hesstonspeedway@hotmail.com
December 9, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The POWER Returns to Hesston Speedway for 2015!
(Hesston, PA) The amazing wheel-to-wheel racing action will return to the highbanks of Hesston Speedway in 2015. The track has recently been purchased by JELT Enterprises Inc. and operations will resume under the direction of Eric and Tina Ritchey and Jon and Lois Claycomb in the upcoming season.
Hesston Speedway was built in 1961 by Peggy and Sonny Eriksen. After closing in the 1970s, it was reopened in the 1990s by the Grubb family then purchased by Ryan Lynn in the 2000s. In 2009, the track came back into the Eriksen family when DR the Dirt Doctor, the son of the original founders, and his wife Cindy Eriksen became the owners.
Over the 4 seasons of ownership, the Eriksens made mass improvements to the facility to bring it to the top of the Pennsylvania racing scene. The track became renowned for spectacular events featuring mega-car counts, huge crowds and spectacular high-speed, passing-filled racing action. Unfortunately, the Dirt Doctors battle with cancer forced them to close the Speedway in mid-2013 and he left us in March of 2014.
The Claycombs and Ritcheys have a vast knowledge of the sport and plan to continue and build upon what was established at Hesston since 2010. The same successful formula will be followed, with a few tweaks and improvements to perfect the entertainment at Hesston. The Claycombs and Ritcheys have already begun work on the facility to get it in the top-notch condition for opening day. Racing action will be scheduled approximately every other week beginning in May with around 12 events on the grid.
A new website has been launched at the same website address http://www.hesstonspeedway.com. The website will contain complete information about the incredible 3/8 mile supertrack and all racing programs.
Rules have already been released and will follow the same approach as previous years. Virtually all area cars will be legal and competitive to race at Hesston with minimal changes to home track requirements. Weight and spoiler adjustments will be used to even up differences between equipment. The base divisions at Hesston in 2015 will be the Semi-Late Model Sportsman (limited/crate/steel block late models), A-Cadets (street/pro-stocks), Hobby-Modified (strictly/pure stock/hobby stock) and Roadrunners (fwd 4-cylinders). All rules are similar to 2013. Some adjustments have been made to accommodate changes in other area track rules since 2013, as well as to even out competition among categories in each division.
The powerful Super Late Models are scheduled to make multiple appearances in 2015. Hesston will be part of the most exciting Super Late Model tour in the region as all mega-events will be contested under the re-launched UFo Championship banner. The UFo Championship tour is an alliance between high-profile tracks in the region aligning high-paying Super Late Model events with standard rules and procedures plus a powerful season-end point fund bonus. The last UFo Super Late Model event at Hesston drew a whopping 42 racers for $4,044 to win with Dan Stone of Thompson, PA taking the win.
2015 Super Late Model events include the DR Eriksen Grand Prix, Revolution 2014, and Superthunder Road. Super Late Models will also be scheduled on some Saturdays when nearby Port Royal Speedway is on break.
Laurel Highlands RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars will fly around the high banks on at least 2 occasions in 2015. Emods and Pro-Late Models (crate lm) are also on the radar for the 2015 schedule. The full schedule of events will be released in the upcoming weeks on the track website.
Reserved hillside parking spaces will go on sale in January 2015. Fans that held those spaces in 2013 have until January 31 to renew and pay. Any available spaces will go on sale to the public on February 1. Reserved regular season hillside spots in 2015 include all events through and including Labor Day weekend.
Motor Mountain is located in the scenic Raystown Lake and mountain country of central PA and provides a wonderful opportunity for race fans and race teams to make a complete weekend getaway when attending the racing events at Hesston. All fans are provided an excellent view of the action, with grandstand seating and drive-in viewing built high above the racing surface. Hesston welcomes campers and now offers in track-camping on the back straight viewing ramp.
The complete source for information about the Hesston Speedway is http://www.hesstonspeedway.com. Information is also posted to Facebook and Twitter on a regular basis at http://www.facebook....hesstonspeedway and http://www.twitter.c...esstonspeedway. The track office is open Monday to Friday between 9:00 am and 4:00 PM and may be contacted by calling 814-285-2079.
Edited by HesstonPR, 10 December 2014 - 10:31 AM.
