Street Stock Summer Shootout Reschedule For July 8
Story By: SHAWN WOOD / BIG DIAMOND SPEEDWAY Photos By:GEORGE STEIGERWALT / RACERSGUIDE.COM
MINERSVILLE, PA.- June 28, 2016- Five nights of racing are on tap in the coal region for Big Diamond Speedway in July and it all gets underway on July 1 with the running of the prestigious B&H Landscaping Georgie Stevenson Memorial for the CJ’s Tire & Automotive Services 358 modifieds.
The 30-lap feature pays $4,000 to win and $300 to take the green along with the Mark’s Service Center cash dash for the 358 modifieds. The U.S.S. Achey sportsman feature will pay $1,000 to win while the Savage 61 roadrunners and 600 modifieds will round out the racing card. A great firework show is planned for intermission.
Admission for Friday is $25 while kids 12-and-under along with active military with a valid ID are free.
Bill Zeth, owner of B&H Landscaping, is the presenting sponsor for the George-Georgie Stevenson Memorial. They have been in business for eight years and are based in Pottsville. You can call them at 570-527-8593 for your landscaping needs or visit them online at www.bandhlandscaping.com.
“This is a great honor to sponsor this great event given our ties to racing and my relationship with Jake,” Zeth said.
Georgie Stevenson was a young and avid Big Diamond fan who supported the track along with his family every week. Georgie battled cancer and sadly passed away at the age of 12. He worked hard to raise money for cancer research and at the same time loved the sport of auto racing. The first Georgie Stevenson Memorial event was contested at the speedway in 1980.
Georgie’s father, George Stevenson passed away unexpectedly in 2015. George’s presence at Big Diamond made a significant difference over the decades.
George was a champion for terminally ill kids and tirelessly worked year-round to raise money and to present it to families to help defray the cost of treatment and expenses brought on by cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
This year’s Georgie Stevenson Memorial will honor Dustin Rhoads from Wiconisco, PA.
Rhoads began battling stage 2 ductal cancer in 2012. He had a mastectomy in August 2012 followed by eight rounds of chemo. He was thought to be cancer-free for almost three years but on January 6, 2016, he went into the hospital for a routine hip replacement. Doctor came out and told him that they found more cancer. After more scans of his whole body they found out that he now has stage 4 madastsic breast cancer. The cancer is now in the bones.
On June 1, Dustin, who is 40, suffered a severe stroke and he is now paralyzed on his left side. He spent a week in Hershey Medical Center in the ICU Neuroscience unit and was then transported to Penn State Hershey rehabilitation center for intensive therapy.
The doctors have no clue how long he will be there. There will be a 50/50 on Friday to help him out as well as the drivers coming to the grandstands at intermission and taking donations in their helmets.
Last week’s rain out has led to a schedule amendment for July 8, which will serve as the rain date for the Stevenson Memorial if need be. The Street Stock Summer Shootout 30 for Jasen’s Automotive Night has been added to the card.
The roadrunners will have their fan-favorite Crazy 8s race on July 15 while the vintage cars will headline a five-division show on July 22.
The month wraps up with the Red, White and Blue Autos night on July 29 with Twin 20-lap features for the modifieds and the return of the American Racing Drivers Club midgets.
To keep up with the latest news about Big Diamond Speedway, be sure to like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bigdiamondspeedway/ and follow the speedway on Twitter, @BigDSpeed
