Excitement building for Mahoning Valley Speedway Opening Night

Excitement building for Mahoning Valley Speedway Opening Night

(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 4-9-15) This coming Saturday night, April 11 starting at 6:00 pm, the green flag drops to officially begin to the 2015 season at Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway and keeping in tune with previous Opening Night shows, promoter Floyd Santee will present a high paying Modified feature as the winner will pocket $5000 for going the 125 lap distance. It will be race number one in the six race Central States Modified Gamblers Series events.
Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks will also be in action with regular distance feature races.
100+ Modified features have become great season kickoff shows at Mahoning. The first was in 2006 with perennial Eastern Pennsylvania asphalt Modified star Brian DeFebo coming from 16th to first in claiming the $3000 victory. In 2007 New York state invader Rusty Smith beat the home track regulars and won his only Mahoning race.
Lou Strohl pulled off a daring pass on Pete Brittain with two laps to go and took a stunning victory as well as the $3000 first place prize money in 2008.
“The Master of Going Faster” Eric Beers, cruised out front for all 100 laps in a dominating run to open the 2009 season. The following year it was Matt Hirschman who at the time won his second career Mahoning 100-lapper and has since gone on to earn a record 11 extra distance races.
In 2011 rain wiped out back-to-back tries of running 100 laps. The first race turned out to be a regular 35-lapper three weeks in but still it was still worth $3000 to winner Earl Paules who had his winnings matched by long-time sponsor John Schneider of Schneider and Sons, Inc., Scrap Medal of Allentown, making it the most money every won for a regular Modified feature.
Zane Zeiner opened the Santee promoted era with his win in 2012. That too was a regular show.
Mahoning’s lid-lifter in 2013 was a memorable one for then 17-year old Austin Kochenash as he won his career first Modified feature, a 50-lap main worth $2000 and then came back later in the night to claim the Late Model feature and pocket an additional $1000.
Last year Beers, fresh off his title winning year of ’13, started out with another win in a long list of 100 lap Mahoning victories.
And now it’s time for another go at the big cash, only this time it will be $5000, the highest amount ever offered for a Mahoning Opening Night feature and know that there will be an unbelievable field assembled. Every one of the past Opening Night winners are expected to be on hand plus many others, making this an amazing night to start off the year.
Along with the host of local talent, race teams are coming in from New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
Grandstands open at 4:00 pm. Admission is $20 and no discounts for this event. Children 10 and under are free.
Pits gates open at 11:00 am. There will be early paid practice from noon to 3:00 pm. Warm-ups will run from 4:00 – 5:00 followed by a mandatory drivers meeting at 5:10.
Heats will begin at 6:00 pm. All drivers will pick for heat race starting spots. All feature line-ups will be heads up from the heat finishes.
Additional news can be found on the track’s official site at www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or on Facebook at Mahoning Valley Speedway and on Twitter at twitter.com/MahoningSpeed. You can also call the track hotline on race day at 570-386-4900.