---

TRACKS: Lebanon Valley Sportsman and IMCA Modifieds set to kick off season

13 April 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

WEST LEBANON, NY--Lebanon Valley Speedway will welcome its Sportsman and IMCA Modifieds back for competition on Saturday, April 29th. These divisions are a great addition to the racing card the speedway puts on every Saturday night and they provide some of the most competitive racing all season long.

The Sportsman division was created a few years back to take the place of the 320 Modifieds. It has proven to be a very competitive class and the racing has been excellent. We are expecting a full field of Sportsman cars for the 2000 season with many of the drivers returning for a run at the coveted Lebanon Valley track championship and the huge point fund the Valley is known for.

Last years Sportsman champion "Alligator" Art Collins will be back to defend his title as well as attempting to become being the 1st driver to win three Sportsman championships in a row. Collins was the Sportsman champion in 1998 and 1999. No driver has won more than two Sportsman championships in a row in the history of the speedway.

Collins piloted his Wenk Funeral Home sponsored #68 to two feature wins in 99 and backed those wins up with 14 top five and 15 top ten runs. The #68 is a PMC Fabrications chassis.

The IMCA Modifieds will also begin their season on April 29th. 2000 will mark the 4th season of competition for the IMCA Modifieds at Lebanon Valley Speedway. The speedway organized the addition of the IMCA Modified class to the Valley in 1996.

The first year saw a few cars come and run short dash races. 1997 saw a growth in the car count and the drivers have run heats races and a feature since.

The IMCA Modified class is an affordable way for a person to get involved in racing. The main characteristic of the class is the engine claim rule. Simply put for $325 a driver can claim another driver's engine. This rule is designed to keep the cost of the engines to a minimum. This does not mean a driver should be able to build an engine for $325 but should deter them from spending more money on the engine than another driver spends.

In 1999 in an attempt to improve the existing car count the engine claim was stopped and the IMCA sanctioned was dropped at Lebanon Valley. The claiming rules have been clarified for the 2000 season and are as follow.

No Driver may claim more than two engines during the current calander year. The driver must pay $325 with $25 going to the wrecker. The driver has the option of taking the $300 or the option of engine exchange. The claiming driver pays for both engines to be removed.

Only the top two in the finishing field can be claimed. They can only be claimed by a car finishing in the top one third of the finishing field. The claimed driver has the option of taking the $300 or any engine swap. All other IMCA rules as far as the engine claim are in effect.

With these rule changes we hope to raise the interest and car count of the class. The great racing that the IMCA Modified class puts on each week will only add more excitement to the jam-packed fun filled nights that we have in store for everyone in 2000.

The 1999 IMCA Modified champion Brian Wilber of Pine Plains, NY will be back to defend his championship. "The Bear" was very consistent in 1999. Although victory lane eluded the young Wilber until the last night of points Brian managed eleven top five finishes and finished in the top ten in all eighteen point races.

The driver finishing in the runner-up position in the 1999 points was Jim Rajczi of Hyde Park, NY. "Gentleman Jim", a former Street Stock, 320 Modified and big block Modified competitor caught the IMCA Modified bug after being out of racing for a few years. Jim is the owner of Jim's Auto Body in Hyde Park, NY and his racecars are always some of the prettiest at the track. The performance Jim and his racecars put in on the track is also top notch. Look for Rajczi to go for the IMCA Modified championship in 2000.

The gates open on Saturday's at 5pm with the Pure Stock races starting at 6:15pm. The Modified heats will take the track at 7:00PM. General admission adult tickets are $8 with kids under 12 "Just-A-Buck". Reserved seating is available for $9 and seating in the VIP Tower is $15. You can order tickets for all speedway events by calling the speedway office at (518) 794-9606 or (518) 794-9965. Office hours are M-F from 9AM to 5PM. You can also find information on the web at www.lebanonvalley.com.

Text provided by Lebanon Valley

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.