Hoseheads Sprint Car Photos & News

Are you thinking about going to the 50th annual Knoxville Nationals but don’t want the hassle of putting the trip together?
Let Bob Altman of Racing Fans Direct do the work for you.
RFD is offering a great trip to the Nationals, to be held August 9-13 in Knoxville, Iowa and he is making it easy for you. All you need to do is pay for the trip and he does the rest.
“We strive to pursue the utmost in fan convenience, discounts and tours and this year is no different as we bring to fans more ways to save money, just be enrolling in our eighth annual tour,” said Altman, who has been the director of the fan organization for many seasons. “I’m a fan just like the rest and I’m just looking for ways to help fans save money and still get to the races.”
Altman’s latest tour to Knoxville will close on March 15th so hurry and get your reservation in now.
This year’s tour includes hotel for four nights, shuttle transportation from the hotel to the track daily, tickets to the Iowa State Fair, tickets to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, reserved seat tickets to all four nights at the Nationals, reception gifts and free giveaways. Altman is also offering discount airfares, rental cars and hotels for anyone else interested in attending the Nationals.
“This year we have only adjusted our pricing to reflect the increase of the four-day tickets by Knoxville Raceway,” Altman said of the tour that costs $700 per person (Single), $600 per person (double) and $575.00 per person (triple). A hotel rate at the Best Western in Des Moines will cost a fan $94.08 per night through Altman. “We will also have a shuttle at least twice a day to the track and to the town of Knoxville”
For more information, Altman can be contacted at racingfansdirect@bigplanet.com or at 443-974-7027.
WILL WE RACE?
According to Don Leiby, one of the three owners of Lincoln Speedway, we will be!
“It’s about 95 percent certain that we’ll be racing on Saturday,” Leiby said Tuesday night. “We’ve had a lot snow melt since the weekend the sun is supposed to be out later this week and near 50 degrees on Saturday. Fred (Putney) has been working on the track and I think we’ll be ready to go on Saturday as long as we don’t have any weather issues.”
Since this interview, Lincoln has postponed Saturday’s event until Sunday at 2pm.
The 410 Sprints will go in the Icebreaker 30 along with the Spring Thaw 20 for thundercars beginning at 2pm.
Hagerstown Speedway has canceled for this weekend.
PIT STOPS
Hagerstown Speedway held its Race-A-Rama car show last week where the pure stock of Josh Williams won Best of Show. Awards in the late models went to Jerry Bard, Marvin Winters and Frankie Plessinger, late model sportsman awards to Richard Walls, Pete Weaver and Travis McClelland, pure stock awards to Darrin Younker, Danny Beavers and Randy Kline and the miscellaneous award to the micro sprint of Kameron Morral…
Lawrence Chevrolet, along the Carlisle Pike in Mechanicsburg will hold its annual race car show next weekend, March 12-13. All kinds of race car will be on display at the show. Make plans to stop by at some point during the weekend. Lawrence Chevrolet is a major sponsor for local racing, sponsoring both the sprint car point funds at Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedway…
Jason Meyers came from 18th starting spot to win Friday night’s World of Outlaws sprint car event at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas in a thrilling finish over Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Jason Sides and Tim Kaeding, Daryn Pittman’s Keen Motorsports sprinter was 11th and Fred Rahmer 16th. The Outlaws head to Tulare, California this weekend for two nights of action at Thunderbowl Raceway…
Wayne Johnson got a big gift in the way of $14,500 Saturday night when he took the win in the ASCS 360 Sprint Ronald Laney Memorial at East Bay Raceway Park. Johnson was in the right place at the right time after leaders Gary Wright (tire) and Tim Shaffer (motor) and runner-up Mark Smith (motor) all went by the way side. Shaffer had won the Thursday and Friday night events…
Justin Henderson and the Charlie and Dawn Sorokach owned team will be a fulltime team this year with weekly action at Williams Grove and Port Royal. The team plans an 85-race schedule, by far the most ever for the Minersville-based race team…
Email reaches me at Bvores@comcast.net.

Everyone is getting anxious to see some racing here in the Northeast.
Well, that is, everyone except Mother Nature.
While the snow that she dumped on the area continues to slowly melt away, will it go away in time for Lincoln Speedway to kick off the sprint car season next week?
Lincoln, who already postponed its opener from this Saturday until next week, received over two feet of snow during the double-storm whammy and let’s face it, temperatures have just not been that warm to help take the white stuff away.
But we know Lincoln Speedway and its management-they will make an attempt if there is anyway possible and that’s how it stands for next weekend. That of course, barring Central PA is spared from this latest Nor’easter headed our way today.
“First off, we’re hoping we don’t get any more snow,” said Don Leiby, one of the three track owners of the Abbottstown oval. “There is a chance we can still race but that depends on what happens between now and then. I think it will be a close call and obviously it all depends on the weather.”
Leiby noted that track maintenance man Fred Putney just came off of lay off this week and will be working on areas around the speedway but will not plow the parking lots.
“We still have a good bit of snow on the parking lots and there’s no where for it to go unless it melts,” he added. “You can’t plow them because all you’re gonna do is hog it up and you have to have somewhere to put it and then you will lose that parking area plus have a lot of excess water there when it does melt. So it’s a waiting game on the parking lots and that will be the major issue.”
Leiby said that the speedway is planning on taking delivery of some food products and beverages this week with hopes that a Saturday, March 6 opener can still happen.
“We won’t cancel this week for next week, I know that much but next week, we’ll just have to see where we’re at and make a decision later in the week,” Leiby stated. “I know everybody is ready to see a race.”
The 410 Sprints and Thundercars will be on the opening day card with the Icebreaker 30 for the sprints and the Spring Thaw 20 for the stock cars.
Hagerstown Speedway has also postponed this Saturday’s scheduled opener until March 6th. The late models and modifieds are on that card.
DARRAH RELEASED
After spending 16 days in Carolinas Medical Center, Cody Darrah was released on Monday, just four days after undergoing extensive surgery to make repairs to his tibia and knee.
Darrah, who was planning to compete for the 2010 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year with the World of Outlaws, was injured in a highway crash in Ormond Beach, Florida on February 6th and will face several more surgeries and extensive rehabilitation before he returns to good form.
Darrah’s second surgery involved doctors grafting bone from his hip to repair the tibia and inserting a metal plate and rods to restructure his knee.
BIG NEWS FROM SELINSGROVE
When the 28th annual Selinsgrove Speedway National Open for 410 Sprint cars comes around on September 18, one driver can leave the track with a hefty payday in memory of the late Jim Nace.
The speedway has renamed its National Open, the Jim Nace Memorial and will feature a unigue format that will incorporate Nace’s most popular race car numbers and career statistics into the nights program. The main event’s distance will be 44 laps, which represents one of Nace’s race car numbers from his early career, and will be divided into two 22 lap segments. Each segment will offer a complete payoff with $6,000 to win, as a tribute to the No. 6 sprint car Nace most recently campaigned.
Should one driver win both segments, he will take home $12,000 as well as a $14,000 bonus, making it possible to win $26,000, a figure that was selected to honor the Camel Express No. 26 car that Nace gained most of his sprint car notoriety in.
Jim’s wife Crystal and daughter Jamie have announced that they will sponsor the “Fast Tees Fast Time Award in Memory of Jim Nace” for all of the tracks 410 and 358 Sprint car time trial shows in 2010.
The 410 Sprints will see action three times at the Snyder County oval this season, once in May for the Keystone Cup, then again as the finale for Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek and then the Jim Nace Memorial National Open.
PIT STOPS
The World of Outlaws sprints are back in action Friday night at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as the make a return to the track for the first time since the 2006 racing season. Pennsylvania racer Fred Rahmer along with the Keen Motorsports sprinter and driver Daryn Pittman will be in action at Las Vegas. Both Rahmer and Pittman plan to follow the Outlaws into California next weekend with action at Thunderbowl Raceway and then head to Texas the following weekend with races at Houston Raceway Park and Lone Star Speedway. Lance Dewease also has the Texas weekend listed on his schedule…
Email reaches me at Bvores@comcast.net…

The start of the 2010 racing season is scheduled to start in about two weeks so it’s that time again as we have fun with the annual predictions for the upcoming racing season.
As we say every year, many factors can play into a team’s run at a title but barring anything out of the ordinary, we feel the following drivers/teams will bring home respective championships at the end of the 2010 season.
WILLIAMS GROVE--Greg Hodnett did just about everything last season at the Grove except win the driver track championship. While his car owners Jim and Sandy Kline won the owner title last year, Hodnett will make it a perfect championship run in 2010 as he will bring home his first career Grove title and move into the top five on the tracks all time win list in just about ten full seasons at the track.
Over on the 358 Sprint car side, word has it that Pat Cannon will see more action in the 358 Series on Friday night now thanks for the increased point fund for the Central PA 358 Sprint Series so we’ll go with Cannon and the Highlands team to bring home the Grove title. Should Cannon and company decide not to chase Grove points and concentrate on the 410, we’ll take TJ Stutts and new car owner John Westbrook as our backup plan.
The popular Saturday Night Series will be back again and after being dethroned last season, Frankie Herr will return to the top of the Super Sportsman ranks again this year while Gene Knaub continues to be the man to beat in the 358 late models and we’ll take Doug Hoffman to earn a first career street stock championship trophy at the Grove.
LINCOLN--He’s been shut out for several years now but look for the return of Fast Freddie Rahmer to bring home his 11th career track championship in the Pigeon Hills and will continue to add to his track all-time leading win list.
The 358 Sprints at Lincoln is always a tough one but look for Bill Dietrich to have a consistent season and return to the top of the division again.
On the thundercar side, Duane Watson makes it two straight.
PORT ROYAL--With Todd Shaffer supposedly not racing for points and Greg Hodnett will likely miss a night or two, we’ll look for Mike Erdley to improve on his second place ranking in 2009 to bring home a second career 410 Sprint track title. Erdley will win a race or two and consistency brings it home.
We’re not sure if Scott Haus will be a regular at the Port so we will take Mitch Hack to have some good luck for once and win the late model title and Tim Krape returns to the top in pro stock competition.
SELINSGROVE--Pat Cannon is as good as anyone at the Snyder County oval and will be tough to beat for the 358 Sprint car championship this season. So barring any crazy stuff happening, Cannon will walk away with another championship ring.
Jeff Rine is always hard to beat and as long as he competes there weekly, he brings home yet another late model title while Jason Smith repeats in Selinsgrove pro stock action.
HAGERSTOWN--Last season’s late model championship came down to a one point difference between champion Roy Deese and runner-up Frankie Plessinger. Does one of those guys win the title this year, I don’t think so. We’ll go with Jim Yoder to claim his first title at the Maryland oval.
Ashley Barrett will get some good fortune in 2010 and that will be enough to put him on top of the late model sportsman ranks at the Hub City oval.
SUSQUEHANNA--Justin Ehrhart came close last season and he will jump another spot to secure his first career 358 late model championship at SSP this season.
TRAILWAY--After a rough season in 2009 at Trail-Way, Jeff Rohrbaugh will take home the 358 sprint car title at the Hanover facility this season.
URC SPRINTS--The Jersey Jet, JJ Grasso was nearly unstoppable last season with URC in his first season aboard the Palladino Motorsports machine. 2010 will be no different on the tour as Grasso once again will be at the head table when banquet time comes around next December.
WORLD OF OUTLAWS--It’s been all Donny Schatz for the past four seasons with the WoO Sprint series. But this year, Schatz has a new teammate and a pretty good one at that. How about “The King of the Outlaws” Steve Kinser returning to the top of the mountain with another World of Outlaws championship in 2010.
ALL STAR SPRINTS--Tim Shaffer won this series hands down a year ago and 2010 will be an easy repeat for Shaffer and the Call/Holbrook owned team.
WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODELS--If Josh Richards runs fulltime with the tour he will be tough but I think Darrell Lanigan challenges for the title and wins it in a close one at Charlotte in November.
. So there you go. We’ll check back at the end of the season to see just how good we did!
DARRAH ON INJURED LIST
Two of our wishes for the new racing season was for a safe one and for a good year for Cody Darrah in his rookie World of Outlaws tour. Unfortunately, both took an ugly turn for the worse last Saturday when Darrah, along with his father Joe, were involved in a highway accident near Daytona Beach, Florida as they were heading to Daytona to watch Darrah’s car owner Kasey Kahne qualify for the Daytona 500. They were hit head on by an oncoming car at an intersection as the other car attempted to make a left hand turn.
Cody suffered a fractured leg in the accident while Joe received facial lacerations and was released from the hospital on Saturday night.
Darrah underwent his first surgery on Tuesday morning where his leg was fitted with external hardware to stabilize his leg while swelling and blisters heal.
He will then undergo several more surgeries to repair his tibia, knee and ligaments in two to three weeks and then will face a long rehabilitation to return to normal.
“My tibia is shattered and my knee is messed up too so it’s a lot worse than we originally thought” said Darrah from his Carolinas Medical Center room Tuesday morning. “They will take bone from my hip to redo my joint and leg and put a plate in it when they do the surgery in a couple of weeks. But right now I just have to keep my leg elevated to bring down the swelling so we can move on.”
Darrah was slated to make his WoO debut Saturday night in the Great Clips No. 91 sprint car.
“I had such a great opportunity this year and now I’m laying here looking out the window of the hospital,” he said. “I’m gonna keep a positive attitude and make a complete recovery and return to the track when I am able to.”
There is no time frame on how long Darrah will be on the sidelines and as of Tuesday night, Kahne had not named a replacement driver for the car.
PIT STOPS
Craig Dollansky and Joey Saldana were winners last week with the All Star Circuit of Champions at Volusia Speedway Park while Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser split World of Outlaws events at VSP. Local drivers in the top 10 in those events were Stevie Smith fifth, Lucas Wolfe sixth, Daryn Pittman seventh and Lance Dewease ninth on Wednesday at VSP. Wolfe (4th) and Smith (6th) on Thursday with the All Stars while Wolfe was seventh (started 22nd) and Mark Smith 10th with the Outlaws on Saturday night. No locals were in the top 10 on Sunday night.
The All Stars wrap up their Winternationals in Florida with Thursday, Friday and Saturday action at East Bay Raceway Park.
We were remiss to mention last week that while the top two finishing spots for the 410 sprints were increased, spots 15 through 24 have also been increased by a total of $110 for the 10 spots. It will now pay $315 to start the feature on a regular show. Fifteenth spot now pays $330 compared to $320 a year ago.
Email reaches me at Bvores@comcast.net.