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LOCAL TRACKS: Strada wins first at Bloomsburg

scott walsh, the times-tribune, scranton, pa.
·4 min read

May 5—Eddie Strada of South Canaan scored his first career victory in the class and at Bloomsburg Fair Raceway on April 27, taking the checkered flag in the 25-lap All-Pro SpeedSTR feature.

Starting third, Strada moved up to second by Lap 2. He took the lead on a restart on Lap 6 and stayed there the rest of the way, holding off cousins Tim and Steve Buckwalter.

In the 20-lap 602 Crate Modified feature, Mike Schane from Lake Ariel finished second behind 12-year-old New Jersey driver Paulie Hartwig III. Taylor's Mike Loney placed sixth, Tyler Peet of Lake Ariel was seventh, Brandon Oleski from Scranton was ninth, Lake Ariel's Kolyn Schane was 11th and Ralph Mele from Hamlin was 19th.

All of this week's rain caused Bloomsburg Fair Raceway to postpone Thursday's program due to saturated grounds. The track is scheduled to return to action May 11.

Can opener

Penn Can Speedway in Susquehanna is set to begin its 68th season Friday. Grandstands open at 5:30 p.m., hot laps are scheduled for 6:45 p.m. with racing to start at 7 p.m.

Highlighting the opening-night card is the Tommy Boy 25 for Factory Stocks paying $400 to win. Other classes in action include Modifieds, Sportsman, Limited Sportsman, 600cc Modifieds and Four-Cylinders.

Last year's champions were Kevin Hartnett in Modifieds, Mike Schane in Sportsman, Jason Rhodes in Factory Stock, Tim Vandermark in Four-Cylinder and Adam Mudge in 600cc Modified.

Other openers

After three consecutive rainouts, Hamlin Speedway will try once again to open its 2023 season Saturday at 6 p.m. All divisions — Junior Slingshots, All-Star Slingshots, Rookie 600 Sprints, Wingless 600 Sprints, Stage One Modifieds, XCEL 600 Mods — plus Winged 600 Sprints are scheduled to compete.

—Evergreen Speedway in St. Johns outside Drums kicks off its season Sunday at 2 p.m. Headlining the card is a 50-lap feature for Tour Type Modifieds paying $2,000 to win. Also on tap are 602 Crate Modifieds, Four-Cylinder Stocks and Novice plus the East Coast TQ Midgets and the JuiceBox Division for drivers 10 and under.

Lake Ariel teen Kenzie Adams last year became the track's first female Four-Cylinder Stock champion. This season, she is moving up to the 602 Crate Modified ranks. Her father Scott is taking over in the Four-Cylinder car.

To prepare for Sunday's opener, Evergreen Raceway is holding an open practice Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Grandstand admission is free.

—Afton Motorsports Park in New York is moving its racing programs from Friday to Saturday this season. It opens its season Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with the Mitch Gibbs "2G" Tribute Night. Gibbs, from North Norwich, New York, is the track's winningest Modified driver and father-in-law of Carbondale's Brett Tonkin.

Besides the special 32-lap Modified feature, Crate Sportsman, Limited Sportsman, 600cc Modifieds, Four-Cylinders and Slingshots are also on the card.

This season, Afton is working in conjunction with Penn Can. Each division feature winner will receive a free pit pass to the other track for the following night that the respective track races.

Fast tracks

Consecutive rainouts April 23 and April 30 have reduced the Spring Triple Crown Series at Five Mile Point Speedway in Kirkwood, New York, from three races to two. The series finale is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ... The Super DIRTcar Series is at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York, on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. for the "Battle for the Fairgrounds." The 75-lap Modified feature pays $7500 to win. ... The Short Track Super Series heads to Accord Speedway in New York for the 10th running of the "Battle of the Bullring" on Tuesday at 7:25 p.m. with a rain date of Wednesday. The 50-lap Modified feature pays $6,000 to win and is the second race on the North Region schedule. Also on the program is a 602 Crate Sportsman 25-lap feature paying $1500 to win. It is the North Region schedule opener. ... On May 11, Milton Hershey School, in conjunction with Hersheypark and the World of Outlaws, is hosting the Hershey Sprint Car Experience. The free event is from 4:30 to 7 p.m., rain or shine, at Hersheypark Stadium — which was built in 1937 to be a speedway — and celebrates local racing history past and present. World of Outlaws and PA Posse drivers and their cars and crews will be on hand.

SCOTT WALSH covers motor sports for The Times-Tribune. Contact him at swalsh@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 ext. 5109; and follow him @swalshTT on Twitter.

SCOTT WALSH covers motor sports for The Times-Tribune. Contact him at swalsh@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 ext. 5109; and follow him @swalshTT on Twitter.