See You In September: Heavy Rain, Wet Forecast Postpone Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. ‘Hot Summer Night’ At Penn Can Speedway To Tuesday, September 9; Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Modifieds & Dig Safely New York GRIT Series Return With Points-Paying Events
SUSQUEHANNA, PA – To quote the lyrics made famous by The Happenings in the late-1960s: “See you in September.”
Heavy rainfall, with totals of one to two inches, predicted for Tuesday and continued wet weather on the docket for Wednesday (chances of rain top 80 percent on both days) prompted the postponement of the Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. ‘Hot Summer Night’ special scheduled for Penn Can Speedway on Tuesday.
The ‘Hot Summer Night’ event in its entirety has been moved to Tuesday, Sept. 9. Both the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Modifieds and Dig Safely New York GRIT Series Crate 602 Sportsman will return in points-paying events on the rescheduled date.
Penn Can track managers Reed Miller and Al Wilcox, in conjunction with Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP organizer and event co-promoter Brett Deyo, made the announcement on Monday night to provide ample notice for race teams and fans.
“We’ve been watching the weather closely and it is very evident Tuesday will be a total washout,” Deyo said. “The Wednesday forecast has now worsened. Even if it were to stop raining by midday on Wednesday, the grounds and track surface would be far too saturated to provide a racy track and to host an event of this stature.”
Miller and Wilcox offered up a replacement date for the series at the track in September.
“We don’t want to lose the event,” said Miller, who with Wilcox, is closing in on his 17th and final season operating the Susquehanna County track. “Getting into September, the midweek schedule isn’t as congested. We found a clear date for racers after points have ended at a lot of the weekly tracks in the area.”
The Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP has been plagued by wet weather of late. The two most recent events at Accord (N.Y.) and I-88 (N.Y.) speedways Aug. 5-6 and July 23-24, respectively, were stretched to two-day affairs thanks to rain. Deyo acknowledged the toll weather has taken on the teams and fans with regards to time off from work, hours on the road and fuel expense.
“Our series is made up of racers who work all day and race as a hobby,” Deyo said. “The last two races have been very hard on everyone. People have spent money on fuel for back-to-back trips to the track and pushed their employers to the max with time off. With a dismal forecast and very slim chance of racing either day, we decided to make a decision early.”
The rescheduled ‘Hot Summer Night’ will be headlined by a 60-lap big-block/small-block main, round No. 5 of the six-race Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP. The event offers $5,000-plus to the winner, $1,000 for eighth-place and $400 just to take the green flag.
Dig Safely New York GRIT Series Crate 602 Sportsman are on the card in a 30-lap event paying $1,000 to the winner and $100 to start. A third division could be added to the card.
Entering the Penn Can ‘Hot Summer Night’ special, Andy Bachetti of Sheffield, Mass., tops the Short Track Super Series standings. Bachetti won the opener at Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway in April and has not placed outside the top-10 in four series races contested this season. Bachetti finished 10th at Accord after leading much of the race’s first half. He was slowed by brake issues.
With 325 points, Bachetti leads Wallkill, N.Y., driver Jeff Heotzler (270 points), Meier of Waldwick, N.J., (268), Danny Tyler of Cottekill, N.Y., (256) and Danny Johnson of Rochester, N.Y., (250).
Penn Can’s event is the final 100-point event on the ’14 schedule. The best four of a driver’s five attempts will set the standings heading into the Championship Event Alpine Building Supply Short Track SuperNationals presented by Olum’s Oct. 10-11 at N.Y.’s I-88 Speedway. The Short Track SuperNationals operates on a 150-point breakdown. Drivers must attend the SuperNationals to be eligible for point fund money and awards.
There have been four different winners in the four Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP events run this season: Bachetti (Orange County), Matt Sheppard (N.Y.’s Thunder Mountain), Danny Creeden (I-88) and Perrego (Accord).
Drivers with perfect attendance thus far on the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP will be eligible for a pair of $250 cash bonuses at Penn Can. The drawings will take place during the pre-race drivers’ meeting.
Trackside Products, the official parts supplier for Penn Can and Thunder Mountain (N.Y.) speedways, has signed on to sponsor a last-chance qualifier to include the drivers missing a transfer position by one spot in the consolations. The winner of the 3-lap dash moves into the ‘Hot Summer Night’ main event.
The most recent special event contested on the racy Penn Can Speedway three-eighths-mile oval in June ended with a dead tie between Kevin Hartnett and Danny Johnson.
The last time Modifieds were featured on the ‘Hot Summer Night’ bill was Aug. 10, 2010: the event was won in thrilling fashion by Stewart Friesen, who started 25th and executed a last-lap, three-wide pass of both Alan Rudalavage and Duane Howard using the extreme outside lane.
Gates, grandstand and pit, open at 5 p.m. The drivers’ meeting is set for 6:20 p.m., with hot laps to follow. Racing gets underway at 7:15 p.m.
Adult admission is $20. Seniors (ages 62 and up) pay $18. Students (ages 13-17) pay $10 and kids 12 and under are FREE. Pit admission is $35, with no license required.
To learn more about the ‘Hot Summer Night’ or the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP, visit www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com, e-mail Brett Deyo at bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or call 845.728.2781. BD Motorsports Media is on Facebook and on Twitter: @BrettDeyo.
Penn Can Speedway is located seven miles off Interstate 81 Exit 230 in on Route 171 Susquehanna, PA. The GPS address, within a block of the speedway, is 98 State Street Susquehanna, PA 18847. The speedway office phone number is 570.853.3434. On race day, call 570.585.9928. For more information, visit www.penncan.com or like “Penn Can Speedway” on Facebook.
The ‘Hot Summer Night’ special is presented by Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., Sharkey’s Fuels, Trackside Products, Zubi’s Racing, Bob Hilbert Sportswear & many other fine marketing partners
The Short Track Super Series is presented by VP Racing Fuels, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., East Coast Speed/ECS Auto, Rochinski Contracting Services, Allstar Performance, American Racer/Lias Tire, Art’s Radiator, ATL Fuel Cells, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, BFP Specialty, Bicknell Racing Products, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, COMP Performance Group, Dirt Track Digest, DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends, DRACO Springs, Driven Racing Oil, ERK Steering, Finish Line Web Design, FOX Shox, H.B. Steele & Son, Henry’s Stainless Steel Exhaust, Hig Fab Chassis, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jack’s Used Race Car Parts & More, Kirkey Racing Products, PM3 Digital Imaging, Quarter Master, Race Pro Weekly, Schaeffer Racing Oil, Shiley Fabrication, Sleepy Hollow Golf, Teo-Pro Car, Troyer Race Cars & Vahlco Wheels.
Sources: BD Motorsports Media