Love Speed? Try Mahoning Valley Speedway

Are you looking for something different to do on a Saturday night? Do you like the roar of powerful motors and the smell of burning racing fuel? If you answered yes to either of these questions then Doug and Gina Hoffman’s Mahoning Valley Speedway is for you. Located just west of Lehighton, PA, Mahoning Valley Speedway is Pennsylvania’s home for the mighty modifieds.

While they’re known as stock cars, the Modifieds are stock in name only. These little rockets have 600 horse power motors and weigh less than 2,700 pounds. They ride on 15 inch wide slick tires on both the front and rear meaning that all that power goes straight to the race track. These cars are so fast that they have a difficult time passing at lots of race tracks. Not at Mahoning Valley! Mahoning Valley Speedway is a 1/4 mile track with no real straightaways. The cars are constantly turning left meaning that the action never ends. Cars race side by side all night long. Last Saturday’s 35 laps went from green to checker without a yellow flag and the top three cars were never separated by more than a foot. Four more times this this year, the modifieds will compete in special 100 lap events for extra money for even more excitement. The next race in this modified series will be held on Saturday, June 6th.

The modifieds are only part of the great racing programs at Mahoning Valley. My next favorite division is the street stocks. These cars are mainly 1980s vintage Camaros and Monte Carlos specially prepared for racing. Their 25 lap feature races are fast and furious. The cars often go three wide and there is lots of bumping and grinding. There are times when you couldn’t fit a sheet of notebook paper between the cars. On any given week, there are many street stocks that could take the checkered flag.

Mahoning Valley also runs late model stock cars, 4-cylinder stock cars that are mostly Ford Pintos and dirt modifieds on asphalt. They also have special classes most weeks. The speedway’s gates open every Saturday at 4:00 and racing begins right at 6:00. On most evenings you’ll be on your way home before 10:00. I  like to get there early and enjoy some of the food in my picnic basket while the trailers come in.

One of the best things about Mahoning Valley Speedway is that you can bring your picnic cooler full of food and non-alcoholic beverages meaning that a night at the Valley will cost you far less than a ballgame or other sporting event. Another family friendly feature is that there is no alcohol allowed. Admission to Mahoning Valley Speedway ranges from $12 for regular shows to $20 for the 100 lap modified races. Students, seniors and active military receive a $2 discount and children 10 and under are always free. Pack your picnic backpack and head for Mahoning Valley Speedway very soon. You’ll be glad you did.