Penn Can to Begin New ERA with “Can Opener” on Friday, April 24th; Return of the “Spectacular” will Close Out the Point Season

SUSQUEHANNA, PA…A new era will begin on Friday, April 24th at Penn Can Speedway. The “Can Opener” will lift the lid on the 2015 racing season under the direction of new Promoter Dan Harpell. One of the highlights of the season will be the return of “The Spectacular”, which will close out the regular point season on Friday, September 4th. It was announced in November that Harpell would be taking over as Promoter, following the successful tenure of Reed Miller and Al Wilcox. He plans to pick up where they left off and provide a seamless transition into the new era.

The April 24th “Can Opener” will get the racing season underway and will feature a full show for all weekly divisions. There will be two practice sessions prior to the opener. They will take place on April 10th and 17th.
The weekly show will consist of Big Block and Small Block Modifieds, 602 Crate Sportsman, Street Stocks, Four Cylinder Stocks, Factory Stocks and the newly announced Slingshots by Tobias. While those classes will be the mainstay, there will be several special events scattered throughout the season. One of those is the return of “The Spectacular”. Long time Penn Can fans can remember the popularity of that event.

The Seward Rice Memorial Spectacular is a tribute to the man that initiated the event back in 1988. The race is geared toward rewarding the local drivers for their loyalty during the season. The 40 lap event for Modifieds will pay a minimum of $3,000 to win and you must have competed at Penn Can at least four times during the season to be eligible to compete.
“Ricey played an integral role in putting Penn Can in the limelight in the late 80’s and it has stayed there ever since”, said Harpell. “When I took over as Promoter at Five Mile in 1989, Ricey and I had a great relationship and worked well together. By far the highlight of the season back then was the Spectacular and I want to bring it back as a tribute to him and his way of taking care of the drivers that supported the track all year long”, he added.

The Race of Champions Modified Series will be in competition on two occasions in 2014. The first RoC race will be on Tuesday, June 9th featuring a 60 lap, $5,000 to win race for the Modifieds. They will be joined on the schedule that night by the RoC Sportsman as well as a special event for the Four Cylinders.
The Race of Champions Modifieds will return on Friday, October 16th to kick off the traditional season ending King of the Can Weekend. That too will be a 60 lap, $5,000 to win event. They will be joined by the GRIT Series for 602 Crate Sportsman and the Four Cylinders.

The Race of Champions Sportsman will be in competition on Tuesday, June 9th and Saturday, October 17th. The RoC Street Stocks will compete on October 17th as well. They will have one and possibly two more shows that are still being finalized.The popular CRSA Sprint Cars will make three appearances in 2015. The first will be on Friday, May 8th. CRSA, under the direction of Mike VanDusen, will return on Friday, August 21st and again on Saturday, October 17th.

One of the most anticipated nights of the season is the annual Bicycle Giveaway and Little League night on Friday, June 5th. Gary Folk, Jr. has done an outstanding job over the years coordinating this event and last year set a new record by giving away a remarkable 127 bicycles for the kids. Gary has vowed to top that number this year.

Another highlight of the schedule is the Fireworks Extravaganza, which will take place on Friday, July 3rd. Penn Can has long had a reputation for having some of the best fireworks in the area and this year will be no different.
The annual Northeast Small Car Classic will take place on Sunday, July 19th. This event has grown in popularity and features some really great small car racing by the Micro Sprints, 270 Sprints, Slingshots and new to the show this year, the ELS Mini Sprints. ELS, based out of the Albany and Central New York area will be throwing down a challenge to the Pennsylvania Mini Sprint group and this will be an absolute shootout. ELS will also be in competition on Friday, May 29th.

The Legends of Penn Can Night will return on Friday July 24th as the track recognizes the great drivers from the past that entertained the fans for many years. Of course they never would have had that opportunity if it weren’t for the vision of LeGrande “Pappy” Beavan, the founder of Penn Can Speedway. With that in mind, this night will now be known as the LeGrande “Pappy” Beavan Memorial Legends of Penn Can Night as the track honors not just the drivers of yesteryear but also the man who made it all possible.

“History is very important to me”, said Dan Harpell. “One of the highlights of the year for me is the Legends of Penn Can Night and it is appropriate that we honor the memory of the man that turned his dream into reality and created Penn Can Speedway. With that in mind we decided to pay tribute to Mr. Beavan by naming the night in his honor”, he added.
The curtain will come down on the 2015 season with the running of the annual King of the Can Weekend, taking place on Friday and Saturday, October 16th and 17th. The RoC Modifieds, GRIT 602 Sportsman and Four Cylinders will take center stage on Friday night. Saturday will feature the RoC Sportsman, RoC Street Stocks, CRSA Sprint Cars, IMCA style Modifieds, Factory Stocks and Slingshots.

There are still a few things in the works before the entire official schedule is released. We are planning a couple of more events that will be announced in the very near future as soon as they are official.
A hard copy of the 2015 Penn Can Speedway schedule will be available at the Mike and Michelle Stolarcyk Cars and Trucks Southern Tier Speedworld Car Show at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City, New York February 27th, 28th and March 1st. It will be on our website and Facebook page prior to that.
The 2015 “Can Opener” is set to go on Friday, April 24th. There will be two open practice sessions leading up to the opener on April 10th and 17th. Penn Can Speedway will be the place to be on Friday nights. Make your plans now to join the show and be a “Fan of the Can”.
For further information please call the winter office at 607-296-4265. You can also email us at PennCanSpeedway@yahoo.com, check out our website at penncan.com. or look us up on Facebook.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Dalessandro.