Selinsgrove Speedway facts for kids
Selinsgrove Speedway is a fun dirt racetrack located in Penn Township, Snyder County, near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. It's about half a mile (0.8 km) long. Every Saturday night, you can watch exciting races with different types of cars like Road-Runner, Pro Stock, Late Model, and Sprint Cars. The track also hosts special events, like a race for 410 Sprint cars in the 2020 Pennsylvania Speedweek. On Friday nights, smaller Go-karts and Micro Sprints race on a smaller track inside the main one, called Selinsgrove Raceway Park.
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History of the Speedway
Selinsgrove Speedway was built in 1945. A famous Hollywood stunt man and race car driver named Joie Chitwood helped build it. Before it was a racetrack, the land was a family farm. The local fire department bought the land in 1941 for their yearly carnival.
The very first race at Selinsgrove Speedway happened on July 20, 1946. It was an event approved by the American Automobile Association. The winner was Bill Holland, who later won the famous Indianapolis 500 race in 1949. The second-place winner was Red Byron. He won the first-ever NASCAR-approved race and became NASCAR's first champion in its top series.
The big seating area, called the grandstand, was built in 1948. It was made with a lot of wood and could hold 5,500 people! Lights were added in 1953 so races could happen at night. The first night race was on June 19, 1953.
Weekly races started at Selinsgrove Speedway in 1950. They continued until 1959, then slowed down for a few years. Weekly racing started again in 1963. A famous writer about car racing, Chris Economaki, used to announce the races in the early 1950s.
Over the years, the track grew and got better. Many people helped manage it, including Jack Gunn and Charlie Paige. From 2001 to 2015, Charlie Paige made many improvements. New food stands, restrooms, and special areas for VIPs were built. The smaller Selinsgrove Raceway Park was built inside the main track in 2001. In 2006, parts of the main track were made wider.
Today, the Selinsgrove Fair Association still owns the property. The races are run by the Speedway Management Group. Michael Heffner and Alan Kreitzer lead this group, with Steve Inch as the General Manager.
In 2018, the pit area, where race cars get ready, was moved outside Turn 4. This made it easier for bigger race car trucks to get around and gave fans a better view of the track. In 2020, the United States Auto Club held its first Silvercrown race here. It was called the Bill Holland Classic, named after the track's first winner.
Selinsgrove Open Winners
The track started a special sprint car racing event called the Selinsgrove Open in 1983. The first winner was Maynard Yingst. He won it three times in a row! Later, he became a top crew chief for a famous race car driver. Many national sprint car drivers have won this event, including Dave Blaney, Sammy Swindell, and Greg Hodnett.
- 1983 - Maynard Yingst
- 1984 - Maynard Yingst
- 1985 - Maynard Yingst
- 1986 - Don Kreitz, Jr.
- 1987 - Dave Blaney
- 1988 - Keith Kauffman
- 1989 - Doug Wolfgang
- 1990 - Sammy Swindell
- 1991 - Johnny Mackison
- 1992 - Don Kreitz, Jr.
- 1993 - Todd Shaffer
- 1994 - Todd Shaffer
- 1995 - Fred Rahmer
- 1996 - Fred Rahmer
- 1997 - Fred Rahmer
- 1998 - Greg Hodnett
- 1999 - Fred Rahmer
- 2000 - Fred Rahmer
- 2001 - Todd Shaffer
- 2002 - Lance Dewease
- 2003 - Stevie Smith
- 2004 - Greg Hodnett
- 2005 - Lucas Wolfe
- 2006 - Chad Layton
- 2007 - Greg Hodnett
- 2008 - Todd Shaffer
- 2009 - Lance Dewease
- 2010 - Lance Dewease
- 2011 - Pat Cannon
- 2012 - Pat Cannon
- 2013 - Pat Cannon
- 2014 - Greg Hodnett
- 2015 - Danny Dietrich
- 2016 - Lucas Wolfe
- 2017 - Brian Brown
- 2018 - Ryan Smith
- 2019 - Logan Wagner
Racing Series That Have Visited
Many different racing series have held events at Selinsgrove Speedway since 1946. Here are some of them:
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Images for kids
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Another view of Selinsgrove Speedway
