BECHTELSVILLE, PA. – The 63rd anniversary season of auto racing action at Grandview Speedway moves into the 55th annual Freedom 76 race weekend, the biggest, most prestigious, and most lucrative racing event of the year for competitors.
The Freedom 76 weekend begins on Friday, September 19 with the 12th annual T.P. Truck Equipment Freedom 38 Sportsman Championship. The race program will follow the Freedom 76 race format with qualifying heats, consolations, Roy Miller II of Keller Williams Real Estate $500 to win cash dash, the Patriot 20, all leading up to the 38-lap Championship feature event that will pay a possible $3063 to win, plus practice time for 358 Modified drivers wishing to participate in the Freedom 76.
Racers are reminded that the Freedom 38 is open to regular Sportsman division drivers only, drivers who compete regularly in Modified division competition are not eligible to compete.
Friday’s program will be known as Fans for Five Friday as the grandstand admission is just $5, while children ages 9 and under will be free of charge. Pit admission on Friday is $40, and no license is required. There is no rain date for the Friday event.
On Friday, pit gates open at 3 pm, with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm, drivers meeting at 5:30 pm, with the pill draw following the drivers meeting. Warmups are at 6:15 pm, and racing will start at 7:30 pm.
Saturday, September 20, will feature the 55th annual Freedom 76 for the T.P. Trailer 358 Modifieds. The program includes qualifying heats, consolations, GT Radiator Repair $1000 to win cash dash, and the Schaeffer’s Motorsports Minuteman 20, all leading up to the 76-lap Championship main event that will pay a possible $32,063 to the winner.
SDS Photography will be having an autograph session with 2025 Track Champions Duane Howard and Colin Cox along with Miss Grandview Katelyn Smith starting at 3 pm, in the grandstand concourse area next to the photo stand, when the grandstand gates open on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday pit gates open at 9 am, for car inspections, fans will be able to enter the Grandstand areas between 9 am, and 12 Noon to reserve seats with blankets, with grandstand ticket windows opening at 3 pm. Pill draw for position is at 4:30 pm, with the drivers meeting at 5 pm, warm-ups are at 6 pm, with racing starting at 7 pm.
Adult Grandstand tickets on Saturday will be $40, students 10-15 with ID are $20, while children ages 9 and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission will be $45, and no license is required. There will be no advanced tickets sold for this event, and the rain date is Saturday, September 27.
Drivers are reminded that rules and procedures as well as entry forms for the 55th annual Freedom 76 are available on the Grandview Speedway website at http://www.grandviewspeedway.com under the Freedom 76 tab.
All race teams are reminded that, as has been the case all season, there is no fuel truck on site so plan accordingly. American Racer tires will be available at the racetrack this weekend.
For the race drivers and teams, the Freedom 76 has become a must attend race, as the prize money for winning the prestigious race can make the year for the winning driver along with the bragging rights to say they won the Freedom 76. To put what winning the Freedom 76 means into perspective, it means so much to the driver who wins it each year, as it is like winning the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, World Series, Super Bowl, or the Stanley Cup. It takes so much work, preparation, strategy, planning, and all the fortunes of a good race night to win the Freedom 76, especially since you only get ONE chance each season to grab the grand prize.
Promoter Bruce Rogers started three big money extra distance races for his drivers for the 1971 season, to give his loyal racers some extra cash as a reward for their support. One of these special events was the very first Freedom 76. Run as a 50-lap race the season before, Rogers wanted to give his fans and racers something more, and with the soon to be celebrated United States Bicentennial coming in 1976, the idea was created to have a race based on that theme, and so the birth of the Freedom 76.
This year’s 55thannual race will be paying the race winner $31,063, along with a possible $1000 bonus, with the number 63 signifying the anniversary year of the track’s operation. The first race in 1971 paid winner Ed Mumford a large at the time $1000 to win, with the first five figure winner’s share coming in 1987 with Davey Wenger taking home a pay envelope for $10,000. The largest winner’s purse came in 2012, when Bruce and Theresa Rogers celebrated Grandview Speedway’s 50th anniversary season by paying the Freedom 76 winner Jeff Strunk $50,000!
The list of drivers that have picked up a win in the Freedom 76 is long and varied, with the names on the list a who’s who in northeast Modified racing. All time there have been 28 different drivers in the 54 events to date that have reached the hallowed ground of Freedom 76 Victory Lane. Of the 28 different drivers, only eight of those drivers have scored more than one victory in the classic event.
Jeff Strunk has become the man to beat in Freedom 76 competition winning the prestigious event more than any other driver, scoring the victory eight times. Strunk’s wins have been in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2012 (Grandview’s 50th season of operation), 2013, 2016, 2017, and most recently in the race’s 50th anniversary running in 2020.
There are two drivers with the second most wins in the Freedom 76 with six each, a tie between Craig Von Dohren and Billy Pauch. Von Dohren, the track’s all-time leading feature winner, scored his first Freedom win in 1985, but did not get the second win until sixteen years later in 2001. Additional wins followed in 2006, 2008, 2015, and his most recent was the 2022 championship event. Billy Pauch is a driver who was only a Grandview regular for a short time in his career. Pauch picked up his wins in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, and his final victory was in 2000.
Third most in Freedom 76 wins is 2025 Track Champion Duane Howard with five Freedom 76 checkered flags. For Howard, now a seven-time track champion, his wins have also been spread out over a period of time, with the first Freedom win coming in 1993, followed with wins in 1997, 1999, 2011, and his most recent in 2018.
The very first race in 1971 saw track champion Ed Mumford score the win in what was at the time the longest race in track history. It was Mumford’s 13th win of the fourteen he would win that season on his way to the point title. Mumford would come back in 1975 to claim his second and final Freedom win.
Other multi-time winners of the event include Meme DeSantis who is a three-time winner, with wins coming in 2002, 2009, and 2010. The now Sprint Car Hall of Famer Fred Rahmer also scored two Freedom wins early in his career, with wins in 1981 and 1983.
Ryan Godown joined the multi-time winners club, scoring his second Freedom 76 win in the 2023 event after picking up his first 76er victory in the 2021 race event.
Drivers that have recorded that one precious win in a Freedom 76 include Glenn Fitzcharles in 1972, Roger Knappenberger in 1973, Mike Erb in 1974, Pete Damiani in 1976, Doug Carlyle in 1977, Bobby Hauer in 1978, and John Blackley in 1979 completing the decade of the 1970’s.
Single winners in the 1980’s include Paul Lotier in 1980, Smokey Warren in 1982, Doug Hoffman in 1984, Tom Mayberry in 1986, Davey Wenger in 1987, and Billy Schinkel in 1989.
Moving to the single winners in the 1990’s, the drivers to win include Kenny Brightbill in 1990, Chip Slocum in 1994, and Donny Erb in 1995.
More recent winners of one Freedom 76 in the 2000’s include Ray Swinehart in 2005, Stewart Friesen in 2014, Mike Gular in 2019 and last year’s winner Alex Yankowski, who scored the biggest win of his young career.
The 2022 edition was a classic Grandview duel that went down to the wire, with 2022 Track Champion Craig Von Dohren holding off a furious late race challenge from 2023 Track Champion Brett Kressley to score the Freedom 76 victory. Jeff Strunk, Billy Pauch Jr., and Kyle Weiss rounded out the top five finishers.
The 2023 event saw Ryan Godown fight off the challenges of several drivers on his way to his second Freedom 76 win, with Doug Manmiller finishing a close second followed by Mike Gular, Rick Laubach, and Craig Von Dohren.
Alex Yankowski was able to out maneuver 2024 Track Champion Jeff Strunk on a lap 47 restart, then fought off all challengers in the late going to score the win in the 2024 edition of the Freedom 76. Yankowski added his name to the storied Freedom 76 winner’s list, and was followed by Kevin Hirthler, Eddie Strada, Ryan Watt, and Brandon Grosso to the finish.
Competition has been fierce this season in the T.P. Trailer Modified division, and entering this Saturday’s Freedom 76, thirteen different drivers have made a trip to victory lane led by Jeff Strunk, Logan Watt, and Ryan Watt who are the only two time feature winners in a highly competitive 2025 season.
Drivers with a single feature win include Brian HIrthler, Brett Kressley, Chris Esposito, John Willman, Duane Howard, Jon Kellner, Justin Grim, Tim Buckwalter, Jared Umbenhauer and Eddie Strada, who will all be leading the pack into action this week looking for a feature victory.
Last season over 70 drivers competed in the Freedom 76, so action should be intense between the over three dozen regulars and the invaders.
The Freedom 38 for the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman was first contested in 2014, and was won by that season’s track champion Jared Umbenhauer. The following season in 2015 the win was scored by that season’s point runner-up Craig Whitmoyer.
The 2016 contest was the only event so far that was won by an outsider, as New Jersey’s Brandon Grosso scored the win, followed by long time Grandview regular Ryan Beltz picking up a checkered flag in the 2017 event.
The 2018 running saw Modified regular Kevin Hirthler scoring his first 38er victory in a race that would run the entire distance caution free. Hirthler would follow it up with another win two years later in the 2020 event, making him the only two-time winner of the end of season Championship race.
The 2019 race would see that season’s track champion Brad Brightbill put a cap on his great season, scoring the 38er win, which would be his fifth win of the year. The 2021 version would see Grandview’s 2016 Sportsman track champion Jordan Henn score the victory.
The 2022 version would see Ryan Grim pick up the win in a race that saw then invader and 2023 & 2024 Track Champion Logan Watt finish a close second place. Brett Gilmore, Cole Stangle, and Kyle Smith completed the top five finishers.
The 2023 edition saw three-time track champion Brian Hirthler score his first Freedom 38 win followed by Joe Toth, Dylan Swinehart, Jordan Henn and Kyle Smith.
In the 2024 event, Logan Watt picked up his third win of the year on his way to his first Freedom 38 victory. Jesse Hirthler kept it close to Watt in the final laps, but could not put on a serious challenge while Adrianna Delliponti finished in third, under pressure from Colin Cox and Joe Toth down to the finish.
The T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman have also been highly competitive, with twelve different drivers reaching victory lane during the 2025 season including two-time winners Colin Cox, Jesse Landis, Addison Meitzler, and Joey Vaccaro joined by one time winners Lawson Szerencits, Ryan Graver, Shannon Slaughter, Brett Gilmore, Kenny Gilmore, Parker Guldin, Dylan Swinehart, and last week’s first time winner Mike Loney, who will all lead the division into action this Saturday night looking to reach victory lane.
The race action will be very intense on Friday night, as last year over 60 drivers participated in the Freedom 38, with a host of invaders joining the over 40 track regulars in action on the one-third-of-a-mile high banked speedway.
For the latest updates, check in with the Grandview Speedway Facebook page.
Since the 1960’s, Grandview Speedway has been presenting exciting wheel to wheel NASCAR stock car racing every Saturday Night starting in April and running through October, plus special events. Grandview Speedway is located at 43 Passmore Road, Bechtelsville, Pa. 19505, just off Route 100, ten miles north of Pottstown, Pa.
Information is always available at http://www.grandviewspeedway.com or on Facebook, or by telephone at 610.754.7688.
UPCOMING EVENTS –
Friday, September 19 – 12th annual FREEDOM 38 SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP – T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman 38 laps, Modified Practice for Freedom 76 – 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 20 – 55th annual FREEDOM 76 MODIFIED CLASSIC – Modifieds 76 laps – 7 pm (Rain date September 27)
Saturday, September 27 – TIM PAUCH MEMORIAL – Outlaw Racing Series Enduro, Outlaw Racing Series Vintage, Pro 4 Racing Series, Slingshots, Xcel 600 Modifieds, Halloween for the Kids – 5 pm (Rain date October 4)
FREEDOM 76 WINNER’S LIST FREEDOM 38 WINNER’S LIST
2025 – ????? 2025 – ?????
2024 – Alex Yankowski 2024 – Logan Watt
2023– Ryan Godown 2023 – Brian Hirthler
2022 – Craig Von Dohren 2022 – Ryan Grim
2021 – Ryan Godown 2021 – Jordan Henn
2020 – Jeff Strunk 2020 – Kevin Hirthler
2019 – Mike Gular 2019 – Brad Brightbill
2018 – Duane Howard 2018 – Kevin Hirthler
2017 – Jeff Strunk 2017 – Ryan Beltz
2016 – Jeff Strunk 2016 – Brandon Grosso
2015 – Craig Von Dohren 2015 – Craig Whitmoyer
2014 – Stewart Friesen 2014 – Jared Umbenhauer
2013 – Jeff Strunk
2012 – Jeff Strunk
2011 – Duane Howard
2010 – Meme DeSantis
2009 – Meme DeSantis
2008 – Craig Von Dohren
2007 – Jeff Strunk
2006 – Craig Von Dohren
2005 – Ray Swinehart
2004 – Jeff Strunk
2003 – Jeff Strunk
2002 – Meme DeSantis
2001 – Craig Von Dohren
2000 – Billy Pauch
1999 – Duane Howard
1998 – Billy Pauch
1997 – Duane Howard
1996 – Billy Pauch
1995 – Donny Erb
1994 – Chip Slocum
1993 – Duane Howard
1992 – Billy Pauch
1991 – Billy Pauch
1990 – Kenny Brightbill
1989 – Billy Schinkel
1988 – Billy Pauch
1987 – Davey Wenger
1986 – Tom Mayberry
1985 – Craig Von Dohren
1984 – Doug Hoffman
1983 – Fred Rahmer
1982 – Smokey Warren
1981 – Fred Rahmer
1980 – Paul Lotier
1979 – John Blackley
1978 – Bobby Hauer
1977 – Doug Carlyle
1976 – Pete Damiani
1975 – Eddie Mumford
1974 – Mike Erb
1973 – Roger Knappenberger
1972 – Glenn Fitzcharles
1971 – Eddie Mumford