JENNERSTOWN TO OPERATE IN 2007

JENNERSTOWN, PA (Nov. 10) … Jennerstown Speedway, one of the oldest and most prestigious short-track motorsports facilities in the nation, will continue to operate in 2007.

“After a great deal of soul searching, track owners Dave and Jennifer Wheeler have made the decision to operate the half-mile paved NASCAR-sanctioned oval on a weekly basis next season,” said speedway General Manager Larry Mattingly.

(Dave) Wheeler had announced to competitors late in August that there was a very real possibility that the 77-yeart-old Somerset County speed plant may not operate during the upcoming season.

“The main issue is that time constraints involved with Dave’s other business (Somerset-based Wheeler Bros., Inc.) prevent him from having a great deal of involvement with the speedway anymore. Dave’s management-style is ‘hands-on’, and not being directly involved in the day-to-day operation was a hard decision for him to make.

“But, Dave’s heart and soul is tied to local motorsports and weekly racing. He has been a fan, driver, car owner, sponsor and a track owner. He has been involved at every level of the sport,” Mattingly said. “Ultimately, he couldn’t bear to just close the track down over night, leaving local competitors in the lurch.”

Wheeler fully realizes that external business pressures will eventually force him to leave the sport. “Jennerstown is officially for sale, and/or lease,” Mattingly added. “The one-year extension allows us time to develop an exit plan, and find another owner-operator to keep the tradition alive.”

In a related matter the speedway has also announced that the late model class will continue to be on the weekly race card next season.

“It was announced late in the 2006 season that the class would be dropped and merged into the super late model division in 2007,” Mattingly said. “After analyzing the situation we felt the fair thing for everyone involved was to keep the racing status quo for 2007.”

Other announced 2007 weekly classes include super late models, street stocks and hobby stocks. A decision has also been made to include the open-wheel modified class into the rotation on a monthly basis.

Details regarding other format changes, car specifications, and the 2007 schedule will be released at a later date.

“We’ve been in limbo for the past two months,” concluded Mattingly. “We hope to have all the details regarding the 2007 season released by the end of November.”

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