When the 2023 season gets underway at the half-mile Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, a very popular and familiar tour group will be on hand as the Race of Champions (RoC) Modified Series kicks off on Saturday, April 8th. The race is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
The RoC Tour is nothing new in Mahoning Valley having held many events over the years and giving fans the chance to see some of the best drivers in the Tour take on a weekly and always though regular what makes for an exciting and action packed show.
And since this is the first points race of the season for the PRC as well as the Mahoning Valley stars, the indications are that there is plenty of room for adjustments.
While this will be the first RoC Tour event of 2023, it also serves as a setting for modified car racing’s biggest draws with the 72nd Annual Lucas Oil 250 Race of Champions taking place on Saturday, April 22, at Lake Erie Speedway in Northeast, Pennsylvania. This event is a holdover from last year after the weather postponed it until the new date.
With exciting news about the RoC Tour reaching Mahoning for its inaugural season, a second date is being announced for later this year.
And speaking of RoC the FOAR Score Four Cylinder Dash Series – part of the Race of Champions “Family of Series” – a class very similar to Mahoning’s Hobby stocks and is signed on Schedule ’23. This will be their first project in Eastern Pennsylvania and like the Modifieds, they will also be facing some high quality talent making up the fore of the main track in what has become one of the most challenging sections of racing.
The Mahoning Valley management team is working out deadlines in preparation for the release of the schedule during the Pioneer Pole Building Motorsports Trade and Race Car Show that takes place at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Oaks on January 20-21.
Racing fans can rest assured that an action-packed schedule of events will be running every week, and that includes an ongoing effort to work in unison with a number of cross-promotional endeavors between Mahoning Valley Speedway and neighboring Evergreen Raceway in Butler Township and the “Double Track Series” (DTS) .
Both facilities recently unveiled their Hobby Stock/4-Cylinder DTS and now they’ve added Crate 602 Modifieds with a race-six chain, three features on each track.
With the popularity of the modified Crate 602 section increasing, it was felt that a series between both tracks would be a great opportunity for the drivers to further showcase their abilities. This class has become a springboard for developing talent while at the same time giving them the chance to compete against some of the seasoned drivers.
Crate 602 Modifieds have been running for the past two seasons at Evergreen. Rick Smith was this year’s champ there. In Mahoning Valley, the class had an exciting debut during the annual Fall Brawl in a race won by 11-year-old Paulie Hartwig III. Both classes will be part of the regular sections of the respective paths and the rules that help with each.
Track points and Series points will be kept, and aside from the normal payments, there will be a point fund that will pay out $1,500, $1,000, and $500 to the top three finishers. In addition, each race will award five “Lucky Draw” prizes of $200. Crate 602 Modified DTS is made possible by sponsors Bruce George Paving and Excavating of Kunkletown, Aqua Duck Water Transport of New Tripoli, Rustic Roots Salon of Lehighton, Blue Mountain Machine, Future Homes also of Lehighton, and O&S Maintenance of Moscow.
Another class that belongs to Mahoning is the Xcel Modifieds, which are the downsized version of the Dirt Modified powered by a 600cc sealed engine. The tour group last participated here in 2015.
The return is also a division that has deep roots in Mahoning. The Slingshots by Tobias, which debuted in 1999, will revisit the highway for the first time in four years.
What’s more, the American Association’s main tour groups of Three Quarter Midgets, East Coast TQ Midgets and Micro Stocks as well as JuiceBox and Junk Cars races will see additional dates this year.
There will be big news coming in the Spring Zing Tom Wanick Jr. Revised Second Annual Edition. , Memorial 150 for Modifieds with another huge payout to boot.
All Mahoning regular classes will run regularly throughout the season including Modified, Late Models, Crate 602 Modified, Street Stocks, Dirt Modified, Pro 4s, Hobby Stocks, and Futures.
Prior to the first race, the speedway will host the two test and tune-ups on March 18th and 25th and again April 1st and 2nd.
Mahoning Valley Speedway will have representatives and a show at the upcoming indoor auto racing championship fueled by VP Racing Fuels at PPL Center, Allentown January 6-7. They will also have a presence at the Eastern Motorsports Press Association Conference on January 14th in Wilkes-Barre.
Please log on to the official Mahoning Valley Speedway website at www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or on Facebook at Mahoning Valley Speedway for updated information and news. Mahoning Valley Speedway is located on PA Route 443 just a few miles west of Lehighton.
MVS PR