09/27/2022
STATEMENT: I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who was a part of our promotional group and efforts during the past seven years at Selinsgrove Speedway and wish the incoming promotional team all the best.
First, special thank you to my business partners in Speedway Management Group: Mike Heffner, Brian Scandle, Todd Benner, Roy Adams, Tony Adams, the late Jeff Kurtz, and for the first five years, Alan Kreitzer. Thank you all for entrusting me and our team with the operations of the racetrack where I grew up – it was an incredible honor and experience.
When I started working at the track as a high school teenager in the summer of 1988, I never imagined it would lead to so many exciting opportunities in this sport we're all so passionate about.
We were fortunate to have a very dedicated and hardworking crew of nearly 60 people who helped put on shows each and every race day. In addition, so many businesses and individuals invested sponsorship money, equipment, and other assets that helped keep the gates open every week.
And finally and most importantly, we owe a huge THANK YOU to all you fans and race teams who showed up to watch and participate in some of the most exciting dirt track racing found anywhere in the country!
Over the last several years, Speedway Management Group invested nearly $400,000 into the property. The single biggest change in the track’s history was completed for the 2018 season when we relocated the pit area to improve the overall experience for fans and teams. And there were countless other changes and improvements we made to the facility.
It was also exciting to host a number of high-profile events, including the first-ever American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) race in 2018, as well as events with the national sanctioning groups like the All Star Circuit of Champions, World of Outlaws Late Model Series, USAC, and even the Renegade Monster Truck Tour (that was a blast!).
I always wanted to do a race in honor of Bill Holland, the track’s first winner in 1946 who went on to win the 1949 Indy 500. We made that happen in 2020 with the track’s first-ever USAC Silver Crown race. A year later, we brought back the USAC National Series for the first time in 50 years!
I'd have to say the proudest moment of my career was the first Jim Nace Memorial National Open in 2010 when one of the largest crowds in track history showed up to honor a true racing legend. They were all memorable and history-making events for sure.
I wish Stephanie Baker and her family all the best in this exciting new venture for them! There will be many highs and lows. That’s the nature of the racetrack business.
One of my long-time goals was to see Selinsgrove through its 75th Anniversary, which last year was very successful and generated a lot of goodwill for the track. My hope is that there will be “Thunder and Lightning” at Selinsgrove Speedway for at least another 75 years!
This isn’t good-bye. It’s see you later. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to be a part of this for 35 years!
Yours in Racing,
Steve Inch
General Manager & Track Announcer
