Lincoln Still Has A Chance

Lincoln Still Has A Chance

By Brad Vores February 24, 2010

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 tomorrow.

“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…