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SEVEN NAMED TO JENNERSTOWN HALL OF FAME
JENNERSTOWN, PA (May 4, 2005) …. Seven members of the
auto racing fraternity will make up the inaugural class
to be inducted into the newly created Jennerstown
Speedway Hall of Fame Saturday evening, May 21, during a
special ‘Nostalgia Night’ ceremony.
Included among the first group of inductees are: the
late Mike (Little) Serokman, Jim Burns, Lou Blaney,
Larry Wright, Steve Peles, the late Piney Lasky, and
Jack Freeman.
Jennerstown announced the establishment of the Hall of
Fame in January to commemorate the speedway’s 75-years
of motorsports competition at the same Somerset County
location.
“There
have been so many great drivers, car owners and
officials associated with Jennerstown over the past
eight decades that it was very difficult to narrow the
list of candidates for the first class,” said General
Manager Larry Mattingly. “I think the Hall of Fame
committee members (Dave Kittey, Billy Horner, Don
Gamble, Dave Dragovich and Dr. David Horne) nominated a
group of individuals that represent the true character
of the speedway and its history.”
All
former competitors are being invited to attend a
retired-drivers reunion at the speedway beginning at
4:30 PM on Saturday, May 21. Former drivers are urged to
RSVP the speedway by calling 814 629-6677.
MIKE (LITTLE) SEROKMAN
Serokman,
who raced under the pseudonym of Little during
his racing career because it was easier to
pronounce, raced jalopies and ‘big cars’ at
Jennerstown during the 1930’s. The ‘Johnstown
Coal Miner’, as he was known around the nation,
competed in midget car competition following
World War II, and competed in the NASCAR
sportsman class during the 1950’s. Following
retirement Serokman fielded modifieds, sprint
cars and late models for his son, Tommy, a top
Jennerstown competitor in the 1960’s-70’s. |
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JIM Burns
Known for his distinctive pink and white
Richland Machine Shop-owned 1934 Plymouth
coupes, Richland’s Jim Burns was one of the
leading modified class winners on the quarter
mile dirt track that existed from 1953 through
1966. Burns also competed in the supermodified
and late model divisions on the Jennerstown half
mile dirt oval in the 1970’s until his
retirement. |
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Larry wright
Jennerstown’s dirt
late model class boasted some of the toughest
competition in the nation during the 1970’s and
80’s. The driver with the most recorded
victories during that era was Claysburg’s Larry
Wright. Still active in the sport, Wright was
known for his aggressive driving style behind
the wheel of his ‘white lightning’ Ford-powered
number 31 entries. |
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LOU BLANEY
Winged sprint cars
were the featured class at the reconstructed
half mile Jennerstown dirt oval during the late
1960’s and early ‘70’s, and the driver to beat
on most nights was Lou Blaney. The Hartford,
Ohio-native, whose son, Dave, is a current star
on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit, thrilled the
fans on countless occasions with his charges
through the field while riding the outside
cushion of the track. |
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STeve peles
When Jennerstown
was paved in 1987 the first driver to come to
prominence was Steve Peles. The Glen Cambell
driver captured the NASCAR Northeast Region
Weekly Racing Series championships in 1987 and
1990, and still remains the leading asphalt
super late model feature winner at the Laurel
Highlands oval with 46 victories. After a
serious back injury forced him to hang up his
helmet, Peles purchased Jennerstown from the
Lasky family and was the promoter of the
facility from 2000-2002. |
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PINEY LASKY
Lasky is credited
with saving Jennerstown from extinction when he,
and a group of other investors, purchased the
old quarter mile dirt track in 1966 and
converted it into one of the fastest half mile
dirt ovals in the country. The beloved promoter,
who passed away suddenly in 1994, was also
responsible for the paving of the speedway,
aligning it with NASCAR, and turning it into one
of Pennsylvania’s premier motorsports
facilities. |
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JACK freeman
Freeman is receiving the years milestone achievement
nomination. The colorful New Alexandria-resident was the
longtime flagman at the speedway, and was also active as
a car owner and promoter during his tenure in the sport. |
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