The last two weeks of the 2012 racing season will be special ones as Hummingbird Speedway will honor two of its former employees who lost courageous bouts with cancer.
The first race will be held on September 8 and will honor one of the track owners, Ina Caltagarone. Caltagarone was the wife of current track owner, Louie Caltagarone, and who lost her battle with cancer just before Thanksgiving last year.
An anonymous donor has provided extra money for the street stock, pure stock , and front-wheel drive four-cylinder classes. The street stocks will also be running for lap money in their 30-lap main event. Also on the card that evening will be the steel block late models. Robert A. Leonard, Jr. Trucking has also donated money for this division’s purse making it an $800 to win race with extra money be paid through the finishing field.
Also, the winner of this feature will be guaranteed a starting spot in the Mick Orsich memorial race to be held the following weekend. Hummingbird Speedway rules will apply in all four divisions of racing. Gates will open at 4:30 pm with racing at 7. Admission is $10, kids 6-10 are $5, and kids under 6 are free while accompanied by an adult. Pit fee is $25.
Then on September 15, the 7th Annual Mick Orsich Memorial will be held, honoring the track’s former manager and flagman. Steel block late models and super late models will highlight this event as they will be running the 35-lap late model feature paying $2,000 to win plus lap money. The starting field will be set by heats and B-mains. The top 8 cars will set their starting positions by running in the Community First Bank Dash For Cash. Kutsel’s 322 Auto Sales will also be sponsoring a 16-car King of the Hill for the late models with $500 going to the winner of this event.
At intermission, there will be a drawing for 24 hats. Each hat will be signed by one of the starting A main late model drivers. The lucky fan who has the winner’s autograph will receive $100 and get to meet the driver in victory lane. A Chinese auction will be held throughout the evening with many items being offered for bid. The auction helps raise money for the Hahne Cancer Center located in DuBois, PA.
Over the past six races more than $20,000 has been raised for this cause. Hummingbird Speedway rules will apply for all divisions except for the late models as rules are opened up to allow super late models to compete with the track’s regular steel block competitors. Gates will open at 3:30 pm with racing at 6.
Admission for this race is general admission $15, and pits $25. Late models will also must pay a $50 registration fee. September 22 is set as the raindate for this event. For more information, call 814-653-8400 or visit the track’s website at www.hummingbirdspeedway.com.