BEDFORD, PA- As springtime rapidly approaches, Western Pennsylvania’s Bedford Speedway has officially unveiled its 2013 racing schedule. The big Fairgrounds track, which first featured racing in 1936, will be racing 25 times this season.
The 2013 racing season officially kicks off on Sunday morning April 7th with a car show at the Jordan Hall Exhibition Center at the Fairgrounds. As in previous years it will be held in conjunction with the Bedford County Home Show. Immediately following the Car Show there will be an on track Test and Tune session, open to all competitors.
As is tradition each summer holiday will feature a special Late Model event. These will be featuring the Three State Flyers Late Models making appearances on Memorial Day May 27th for the “Milt Miller Tribute” and Friday July 5th for the “Johnny Grum Tribute”. Both of these events will be 35 laps with the winner taking home $3000. The final Three State Flyers appearance of the season will be the 26th Annual “Labor Day Classic”, on its traditional Labor Day Monday date this year. The Late Models will be competing in a 55 lap, $5055 to win event.
Open Wheel fans will be pleased with several Sprint events planned for this season. On Friday night May 10th the URC Sprints will visit, marking their first appearance in several years at the track. The Pennsylvania Posse 410 Sprints will make two visits to the speedway this year, Sunday June 9th for the “Roy Morral Tribute” and again on Sunday August 18th for the “Coffee Pot Classic”. Both events will feature the Sprints racing for $3500 to win in a 30 lap feature. Both events will also be open tire, time-trial events. Greg Hodnett claimed the victory at the Sprints most recent appearance at Bedford last season. For the first time ever the exciting ARDC Midgets will make an appearance at the speedway on Friday, August 23rd. This event will be held in conjunction with an event at PPMS the following night.
Visits by the PA Vintage Dirt Modifieds in May, the All American Outlaws in August and the Penn Mar Vintage Club Labor Day Weekend are also scheduled.
One of the highlights of the Bedford season every year is the Bedford Fair Sweepstakes event, held during the Great Bedford Fair. The Bedford Fair will be held from July 21st- 27th, racing at the fair will be Friday night July 26th. The following week, the speedway will be thanking the wonderful Bedford fans for their support with the “Fan Appreciation $5.00 Night” on Friday, August 2nd. General Admission will be just $5.00 for that event, with children 12 and under being admitted free as they are for every Bedford event. Labor Day weekend will begin with a celebration of the speedways 77th Birthday, on Friday night August 30th. That evening the track will pay tribute to Billy Winn, winner of the first race at the speedway on September 4th 1936. Winn is a member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and has multiple starts in the Indianapolis 500 to his credit.
Once again the final racing event of the season will be the Bedford Fall Fest on Friday and Saturday September 20th and 21st. Each of the regular Bedford divisions will have the opportunity to conclude the racing season with a extra distance/ extra purse show.
The season will officially conclude with the Annual Awards Banquet, to be held at the Bedford Elks Club in early December. For more updates and the 2013 Bedford racing season, please check our website www.bedfordspeedway.com. Bedford Speedway updates are also available online at https://twitter.com/BedfordSpeedway as well as at the official Bedford Speedway Facebook page. We would like to thank everyone for their support last year and we look forward to another great season.
