Shippenville, PA (Dec 6th, 2022) – Back and better than ever, Western PA Speedweek is OFFICIALLY returning in 2023 for a third consecutive summer. Next year’s iteration will also mark the 11th running in history, including the original eight-year stint from 1993-2000. Western Pennsylvania’s top drivers will again battle it out against a strong contingent of invaders for five straight nights in pursuit of the coveted speedweek title. In other exciting news, both Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants and J.S. Bova Excavating will return as title sponsors for the third straight year!
This year’s five race schedule will assume what has become its customary place on the calendar, commencing the week following Memorial Day on Wednesday, May 31st and continuing through to the finale on Sunday, June 4th. The popular group qualifying format that drivers and fans have become familiar with over the past two years will again be utilized. Without further ado, here is the 2023 Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants Western PA Speedweek presented by J.S. Bova Excavating schedule:
2023 Speedweek Schedule
| May 31st | Knox Raceway |
| June 1st | Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway |
| June 2nd | Lernerville Speedway |
| June 3rd | Sharon Speedway |
| June 4th | Tri City Raceway Park |
As time rolls on in life, we realize that many things remain the same. That sentiment couldn’t be truer here as evidenced by the fact that three tracks from the original speedweek slate will once again be featured on the 2023 schedule in Knox Raceway (formerly Sportsman’s Speedway), Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway and Lernerville Speedway. Not to be outdone, Tri City Raceway Park (formerly Tri-City Speedway) has been the Sunday night home of Western PA Speedweek since the 1996 edition. That’s a remarkable level of nostalgia, and we have yet to touch on Sharon Speedway who themselves have been running continuously since 1929, a remarkable feat that can be matched by few across the nation.
In this day and age it’s a promoter’s duty to lower the cost of racing as much as possible. While fuel prices have skyrocketed over the last two years with seemingly no end in sight, one of the biggest attractions of the 2023 Western PA Speedweek slate is the limited amount of travel needed to compete in all five nights of action. From beginning to end, a round trip to all five tracks requires less than 300 total miles of travel, again making Western PA Speedweek one of the most affordable miniseries in the country to follow.
The success of the two previous years has also paved the way for yet another nightly purse increase. All five events will present a matching $15,000 feature purse, accentuated by a year-to-year pay increase for Pos. 3-12 in the nightly finishing order. “We’re extremely grateful for the unending support of the five host tracks, and thankful for their willingness to step up and foster the growth that Western PA Speedweek has experienced in such a short amount of time,” said director Tyler Beichner. “We struggled a bit with where to allocate the extra purse money, but from the outset our goal has been to positively affect the highest number of teams possible and I feel we’ve accomplished that.”
2023 Speedweek Purse
| 1st | $3,000 |
| 2nd | $1,500 |
| 3rd | $1,200 |
| 4th | $1,000 |
| 5th | $800 |
| 6th | $700 |
| 7th | $600 |
| 8th | $550 |
| 9th | $500 |
| 10th | $450 |
| 11th | $420 |
| 12th | $400 |
| 13th | $370 |
| 14th | $360 |
| 15th | $350 |
| 16th | $340 |
| 17th | $330 |
| 18th | $320 |
| 19th | $310 |
| 20th-24th | $300 |
| Tow | $100 |
Though details have yet to be finalized, the 2023 Western PA Speedweek point fund expects to at least match what was paid out in 2022. Last summer’s champion earned $3,000 with the full breakdown looking like this: 1. $3000, 2. $2000, 3. $1500, 4. $1000, 5. $800, 6-10. $500
Beyond the purse increase and point fund monies, bonus money will again be up for grabs in 2023 to highlight a handful of different awards. Though it’s early in the process and we hope to accrue more great awards, the following are already penciled in and will be in full effect next summer.
- Quick time award – min. $200 each night
- Hard charger award – min. $200 each night
- Hard luck award – min. $50 each night
- Warrior award – $500 to the week-long hard charger
Just like we experienced in the 2021 reboot, the first two shows of the 2022 Western PA Sprint Speedweek were unfortunately lost to rain and severe thunderstorms. A picture perfect three days were then on tap for Friday, Saturday and Sunday that saw a total of 42 different drivers compete in the events at Lernerville Speedway, Sharon Speedway and Tri City Raceway Park. Western Pennsylvania standout and Apollo native A.J. Flick was dominant on his way to a clean sweep, capturing all three $3,000 victories and the matching $3,000 points championship.
Fans can gather more information about each speedway by visiting their track website and social media platforms, or by contacting their individual track offices.
Any companies or individuals interested in supporting Western PA Speedweek are encouraged to get in touch. For further information pertaining to drivers or interested partners, please contact Tyler Beichner by phone or text at (814) 221-1712 or email at westernpaspeedweek@gmail.com.
Western PA Speedweek is brought to you by Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants together with J.S. Bova Excavating along with the support of 724 Media, Affordable Powder Coating, Bill McCandless Ford, Classic Ink USA, The Dirt Network, The Knox Bakery, McClung Auto Body, Mobile Bail Bonds of Pennsylvania, World of Wheels, Rod Squad Fishing Charters and Superior Interiors Dustless Hardwood Refinishing.
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Western PA Sprint Speedweek 
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