GRILL NATIONAL SPEEDWAY
A HISTORY OF GRILL NATIONAL SPEEDWAY
by SCORE Promoter
Dave Balloch
Grill National Speedway was built in 1983 by then track owner Dave Kurtz and Greg Saylor. The much-traveled tri-oval is shaped as a reverse image to Pocono International Raceway and was originally named Heights Naional Speedway due to its location in Berkshire Heights.The 6 lane design lies atop a double layer of plywood that was polyurethaned with a dark brown tint.The track measures 12'3" in length by 8'in turns one and two and tapers down to 5'4" in turn three.
Heights National opened May 24,1983 under MARA(Miniature Auto Racing Association)sanctioning which, then,included USAC divisions,a World of Outlaw division and modified stock cars.Twenty-three open wheel races were run at the Berkshire Heights site through October 22,1985.At mid-season HNS was moved to Ken Moyer's home in Exeter Township and continued to host MARA open wheel programs and RSCA(Reading Slot Car Association)modifieds. The "Heights 100" for USAC midgets became its premiere race,the sixth annual event closed the track at that location on March 20,1990 during the final MARA campaign
HNS was bought by Bob Potts,renamed the "Powerdrome",and moved to his Birdsboro abode in time to open the RSCA season on September 11,1990 with a sprint car and modified double-header.Though the RSCA had absorbed the sprint,midget,and dirt champ divisions,the Powerdrome would serve primarily as a venue for the organization's stock car divisions.Only six open wheel races were run there,the last on January 7,1992.The RSCA ran one more season at the tri-oval before it decided to run just one track at Antiedam(Stoney Creek).
With the inception of SCORE(SCale Openwheel Racing Enthusiasts),Dana Marsden bought the track and transported it to his workshop building outside Wernersville.Re-christened South Mountain Speedway,it held its first SCORE event on October 25,1995.Known also as the South Mountain Motorsports Complex due to other tracks sharing the same locale,SMS hosted 81 SCORE features. The final event at South Mountain was November 13,2002.
Three years later,the tri-oval was moved to Chuck Heller's home near Kenhorst and renamed Grill National Speedway.Its initial SCORE event was held on November 30,2005 and has run,to date,24 features over the past two seasons. As a tribute to its construction,the track has endured five different locations and has dropped the checkered flag on 173 open wheel features and an unknown amount of stock car races.
DB
For a list of winners on this track in it's various locations and names, go to the Win List .
