For The Daily Item

HERSHEY -- Selinsgrove Speedway and Selinsgrove Raceway Park concluded the 2009 season with the ninth Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel. More than $30,000 in point fund money, trophies and jackets were awarded to the year's top performing teams in the track's go-kart, micro sprint car, roadrunner, pro stock, late model and 358 sprint car divisions.

Track champions Nate Snyder of Halifax (358 sprint cars), Jeff Rine of Danville (late models), Jason Smith of Williamsport (pro stocks), Marlin Dunham of Selinsgrove (roadrunners), and Todd Hoover of Mount Pleasant Mills (micro sprint cars) were also the recipients of custom championship rings from Foss Jewelers of Selinsgrove.

During Saturday's ceremonies, all those in attendance paused to pay tribute to the life and racing career of former five-time Selinsgrove Speedway sprint car champion Jim Nace of Thompsontown, who died Wednesday, Nov. 11, following a seven-year battle with cancer.

Snyder, driving the Art Lindsay Construction/Pro Lawn/Expert Settlement Services No. 56, won his first career A&A Auto Stores 358 sprint car track title at Selinsgrove Speedway without a single victory this season. Snyder drove to 16 top-10 finishes in the division's 19 events. He was crowned as the division's sixth different champion since the 358 sprint cars became the track's weekly open-wheel attraction in 2001.

Rine was successful in his "drive for five" in 2009, clinching his fifth career MAPCO Machine Shop late model track title at Selinsgrove with 17 top-five finishes, including nine feature wins, in the division's 18 events. He celebrated his 50th career win at the track on May 9, and is ranked third on the speedway's all-time leading late model win list with 55.

Rine is one of only three drivers who has won five or more late model championships at the track since 1963. Nescopeck drivers Bobby Croop and Richie Jensen are the other two drivers with eight and seven titles, respectively. Only Jensen and Rine have been able to win three or more late model championships consecutively in the track's history.

A second-generation race driver, Jason Smith of Williamsport was another first-time champion at the speedway in the Salem RV Center pro stock division. Smith finished in the top-10 in every one of the division's 20 races this season and won six features. Smith's father, C.W. Smith, was the track's 1987 limited late model champion.

Completing his first full season of racing in 2009, Marlin Dunham of Selinsgrove was crowned as the Collier Paving & Construction/Byers Built Engines roadrunner champion. Dunham, a second-generation driver whose father, Scott Dunham Sr., was the 1997 daredevil champion, drove to nine top-five finishes in 18 races. He won his first career race on Aug. 1.

Other drivers honored

Special recognition awards were also presented in several categories as follows: Most Improved Driver awards, Matt Heimbach (sprints), Dave Graber (late models), Cody McFadden (pro stocks), and Mike Kiehl (roadrunners); Sportsman Of The Year: Matt Horst (sprints, in memory of Joe Whitcomb), Jeff Smith (late models), Jeff Ceballo (pro stocks) and Bob Bussey (roadrunners); Rookie Of The Year: Jessica Anderson (sprints), Dylan Yoder (late models), Kurt Wray (pro stocks) and Marlin Dunham (roadrunners).

Paula Long-Schick presented Hard Charger awards in memory of her father, former late model champion Paul Long, to Nate Snyder (sprints), Jeff Rine (late models), Jason Smith (pro stocks), and Keith Bissinger (roadrunners).

Raceway Park champions also shared the spotlight. A former champion in 2007, Todd Hoover's second Selinsgrove Ford micro sprint car title season was highlighted by top five-finishes in all of the division's 19 races, including four feature wins.

Kody Kreamer clinched the jr. micro sprint car championship with 12 feature wins; Matthew Campbell won the 125 micro sprint car title with seven feature wins; and Cliff Loss clinched the title in the mini micro sprint cars with 11 wins.

Go-kart champs feted

Go kart champions were recognized as follows: Blaise Tanner (kid karts), Lohr Jackson (rookie cage 5-8), Ashlin Zook (rookie cage 9-12), Ethan Spotts (rookies 1), Dylan Feltman ( rookies II), Tyler Brown (jr.

restricted lites), Tyler Fawver (jr. cage), Tyler Campbell (lites), Brett Dreese (heavies), Cameron Englehart (extra heavies), Kenton Pyle (adult cage flathead), Vinny Williamson (adult cage animal), Tyson Mowery (flat 330), and Richie Good (370).

Selinsgrove Speedway is tentatively scheduled to host the 2009 Motorsports Show at the Susquehanna Valley Mall from Sunday, Feb. 14 through Saturday, Feb. 20.

Opening weekend 2010 will feature two modified shows, with the 358 modifieds slated to compete at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 19, and the Race of Champions Dart Dirt Modified Tour slated to return at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 20.

2010 season openers set

The 358 sprint car season opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, March 27. The following weekend, Saturday, April 3, Selinsgrove Speedway will present the rescheduled 358 Sprint Car Open that was postponed by rain in the fall. The 30-lap A-main will pay $3,000 to win.

The speedway's first four-division show of the 2010 season featuring 358 sprint cars, late models, pro stocks, and roadrunners will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 10.

The 2009 go-kart season opener at Selinsgrove Raceway Park is scheduled for noon Sunday, March 28. The micro sprint cars will make their season debut at 7 p.m. Friday, April 2.

Selinsgrove Speedway and Raceway Park facility improvements are continuing during the off-season. Both of the half-mile and one-fifth mile tracks have been resurfaced with sifted clay.

The frontstretch and backstretch guardrails have been replaced on the half-mile track. In addition, the speedway's maintenance crew has been working cooperatively with members of the Selinsgrove Fair Board in making renovations to the track's historic covered grandstand, including new concrete steps, handrails and a designated handicap seating area.

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