Evergreen Raceway Opening Day Is Just One Week Away…Sunday, May 5 Start of 2024 Season
(4-28-24): The much awaited start of the 2024 season at Evergreen Raceway is just one week away, on Sunday afternoon, May 5, with an action-filled day of asphalt racing that will be headlined with the Tour Type Modifieds in a 50 lap/$2000-to-win feature.
Also on the card will be the Harry’s U-Pull-It Street Stocks running in a 30 lap main, the Himmer Graphics Four Cylinders going and Rotten and Forgotten going 25 laps plus the visiting East Coast TQ Midgets racing a 20 lap feature and the JuiceBox Division.
Pit gates will open at 10:30 am with practice beginning at 12:30 pm. Pit admission is $40 per person. Main grandstands at noon. Adult admission is $15. Kids 12 and under are free,
Blake Barney of Jackson, NJ, is the defending Tour Type Modified champion and will be ready to begin defense of his title.
There will, as expected, be a great field of competitors ready to make his day tough with the likes of all-time Evergreen feature winner and four time Modified champion Brian DeFebo. Other past champions that will be in the house include Roger Coss (2022), Matt Hirschman (2016-21) and Earl Paules (2010). Also looking to take the Opening Day laurels is Lou Strohl, who was last year’s King of the Green winner.
The phone-line has been with many inquiries from a number of Modified teams with all indications that Sunday’s main event will be filled with an abundance of talent.
Mike Pollack of Freeland will be back in an attempt to make it three Street Stock titles in a row. This division never ceases to amaze with the outstanding competition which will no doubt make Pollack’s quest none the easier.
The Four Cylinder title will be up for grabs this year as Lake Ariel’s Micah Adams will be moving to a Tour Type Modified and also run a Late Model.
The Rotten and Forgotten brings a mix of dirt and asphalt cars together in one division and in turn produces a unique aspect of racing. Noah Jensen of Wapwallopen, had four wins last year and finished all but two races in either first or second en route to the very first title for the class.
Open cockpit racing will complete the well-rounded program with the East Coast TQ Midgets.
For the younger set the JuiceBox Division will be on track during intermission but that’s not all. There will be a Bounce House set up behind the grandstands too.
Also playing a part of Opening Day will be Pocono Raceway with representatives on hand providing giveaways for the NASCAR weekend July 12-14.
In preparation of Sunday’s Opening Day there will be two additional practice days. On Wednesday, May 1, from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm and again on Saturday, May 4, starting at noon. Pit admission for practices are $25 per person.
The JuiceBox division is also on tap for both those aforementioned days.
Following the Sunday opener, Evergreen will be returning to action under the lights on Friday, May 10. The DW Machine & Fabricating Late Models, Harry’s U-Pull-It Street Stocks, Himmer Graphic Four Cylinders and the McNulty Funeral Home Novice’s will be racing plus the JuiceBox Division,
Friday racing starts at 6:00 pm.
Fairway Motors signs on as official Victory Lane sponsor at Evergreen Raceway
(Butler Township, PA 3-2-24) Evergreen is happy to welcome onboard Fairway Motors Inc., as the official Victory Lane sponsor.
Fairway Chevrolet and Fairway Subaru is located at 1101 N. Church St. (RT 309 North) in Hazle Township and has been serving the Hazleton and surrounding areas since 1960.
Their affiliation with Evergreen Raceway runs deep too, working with the 1/3-mile paved oval as a marketing partner dating back to 1988. And, not only has Fairway Motors been behind the speedway as proud sponsor but over the years many of the Company’s associates have competed here as well.
“It’s absolutely great to have Fairway joining us again in 2024 and as our Victory Lane sponsor,” stated track owner/promoter Jason Makarewicz.
“Jim Corazza (Fairway owner) and his whole staff have been so supportive of Evergreen for so many years now and we’ve enjoyed an amazing alliance that has grown well beyond a business relationship and we are so proud to show them off each time a driver wins a feature.”
Founded in 1960, Fairway Motors opened as Chevrolet dealership in Freeland. With the growth of selling over 500 vehicles within two years’ time, they realized a bigger facility was needed and moved to their present location just outside of Hazleton. In 1984 they added Subaru to their lineup and are now one of the region’s top dealerships.
The National Auto Dealership Association certified Fairway Chevrolet in recognition of their ethical and fair treatment of their customers. Fairway Chevrolet was also presented with Chevrolet’s “Genuine Leader” award for exceeding Chevy’s standards for sales and customer service.
Along with Evergreen Raceway, Fairway Subaru is also a key sponsor of the Weatherly Hillclimb.
Evergreen Raceway has already begun racing this year with the recently held Enduro on February 24. Coming up Saturday afternoon, March 16, at 1:00 pm, will be another ‘Gut-N-Go’ Enduro, a 150-lap/$1000-to-win feature for 4/6-cylinder cars presented by The Wire Guys of Hazle Township, plus the popular JuiceBox Division. An 8-cylinder Outlaw Enduro will be held provided 10 or more cars are preregistered by Wednesday, March 13. Grandstand admission is only $5.
More Enduro action follows on Saturday, April 27. Prior to the Enduro an open practice will take place for all weekly and traveling classes. Sunday, April 28 a second open practice will be held in preparation for the Sunday, May 5, Opening Day.
Tour Type Modifieds, Street Stocks, Four Cylinder Stocks, Rotter-and-Forgotten, Juice Box Division and the touring East Coast TQ Midgets are on the Opening Day docket with race time beginning at 2:00 pm.
Information about Fairway Motors can be found at https://www.fairwaymotors.com
For complete up to date news and information please log onto the official Evergreen Raceway website at https://www.evergreenracewaypark.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/evergreenraceway
Jerry Hildebrand earns second Evergreen Mod title at season finale on Sunday
By DINO OBERTO
(Butler Township, Pa. 11-5-23) Evergreen Raceway put the punctuation mark on the 2023 season with day #3 of the 22nd Annual King of the Green held Sunday afternoon and the highlight was a pair of twin-30 lap features for the Evergreen Mods that would determine this year’s champion.
Coming into the day four drivers, Jerry Hildebrand, Paulie Hartwig III, Steve Shultz and Jayden Harman all had a shot at the title. But with Hartwig not present it would come down to the other three to fight it out and indeed they did as it turned into a nail bitter in deciding the championship outcome.
In the opening feature Shultz out ran pole sitter Micah Adams at the initial start and then kept Harman at bay the rest of the way as the pair ran closely together.
Only two laps into the race Hildebrand gave everyone a scare when he almost spun and narrowly escaped being clipped by oncoming traffic. The problem turned out to be a flat tire which he was able to replace and return to the action.
However, with Shultz and Harman still running one-two it left Hildebrand hustling to gain spots and more importantly points.
Leading to the finish Shultz would earn his first victory with a Modified and more so head into the second main just one point behind Hildebrand who notched fourth. Harman’s runner-up had him still very much in the hunt at just 10 points out of first.
“It feels great to win with a Modified and it was just a matter of getting more time under my belt. We don’t have it dialed in just yet but we’ll keep on trying things and make the best of it,” said Shultz after achieving his 36th career win.
“It was definetley hooked up on that (initial) start and from there we just continued to hit the marks and it worked out. We’ll have to come out and just find a good balance with the car and try to stay consistent in the next one. The end of that feature is what’s going to win the championship.”
Shultz couldn’t have been more right about that last statement. Picking the five pill as the invert, it would see Adams and Hildebrand on the front row for the finale. And, as soon as the green flag dropped Hildebrand blasted to the lead with Mike Pollack settling into second.
Thanks to a nonstop race Hildebrand was able set a good pace, keep just enough ahead of Pollack and steadily cruise his way to the win and ultimately the championship.
“How about that, I get to come out and put a crown on my head for King of the Green and get the championship to boot, that’s pretty cool,” Hildebrand said.
“The track has changed a lot over the last couple weeks and I felt it would have been good on the high side because the Tour Modifieds where here yesterday and put down a lot of laps but that just wasn’t the case so it was big for us to start up front, it definitely helped.”
As Hildebrand was focusing on leading and Pollack holding down second, there was a very torrid battle for third between Adams, Harman, Shultz and Lou Strohl. The group ran under a blanket for most of the distance until late in the going when Harman got by and went on the take third at the checkers followed by Strohl and Shultz.
“I kept praying that it would stay green because my car was great on the long stints. We got to halfway and I thought good there are no cautions yet and let’s keep it going this way,” indicated Hildebrand.
“We did and it was a great race, a great day and I can’t thank the Ross gang enough for all they do for me. If it wasn’t for them I would be here.”
For Hildebrand, who has been racing at Evergreen since 1988, it was his second title in the last three years and also a repeat with a King of the Green win.
The Factory Stock cars where part of the action, running a 30-lap main which would also see a champion crowned.
For the race Jarrod Hayes made his first Evergreen start of the year and it would be well worth the trip from his Long Island home as he took the lead at the outset and never looked back. Hayes, a former track Late Model champ, was just too strong for anyone to keep pace with him as he cruised easily the whole way en route to his first Factory Stock win and third King of the Green verdict, the latter two with the Late Models.
Broc Brown was second while the third place finish by Brandon Cook gave him his record third consecutive class title.
The 4-Cylinder Stocks competed in a 2023 non-winners 25-lap feature and what a thriller it turned out to be.
After winning his very first heat race, Robert McNulty would then start the race from the pole and wasted little time in taking the early lead but not by much as Maggie Yeakel and Johnny Bennett ran side-by-side directly behind him.
Lap after lap the trio would stay that way with McNulty having to run just high and low enough in order to protect his lead as time and again Yeakel and Bennett each tried to work by him.
With less than a lap and half to go McNulty led the charge down the back straight and as they began entry into turn three Yeakel nipped his left rear that almost sent him spinning. He instead made an amazing save while Bennett, who was safely on the outside of both, shot into the lead and would go on the take the checkers.
McNulty held on for a career best second with Dave Imler Jr., third, Harry O’Neill fourth and Yeakel fifth.
The Rotten and Forgotten were part of the well-rounded program and as has been the case all season long the unique group of racers put on a great show.
Despite leading all 35 laps, winner Dan Jensen would have to fend off champion Noah Jensen over most of the waning laps. It would be D. Jensen’s second win of the season and solidify him as runner-up in the final standings behind champ N. Jensen.
1st Evergreen Mod feature (30 laps): 1. Steve Shultz, 2. Jayden Harman, 3. Micah Adams, 4. Jerry Hildebrand, 5. Mike Pollack, 6. Lou Strohl, 7. Justin Teresak, 8. MacKenzie Adams, 9. Brian Rygielski, 10. Gunner Zeiner DNS: Evan Rygielski
2st Evergreen Mod feature (30 laps): 1. Hildebrand, 2. Pollack, 3. Harman, 4. Strohl, 5. Shultz, 6. Micah Adams, 7. Tersak, 8. MacKenzie Adams, 9. Gunnar Zeiner, 10. Brian Rygielski DNS: Evan Rygielski
4-Cylinder Stock feature (25 laps): 1. Johnny Bennett, 2. Robert McNulty, 3. Dave Imler Jr., 4. Harry O’Neill, 5. Maggie Yeakel, 6. Michael Wambold, 7. Jarred Frye, 8. Payton Arthofer
Factory Stock feature finish (30 laps): 1. Jarrod Hayes, 2. Broc Brown, 3. Brandon Cook, 4. Blaine Barry, 5. Ryan Casagrande, 6. Scott Sipe DNS: Richard Carman
Rotten and Forgotten feature finish (35 laps): 1. Dan Jensen, 2, Noah Jensen, 3. Sam Jensen, 4. Tom Jensen, 5. Hunter Sterner, 6. Jon Jensen DNS: Tyler Huntsberger
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