The Information Centre: Sports Cars

One of the things that makes Pocono Raceway so unique compared to other major NASCAR speedways is not only its triangular design, but also its resourcefulness to host other types of motor racing.

The famous Long Pond speed plant will be doing just that as this weekend as the 41st annual Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Pocono Sports Car Grand Prix takes to the track for the Laps to Conquer MS Double National and Pro IT. The Tri-Region Race Group is the event's sponsor.

Sports car racing has played a key role at the track since its inception. Road racers have a long history of motoring around the various infield courses dating back to 1971. Just as the tri-oval has played host to the best in both NASCAR and Indy Car, a slew of the most famous wheel twisters have tackled Pocono's road courses.

And one of the best parts of a Pocono road race is the fans' ability to see the entire track with no obstructions, something that is a common trait at most other facilities.

SCCA drivers from the Northeast and beyond are vying for points to position themselves in the chase for the national championship, which will be contested at Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) in September.

Registered drivers are from 17 states and Canada. They will run the 2.5-mile course clockwise, shifting gears through the North Road Course, reaching into the higher gears on the short back straight, braking and maneuvering for position in the dramatically slower chicane. They will feeling the Gs in NASCAR turn No. 1 and reaching the car's ultimate speed down the front straight before diving again into the North road course.

Among the top drivers is John Heinricy, former director of High Performance Vehicle Operations for the GM Performance Division. He is an 11-time SCCA national champion in Corvettes, Camaros, Firebirds and a Chevy Cobalt. This weekend, Heinricy is scheduled to drive a Corvette in the T1 class and the Cobalt in the T3 class in his quest for additional national championships.

Local drivers competing will include Sam Ryan of White Haven, Richard Kavitski of Freeland and father and son team of Mike and Mark Cefalo of West Pittston among others.

Ryan, who teaches defensive driving to corporate clients for Driving Dynamics during the work week, will be in a Formula Mazda, a purposely built race car which resembles an Indy Car. He clinched his division title with his victory at Pocono last year. He then finished sixth after starting in 17th position at the national championship runoffs. His ability to move through the pack will again make him a favorite at Pocono, where there are a lot of passing opportunities.

His involvement with the sport has led his wife Susan and daughter Emily into racing in SCCA Showroom Stock and go-karts, respectively.

Kavitski runs in the E Production division with a 1994 Mazda Miata. He also garnered enough points last season thanks to his efforts at Pocono and made the trip to Road America with Ryan. Kavitski races for RDK Engineering Inc. in a "stock" class with mostly Mazdas. Other manufactures include BMW, Triumph and Honda. His dad, Dave Kavitski, was an excellent hillclimb racer.

Well-known area lawyer Mike Cefalo and his son Marc, the president of PlanetMiata.com of Swoyersville, will be competing in a matched set of blue and green Mazda Miatas.

Spectators are invited to view from the grandstands or infield. They can visit the paddock and garages, talk to the drivers and get a close look at the cars, some of which are built like Indy cars of various sizes; others which are more like high performance road cars.

A portion of each ticket sold will be contributed to Laps to Conquer MS, a charity founded in 1989 by two members of Tri-Region Race Group to increase Multiple Sclerosis awareness through motor sports, while raising funds for the National MS Society. Admission tickets will be sold for $15 at the tunnel entrance to Pocono.

Charity eBay auction

Universe Racing and multi-platinum recording artist FireHouse are proud to announce a charity eBay auction (item No. 120762292295) for autographed "race used" racecar sheet metal from Universe Racing driver, Steve Fox of Hazleton who competes in the ARCA Series.

However, this isn't just sheet metal, as the cause that it supports is huge for both the race team and also for the band, FireHouse. The auction itself is simple and all of the proceeds will be donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand.

Founded by the late Alexandria "Alex" Scott, who passed away from cancer at the age of 8, the charity was designed to help find a cure for children who suffer from cancer. Up for auction is the hood of the Universe Racing Dodge Charger in which Fox competed with last season in the ARCA Racing Series. The entire hood is wrapped with a photo of FireHouse band members, CJ Snare, Bill Leverty, Michael Foster and Allen McKenzie. The hood was recently autographed by the band at a concert in Clearfield along with race team members including Fox.

"We teamed up with Alex's Lemonade Stand at the beginning of last season," Fox said. "Alex herself must have been truly awesome to start what she did, not only at such a young age, but also while being sick with cancer. "If this auction helps even one child with this horrible disease, I know that I'd be very happy and I'm sure that the guys from FireHouse feel the same way. The whole deal is pretty neat but knowing that it's going to such a great cause makes it truly rewarding."