past present future

Moments in Mountain Speedway History

By Gene Ostrowski
May 03, 2005

New Grandstands

New Scoring Tower

Since the building of Evergreen Raceway (now Mountain Speedway) in the late 30’s, much has changed. Promoters came and went, faces have changed, vehicles have grown with the times, track improvements were implemented, safety concerns were addressed, and here we are in 2005, and things are not a whole lot different.

Over the years, Mountain Speedway had its share of great talent strutting their ability behind the wheel. Who can ever forget the likes of Jimmy Spencer, Geoffrey Bodine, Tony Siscone, Tony Hirschman, Ryan McGlynn and so many others? Most recently, “new blood” has pounded the pavement of the speedway. Drivers such as Eric Beers, Don Wagner and Brian DeFebo are names that come to mind, not to mention other divisions with drivers too young for even a driver’s permit making a name for themselves.

Over history, came a few others. Their family names, such as Kline, Frantz, Barbush, Rodriguez, Haydt, Higgins, Galluci, Wallace, Hirschman, and Spencer, just to name a few. It seems that the “racing bug” is not just an overnight sensation, but is a family sport for many, with each following in the footsteps of their elders and siblings.

Speaking to many, the track has had its share of rumors throughout the years. They may be true, but were never proven. One that was heard for years was that in 1980, the power went out during the modified feature. The lights never came back on that night. Rumor has it that the promoter at the time flipped the switch himself because he didn’t have enough cash to pay the drivers if the feature was completed.

On another occasion in the 70’s, the lights went out due to power failure during the modified feature for a few moments. As you can imagine, fans were in fear for the drivers. But, when the lights came back on, not one car had collided with anything, and the green flag was still in the air!

More things to remember: How bout ‘Barefoot’ Bob McCreadie coming to Evergreen with his pavement car and winning the ROC qualifier, plus the night's regular feature. He had to come from last place three times that night to win both races! What about the day of the big rumble in turn 4 involving Tony Hirschman & Ed Spencer Sr.? Speaking of rumors, after the rumble there was controversy about who had the gun! Hmmm, makes you wonder!

In recent years, Mountain Speedway has added extra shows to many of it’s regular events, showcasing racing series such as the Keystone Legends, ARTS Trucks, the Northeast Holiday Stock Car Series, Long Island Mini Cups, Dirt/Asphalt Modifieds, and many others.

Like any fine wine, over time it ages and becomes sweeter. The same can go for fan enjoyment at Mountain Speedway. Over the years we’ve seen stories become memories, drivers become famous, not forgotten. People come and people go, but racing in northeastern Pennsylvania still remains sweet.

Past, Present, Future Archive