Jennerstown Speedway, one of the oldest short-track facilities in the United States, has undergone a number of transformations leading up to today’s state-of-the-art motorsports complex.

Constructed in the late 1920’s as a flat half-mile dirt oval, the Jenners Fairgrounds, as the speedway was then known, played host to ‘big car’ racing (forerunners to the sprint cars of today) during the 1930’s.  Among the leading local drivers of that era were Butch Gardner and the ‘Pennsylvania coal miner’, Mike (Little) Serokman.

Following World War II a smaller, lighted quarter-mile dirt oval was built inside the larger track in 1953.  Laird  Brunner became the first weekly promoter to present stock car racing, which had replaced the midgets as the post-war entertainment craze sweeping the nation.  During this period the original half-mile track was abandoned.

Brunner was followed by the successful promotional team of Carmen Amica/Dick Basserman, who guided the speedway during the early 1960’s.  Other promoters during the quarter mile era included: Lou Smith and George Kittey.  The half-mile oval was rebuilt in the mid-1960’s, but was quickly closed again due to poor track conditions.

Drivers such as Fuzzy Rubritz, Blackie Watt, Jimmy Burns, Joe Viglione and Johnny Grum thrilled motorsports enthusiasts on the tight Jennerstown bullring, which featured outlaw and Penn Western Racing Association-sanctioned contests.

A major modernization project took place in 1967 when local businessmen John Frambaugh, Sam Turrillo, Bill Philson, John Philson, Doc Whiney, Harry Horne and Piney Lasky purchased the grounds and completely rebuilt the track into one of the fastest half-mile dirt ovals in the nation.  For the next 20-seasons Jennerstown was known for its winged open wheel sprint car and dirt late model action.

Names like Lou Blaney, Milt Miller, Bobby Marhefka, Turk Burkett, Jim Nave and Gary Martz were in the headlines.

Over the course of time Lasky became the sole owner of the facility, and in 1987 made the decision to move Jennerstown to the next level by paving the track and bringing asphalt racing back to Western PA for the first time since the famed Heidelberg Raceway was sold for development in 1973.

Lasky also upgraded the grandstand and concession areas, affiliated the track with NASCAR, and brought major sanctioned events to the Somerset County speedplant.  Lasky died unexpectedly in 1994, passing the torch to his son, Stanley Jr., who ran the operation for the next five seasons, before selling to former speedway late model champion Steve Peles and Hooters Restaurants founder, Bob Brooks, in 2000.

After  three seasons at the helm, Peles and Brooks sold the track to Dave Wheeler, who initiated an immediate upgrade in operations.  Wheeler repaved the oval in 2004 with a $350,000 polymer-based racing surface.  Future plans call for improvements to the infield/pit area, along with new concession buildings and rest rooms on the spectator side.