News from The Fairgrounds at Kutztown Speedway

News from the Fairgrounds at Kutztown Speedway



Media Contact: Brett Deyo - Deyo99H@aol.com or 845.728.2781



For Immediate Release/May 7, 2010



Fairgrounds At Kutztown Speedway Management Scraps Handicapping For 2010; Goldie Meitzler Memorial Set To Open Season May 12



KUTZTOWN, PA - There will be a new lineup procedure in place for the 2010 season at the Fairgrounds at Kutztown Speedway.



The one-fifth-mile clay oval in the shadows of Kutztown University opens its gates on Wednesday night, May 12 with the Goldie Meitzler Memorial event. The Goldie Meitzler Memorial is held annually in memory of the Meitzler family matriarch.



Wingless 600cc Micro-Sprints, 270cc Micro-Sprints and Slingshots return as weekly divisions at the Berks County track. Joining program this year are the Junior Slingshots, which will be featured on 11 occasions including the May 12 lid-lifter.



Gates open at 4 p.m., with practice at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. Grandstand admission for 2010 is as follows: Adults -$8; Students (10-17)/Seniors/Kutztown Residents with ID - $5; Kids under 10 - FREE. Pit admission is $20 (no membership required) and car registration is $20.



This season, speedway management has scrapped its point handicap system for determining feature starting lineups. Drivers will draw for heat-race starting positions at car registration as they have done in the past. Once qualifying is completed, three young fans from the grandstand (one for each of the track's weekly divisions) will choose the invert for the feature. Possibilities for the invert are two, four, six, eight, 10 or 12.



Previously at Kutztown, drivers drew for heat-race positions and lineups reverted to handicapping points for the feature.



"With our short season, we felt doing away with the handicapping was a better approach," said Kutztown promoter Kerry Meitzler. "We gave this a lot of thought over the off-season and feel this is the way to go. Having kids from the grandstands draw the invert numbers each week is a good way to get the crowd involved."



Speedway management asks competitors to visit the official Fairgrounds at Kutztown Speedway Web site at www.kutztownfairspeedway.com. On the front page, a Driver Information/1099 Form has been posted. Teams are encouraged to fill the form out in advance of the opener and bring it to registration.



To expedite the racing program this season, drivers in the wingless 600cc Micros, 270cc Micros and Slingshots will be required to use RACEceiver one-way radio systems. The RACEceiver radios will be mandatory beginning Opening Night.



RACEceiver radios are available for purchase at the majority of area speed shops. Locally, Hoffman Bros. Speed & Performance of New Tripoli, Pa., offers RACEceivers for $99 plus tax. BFP Specialty of Bethel, Pa., sells the RACEceiver plus the earphones in a kit at $135 plus tax.



Again this season, transponders are mandatory for all divisions. Transponders will be available for rent at the track for $10 per race night.



Among the special events on the '10 schedule is the first-ever HTMA 600 Pro Series presented by NPS Racing Engines event slated for Wednesday night, July 14. The race carries a July 21 rain date. The Pro Series races at Kutztown and Hamlin (Pa.) Speedway will be run wingless. The HTMA Pro Series averaged 42 cars per event last season.



The Briggs & Stratton Slingshot Tour visits Kutztown twice this season, first on May 26 and again Aug. 19. The Junior Slingshot Tour will join its elder counterpart on Aug. 19.



Three nights of racing are planned for the annual Kutztown Fair, including the Micro-Sprint Fair Week Nationals on Tuesday and Wednesday Aug. 17-18. The wingless 600cc Micros and winged 270cc Micros will run time trials and a pair of heat events on Tuesday. Last-chance events and features will run on Wednesday.



Thursday's (Aug. 19) program, which includes Slingshot racing, will be reserved as a rain date for either Tuesday or Wednesday.



All activities during Fair Week will be dedicated to the memory of racing photographer Bill Hess, who passed away earlier this year.



J.R. Michalski Heating & Air Conditioning (Hulmeville, Pa.) has signed on to sponsor trophies in Hess's memory.



The Young Gun 390 Sprints are scheduled for Wednesday (Aug. 18) during the Kutztown Fair Races. They will also appear on June 23.



There will be no racing at Kutztown on June 30 and July 7 due to the Kutztown Folk Festival at the fairgrounds.



For further information on the Fairgrounds at Kutztown Speedway, contact Kerry Meitzler by phone at 610.683.8234 or Janelle Stump via e-mail at Racektown@aol.com. On the web: http://www.kutztownfairspeedway.com/.