Memorial event more than a race
The third annual Herb Scott Memorial for the dirt late model stock cars returns to Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Scott, a successful businessman and racer, retired from driving in 1979 with 520 wins, the most by any driver in any era, a feat that might never be broken.
Several years ago, Matt Miley, promoter of PPMS near Imperial, decided to honor Scott, who died in 2010, with a race in the division where Scott collected many wins.
Scott raced for 31 years at area tracks, and to say he was a fan favorite is an understatement.
“Herb Scott was my childhood hero,” Miley said. “While I loved baseball, too, I wanted Herb Scott’s autograph more than Roberto Clemente’s!”
Herb’s son, Richard “Deek” Scott, still operates the family auto-repair business in Wexford, and the former racer said it’s amazing how many people stop at the shop just to look at photos of Herb’s race cars.
“I get people every day that just stop in to look at the pictures in the office,” Scott said. “It’s amazing, people that were little kids back then remember my dad.”
Scott said that while he doesn’t attend many races now, when he returns to PPMS, it reminds him of the old Heidelberg Raceway and recalls a historic event.
“Victory lane at PPMS is a special place”, Scott said. “The very first race held at PPMS [after moving the bleachers from Heidelberg to PPMS], I won. It was the grand-opening, midweek special for the Modifieds, and I won. My dad had just retired and it was the first race he was the flagman. I donated the checkered flag from that grand-opening race to the Heinz History Center.”
The 30-lap, $3,000 to-win event will attract many regional drivers to PPMS’ first major event for the Diehl Super Late Models in 2015.
Gregg Satterlee won the event in 2014, but won’t attempt a repeat this year, as the Indiana County driver is on a swing with the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil drivers in the Midwest.
Racing begins at 7 p.m. for all divisions at PPMS.
Silver Cup
The World of Outlaw Sprint Cars return Tuesday to Lernerville Speedway for the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XXIV, Twin 30lap races, and one guy is on a roll.
Donny Schatz, the sixtime and reigning WoO Champion, has won 20 of the 40 races he has entered in 2015. In the previous 23 races, Schatz has won 14 and was runner-up six times. Schatz swept the two-race Eldora Speedway weekend leading all 30 laps May 9 for the win.
Schatz hasn’t won a race yet this week because the Brad Doty Classic at Limaland Motorsports Park was rained out Wednesday and flooded out Thursday. Limaland Motorsports Park has received more than 25½ inches of rain since June 1.
The WoO returns to Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway today and Saturday for the King’s Royal before heading to the Sarver oval Tuesday.
While Schatz has a comfortable points lead (290) on
Shane Stewart going into the ‘Month of Money,’ the season statistics for Schatz really tell why he is on his way to a seventh series title. He leads the series in wins (20), top-fives (34), top-10s (41) and laps led.
A.J. Flick of Apollo has one win this season at Lernerville but leads the sprint car points and will have a provisional starting spot in the Twin 30-lap events.
All divisions will be in action today at Lernerville Speedway for Holiday Races featuring fireworks and #1 Cochran Fan Appreciation Night that was rescheduled because of weather in late June.
Go to www.lernerville.com for more information on the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup Twin-30 lap features.