SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Selinsgrove Speedway will present the Jim Nace Memorial 30th Anniversary National Open for 410 sprint cars, the historic half-mile track’s crown jewel event, at 7 p.m. Saturday, September 15, sponsored by Selinsgrove Ford.
For the third year in a row, the 410 Open will honor the life and racing career of Nace, the track’s only five-time sprint car champion who died in November 2009 following a seven-year battle with cancer.
Big $$ On The Line For Sweeping Both Segments
The National Open’s distance of 44 laps and $44,000 purse, tributes to Nace’s race car number at the start of his career, will be divided into two 22-lap segments and two complete payoffs, with $6,000 to win each segment as an homage to the No. 6 sprint car Nace campaigned most recently as both a driver and a car owner before his health forced him to retire from racing.
Should one driver win both of the 22-lap segments, a $14,000 bonus will be awarded, pushing the winner’s total to $26,000 and the event’s purse to nearly $60,000. The $26,000 figure honors the Camel Express No. 26 sprint car Nace drove to a majority of his career championships and victories in central Pennsylvania.
In the previous two Nace Memorial National Opens, Pat Cannon of Etters, the defending winner, missed the $14,000 bonus by only one position. In 2010, Cannon won the first segment but came up one position short of collecting the bonus with a runner-up finish in the second round. Last year, he settled for second in the first round but took the checkered flag in the second segment. The winner of the second segment, at the end of 44 laps, is declared the National Open champion.
Two weekends ago, Cannon drove to a convincing $8,000 victory in the speedway’s 12th Annual National Open for 358-360 sprint cars, becoming the only three-time winner of the event. Will Cannon’s third attempt be the charm to sweep the 410 sprint car National Open and take home the $26,000 haul on Sept. 15?
Fred Rahmer of Salfordville is the track’s only five-time winner of the Open. Rahmer’s victories in the Open occurred in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000. Todd Shaffer of Millerstown is second on the Open career win list with four championships in 1993, 1994, 2001, and 2008.
The late Maynard Yingst of Linglestown (1983, 1984, 1985), Greg Hodnett of Thomasville (1998, 2004, 2007) and Lance Dewease of Fayetteville (2002, 2009, 2010) have each won the race three times. Don Kreitz Jr. of Sinking Spring is the only other driver to have repeated a victory in the Open with wins in 1986 and 1992.
In addition to Cannon, other single-time winners of the Open include Dave Blaney of Cortland, Ohio (1987); Keith Kauffman of Mifflintown (1988); Doug Wolfgang of Sioux Falls, S.D. (1989); Sammy Swindell of Bartlett, Tenn. (1990); Johnny Mackison Jr. of York (1991); Stevie Smith of Broken Arrow, Okla. (2003); Lucas Wolfe of Mechanicsburg (2005); and Chad Layton of Harrisburg (2006).
Brian Leppo Will Pilot The #51 At Selinsgrove This Saturday Replacing Fred Rahmer
The National Open will mark the third and final appearance of the season by the 410 sprint cars at Selinsgrove Speedway. Daryn Pittman of Owasso, Okla., took the checkered flag in the season opener on March 11 and Dewease won the PA Speedweek finale on July 8.
Joining the 410 sprint cars for the National Open will be the late models in a 25-lap feature. The Sept. 15 race will be an open tire event for both the sprint cars and late models.
The rain date, if needed, is 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, for sprint cars only.
Title sponsor Selinsgrove Ford, a family-owned and operated dealership serving the Susquehanna Valley for more than 50 years, specializes in the sales and service of new and pre-owned vehicles, parts, body shop repairs, 24-hour towing, and financing.
For the latest news, results, and race status, visit selinsgrovespeedway.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. The speedway office can also be reached at 570.374.2999.
Purse for EACH of the 22-lap National Open segments: 1) $6,000 2) $2,000 3) $1,500 4) $1,400 5) $1,200 6) $1,100 7) $1,000 8) $900 9) $800 10) $700 11) $600 12) $550 13) $450 14) $425 15) $400 16) $375 17) $350 18-24) $325
Admission for Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012: Adults $25; Students (12-17) $20; Kids 11 & Under FREE; Pit Passes $30