Huge Coalcracker Weekend In Store At Big Diamond Speedway This Friday & Sunday

Story By: BIG DIAMOND SPEEDWAY – MINERSVILLE, PA – With a hearty thanks to Mother Nature, the fans at Big Diamond Speedway are in for a huge weekend of racing as the season sets with the running of the Fritz Roehrig Memorial Jack Rich, Inc Coalcracker 72 on Sunday September 5th.

But before we get to Sunday’s main event and with an assist from Mother Nature due to the rainout of Champion’s night last Friday. Coalcracker Friday has taken on a much higher importance. Because of last Friday’s rainout, Champion’s night will take place this Friday night September 3rd. Both the Insigner Performance Modifieds along with the Savage 61 Crate 602 Sportsman have been added to Friday making it a spectacular night of racing.

Coalcracker Weekend Schedule:

Friday night, Sept 3rd brought to you by Fire Management Control of Pennsylvania, Inc. will be Champion’s night for all four of the regular division as a champion will be named in each division.

The closest battle amongst the divisions occurs in the Insigner Performance Modifieds with only nine points separating the leader Duane Howard and second-place Timmy Buckwalter. Buckwalter has erased an over 100-point deficit in the past month and will be looking to keep his momentum going to win his first ever modified championship. It will be an exciting race which will probably go down to the last lap to decide the 2021 championship. Should both Howard and Buckwalter falter, teenager Alex Yankowski who is in third place will be ready to pounce.

The U.S.S. Achey Open Sportsman division will compete on Friday in their normal Coalcracker weekend format as they will race in a 40-lap main event with the winner receiving $1,500 for their efforts. The race on Friday will also double as the last points event for the year. Currently Doug Hendricks has a 107-point advantage over Brendan Edgar and barring a disaster looks to have the 2021 championship in hand. The Open Sportsman race will be a draw event for all entrants.

Added to the Friday night program will be the Savage 61 Crate 602 Sportsman as they compete in their final points race of the season. Two-time winner this season Steve Lyle has been a model of consistency all season long and currently holds a 110-point advantage over second-place Danny Buccafusca in the race for the 2021 title.

Usually, the most exciting division each and every week, the Red White and Blue Autos Roadrunners will take to the track on Friday night for their final points race of the year. Andrew Fayash III has already locked up the 2021 championship by virtue of his multiple wins and consistent finishes. In fact, Fayash III has finished in the top five every race this season which is a remarkable feat.

Pit Gates will open on Friday night at 5:00 PM with the grandstand gates opening at 5:30 PM.

Warmups will get underway at 7:15 PM with racing starting at 7:45 PM.

General admission on Friday night will be $20, Kids under 16 are free. Active military are admitted free with a valid ID.

Friday night pit passes are $30 for Big Diamond Speedway members. Non-member pit passes are $40.

Sunday night, Sept. 5th will be the annual Fritz Roehrig Memorial, Jack Rich Inc. Coalcracker 72. This is the race the fans and the teams look forward to every year. This year’s race will once again pay a whopping $17,000 to the winner along with lap money. 2020 winner Ryan Watt took home in excess of $20,000 with lap money added in and will be back once again looking to repeat that feat in 2021. 10th place on Sunday will pay $1,000 with $500 to take the green.

Current Big Diamond points leader Duane Howard is the most successful driver all-time when it comes to Coalcracker races with a total of eight wins in the season ending classic. The remaining two members of the Big three PA drivers, Craig Von Dohren and Jeff Strunk each have three Coalcracker wins. Former Big Diamond regular and track champion Ryan Godown also has three Coalcracker wins to his credit. Drivers who have been successful throughout their careers at Big Diamond but are still looking for that first Coalcracker win include Billy Pauch Jr, Rick Laubach, Brett Kressley, Jared Umbenhauer, Timmy Buckwalter and Mike Gular. Each one of those drivers would love to add a Coalcracker win to their already impressive resumes.

There will also be some young guns looking for their first ever Coalcracker win as well. Alex Yankowski has shown success this season with one win and many top finishes, Yankowski has a penchant for coming on late in big races and will no doubt be in contention for the win on Sunday. Ryan Krachun has shown over the course of the season that he has the speed to win and would like nothing better than to get his first ever Big Diamond win in Sunday’s Coalcracker. Another driver who has shown flashes of brilliance over the past season is young Nick Rochinski, Rochinski in the family-owned No. 20 has come close to his first ever Big Diamond this season would like nothing better than to get that first win on Sunday. You can also expect some outsiders to be on hand on Sunday to try and steal the money away from the track regulars.

The Savage 62 Crate 602 Sportsman division will also be a big part of Coalcracker Sunday as they race 30-laps with winner taking home $1,500. The Crate 602’s have been super competitive all season long with multiple winners ranging from seasoned veteran Jonathan Swift who has a total of three wins to the young Logan Watt who won his first ever big car race earlier this season. Points leader Steve Lyle, Danny Buccafusca, Eric Kocher, Kyle Kania, Doug Smith, Tyler Peet all have shown speed this season and would like nothing better than to win the season ending big race. Last years race had a bevy of outsiders show up and I am expecting the same this Sunday with the extra money on the line.

As and added bonus to Sunday’s Crate 602 Coalcracker race, Bill Brown & Company owner Ken Bruce has put in an extra $100 for the winner to bring the winner’s share up to $1,600. Also, the winner of the Crate 602 race on Sunday will receive a Holley 80541-3 aluminum carburetor courtesy of Big Diamond Speedway and Competition Carburetion. This carburetor is prepared for optimum performance for a crate 602 motor and is 4.5 lighter than its zinc predecessor.

Rounding out the racing card on Coalcracker Sunday will be the Red White and Blue Autos Roadruners who will compete in a 20-lap feature race with $500 going to the winner.

The Big Diamond Dog Pound led by Brad Keitsock and Kevan Schaeffer will be awarding many cash awards to all division over the Coalcracker weekend. Please see the Big Diamond Dog Pound Facebook page for a list of awards.

The Pits and the Grandstands will open at 3:00 PM on Sunday

Warmups begin at 7:15 PM with racing getting underway at 7:45 PM.

General admission for Sunday will be $35, Children 6 to 11 are $10 with Children under 6 admitted free. As always, active military with proper ID are free.

Pit admission on Sunday is $40