Hello again race fans. The Labor Day weekend is upon us and there's a lot of racing going on.
Port Royal Speedway opens up the 155th annual Juniata County Fair this evening with a 100-lap enduro race. General admission is $5. Monday, the 59th annual Labor Day Classic will be presented. Sprint cars, late models, and pro stocks make up the show. Racing starts at 1 p.m.
Todd Shaffer is the defending Labor Day champion and feels good about his teams chances for fair week. Shaffer won last Saturday night's sprint car feature and said himself, Chad Layton and Greg Hodnett have a chance to defend the home turf against the invaders.
Bedford hosts the Three States Flyers Series Monday night for the Labor Day 55. Racing starts at 7. The Three States cars will run a 35 lap-feature that pays $3,000 to win and $300 to start. The top 20 money winners will also run a $2,000-to-win, 20-lap feature as well.
Selinsgrove Speedway hosts its late model open tonight. The event pays $3,000 to the winner. Race time is 7.
Brian Montieth leads Alan Krimes by 10 points entering tonight's final point race for sprint cars at Lincoln Speedway. Krimes is win less this season. Montieth has won seven times and is the defending track champion.
Doug Esh took a wild ride at Lincoln Speedway last Saturday night. Esh fractured the L-5 vertebrae during a turn two flip. The mishap took place in the first twin 20 lap feature. Cards reach Esh at 1016 Woodridge Blvd., Lancaster, PA 17601.
Mary Ann Keiffer is doing better after her terrible motorcycle accident. Her spirits are strong and she still has a long way to go. She is now in a rehab nursing facility in Bedford. Cards reach her at 108 Cross St., Bedford, PA 15522.
Todd Shaffer won for the fifth time last weekend at Port Royal. Shaffer became the season's leading feature winner. He is also the 2009 track champion. That's two in a row at Port Royal for Shaffer. He is ready for fair week, where he won two out of three races last season. This team is tough right now and I wouldn't count him out.
Congratulations go out to McClure driver Tim Wilson for winning last weeks Butch Renninger Memorial race at Port Royal. It was Wilson's first win of the season. I was happy for him and felt bad for Todd Snook at the same time. Snook could have won the race and he may have felt like he left a win get away.
Scotty Haus is the Port Royal late model champion. Terry Naugle won the pro stock class and Jason Zook took enduro honors. Teresa Kepner is the powder puff champ. Congratulations to all.
I want to thank those of you that said kind things about last week's column concerning Butch Renninger and his family members. I heard from a lot of you. It's easy for me to write about Renninger because it comes from my heart. He was a one-of-a-kind person that touched a lot of lives, including my son and I. He will never be forgotten.
The Labor Day weekend nostalgia program in Darlington, N.C., is upon us and Port Royal regular Eric Zembower is there driving a restored race car. I'll have more details next week. This is the second time this season Zembower has run on a NASCAR track. He drove Bob Reisser's restored dirt champ car in festivities at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Richard Petty has announced his teams will stay with Chrysler Corp. for 2010. Petty was approached by Toyota when Chrysler filed for bankruptcy.
The holiday weekend is upon us. Please drive safely. I'll be back next week with more news and opinions.
Craig Rutherford writes about motorsports for The Sentinel. He is associated with Port Royal Speedway.
