Jennerstown Speedway general manager Bill Hribar said he is equally, if not more, excited about the 2021 racing season as he was for last year.
Being one of the very few sporting event venus that was permitted to hold events during the heat of the coronavirus pandemic in May made Hribar and the Speedway very humble.
“Everyone noticed how hard we worked to make 2020 happen,” Hribar said. “We’re trying to keep all of this momentum moving forward, and we’re not going to look back. Hopefully by this May, we’ll all be back to a sense of normalcy.”
Hribar and the Speedway released its 2021 schedule on Friday night, consisting of a 21-week event list that runs from May through September.
“We have a little bit of everything this year,” Hribar said. “We’re actually starting a week earlier than we did last year because we lost so many nights in 2020.”
Following two practice days on April 17 and 24, opening night will take place on May 1, where the Speedway will host six divisions of racing after adding a new division, pro stocks, for the coming year.
After this, racing nights will have five divisions, with a rotational basis to have one division off every week. The only exception will be late models, who will run consistently.
Multiple outside tours will also be making their return to the Speedway this season.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be racing on May 29. The 2nd annual American Freedom 300, presented by the CARS Tour, takes place on July 3 with a $20,000 grand prize.
On Aug. 7, the 4th annual Motor Mountain Masters race will be running.
“I had guys breathing down my neck since the day after the 2020 race to try and register for this year’s,” Hribar said of the Masters race. “People are definitely excited for this one.”
Finally, on Sept. 11, the International Super Modified Association (ISMA) will make its first stop in Jennerstown in several years.
The cars in ISMA are the world’s fastest for a half-mile race, and also hold the overall track record for speed at Jennerstown.
“This race was the one most requested by fans,” Hribar said. “People kept asking ‘when are you bringing it back?’. Well, we got it back.”
Hribar said the Speedway is also continuing to make improvements to its facility.
Along with updating its concession stand, the Speedway installed new Musco LED lighting for its four front stretch towers, the same lighting that is used to brighten Heinz Field.
“We wanted to do this in 2020, but we just didn’t get the opportunity to,” Hribar said. “We’re going to keep adding new additions to our track to make it more enjoyable for our fans. The owners are big into the speedway and community, and that’s what excites me about it the most.
“I want to thank everyone for the 2020 support, it truly meant a lot to me and all of our staff. Hopefully it continues, as we continue to move on to bigger and better things in 2021.”
Story by Brad Rosemas
