It’s the dead of winter, but auto racing never seems to stop for local fans. This weekend will be a busy one for racers and fans alike, with big events dotting the calendar.
For those wishing to check out what’s in store for the new racing season, the Racing Xtravaganza takes place at the York Expo Center on Friday and Saturday. For those wishing to catch some live racing action, those same two days include the Gambler’s Classic indoor races in Atlantic City, New Jersey. If you race a late model and want to catch up on all the newest crazes, Jim Bernheisel offers his annual open house on Saturday.
The Racing Xtravaganza will fill the Hall at the Fairgrounds with race cars, seminars, racing products, racing memorabilia and, of course, race tracks promoting their new seasons. This show usually attracts more than 100 race cars, all ready for the new season.
The tracks set up booths to release their season schedules and let fans know what to expect at each track for the new season. Drivers are on hand over the weekend with many participating in meet and greets on the main stage. The stage is also reserved at times for special roundtable sessions. A special seminar room is set up for racing related seminars during the weekend. Local racing clubs always attend, and the York County Racing Club has become renowned for the bake sale it has during this weekend.
All told, it’s a great way to liven up the winter months with a racing fix. Thus the Xtravaganza name.
On the track: The Gambler’s Classic weekend inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City has also become a mainstay winter attraction. Racing has been taking place inside what was once known as Boardwalk Hall for many years. A series of races were held there from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s, but a renovation of the building, along with the aging of the race promoter, saw racing come to a halt inside the venerable hall.
In 2003, Lenny Sammons, whose family publishes Area Auto Racing News, revived the indoor series and added other venues as well. The newly named Gambler’s Classic was born. Over the years, Sammons and his family have become known for producing a very well-run show of indoor auto racing with the Three Quarter Midgets as the headline attraction.
The TQs are about the size of a micro sprint with 750cc engines. They are built for racing on pavement, and the track is set up on the concrete floor of the hall. It is basically built around the outside edge of the indoor hockey rink in the building.
Over the years, several other types of racing have been tried as support divisions. The Sammons family have settled on the champ karts and the modified lookalike slingshots as the regular second classes. In recent years, a race has also been added for the 600cc micro sprints, which later in February will race on a dirt track constructed inside Trenton’s Cure Arena.
The TQ portion of the program has become a winter highlight, and this year there is some big money on the line for several participants. Ryan Fores and Andy Jankowiack each won features inside Allentown’s PPL Center in early January. If either driver is able to also win the Gambler’s Classic on Saturday, they are shooting for bonus money that will bring their winning total to $10,000.
Friday’s portion of the Gambler’s Classic weekend is known as the BlackJack 21, and the winner of this race is also in line for the bonus money in Saturday’s Gambler’s Classic. Of course, to win Friday, a driver would have to best both Flores and Jankowiack.
Flores is a New Jersey native who now lives in North Carolina. He works as a tire changer for the Roger Penske-owned NASCAR team car driven by 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. Flores owns one Gambler’s Classic win.
Jankowiack is a native of New York state and has been a big winner in the Gambler’s Classic. Jankowiack is tied with Anthony Sesely for the most career wins in the event. Each driver has four Classic wins.
Jankowiack races regularly with the asphalt modifieds, but in recent years has also become a super speedway competitor with the ARCA series stock cars.
Family business: Bernheisel will host an open house at his Bernheisel Race Components complex in Lebanon on Saturday. The Bernheisel family builds Lazer chassis late models.
Bernheisel and his son Bryan race late models, while another son, Brandon, is the mechanic on those rides.
Jim Bernheisel was recently inducted into the York County Racing Club Hall of Fame.
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