 LB MOTORSPORTS Owner |
ALL ABOUT |
Ryan C. Lynn Promoter |
LB MOTORSPORTS Owner |
ALL ABOUT |
Ryan C. Lynn Promoter |
"SONNY ERIKSEN REMEMBERED AT HESSTON"
For The Great Article On Hesston Speedways Founder
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With the 2005 racing season well underway Ryan Lynn and
the Hesston Speedway staff are into their 2nd season under the new
ownership. Ryan acquired the track from Jay ‘Butch’
Grubb and his wife, Linda after 13 years of running the business. Since taking over ownership of the speedway Ryan & crew have made many improvements which have proved to benefit both the drivers and the fans. At the onset of the 2004 season the track surface recieved a complete make over including extreme grading, new drainage, straightening of the front stretch wall in excess of 10 feet and new clay. Also an infield catch fence was thrown into the mix for safety, new electronic scales were added in the pits to aid in the weighing of the cars and to help accommodate the tall sprint cars which had to remove their wings to gain access to the old scales inside the tech shed. Two of the largest improvements of the 2004 season included one, the addition of electronic timing & scoring in which a cable is recessed under the track's clay surface and the race cars have a transponder mounted on them which one allows for extreme accuracy in the scoring of the cars but also records lap times & speeds lap by lap down to 1/1000th of a mile per hour. The second big improvement was the addition of approximately 800 new seats in the grandstands. Hesston Speedway has continued with their improvements in 2005 even though the racing season had a late start due to the extreme rainfall early on. Already the addition of some new lighting has taken place, expansion of the pit areas, replacement of the back stretch wall which was washed out by hurricane Ivan in the fall of 2004 and the addition of a wall through turns 3 & 4. Also there was a small portion of wall added as you enter into turn one which went along with the realignment of the entrance and exit onto the track from the pits. At the end of the 2004 season Ryan had a very tough decision to make for 2005 and that was what to do with the tracks surface. Ryan felt the racing surface was not all that it could be and made the decision to add 54,000 ton of new clay and therefore a second new surface was born in the onset of what would only be their second race season. Hesston Speedway's 2005 schedule also includes the
addition of the Super Late Models as a sixth division and several
feature race's including a MAC Series race (Mid Atlantic Championship
Series) and the 2nd Annual "THUNDER BY THE LAKE" Super
late Model event on July 6th sponsored by W.S. Lee with a purse
of $3000 to win for the Super Late Models and $500 to win for the Street
Stock event. The track sat vacant for another 15 years before the Grubbs purchased
the property and resumed racing. Early on, Penn Township neighbors
raised some objection to the races, stating the noise, traffic and dust
created by the facility made it an unpleasant environment in which to
live. Still, activity at the track has endured. Many notable drivers,
such as Gerald and Miles Chamberlain, Johnny Grum and current NASCAR
star Jimmy Spencer, have dug into the Hesston clay. On March 25th 2004
Ryan Lynn took over ownership of the Penn Township property and that
brings us to where we are today. You can keep up with the happenings of Hesston Speedway by visiting
them on the web at www.HesstonSpeedway.com New owner takes over Hesston track for 2004 By ROB CAROLUS Daily News Staff Writer When the green flag flies at Hesston Speedway prior to the first race of the 2004 season, it will do so for a new owner. After I3 years, Jay ‘Butch’ Grubb and his wife, Linda have stepped away from the local landmark to make way for a new owner, Hollidaysburg entrepreneur Ryan Lynn. “Butch and Linda were considering moving to a part time racing schedule.” explained Lynn as he met with The Daily News at the track Monday morning. “They own a couple of businesses and I guess they just didn’t have the time to run things here on a full-time basis. “I saw it go on the market and that’s when I contacted them.’’ Lynn said it only took about four months from the time he first inquired until the final paperwork was signed. He took ownership of the Penn Township property on March 25. The selling price was listed at $450,000. Now, the new owner of Hesston Speedway prepares for his first season and he wants racers and race fans alike to know, the more things change, the more they stay the same. “(Butch and Linda) really had a lot of good things going on here,” Lynn said. “We’re just adding to it. “For starters, we’re raising some of the purses for these drivers,’ he continued. “We’re also putting down new clay, we’ve widened the front stretch and we’re thinking of putting a wall around the entire track, to try to cut down on noise and dust.”
Lynn said the new regime will continue work to create more of a “family atmosphere.” For the fans, we’re going to have a lot of giveaways,” he said. “We’re going to be doing some promotion work with area radio Stations like Froggy, you know, having live broadcasts. “We’re also creating a kid’s club to give the younger ones something to do and so parents can enjoy the races, knowing the kids are occupied and safe.” Lynn hopes to spark more interest in this year’s races by starting them just a little earlier. “We know some people have to be up for work the next morning, so we’ve moved our races up a bit,” he explained. “This year, the gates will open at 5 p.m. with warm ups beginning at 5:30 p.m.” “The races will get underway around 6 p.m. and we expect things to wrap up around 10 p.m. each night. This should help people get home at a more reasonable time, especially if they’re bringing their young ones along. Hesston Speedway was built by promoter Robert “Sonny” Eriksen in 1963 on farmland north of Route 26 near Hesston. The track operated until 1976. Eriksen attributed the mid-70s oil crisis, competition from boating at the newly opened lake and other factors for closing up the facility after 13 years. The track sat vacant for another 15 years before the Grubbs purchased the property and resumed racing. Early on, Penn Township neighbors raised some objection to the races, stating the noise, traffic and dust created by the facility made it an unpleasant environment in which to live. Still, activity at the track has endured. Many notable drivers, such as Gerald and Miles Chamberlain, Johnny Grum and current NASCAR star Jimmy Spencer, have dug into the Hesston clay. The grandstands hold more than 2,500 spectators, not counting accommodations on “The Hill,” a parking section opposite the grandstands where race fans may lease spaces to watch the action. “There’s a waiting list for the Hill,” Lynn noted. “We’re giving the folks who leased these spots last year the first option, after that, we’ll start working through the waiting list.” The Hesston Speedway season opens April 10 with numerous races throughout the season, new activities and full concessions. Lynn said he and his crew are ready to get things rolling. “We’re in the business of family fun,” he said. “This is a place every one can come for a good time.” On the Net:
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