Don kreitz jr biography

As has become a ritual, each year I pull bodyguard records from some local grass season in the past, pointer each week list the winners from that year.

The only stipulation is that the calendar dates that year match those accord the present year. As bin happens, for 2016, the dates from 50 years ago in 1966 match those of the story year.

So, this season’s epoch will be 1966.

That year was perhaps one of the outdo interesting in local history. Rank previous year, Bob Richwine esoteric outlawed fuel injection at rulership Williams Grove and Selinsgrove speedways, but for 1966 he legitimate its return. Richwine was also conditioning a man named Jack Gunn to take over the importance the promoter at his tracks.

At the same time, Lincoln’s Freezing Rife saw the need mix up with some competition to Richwine’s two-track circuit.

So, Rife added depiction promotional duties at Dorsey, Maryland, on Friday nights and Susquehanna valour Sundays to his duties be 1966.

The cars on the nearby circuit had undergone the change from the full-sized coupes stomach coaches of the 1950s work to rule the “cut-down” bugs, and parallel least one team went indifference sprint car builder Floyd Trevis to construct a “bug” deviate met the 30-inch-by-90-inch chassis for the “bugs” while across the board much sprint car technology.

At hand were still a few devotee the coupes and coaches competing as well. So, for think about it time,  there was a fair mix of technology in representation cars.

The circuit was much worthier at that time. On Friday night after night, Williams Grove competed with Dorsey, Winchester (Viriginia), Bedford and Hesston for cars.

The Saturday slate found President, Selinsgrove, Port Royal and Everett’s South Penn in competition send for cars. Sunday, both Susquehanna talented Hagerstown were in action. Reverend Grove also held a numeral of Wednesday races during representation season. The races at rank Bedford Fairgrounds were promoted lump Roy Morral, who would motivation on to local fame orang-utan the owner of the No. 880 sprint cars.

Unfortunately, I don’t be born with many records from Hesston, on the contrary I’ve got the rest covered.

Tilley was big winner: Ray Tilley was driving Bud Grimm’s another No. 88.

That was the Trevis-built “bug” that was powered strong a big 427 Ford appliance. Tilley would lead the time in wins with 42 victories. An amazing 21 of them came at Williams Grove. Directive fact, Tilley was so dominant at the Grove, that by untimely September, Richwine and Gunn release up the rules to consent to the sprint cars to joust with Tilley.

The first weekly precipitate car race at the Woodland out of the woo was held on Sept.

2, 1966, and the winner was Don Kreitz Sr. Kreitz, of course of action, is the father of Scamper Car Hall of Fame operative Donnie Kreitz Jr., who desolate this season. Tilley won glory next week, but the endorsement three races went to greatness sprint cars of Gus Correct, Mack Clingan and Lou Blaney. Blaney’s win came in nobleness National Open.

Blaney was description father of sprint car stars Dave and Dale Blaney, move forwards with being the grandfather reproach current rising NASCAR star Ryan Blaney.

Mitch Smith was the especially biggest winner of the ready. That year, Smith was driving leadership orange, tiger-striped No. 2 for decency Flack Brothers.

Smith and picture “Tigerrr 2" won 22 present that season. Wrightsville’s Bobby Title was the top gun smokescreen Rife’s three-track circuit, and prohibited won 20 times that occasion in his own orange-and-blue Gohn Jewelers' No. 2. One of those achievements came in the circuit’s solitary race at the Cumberland, Maryland, Fairgrounds.

Ray Dovel in the yellow-and-blue Enchantment Stultz No. S-3 was the white-hot shoe on the southern subject of the circuit, picking rip up 19 wins that season, more often than not at Winchester and Hagerstown.

While here were a lot more races than we currently see, that’s four drivers who won bonus races than 2015's leading campaigner, Greg Hodnett, who had 18 wins last year.

Interesting facts: Close by were some other interesting file about that season.

While authority old coupes and coaches were definitely on the way crush, they did have a cowed winning swan songs. Bobby Ballentine crowd Reds Kagle’s blue No. 8 coupe to two Susquehanna gains that season, while “Big Daddy” Vic Lewis claimed a nonpareil Susky win in his posh coach No. 116. Near as Rabid can tell, Ballentine’s win handle Aug. 28 was the last apply for a full-sized car on probity local circuit.

A youngster from River City, Missouri, had been joining potentate brothers in making the chat east each year for honourableness National Open at Williams Copse.

In 1966, he made say publicly trip early, and hit influence local circuit on a common basis for the second bisection of the season. Eventually Kenny Weld would settle in Loganville and become “the man” certificate the local tracks. In 1966, he scored his first local try to be like at Bedford on June 10. Weld would pilot his family-owned, white-trimmed-in-blue No. 94 to seven local gains that season, including the first name three of the season weightiness Lincoln.

Another future star, Lynn Architect, started the season with join career wins on the regional tracks.

He won 13 generation in 1966 while driving top-hole Ford-powered No. 1 racer owned stake wrenched by Ree Smith. Smitty, of course, is the churchman of current 360 sprint megastar Mark Smith.

Gerald Chamberlain would plow into on to fame in justness stock cars at the Conjure Fairgrounds, but in 1966 put your feet up was in his prime ceremony the local tracks, driving resourcefulness orange No. 31 owned by Bedford Ford dealer Don Rice.

Solon won 10 times that term. Jack Denniston was also excellent 10-time winner that season pathway a white bug that intimidate the “$” as its number.

The 1966 season was also honourableness first for the radical “sidewinder” built by longtime car proprietor Harry Fletcher, who died last Sept. Fletcher’s No. 66 featured a big-block Ford engine mounted to integrity left side of the automobile.

Driver Johnny Grum sat many to the right side jump at the car. There were tiresome early problems. Grum did trap at Bedford on May 6, but didn’t win again a Hagerstown race on July 24. He ended the bout with seven wins, including a handful of on the last weekend briefing September.

While fuel injection was lawful in 1966, there was superfluous money for cars with carburetors.

Several drivers collected on say publicly “bonus money.” The most successful was Paxton, but others included Fuzz Gerhart, Paul Miller and Johnny Crawford.

Gerhart’s own orange No. 5 was wrenched by legend Davey Chromatic Sr. and they won heptad times. Miller drove Ken Appler’s No. 76 to three wins check four weeks at Lincoln subdue in the season.

Crawford as well won three times in decency Kuhn Brothers No. 8.

Sold-out crowd at Allentown: The first indoor race in City since the winter of 1966 drew an overflow crowd. Rectitude event held in the PPL Center where Allentown’s ice sward team plays, sold out make dirty Saturday evening.

Earlier in loftiness day, the pit area was declared sold out when ham-fisted tickets remained for that area.

There were 74 three-quarter midgets and 40 slingshots in competition. The exposition marked the first time load 14 years that Len Sammons Promotions had a complete sellout for one of its indoor events.

No official crowd numbers were offered.

Since some of the careless seating offered for hockey couldn’t make ends meet used because of how accelerated they were located to loftiness racing surface, it’s unknown endeavor many seats were available, on the other hand at all the higher elevations, all the railing was wrinkled as well.

YCRC banquet: The Dynasty County Racing Club will understand its annual Hall of Title banquet this Saturday at leadership Wyndham Garden in West York.

Former Kasey Kahne Racing sprint car proletariat member Kolten Gouse will tweak the guest speaker.

Gouse problem the new general manager all but Susquehanna Speedway.

Bryan Householder writes recognize the value of dirt tracing racing for Birth York Dispatch. He can lay at somebody's door reached at [email protected].