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2019 Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced

A year ago, the management team at BAPS Motor Speedway wanted to honor the history of their staple divisions at the speedway.
To do so, speedway owner Scott Gobrecht and general manager Kolten Gouse came up with the idea to develop a Hall of Fame to celebrate the greats in the Super Sportsman, Late Model, and Street Stock divisions.

There were tears. There was emotion and joy. It was the perfect career topper for drivers and owners in the first class, which consisted of Gary Wolford, Larry Jackson, Johnny Murphy, Jerry Burkett, Carl Billet, Ed Jones, Richie Hughes, and Carl Graves.

Now, it’s time for the second class to be named. The Hall of Fame Committee poured over accomplishments and came up with another prestigious list of inductees for enshrinement.

“The response to the Hall of Fame has been unbelievable,” Gouse said. “We wanted to tie the past to the present and honor these great legends, and the reception was better than we expected.

“We wanted to preserve the history of these divisions, so we felt it was necessary to create a Hall of Fame, where we could honor previous drivers, owners, and those have contributed to the division.”

Below is the 2019 class for enshrinement. They will be honored during the Blazer’s Body Shop Bud Bricker Nationals presented by MJR Equipment on May 25. The Super Sportsman main event will feature a $6,500 payday for the winner.

Rich Eichelberger: The Dillsburg, Pa., driver has 88 career Super Sportsman wins to his credit and is hoping to add to that total this season. Eichelberger has 38 of those victories at Silver Spring Speedway, 19 more at Williams Grove, which is second all-time at the famed oval, and nine more at BAPS Motor Speedway. There are plenty of big wins on Eichelberger’s resume. He captured the 1979 and 2006 Super Sportsman 100, and has championships at Silver Spring (1990) and BAPS Motor Speedway (2005, 2006). He also won the 186 Super Sportsman Tour title.

Dwight Leib: This legend earned 68 Super Sportsman wins, 47 of which came at Silver Spring Speedway. That is fifth on the all-time list at the facility. He also has five tallies at Williams Grove and 10 at BAPS Motor Speedway. Leib shined under the bright lights of the Super Sportsman 100. He earned four wins in the prestigious event, winning four in six years (1982, 1984, 1986, 1987). The 1984 campaign was especially prosperous for Leib, as he also won the Silver Spring and BAPS Motor Speedway track championship.

Howie Locke: When you think of track championships, Locke’s name jumps to the top of the list. He won six Silver Spring Speedway titles, including three straight from 1991-1993. He also added four Super Sportsman Tour titles (1991-1993, 1998). As for wins, Locke has them. He sat in Victory Lane 48 times in the Super Sportsman division, including 38 at Silver Spring. That is sixth on the all-time win list. Like Leib, Locke was tough to beat in the long-distance races. He earned three Super Sportsman 100 wins, including back-to-back scores in 1990 and 1991. He also won the event in 1998.

Jim Shuttlesworth: When you think of Late Model racing at Silver Spring Speedway, Shuttlesworth is usually the first name that pops into your head. He is second on the speedway’s all-time win list with 58 tallies. Six of those wins came in the prestigious Late Model 50, one of the most difficult races in the division. He also had 10 wins at BAPS Motor Speedway. Shuttlesworth was also consistent, earning a Silver Spring Speedway title in 1984 and a pair of championships at BAPS Motor Speedway in 1984 and 2005. Shuttlesworth also shined in the Super Sportsman division, winning 24 times, 13 of which came at Silver Spring. Included in that total is the 2001 Super Sportsman 100. He also had five at Williams Grove and four more at BAPS Motor Speedway.

Don Comerer: Comerer dominated the Late Model division in the late 70s and early 80s, winning five Silver Spring track championships. He topped a tough field four straight years from 1976 through 1979. He added another title in 1981. Comerer registered 38 career wins at Silver Spring, which was fifth all time in the division. Included in those wins are a pair of Late Model 50 triumphs. Comerer also shined at BAPS Motor Speedway, winning eight times and collecting the 1981 track championship.

Korey Sites: Despite only having six career Silver Spring wins in the Street Stock division, he was one of the most consistent drivers and collected a pair of titles in 1997 and 1998. Sites was even more impressive at Williams Grove, earning 16 wins, which makes in the all-time leader at the speedway, and three track championships. He collected titles in 2006, 2007, and 2009.

Larry Miller: Miller had a team car with Carl Graves, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame a year ago. He has 14 career wins at Silver Spring and two titles, topping the field in 1987 and again in 1993. Once his racing career ended, Miller started Miller Racing Products, which is a prominent parts business in the central Pennsylvania region.

Walt Bigler: The long-time owner has been a staple in the division since 1953 and still owns a car today. He has over 30 victories at Silver Spring and was a fixture in Victory Lane at other speedways. In 1995, Bigler hooked up with Danny Hager to capture the Silver Spring title. He also has five second-place finishes in the standings, including his last with Hager in 1996. Bigler added another title in 2011 at Williams Grove Speedway with Carmen Perigo Jr. behind the wheel. The legend also landed four Super Sportsman 100 wins, two of which came with Hager. He also captured the 100 with Frankie Herr and Perigo.

Will Kreitzer: It’s difficult to mention Silver Spring Speedway and not put Kreitzer in the same breath as some of the greats. Kreitzer built the speedway and ran it from 1953 through 1986 and was responsible for making the Super Sportsman, Late Model, and Street Stock divisions what they are today. When he decided to step away, he kept it in the family by passing it along to his son Alan Kreitzer.

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