PCS Blog:
5-31-10
The new era of late model racing begins at Penn Can Speedway when the
new Super Late Model division debuts. The rules are such that now anyone with a
late model can race at Penn Can. Hopefully the teams that were prevented from
competing because of the rules will take advantage of the opening of the rules.
Penn Can Speedway will be the only speedway in the area running the Super Late
Models. We have restructured the purse and with the help of some great
sponsors, we will be paying $1000 to win these races for the remainder of the
year. We are excited and hope the teams will be excited too.
More work has been done on the track again this week. The widening of
the track seems to have worked as the racing on Friday was excellent. We have
work more on the track and it should be a great rack again Friday.
Brett Deyo has been hard at work on the Clash
at the Can. The entry list looks like a cross section of the best modified
racers in the area. Penn Can regulars traditionally do very well in thiese races. Only Pat Ward and Daune
Howard have been able to beat the Penn Can regulars. Look for the PCS guys to
hold the honor on June 8th. Check out Brett Deyo’s
web page at bdmotorsportsmedia.com for all the drivers expected at Penn Can
Tuesday June 8th.
5-18-21
Street Stock
Incentives for Friday:
1.
Free
Tire Give-away
2.
$50
first time 2010 winners bonus
3.
$75
first time 2009/2010 winners bonus
4.
$100
first time ever winners bonus
Modifieds: $1500 to win based on thirty cars
entered…Five Mile Point Memberships honored Friday since they are not racing
Saturday
Late Models: $750 to win based on fourteen cars entered
Four Cylinders: $35 bonus highest finishing Five Mile Point regular
(PSC cars not included)…. $125 to win based on 15 car field.
Schedule change: Late Models will not be running Friday May 28th…they
will return with a late model special on June 4th…more details to be
announced soon.
5-16-10
We spent the
entire day at the track preparing for this Friday. What happened to the clay
Friday still baffles us and we certainly did not expect that to happen. We
apologize to all divisions especially the street stocks. We will make every
effort to make this up Friday by placing the street stocks first in the running
order. You will have a much better track to run on Friday!!!! We will also
continue with our incentive program to reward drivers not only in the street
stocks but other divisions as well. The incentives will be announced Monday.
Since Five Mile
Point is not running Saturday, track licenses from FMP will be honored at PCS
Friday. There will be a purse increase for the modifieds
if we have over thirty cars signed in. That will also be announced Monday.
Street stocks will have a special incentive for the highest finishing FMP street
stock and four cylinder.
Once again, we
spent the entire day at the speedway and improvements to the track have
definitely been made. We have determined that the rough surface was a product
of rain, wind, and cool temperatures all week. With the forecast for this week,
we anticipate a great racing surface for all divisions. We were just as
disappointed as everyone else Friday and will make every effort to see that it
doesn’t happen again.
5-12-10
In response to a
posting on another website:
It is evident with a
post on RaceNy that a former team that previously
competed at the speedway has an axe to grind towards Penn Can, even though it
was not actually stated in print. I’m sure it has something to do with the
combination of divisions. We tried to give the former super stock drivers a
place to race their cars for another year by combining division. Their team and
the other super stock drivers decided not to take advantage of the rules we
made for that to happen. While we listened to their concerns, we felt our plan
was workable and it was proven out.
As for improvements,
if they haven’t noticed, the promoters at Penn Can Speedway have made
considerable improvements at the speedway not only to improve racing but most
of all to improve the safety of the drivers.
Also, there is
nothing wrong with the racing. In fact it has been pretty exciting all season
thus far. Yes we did raise our street stock purse this season. It wasn’t difficult
to understand why this was done. Since we no longer have super stocks competing
at the speedway, we took that purse money and put it into the street stock
purse. If that offends them, we apologize for trying to keep our street stock
teams racing week after week. We have gone out and worked the entire off season
trying to improve this division. Purse increases and other incentives were put
out for this division. This was done for race teams like theirs but they only
want to rub our noses in it for some strange reason. We do not come on this web
site and bash their race team and we would appreciate if they would do the
same. If they have a problem with us, they know how to get in touch with us
even though I don’t think that will happen.
We have added late model incentives for this week. Grandview
speedway gave their late models the night off Saturday very unexpectedly. In an
effort to improve our late model car count, we are offering these incentives
this Friday. The late models will draw for starting positions this Friday only.
Other plans are also in the works to hopefully attract more late models to PCS.
We are the last of the area speedways running the late models. Skyline and
Thunder Mountain dropped them a few years back. We do not want to drop the late
models and are making every effort to keep them racing at PCS.
5-5-10
We will be
offering incentives for this week’s street stock race. A few questions come up
about how it will work. Simple…the winner will be eligible for any one of three
incentives. If the winner has never won a feature race at Penn Can, he will
receive $125 plus the purse money. If he has not won a race in 2009 or 2010 but
has won in other years, he will win and extra $100. Any driver that has not won
in 2010 but fails to meet the other criteria will get an extra $50.
If you are a
four cylinder driver, we would like to see you at Penn Can Friday. We will be
running two feature races plus qualifying heats. We will also be having a
driver’s meeting to address overly competitive cars. Drivers in the division
have requested this and we will gladly listen to their concerns. You will want
to be there.
Last week we met
with late model teams to address concerns about car count. We are presently
developing a plan to keep late models racing at Penn Can. That announcement
will be made shortly and should hopefully increase the car count in that
division. Penn Can is the only speedway in the area running the late models
without crate motors. We are also the only track with late models and sportsman
running the same night along with the modifieds.
Because of this, our purse is more than other area speedways.
Danny Creeden and Karl Shimer were the
winners in the tire give-away last week at Penn Can. Another street stock tire
will be given away Friday plus all the other incentives. Pass the word…
We also would
like to comment on those complaining on the guest book about us not bring Mr.
Leon Andrus back as our announcer. The decision was not ours. Mr. Andrus was
slated to be the head announcer at Penn Can in 2010. Al Robinson was to work
with him. It was Mr. Andrus’ decision not to return.
4/27/10
Opening Night
went smoothly. A few questions have come up that we do want to address. All
teams running at PCS in 2010 must run the one way radio system. Either a Raceceiver or a scanner programmed to 454.000 will work. We
will be checking and putting cars to the rear for lack of communications.
To
the people complaining about certain cars being illegal: Please address your concerns to the tech men. We have a policy in place that takes care
of things like protests. Posting on the web site or e-mailing the office does
nothing.
This week will
be the first week of the American Racer Cup Tire Give-Away. Only teams that are
registered are eligible for the tire. The track handicapper will take
registrations Friday. We believe that this is a good deal for all teams, not
just those hoping for the big money at the end of the season. Penn Can Speedway
alone will be giving away over $5000 in American Race Tires over the 2010
season.
This will also
be the first night of the Street Stock tire program. This is open to all street
stock competitors Friday night. The feature winner will draw a finishing
position from all cars in Friday’s street stock feature event. The driver
finishing in that position will receive a tire certificate for one American
Race Tire. The tire may be claimed at Trackside Products any time after Monday
of that week or at the track the following Friday. (The tire may not be claimed
Friday after the races.)
Friday night’s
program will be a handicapped event.
4-1-10
We are back
blogging after some time off. Between the PCS Blo and
our Twitter page, we hope to keep everyone informed about Penn Can in 2010. We have
just announced the Street Stock Incentive Programs for 2010. Hopefully this
will continue to create interest in that division. We will also be announcing
more incentives for the other divisions in the near future as they come
together. We are close to signing a sponsor for the Late Model Challenge Races.
This should provide extra cash for those drivers. We are also working on some
interesting incentives for the crate sportsman.
We have had
questions concerning the new street stock purse. It is almost ready. The
emphasis again will be on keeping guys racing all season.
The Spring 125 is just around the corner. Hopefully we will have
a great weather day.
1-17-10
We have had many
positive comments concerning the street (pure) stock division in 2010. The
changes that were made to allow the super stocks to change and compete in the
street stock division have been very well received. The changes that those cars
will be making will put them on a level playing field with the street stocks
and should make for exciting racing. We are developing the purse for the street
stocks and it will again be adjusted for the number of cars in competition. If
you have further questions, please call Al Wilcox at 607-748-3322.
For those
commenting on the guest book page without signing a name or those asking
questions without a name, please be assured that we will not be posting the
messages or will we be replying to those specific threads. If you have a
comment or a concern, please call us and voice it with a name behind the
comment or concern.
12-26-09
All of us at
Penn Can Speedway hope everyone has had a very nice Christmas. Questions are
coming in about when the rules will be posted. We are working hard on getting
everything put together and ready for publication. We are very close and the
rules should be posted in a very short time. To clarify a few other questions,
very few changes are planned in the street (pure) stock division. We are
putting together a package for the super stocks that ran with us in 2009 to compete
in that division. The only cars and drivers eligible are those that ran fifty
percent of the super stock shows in 2009. All others must conform to the 2010
street (pure) stock rules. The rules for these cars will be out soon and they
will put these cars on a level playing field with the street stocks. This will
be a one year only deal. If you are one of those drivers eligible, and you can not wait for the rules to be posted, please call Al at
Trackside Products.
The schedule
will also be out shortly. We are excited to announce that the late models have
been added to the Hot Summer Night Special i8n August. We are trying to make
this a two race deal if sponsorship can be secured. The second race would be
part of our new fall schedule. Contrary to what you may be reading, there will
be a King of the Can race for all divisions in the fall. These races will also
be part of the new fall series. This should be exciting when all the details
are worked out.
We are also
excited about a special race on the Sunday before Labor Day that will feature
four divisions of small car racing at the speedway. The headline division will
be the Xcel 600 modifieds. They will be joined by the
600 winged sprints, the slingshots, and a combined series race between the
Empire Lightning Mini Sprints vs
the Sidewinder Sprints of Pennsylvania. Each division will be running for added
purses which should draw excellent fields of cars. More information on this
special will be announced in the near future. This also should be an exciting show.
Another popular
event on the yearly schedule has gotten even more attractive with the annual
“Legends of Penn Can Night” adding the Northeast Vintage Modified Racing Club
to the event. These restored modifieds will actually
be racing on the three eighths mile oval. Longtime Penn Can favorite Lynn Highhouse runs with this organization and should have his
car in the pits that night. The grandstand display by the Mid State Antique Car
Club will also be part of the Legends Night in July.
As you have seen
from the press release last week, Allan Hornbeck Chevrolet will be the sponsor
of the crate sportsman division. A new crate motor will be delivered soon and
we will have it on display at Trackside Products in Endicott, New York. We will
also have all the information on how to purchase one of these engines from
Hornbeck Chevrolet at a very competitive price. Contact information for
Hornbeck Chevrolet is found on the home page.
12-14-09
Questions keep
coming up about what is going to be done with the pure stock division at Penn
Can in 2010. There will be a name change in the pure stocks. They will now be
known as street stocks. There will be very few rule changes. We have been
talking with teams and encourage others to call if they have concerns. We are listening
to what is being said and addressing many of the concerns. The future of this
division is in the hands of the racers. Some of the posts received show that
some know very little about what is happening in street stock racing. We want
to assure everyone that the division will be better than ever at PCS in 2010.
It is up to the race teams to support the track so we can support the teams.
The rumors about the super stocks entering the division with a great advantage
are false. Rules are being worked out where these cars will fit in but with
changes to their current rules package. The rules to compete will be announced
soon. Other rumors about PCS changing rules and the cars not being allowed at
other tracks are also false. The purse for this division is also being
restructured and should be very attractive to those that race. Our goal will be
to make racing at PCS affordable for the entry level divisions.
A mistake was
made at the banquet Friday night in the pure stock division. It was announced
that Mike Coddington was the Rookie of the Year. The
actual Rookie of the Year in the pure stock division was Shane Wolf Jr. When we
looked at points from 2008 the name Shane Wolf came up and we overlooked the
fact that it was Shane Wolf Sr. This was an oversight
on our part and we do apologize. A new plaque has been ordered and will be
presented to Shane Wolf Jr. Again we apologize to Shane and the team for this
mistake.
12-2-09
The 2009 Penn
Can Speedway banquet is planned for Friday December 11th at the Montdale Country Club. The tickets are available by calling
the speedway office at 570-585-9928. We will be honoring the season track
champions along with the other top drivers and teams that raced with us in
2009. We will also be making some exciting announcements about the 2010 season.
In response to a
person posting on our guest book about wanting input into plans for 2010,
please feel free to call either Al Wilcox, Reed Miller, Mike Barucky, or Bruce Evans. The numbers are on the web site. Any
one of the above listed people will gladly discuss your concerns and answer
your questions. We will not respond to people not posting their names on our
guestbook.
There has been rumors that a change in tire compound will be made
in 2010. We have talked with many people concerning this and there are no plans
to change tire compounds for 2010 at this point in time. If you would like more
details on this please call Al or Reed, they will be more than happy to discuss
this or any other issue with you.
The 2010
schedule is coming together nicely. Some interesting dates have been scheduled
with much of the focus on weekly Friday night racing. The early season practice
dates and opening race dates will be announced at the banquet.
11-11-09
Racing for this
Saturday is on schedule as planned. We are watching the storm coming from the
south. Indications are that it will stay to the east of us and we will be able
to race Saturday. If we do get rain, we will use a Sunday rain date. The
complete show from Saturday will be run with the times the same as the Saturday
show.
If you are a
super/pro stock team or a pure stock/street stock team and you pre-register
online, you save $5.00 on the entry fee. The form to register is on the home
page.
Banquet
information has been mailed to the top ten drivers in all divisions. The
banquet will be at the Montdale Country Club on
Friday December 11, 2009. Make sure to make your reservations early. No tickets
will be sold at the door and reservations close on December 4th.
This is always a great time and this year should be no different.
10-13-09
Plans for the
rescheduled King of the Can Weekend are coming along nicely. We have had lots
of interest in all divisions. The fields should be great in all divisions. We
will be adding some special awards to the program and will be announcing them
shortly. We do have some events sponsorship available for some of those special
awards. We will detail them shortly or you may call the speedway office for
information. We have also added a new twist to the ROC Trackside Products Pure
Stock race scheduled for Friday night. The top five drivers in points at Afton,
Five Mile Point, Skyline, Thunder Mountain, Redline, and Penn Can are
guaranteed starters for this event. This event will also be the first of the
scheduled features for those cars traveling out of town for races on Saturday.
The super stock vs pro stock race added to the Friday
program should also be inviting to cars from other speedways. In talking with
teams that run the Utica Rome Speedway, rules are very similar and the cars
should match up well with our super stocks. DIRT Pro Stocks should also match
up and be competitive with our super stocks. The one thing we did not want to
do is force teams into spending money to compete in this event. Hopefully we
will have a great field of cars and a competitive race for the fans.
Friday October 23rd
Divisions: Feature
Event
1.
Crate
Sportsman: 40
Laps $1000
to win
2.
Xcel
600 Modifieds: 20
Laps
3.
4
Cylinders: 35
Laps $200
to win
4.
Trackside
Products Pure Stocks Series: 25 Laps $500 to win
5.
Super
Stocks/Pro Stocks: 25
Laps $500
to win
Saturday October 24th
Divisions:
1.
ROC Modifieds 60
Laps $5000
to win
2.
ROC
Sportsman 50
Laps $1200
to win
Tire Rules:
Friday October
23rd:
Crate Sportsman:
American Racer
Right Rear Compound: 38, 44, 48.
Left Rear Compound: 33, 44.
Fronts: Minimum 33 compound (may go harder)
Hoosier
LF 11/82-15 Soft, Hard
RF 11/82-15 Soft, Hard
LR 11/87-15 M45, D50
RR 11/90-15 M45, D60, RC6
Super Stocks/Pro
Stocks:
Penn Can American Racers
DIRT/Utica Rome Hoosier
Saturday
October 24th
Modified and
Sportsman
American Racer
Right Rear Compound: 38, 44, 48.
Left Rear Compound: 33, 44.
Fronts: Minimum 33 compound (may go harder)
9-15-09
The weather has
not been our friend all season. Friday’s forecast forced us to move
Pump-N-Pantry Championship Night to Sunday. We do not usually like to use Sunday’s
but with all the end of the season races at other speedways on the schedule, we
didn’t have much of a choice. It worked out well as most of the races were
exciting and the fans got to see some real good racing. Over the last two weeks
there have been some on track incidents that we are not happy with and they
will be dealt with in the future.
Unfortunately we
were forced to reschedule the King of the Can. The reason behind this was
weather related as well. In order for this event to be a success, we need to
have as many race teams and race fans participate. When Accord faced their
weather problems and Grandview rescheduled their big race, we were forced to
make some important decisions. This race is a combination event for the ROC
Tour. If we were to run it on the original date, many of the teams that had
committed to race at Penn Can would not be able to
make the show. We didn’t think the fans would go for a show without many of the
big stars that were expected. We knew that many of the DIRT teams had other
commitments so we thought this show would give the local guys a great
opportunity at a big pay day. That idea is still in our minds. By rescheduling
to the October date, local race teams have a great opportunity to have a great
night at Penn Can. We will be expecting a great field of cars for this special
Saturday show. It will feature the best Penn Can teams against a great field of
invaders.
The question
also has come up about the date of the race. Yes it is the same day as
qualifying at Hagerstown. While we do not like running against other tracks,
Penn Can teams do not usually run Hagerstown. Last year there were no teams
from Penn Can at Hagerstown and the year previous only two or three teams
participated. By using this date here locally, we feel it will give more of the
low budget teams an opportunity to have another race that weekend that is more
in line with their budgets. Five Mile Point also will be running the following
weekend so it gives teams an extended season.
We are also
excited about running a two day show with Friday featuring the local Trackside
Products Pure Stocks, four cylinders, Xcel mods, and
a special crate sportsman race. Hopefully this show will attract a great field
of cars. By running a separate show Friday, we will be able to keep the cost of
entering the pits down. We will not increase our regular pit fees for that
night in hopes of getting as many teams as possible to the show. There will
also be many special incentives that will be announced in the near future as
this program gets finalized.
9-9-09
Once again this
Friday we are looking at another unsettled weather pattern. Our plan remains to
run our Pump-N-Pantry Season Championships as scheduled. If we do have to alter
the schedule, we will post it here on the web site as soon as possible.
The King of the
Can is also on schedule as planned. We are keeping our eye on what other tracks
are doing to make sure the fans of Penn Can get the
best possible end of the season event. While we are very disappointed that
Accord will be running against us that night, but we understand their problems
with rain all season as well. Check back often and refresh the web page for all
the latest updates.
Sportsman teams
will want to watch this page for some interesting announcements concerning the
King of the Can Sportsman event. We are planning on rewarding crate sportsman
that join us for that big race. Further announcements will be forthcoming.
8-29-09
Early in the
week the forecast for Friday was for no rain. It wasn’t until sometime in the
day Thursday that we realized the forecast had changed because of a disturbance
moving across the Midwest and a hurricane in the Atlantic. When we arrived at
the speedway Friday the temperatures had cooled and the skies were cloudy. While
it looked like rain, the rain held off most of the day. The forecast was for
heavy rain into the evening. With weather playing such a big part in the 2009
season, we decided to try something different and reschedule the event Tuesday.
We know that this is a work night and maybe even a school night for some so our
plan will be plain and simple. The show will move off with as few interruptions
as possible. A schedule has been made taking into consideration those that
travel. We will try our best to get people on the road home at an early hour.
Tuesday’s
modified feature winner will be given a guaranteed starting spot in the King of
the Catskills race on September 25th at the Accord Speedway.
Friday is the
rescheduled date for the Legends of Penn Can Night where we will be honoring
the racing greats of the past. It will also be a extra
distance race for the modifieds labeled “The Return
of the Spectacular” in the memory of Seward Rice.
8-23-09
We are looking for
phone numbers for 4 cylinder drivers John Hoover, Dan Wood, Andy Brigham, Lanson Albanesse, Jason Colwell,
and Andy Colwell. Please e-mail to penncan@hotmail.com. We are trying to let all four cylinder teams know
that there is racing Friday. They have been added.
We would like to
thank those that came out Friday. It turned out to be a beautiful night for
racing. We apologize for the sprint car deal but that was nothing of our doing.
We found out second hand that they would not be honoring their obligation
Friday afternoon.
Friday will be the
final appearance for the 600 mods. They have been
very supportive of Penn Can this season with more than full fields every race
night. They will be joined by the modifieds, late
models, sportsman, super stocks, and pure stocks. The four cylinders have also
been added to the show.
In response to the
person that posted on the guest book about the promoters wanting to get rid of
the late models, let us respond. That right now is the furthest thing for our
minds. We really like this division and have worked for the last few season to
get it to grow within our budget. We understand that a good late model cost
just as much to maintain as a modified. Unfortunately with modifieds
on the schedule, getting good car counts, paying the late models the same is
not an option. We are constantly looking at ways to get more cars and ways to
get more money for this division. We are more than willing to increase the
payout if the car counts increase. This has not happened. For years it has been
rumored that we would be getting rid of the late models but every year we have
given them a place to race locally when other tracks have dropped them or
refuse to run the because of the low car counts. The future of late model
racing now may have gotten to the point that their destiny may be in their own
hands and this is sad.
In response to the
person who made many comments about the Zona
situation, you are missing most if not all of the facts.
8-13-09
A big Thank You goes out to Jack and Joanne Owens who sponsored our Hot Summer Night Special along with Gater Racing New and Motorsports Expo who sponsored our B Main.
8-12-09
Congratulations to the winners last night. It was a quality field in all divisions with great racing all night. This Friday we will be back to racing with a regular show for all divisions. Let’s hope the weather cooperates and we get a good night for racing. Sunday night and Monday the speedway was pounded with rain making track prep a challenge. The crew did a good job eliminating the flooding conditions in turn one and two and got the track in shape to race last night.
Friday August 21st the CRSA Sprints will make their only appearance of 2009. Their first race was rained out.
7-23-09 pm
We just received word that Keith Hoffman and Kevin Hartnett will be racing their modifieds at PCS tomorrow night. We welcome both drivers and any other ones that would like to give PCS a try before the big Hot Summer Night Special on Tuesday August 11th.
7-23-09
Tomorrow’s double late model event is shaping up to be a great show with modifieds, sportsman, pure stocks, 4 cylinders, and Xcel 600 all also in action. Our plans are to run the first late model feature immediately after the national anthem. Heats and features in all other divisions will follow.
Interest in the July 31st Legend of Penn Can Night has been running high with extra money being added to the modified purse for that night. The modified feature will be the return of the “Spectacular” in memory of Seward Rice. Ricey passed away over the off season and his memory will be honored along with the many other great legends of the past. Anyone interested in becoming an “Associate Partner” for the event can contact the speedway office or stop at the tower tomorrow night. Your business will be advertised and all money will go directly to the drivers. A $25 minimum is all it takes with more money gladly accepted.
Brett Deyo, promoter of the Super Nations in October, has made the winner of the “Hot Summer Night Special” a guaranteed started in the big event. This ROC “Hot Summer Night” is shaping up to be a great mid-week special. It will be a real shoot-out between the best of the south against the best of the north all coming to Penn Can to challenge the regular modified competitors. Drivers from the south expressing interest include Billy Pauch Jr, Jeff Strunk, Mike Gular, Joey Grammes, plus others. From the north indications are that we could see Brett Hearn, Danny Johnson, Jerry Higbie, Gary Tonkins, Stewart Freisen, Teddy Lamb, Mike Mahaney, Michael Storms, and others. ROC regulars expected include Billy Van Pelt, Jackie Brown, and 2008 Champion Pat Ward.
7-18-09
Once again Friday the weather did not cooperate as rain hit the speedway at around 4:00. The radar picture was poor and the tough decision was made to cancel another show. This was surely not going to be a popular decision for some as the monster trucks are always a big draw but in order to have them perform, we need people in the grandstand and with the forecast calling for more rain, a full grandstand was not going to happen. We have offered the trucks another date and the decision to bring them back is all up to them as they have indicated they have a full summer schedule but will look for an open date.
We now get ready for some great mid-summer racing planned at Penn Can. This Friday the late models will compete in two feature events. The held over event from June 28th will be the first event on the card.
The following week we honor the Legend of Penn Can. The night will also honor the memory of Seward Rice, former racer, promoter, and fan of Penn Can Speedway. The feature event of the night will be called the “Spectacular” for the modifieds. The race will pay the winner $1500 plus any other moneys raised for this thirty five lap event. Anyone interested in becoming an “Associate Sponsor” for the Spectacular should call the speedway office or stop at the tower on race night. A minimum of $25 will make you an Associate for the event with all money raised going into the modified purse for this special Friday night event.
We would also like to mention that with the closing of Redline, race teams and fans of that speedway are welcome to give Penn Can Speedway a try Friday evening. All race teams are welcome to compete at PCS. We are not sure if Redline had a membership card but if they did, we will honor them.
7-4-09
ATTENTION RACE TEAMS: 305 Sprint car driver Bob Tichnor is looking for other race teams looking to share a track rental Saturday July 11th. If you are interested, please call Bob at 908-453-3503 or call the track office at 570-585-9928. He is interested in getting two or three teams to share the expense.
Thanks to all the race teams that helped keep the show moving last night. We were able to run seven features plus qualifying and the Fireworks and be done by 11:15. To those that left early, it did rain hard at the speedway at 11:30.
This Friday we will run the held over modified feature. There is a modified consi that will be run first. If teams come to the speedway that were not there last Sunday, they may pay an entry fee and tack on to the rear of the consi. There are still four spots left to fill plus spots for cars that don’t return. The qualified cars from Sunday are locked in to a starting position. The top twelve will be re-handicapped using the new handicapping numbers after Friday’s feature event. Call the speedway office if you have questions.
6-27-08
Heavy rain at the speedway made it impossible to race last night. With all of the rain-outs at the speedway, it was decided to use a Sunday rain date. We will be using a special format to make sure the racing gets done at a reasonable hour for those with early wake-up calls Monday morning. The late models, sportsman, pure stocks, and four cylinders will all draw for positions in the feature event. All cars that meet Penn Can rules are eligible to compete in all divisions. This is not a closed event.
6-15-09
A huge “Thank you” goes out to head flagger Gary Folk for the efforts he put into the bicycle give-away Friday. We also send thanks to all those that contributed to make this a success. It made many kids happy, winning the bikes.
We would also like to commend the drivers Friday in all divisions. The racing was excellent. The sportsman feature ran without a caution and we had another first time winner for the season with Paul Strohl getting the win. The modified feature was also a great race with only one caution. Brett Tonkin got his first career Penn Can modified win. Three of the top five drivers were part of the young wave of drivers competing in the modified division. The mix of young talent and our seasoned veterans makes for a great group of talented drivers racing each week at Penn Can.
This week we will feature the four cylinders and pure stocks with extra money being added to the purses for each division. Last week we made a purse adjustment in the pure stocks. We will continue to reward the different divisions when they have strong car counts. This week the pure stocks will be running for $300 to win. The four cylinders will have a top price of $150 with added bonus money distributed throughout the field on random positions.
Friday June 26th the CRSA Sprint Cars make their first appearance of the season at Penn Can. Then on Friday July 3rd the annual Fireworks Extravaganza will take place.
6-2-09
We apologize to anyone if we have cause inconveniences by adding the modifieds to the Friday show. Let us explain some of the thinking that went into the decision. Thus far this season there have been six Friday nights on the schedule where modifieds have been scheduled to run. Three of those nights were rained out. If we had stuck to the original schedule, they would have missed another night on June 5th. Many of these teams only run one night a week. This was pointed out to us many times over the weekend with teams calling and voicing their concerns. We had to agree and made the decision to reschedule the Jam the Can night and add the modifieds. This really only affected the one division as all others were scheduled Friday. The only change is that we will be charging the regular admission price. We will that the blame for poor scheduling but when it was originally made, we did not expect as many rain-outs.
We did have one person questioning why we did not run Friday. The disgruntled fan seemed to think that just because it stopped raining that we were good to go that night. Yes it might have stopped raining but we still had to contend with all the rain that had fallen for two straight days. These were not small showers but periods of heavy rain. The infield ponds were full and had to be pumped out Wednesday and Friday from all the rain. The entire facility was saturated and racing was not joining to be an option until the track and facility could dry.
Remember June 12th is Little League and Softball League Night. Lots of bikes will be given away.
Also please remember that we do not respond to people e-mailing or posting that do not have the courage to sign their names.
5-28-09
The weather looks like it will clear by tomorrow afternoon and we should have a great night of racing. All of the divisions will be in competition. Next week we have the “Jam the Can Night” with five twenty lap feature events. $3.00 admission should “Jam the Can.”
The following week (June 12th) is Little League and Softball Night will all players and coaches with their teams admitted free of charge. (Coaches please be in uniform) Head flagger, Gary Folk, has arranged for many bicycle give-aways. It should be another fun night. Thanks Gary…
5-20-09
Please be prepared for long delays on Route 81 North this Friday. Last year construction caused long delays on this holiday weekend. With the forecast looking good, people will be traveling and this might make getting to the speedway difficult unless you plan ahead. We have posted alternate route on the web site. You can easily take some of these routes and get there just as fast. Route 11 from Clarks Summit to Great Bend is a very good road with only a few traffic lights in Clarks Summit. Once through Clarks Summit, it is clear sailing all the way to Great Bend and takes about the same time as traveling 81. The two route almost run side by side.
Get to the track early Friday. The ARDC Midgets will have a display of race cars behind the main grandstand. Drivers will be there to sign autographs.
Last week we ran off seven divisions. We had qualifying heats for everyone and normal distance feature events for every division. All of this was completed with the last flag flying at 10:57. All of the credit for this goes to the drivers that put on the show. The racing was great and the features were exciting. This really made for a great night of racing. We will try to do the same thing Friday.
5-11-09
Before everyone gets upset because of the schedule Friday, please be aware that we do have a plan and we will be running the show off as quickly as possible. Unfortunately the rain hit two weeks in a row. We didn’t want to make drivers and teams miss another week. That is the reason for the schedule change. Last season we experienced a similar situation the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. There were over 160 cars in the pits and everything was completed by midnight with a 40 minute rain delay during the ARDC feature. As mentioned before, we have a plan to give everyone an opportunity to compete. We look forward to a very exciting night of racing.
5-9-09
It was a beautiful day at the speedway yesterday. The track would have been in great shape for a night of racing. The weather forecast was for only spotty showers. It really looked like we might great to race. Unfortunately a very strong thunder storm developed and the skies opened up at about 5:15. We waited for a few minutes hoping the rain would stop. A steady hard rain fell at the track until after 7:30. It would have been impossible to race with that much rain. We apologize for making such a late call but as I said, we really hoped we could get the show in last night.
We have made some adjustments to our schedule for this week. The four cylinders have been added. The pure stocks will be running their own feature instead of a combination race with the super stocks. The top finishing pure stocks may then run with the super stocks. It will be a point race for each division. Please pass the word of this change.
5-7-09
We are hoping for a break in the rain. We will make every effort to get the show in tomorrow night. Check back to the web site often as we will keep it updated if something changes. Tomorrow night is VP Racing Fuels Night. All of our divisions will be in competition. We need support from the super stocks. If you have a super stock and plan on racing, please get the car to the track.
There also are two small schedule changes. On Friday May 15th the four cylinders will be in competition making up for the rain out last week. The four cylinders will also race on Friday May 29th.
5-1-09
All racing activities are still on schedule as planned for tonight. Please check back often as we will keep the web page updated if there are any changes.
FYI Memberships will remain at $50 tonight since the 4 cylinders did not race last week. They may be purchased at the reduced price at the pit sign-in booth.
4-22-09
Everything is set for opening night this Friday. The five division show will feature the modifieds, late models, sportsman, super stocks, and pure stocks. The four cylinders will be back in action next Friday. There have been a few questions concerning Opening Night. The first one involves pit spots. The top twenty in points have their spots from last season. New racers will fill in where open spots are throughout the pits. There is plenty of room for everyone. The front row is reserved for the modifieds and sportsman because of the size of their trailers. Please be respectful to others when pitting Friday.
Another question came up about the purses in all divisions. They have not been cut and will be pretty much the same as last season. We will continue to use a sliding purse structure with higher dollars paid for more cars in the field. If you have questions about the purse, we will be glad to discuss it at any time.
Friday all divisions will draw for their heat race starting positions and the top qualifiers will redraw for the feature.
4-14-09
We would like to thank all of the race teams that came to Pump-N-Pantry Saturday. The Annual Race Day was a huge success.
FYI: Saturday we discovered that the Pennsylvania State Police are cracking down on vehicles towing trailers. They are making random stops checking to see that the trailers are legal and safe. Please check your trailer before coming to any track in the area. They are looking for everything including registration, weight, and safety. They will check your tires, braking system, break-away system, and the way you have everything secure inside the trailer. Also make sure all lights are working properly and that the license is current and displayed properly. While it may seem that they are targeting race teams, that is not the case. They are looking at all trailers for safety and they are only doing their jobs.
We had a great test and tune session Saturday. Almost sixty teams participated. There will be one more test and tune scheduled for Friday before the Spring 150 on Sunday. (Exel 600 modifieds will be running their first points race for a separate Parts Peddler sponsored series at Penn Can.) The official Opening Night is Friday April 24th. That will be the first night of points. Everyone will draw for starting positions for their heats and then redraw for the features.
4-9-09
Pump-N-Pantry Race Day is this Saturday from 10:00am to 2:00 pm. Anyone interested in displaying their cars should have them at the Great Bend store on Saturday at 9:45.
We are still monitoring the weather for practice tomorrow. We will make a decision Friday morning. We may have to reschedule for Saturday.
Weather Update: Due to the unsettled weather pattern predicted for this Friday, the test and tune at Penn Can Speedway may have to be rescheduled. If we are unable to practice Friday evening, we will reschedule for this Saturday with gates opening at 4:00 with the test and tune at 5:30. Please check back often as we will keep the web page current with all the news about the test and tune session.
4-7-09
There has been a bit of a misunderstanding concerning the sportsman portion of the Spring 150. It will be a non sanctioned event. Rules have been opened so as many cars as possible are eligible. The race will pay the same purse as a ROC Sportsman event. It will be fifty green flag laps. The registration fee for the car is $10. All of the money will be returned to the drivers in special bonuses established by the track. 2008 sportsman track champions are guaranteed starters and will be added to the field if they do not qualify. The pure stock race scheduled as part of the Spring 150 is a ROC sanctioned event.
The test and tune session scheduled for Friday is still on schedule. Check back often in case weather forces rescheduling.
4-6-09
The test and tune session scheduled for this Friday is on schedule as planned. Yesterday the track was groomed and looks to be in great shape. We are, however, looking for information concerning someone driving on the track and severely damaging the track surface. Repairs have been made but we would like to have a discussion with the parties involved in the incident. Please call the speedway office if you have any information on the person responsible.
The Pump-N-Pantry Race Car Day is scheduled for this Saturday April 11th. We have had great interest and the following drivers have indicated they will have their cars on display: Ryan Stone, Andy Brigham, Bud Phillips, Steve Polhamus, Doug Polhamus, Jason Colwell, Welsh Motorsports, and Chris Strohl. Any race team interested should call the speedway office at 570-585-9928 and register their race car.
Discount grandstand coupons for the Spring 150 will be available at the Pump-N-Pantry Race Day. They will be available at the Penn Can Speedway Pace Truck. Membership applications will be available and sold at the Race Day Saturday.
Anyone attending the Five Mile Point Speedway Opening Night Saturday April 18th can use their rain check for a $2.00 discount for the grandstand at Penn Can Speedway the next day.
3-31-09
The racing community is mourning the death of IMCA competitor and local businessman, Mike Stolacyk III. While Mike did not race at Penn Can Speedway, he was a good friend to many that called Penn Can their home. Mike was an exciting race driver with many wins at Five Mile Point. He and his family were also great sponsors of the sport they all loved. Besides being a talented race driver, Mike was a better person. You will have to look hard to find a gentleman like Mike. He was credit to his family, community, business, and the racing world. Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family of Mike Stolarcyk III. We encourage everyone to remember Mike and donate to the fund set up for the education of his young children. Zak Graphics has made special stickers in memory of Mike to be sold at local raceways. They will be available at Five Mile Point this Saturday. They will also be sold in the novelty stand at Penn Can Speedway April 19th for the Spring 150.
Congratulations to the Jeff Crambo and Grant Hilfiger for their fine showing at Big Diamond last Saturday.
More and more calls are coming into the speedway office about the Sunday Spring 150. Don Lawson, the Woodhull champion, Jim LaRock, the Skyline champion, and John Scarborogh, the Fonda champion, have indicated they will be in the field looking for the win.
The ROC DART Pure Stock Series sponsored by Trackside Products is also expected to have a great field for the opener. A new date has also been added to the series. Saturday October 11th will be the date as part of the Brett Deyo promoted Supernationals at Five Mile Point Speedway.
3-22-09
The ROC Weekend at Selinsgrove Speedway was a great success. The Penn Can cars in attendance each day did a great job. Congratulations to Alan Rudalavage, Mike Colsten, Brian Weaver, Bobby Trapper, Darwin Greene, Butch Tittle, Joey Colsten, and Dave Jenkins for a good job. The field of cars at this two day event was very strong with some of the best modified racers in the pits making qualifying very difficult. If this race is any indication of the strength of ROC for 2009, the two ROC races at Penn Can Speedway should be great.
Employment opportunities are available for the coming season. We have a need for rest room attendants, gate attendants, counter workers, and others. There is a form on the main page to fill out or you may e-mail your interests to penncan@hotmail.com. Be sure to include you contact information. We will then be in touch.
There is great interest in the Spring 150 in all divisions. This is shaping up to be a great event. We do have sponsorship available for this event. Please contact the speedway if interested.
3-2-09
The Speedworld show at the Oakdale Mall brought out some very nice looking race cars. The owners and crews did an excellent job preparing and displaying the cars this past weekend. Thanks to Casey and Robin for a great show.
We would once again like to address the nameless person complaining on the guestbook about all the changes Penn Can has made in the pure stock rules. We will state once again that rules have not been changed from last season. A car from last year is once again eligible for competition. What has changed is the clarification of the rules. The tech team simply made the rules more detailed so there were fewer gray areas. Also more options were included in the rules package. These rules will also be the rules used at other local tracks. If you analyze the rules carefully you will see that nothing is different only more specific. In all actuality, it should make the rules package much more understandable.
2-24-09
The racing season kicks off this weekend with the annual Speedworld Race Car Show at the Oakdale Mall. Robin and Casey Oltz have worked hard to put together what looks like the best show in many years. Penn Can Speedway will have their booth at the show with schedules for the 2009 season available.
Penn Can Speedway will also have a booth at the Syracuse Motorsports Expo held on the New York State Fair Grounds. This is the largest motorsports show in the state of New York. Anyone interested in showing their cars in the Penn Can display should call the speedway office at 570-585-9928.
Penn Can Speedway sends out condolences to the families of Billy Van Fleet and Mark Keene who died during a heroic frozen pond rescue of a mother and child in Clarks Summit Saturday. Van Fleet and Keene both were involved in racing at Penn Can years ago.
Once again this year there is a misprint on the schedule cards being distributed at the Oakdale Mall this weekend. A test and tune date is scheduled for Sunday April 12th. That should have been listed as Friday April 10th since Sunday April 12th is Easter. Sorry for the confusion.
Some questions have come up concerning the pure stock body rules. If you have a question concerning the rules please call our tech inspectors Bruce or Mike. Their phone numbers are listed on the Rules page of the web site.
We have sponsorship dates available for the 2009 season. We can tailor a plan for any business interested in sponsoring at the speedway. We will again have the weekly Marketing Partnership Plan that is very reasonable for what it has to offer with all money going back into the purse of the designated divisions. Contact the speedway office for more details.
2-13-09
Questions have come up about our tentative schedule. There are test and tune days planned. They are now up on the web page. The question has also come up about divisions not scheduled every Friday. All divisions are given some nights off in 2009. Hopefully, with money being tight, a schedule like this will allow all teams a chance to finish the season without running out of money.
1-30-09
The tentative schedule has been placed on the web site. There may be a few changes or adjustments that may have to be made. We are currently looking at bonus programs for the Super Stock/Pure Stock Challenge Series. There will be more incentives offered for the pure stocks and a separate set of points will be kept to determine a series champion. All of that is in the development stage at this point and will be announced shortly.
We are also working on developing incentives to run the GM crate motor in 2009. This incentive program will also be announced once it is developed.
1-27-08
There have been a few questions concerning the pure stock rules posted. Please read them carefully. There have been very few rule changes. What has confused some is that there are now more options. The body package has more options and should be more competitor friendly. The rules have been spelled out specifically and that may have caused some confusion. As mentioned, options have been added along with rules that were in effect in the past. If you have questions, please call.
The schedule is now 90% complete. It should be up on the web site later this week.
An incentive plan is being developed for competitors running the crate motor in the sportsman division. It will be announced shortly.
We are still looking for cars to represent Penn Can at the Syracuse Motorsports show. Presently Sportsman champion Grant Hilfiger will have is car in the booth. The show will now be a two day event with setup Friday and the show now Saturday and Sunday. If you are interested in having your car in the show please call the speedway office at 570-585-9928 and leave a message if no one answers.
1-20-08
We would like to thank all those that braved the weather to attend the banquet. A great time was had by all. Congratulations to all those that won awards.
We are looking for race teams that would like to display their cars at the Oakdale Mall show and the Syracuse show. Both are great shows to give your sponsors the exposure they need. Call the speedway office at 570-585-9928 and we will give you the details. (Leave a message and we will get back to you if no one is in the office.) Last year we had excellent representation at both events.
The schedule is almost complete. The schedule should be available within the next week.
To the person complaining about the modified and sportsman drivers always getting their pictures in the paper: The track sends Victory Lane photos of all divisions and action shots of all divisions to the trade papers weekly. It is out of our hands when it comes to what pictures are published. We are working on our web site to make it better and pictures of all divisions will be one of our priorities.
12-19-08
We have been working on the 2009 rules for the speedway and are very close to publishing them here on our website. The final draft should make the web by Sunday if not sooner.
We are talking to as many people as possible about the super stock division for 2009. We are looking for input from the drivers and would like to know their thoughts. Anyone wishing to discuss the super stocks can call Al Wilcox at 607-748-3322.
We are also working on an incentive program for drivers running the 602 crate motor in the sportsman division. Speculation and rumors have been spreading about the end to crate motors since GM is in trouble. We have word from reliable sources that the crate engine program from GM is very strong and will not be effected by GM’s other problems. The DIRT circuit has gone to completely crates in 2009 while other area tracks have indicated that this will be the last year for the open sportsman motors in 2009. Unless the industry changes drastically, we will also be looking at a possible change to a more cost effective engine package for sportsman in 2010.
Happy Holidays to all…
11-28-08
People have been sharing their feelings on the crate motor question. No final decisions have been made. This is something we feel very strongly about and will not make a decision without proper research and planning. As mentioned earlier, 2009 rules will change very little if at all. We will not be making drastic changes for this season. If you have specific questions, please feel free to call the speedway office at 570-585-9928.
We are looking for cars to be on display at our booth at the Speedworld at the Oakdale Mall in late February and at the Gater News Show in Syracuse in March.
11-19-08
We are finalizing banquet plans for 2008. The Montdale Country Club will host the affair Saturday January 10, 2009. A mailing to the top ten in points will be sent this week. Also an order form for tickets will be on the front page of the web site this week. Remember, the banquet is open to all teams and fans of Penn Can Speedway. No tickets will be sold at the door and all tickets must be paid for in advance. Deadline is Saturday January 3rd.
Rumors have been flying….We will address a few…
1. As of today, all divisions that ran in 08 will return with very few changes.
11-13-08
We would like to thank everyone for their patience. Early in September we experienced some problems uploading to our web site. While we thought we had everything fixed, that was not the case. We were stuck with a front page that could not be changed for some time. When we did try to make changes, they failed. We now have it fixed and we are trying to get up-to-date.
Our PCS BLOG now returns. We will make every effort to post new info and answer questions that come up. This will not be done on a daily basis but it will be updated regularly.
Information on the 2009 season will be released shortly. A tentative schedule is in the works and will also be announced in the next few weeks.
Penn Can Speedway will have booths at both the Speedworld show at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City and the Gater News Show at the New York State Fairgrounds. We are looking for cars for our booth at both shows. Contact the speedway office at 570-585-9928 is you are interested in displaying a car at either show or both.
10-6-08
We would like to take a moment and thank everyone for another great season at Penn Can. We look forward to seeing everyone back in 2009.