Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway (PPMS) — Attraction in North Fayette Township

If you loved racing at Heidelberg Raceway, then Pittsburghs Pennsylvania Motor Speedway has some of the actual features of Heidelberg being used at PPMS since the track closed. Drivers doing it in the dirt since June 10th, 1979. Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway (PPMS)

TRACK HISTORY When was the first race in PPMS history? There’s not an easy answer to that question, as that is best answered by the phrase “it depends.”

On Sunday, June 10, 1979, the scheduled grand opening was a three-division program featuring the Late Models in a 50 lap main event. Also on the card was Semi-Lates and Street Stocks, which were also known as Flyers. However, when the heats were finished, rain moved in and canceled the rest of the program, setting up double features for the next regularly scheduled race night on Sunday, June 17.

However, that would not be the next race. The next scheduled event was on Thursday, June 14, titled the “Open Wheel 100,” featuring Sprints and Modifieds. The scheduled 50 lap events for both classes were shortened to 35 laps due to excessive heat that day. Keith Kauffman was the Sprint winner that warm evening as Central Pennsylvania drivers dominated the event. Richard Lupo led from the start, leading the first 14 laps. Steve Smith passed Lupo for the lead on lap 15. Kauffman passed Lupo for second on lap 17, and went by Smith for the lead on lap 19. At the checkered flag it was Kauffman the winner over Smith, Lupo, Bobby Allen, and Steve Siegel. Ed Faulkner suffered injuries after his driveshaft broke, and he was transported to the hospital. Sprint cars at the time had not fully transitioned to predominantly winged cars, and this race was run without wings. Deek Scott took the lead from Ralph Quarterson on lap 10 of the Modified feature and went on to win the event. Deek’s father, legendary driver Herb Scott for whom we have a memorial event in honor of, was the flagman at the track. It was a special family moment in victory lane that night. Bob Wearing finished second in the Modified feature, with Blackie Watt third. The Stocks were also on the card with Rich Britton winning the feature event over Tim College.

So the first races were run on June 10, 1979, but not any feature events. The first features were run on June 14, 1979, the first regularly scheduled features on June 17, 1979.

Now let’s get to that June 17 show. The night started with the makeup features, followed by heats for the regularly scheduled show. The Late Model feature was first up, but an incident on lap 3 would bring the evening to an early end. Driver Herm Myers hit the inside wall in turns three and four, climbing the wall and hitting a light pole. The incident knocked out the lights along the length of the two turns, and repairs were too extensive to allow racing to continue. This forced another double feature program on June 24.

The 50-lap main event from the grand opening started with Brian Muehlman taking the early lead. Muehlman led the first 30 laps, before being passed by Bob Wearing on lap 31. Dave Hoffman, aboard the Brockett Spirit of ‘76 took second from Muehlman a lap later, and but was unable to challenge Wearing for the lead. Instead he battled with L.J. Dennis for second as they swapped the spot several times. Wearing was the winner, but Hoffman’s car slowed with issues as the white flag was waving. That gave second place to Dennis, with Muehlman third. Fourth was Chuck Maloney, with Jim Bertges fifth. Bob Puz was sixth, followed by “Ed Faulkner’s car,” Frank Perpetua, the “Jook’s Body Shop car” in ninth for whom we have the Jook George classic race, with Hoffman limping home tenth. This information came from an old copy of Tri-State Auto Racing News, shared online. The other makeup feature winners were John Johnson in the Semi-Lates, and Joe Gombach in the Street Stocks.

The makeup feature on June 24 was won by Joe Mihalic, Herb Scott’s arch rival in the PRA racing days. Lynn Geisler won the regular Late Model feature, the first of his track leading 76 career...

Went here to see a monster truck show with the kids. Paid insane money to get in. ($50 per adult) There was dust kicking up and mud holes everywhere. Not a great place to push a stroller. My number one complaint is that there’s no smoking policies. Everyone was smoking everywhere… in a crowd of children. People were ashing everywhere and almost burning kids faces because they were walking around with lit cigarettes at their faces levels. There was also NO shaded area except for sort of under the bleachers which was SO nasty because it was a tighter crowd with more smokers and all the trash and dirt was raining down from the people above kicking it off from the bleachers. My kids were happy to see the monster trucks but the environment is toxic and sunny. Also there were only dirty porta potty’s. And everything was extremely expensive. This was a one and done kind of thing...

My toddler wanted to go see the monster truck show this weekend. He did have fun I'll give them that. However ever what didn't have fun was my wallet at how much they gouged everyone. The food and drink was to be expectedly high like any other event, the rest was $60 per ticket despite their coupon stating it was only $15 per adult), $15 for parking, and $7 for your kids to play for a few minutes in a bounce house. Then there was the death trap that they called the bleachers. The unpainted wood was so dry rot that you were going to fall the 20 feet to the concrete below with every step. If you have small children you need to be extra vigilant watching them because there is large exposed holes under the bleachers that children could easily fall through. Fun day was had, but it's definitely going to be on the news soon for an...