JENNERSTOWN MOVES ‘RACE OF CHAMPIONS’ DATE… KENNY WALLACE IS FIRST ENTRY

JENNERSTOWN, PA (June 8) … Jennerstown Speedway announced that the date of its NASCAR ‘Race of Champions’ has been moved from July 22 to Saturday, August 12.

Last years event, featuring Nextel Cup drivers Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader, produced a record crowd of over 10,000 fans at the Somerset County entertainment complex.

“Last season we conducted the contest in conjunction with the Pocono Raceway Nextel Cup weekend, and planned to do the same thing this year,” said Jennerstown General Manager Larry Mattingly. “However, the addition of a NASCAR BUSCH Series race at Martinsville, Virginia on the Pocono weekend has made it difficult to recruit a quality line-up for our show.

“We are switching the date to Aug. 12 to coincide with the NASCAR road course race at Watkins Glen, New York,” he said. “Transportation wise, the flying distance is about the same, and we now have an opportunity to secure more name drivers.”

The date change paid immediate dividends, as the first driver to sign-up for the Jennerstown clash is Kenny Wallace.

The youngest member of the racing Wallace family, which also includes older brothers Rusty and Mike, Kenny has made over 300 starts in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Wallace has grabbed three poles, six top-five, and 27 top-10 finishes, including three career high second-place runs.  His most well known finish came when he pushed the late great Dale Earnhardt to his final Cup victory at Talladega in 2000 during a thrilling last lap shootout. Wallace is also a fixture on the NASCAR BUSCH Series, where his record includes nine victories, 10 poles, and eight seasons in the top-10 in drivers points.

Racing Wallace family Kenny Wallace (left) poses with older brothers Rusty (center) and Mike

Wallace has also found success in the world of television. He is the co-host of two programs for SPEED Channel each week; NASCAR This Morning and NASCAR Victory Lane. Kenny and his family are also fixtures on the FX channel reality show NASCAR Drivers: 360.

“With Wallace’s competitive battles on the racetrack and popularity on television, he has become one of the most sought-after drivers in NASCAR racing today for sponsor endorsements, speaking engagements and autograph sessions,” Mattingly said. “He is the ‘clown prince’ of NASCAR, and is an entertainer on and off the race track.”

The originally scheduled Mid-Atlantic Asphalt Racing Alliance 100-lap event for super late models will remain on the Aug. 12 schedule.

All grandstand seats for the ‘Race of Champions will be reserved. Advance discount $20.00 reserve seat tickets will be available on-line through  Aug. 10 at www.jennerstown.com, or by calling : 1-888 695-0888. Reserve seat tickets the day of the event will be $30.00.

Gate and starting times will be announced at a later date.

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