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(Lehighton 3-9-22) Track management of Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway has announced that former four-time champion Randy Schlenker of Whitehall, has been appointed Race Director of the paved ¼-mile oval.
After narrowing down the likely candidates that were being considered for the job, Schlenker was ultimately chosen to fill the opening based on his knowledge and history of the speedway and objective plan to run the races.
“At the end of last season we had the race director spot open up and there was a number of reputable applicants that showed interest,” said Mahoning owner/promoter Jack Carlino.
“After carefully viewing the list we felt that that Randy (Schlenker) would best be the guy to conduct the program. He knows the track, he knows the drivers and he and his family has a long history with us. We’re proud to bring him into the fold and are confident of his ability to be fair with all classes and drivers.”
Schlenker has been a regular at Mahoning since his youth. His father, Dave Schlenker, worked at the track dating back to its dirt days of the late 1950s and early ‘60s. When blacktop was added in 1970 the elder served in several capacities that included handicapper/scorer, statistician, announcer and flagger. He worked in those same roles at Dorney Park Speedway as well and several other local tracks. In 2017 Dave was inducted into the Dorney Park Speedway/Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame.
In the mid-1990s R. Schlenker began racing in the Pro 4 division and would win a pair of titles and 11 features. He then moved into the Street Stock class and capture two titles there as well along with nine victories. At Evergreen Raceway he won 18 times with the Street Stocks. His brother Alan and nephew Matt are also Mahoning Street Stock winners.
“I feel honored that there was interest in me for the position and to get the opportunity to serve as Mahoning’s Race Director. It’s always been important to me to keep very involved in the local racing scene as much as I can,” Schlenker said.
“My dad started the whole thing from him being an official and then getting us all interested in it from myself to my brother and my nephew. As everyone knows in the racing game it takes a lot of time and money and life throws challenges at you and even though I may not be racing I still like to be involved in it and I’m humbled to have this chance to be part of the Mahoning staff.”
Schlenker opened up that as a racer he understands the pressures that are in front of him with his new position but is readily up to the challenge now that he is on the opposite side of the fence.
“Its tight quarters and it’s a tight track and there will always be contact with bumping and banging and so forth. I’m going to do what it takes to keep a good even flow of the show and in the process show our fans what good side-by-side action is all about with us. All the years when we raced I always wanted to be treated fairly and it will be my goal to show impartiality and earn everyone’s respect,” Schlenker explained.
“Many race tracks are at a crossroads. Those that are still going we have to keep them going and at Mahoning that’s very important because there are generations of racers and families that have been coming here for years. This is a tough industry not just for us but all race tracks. Things aren’t as easy as they once were and it’s up to us to keep this going with good, fair and quality racing.”
Schlenker has already been busy preparing for the upcoming season by laying out his game plan and speaking with competitors. He said he’ll be observing closely the upcoming Test and Tune days March 19/26 and April 2/3 where he looks to get settled into his role in preparation for the 2022 season.
Opening night is April 9 which will be Race #1 of the Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series and the Freddy Hamm Tribute Modified Twin-45s.
