Jennerstown Speedway Complex

Constructed in the late 1920s as a flat half-mile dirt oval, the Jenners Fairgrounds, as the speedway was then known, played host to ‘big car’ racing (forerunners to the sprint cars of today) during the 1930s. Among the leading local drivers of that era were Butch Gardner and the ‘Pennsylvania coal miner’, Mike (Little) Serokman.[2]

Following World War II a smaller, lighted dirt quarter mile track was built in the infield in 1953. Laird Brunner became the first weekly promoter to present stock car racing, which had replaced the midgets as the post-war entertainment craze sweeping the nation. At that time the half-mile was abandoned. The half mile track was again rebuilt in 1967 and was used briefly. Brunner was followed by the successful promotional team of Carmen Amica/Dick Basserman, who guided the speedway during the early 1960s. Other promoters during the quarter mile era included Lou Smith and George Kittey. The half-mile was restored and briefly used in the mid-1960s, but was quickly closed again due to poor track conditions. During this early era, drivers such as Fuzzy Rubritz, Blackie Watt, Jimmy Burns, Joe Viglione and Johnny Grum thrilled motorsports enthusiasts at the track which featured outlaw and Penn Western Racing Association-sanctioned contests.

In 1967, local businessmen John Frambaugh, Sam Turrillo, Bill Philson, John Philson, Doc Whiney, Harry Horne and Piney Lasky purchased the grounds and completely rebuilt the track into one of the fastest half-mile dirt ovals in the nation and immediately began a major modernization project. Over time Lasky became the sole owner of the facility, and in 1987 made the decision to move Jennerstown to the next level by paving the track and bringing asphalt racing back to Western PA for the first time since the Heidelberg Raceway closed in 1973. Lasky upgraded the grandstand and concession areas, as well as affiliated the track with NASCAR, and brought major sanctioned events to the Somerset County speedplant.[2][3]

Jennerstown Speedway Complex hosted 16 NASCAR Busch North Series events between 1987 and 2000, one NASCAR Southeast Series event in 1992 and 14 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour between 1990 and 2006. The Modified Tour will return to the track in 2020, after 14 years absence.[4]

After Lasky died unexpectedly in 1994,[5] his son, Stanley Jr., took over and ran the operation for the next five seasons, before selling to former speedway late model champion Steve Peles and Hooters Restaurants founder, Bob Brooks, in 2000. After three seasons, Peles and Brooks sold the track to Dave Wheeler, who initiated an immediate upgrade in operations. Wheeler repaved the oval in 2004 with a $350,000 polymer-based racing surface.

• Jennerstown Speedway Complex race results at Racing-Reference
• Official website