature will awards $1000 to win, $500 for second, $400 to third, $300 for fourth and fifth on back receiving $200.
Heading into the upcoming race Evan Rygielski is the current point leader by five over Nick Baer with Neil Rutt III sitting third.
In the event a DTS race is rained out the make-up will take place at the next regularly scheduled date for the class at that track.
The Mike Krempasky Street Stock Memorial has become a yearly staple since it was first staged in 2012. The race is held in honor of the late Mike Krempasky who passed away unexpectedly on March 9. 2012. Mike was a popular Late Model racer at Dorney Park Speedway in Allentown and was always identified by his signature No. 19 cars.
After Dorney closed in 1986 his attention turned to Mahoning Valley Speedway. At first it was as a fan but he later became a prominent car owner of the No.19 Street Stock which competed under the MKS Racing banner with TJ Gursky as his driver.
While most all in the Street Stock class opted to race with a Camaro, the MKS Team choose a Monte Carlo, one of the very few with the division. Each week the car rolled out looking picture perfect and Gursky would back up those good looks by being among the weekly front runners. The crowning moment for the team came in 2011 when they won that year’s Street Stock title.
The race will be 50 laps in distance and award the winner $1000. Through the amazing efforts of Kyle Krempasky, additional monies and contingencies are also planned throughout the field. The feature will be run as a ‘Cone Race’ and all entrants will be awarded 100 show-up points towards the regular season championship. Street Stocks will draw for heat starting spots and redraw for the main.
Late Models, Harry’s U-Pull-It Hobby Stocks, Futures and the East Coast TQ Midgets are also on the program.
Racing starts at 6:00 pm. Adult grandstand admission is $18.
The rained-out Paul Koehler Sr., Hall of Fame Tribute 75-lap Modified feature from June 24 will take place on Saturday, July 15. Included in the evening’s race events will be the Street Stocks, Pro 4s, Harry’s U-Pull-It Hobby Stocks, Futures and Junk Car Races.
Plus it will be Checkered Flag Fan Club Night and Bike Appreciation Night. Bikers are invited to parade around the track during intermission. There is free admission to all riders and the track will hold a 50/50 raffle with the proceeds being donated to Bikers Against Cop Killers (B.A.C.K.).