8/6/2025
Lincoln Speedway
2026 Steve Smith Tribute Race Part of PA Speedweek Paying $40,019 to Win
KNOXVILLE, IA: Steve Smith Sr. is a legendary driver who is beloved in central Pennsylvania and known throughout the Sprint Car world.
The number of wins Smith racked up is impressive. He totaled 250 victories in his storied career, including 150 at his home track Lincoln Speedway. When the World of Outlaws came to town, Smith helped carry the banner, winning six times against the traveling band.
Four years ago, the Smith family and Lincoln Speedway put together a race to honor his memory and accomplishments. It was a five-year plan and now that 2026 will be the final installment, it’s shaping up to be the biggest race in the history of the Abbottstown oval.
Brian Leppo, son-in-law to Steve Smith, and the rest of the family, in conjunction with Lincoln Speedway, are announcing a huge swan-song payday. Next year’s fifth and final Steve Smith Sr. Tribute Race at Lincoln Speedway will pay a jaw-dropping $40,019 to the winner and feature a $165,000 purse.
There will also be a date change for the event. The richest show in Lincoln Speedway history will take place Monday, June 29th and be a part of an already lucrative Pennsylvania Speedweek slate.
“Originally, we didn’t want to go past year one, but Jerry [Parrish] and Lincoln said, ‘Hey, I think we would like to do this for a couple more years. So, we decided on five years, and when we left last year, it was a blast with beautiful weather, and I told JoAnn, ‘Hey, how do you feel if we come back next year, and we have a race that pays whatever we can make it pay for Steve?’ She had tears of joy and was like, ‘If you can do it.’
“So, it started as a little bit of a pipe dream, and hearing people talk in interviews with drivers, I started to think about having a $50,000-to-win race. When I started working on it, I thought more about making it a nice purse where guys can get some good start money.”
Continued Leppo, “Steve was arguably one of the best drivers in our area and won a lot of races. A big motivation to me was making this event 100-percent driven for the racers. My son works in racing, I have a lot of friends in racing, and I just wanted to build it up. We have a great group of people helping us, and I think it’s cool to have the highest purse in Lincoln history, and it’s going to benefit first, the drivers, and second, the fans. It should be a hell of a show.”
Leppo, the entire Smith family, and Lincoln Speedway have built a purse that checks all of the boxes. Any driver who makes the A-Main will receive $1,919. There will also be other contingencies and a solid B-Main payout.
The placement on the schedule is also key to making this a huge event. Speedweek is one of the biggest series of events in the region and with it also being a hole in the national series schedule, this payout could entice some traveling teams to make the tow to Central PA.
“The Speedweek thing is just the icing on the cake,” Leppo said. “Steve was a Speedweek champion, my brother-in-law Stevie was a Speedweek champion, and it just fits. The hair on my arm stands up just thinking about it.
“All of this wasn’t the original plan, but it’s the way it happened, and it should be that way to honor Steve and the drivers. With being a part of Speedweek and the purse, I think we’re doing things right. Obviously, we pray for good weather, and we hope that drivers and fans come out to support it.”
Along with a huge, and well-distributed purse, there will be others contingency awards, such as Hard Charger, Fast Time, Heat-race awards, and more, thanks to the 46 sponsors who have contributed to the event so far. More news on this event will be released in the future.
Schmuck Lumber/ACE Hardware is the presenting sponsor of the Final Steve Smith Sr. Tribute. Associate sponsors are Avalon Group, LLC, Brewer Home Improvements, FillPools.com, Fletcher’s Service Center, J&S Classics, Miller Brown Ohm, Ream Roofing, RLR Trucking, and Team DGRD.
Other sponsors include AL Driveline, Auto Barn, Auto Glass Guyz, B&D Petroleum Service, B&E Racing Customs, Brett Reckless Tattoo, C&D Rigging, Capital Renegade, Finish Line Auto Sales, Freedom Offroad, Front Runner Construction, FXG Sign and Label, Glennville Station Pub and Grill, Goofy’s Eatery and Spirits, GPS Griffth Plumbing Servies, H&H General Excavating, the Hetzel Family, J Fuels, Jeff Barnes Collision Center, JVI Group, Inc., Livingston Lawn Care Pros, Marchio’s Sport Hut, Inc., M&T Lawn Care, O’Brien’s Fuel & Service, Overdrive Rides, Pine Run Angus Farms, Rocket Designs, Rudisill Trucking, Salem Sales and Service, SHO Logistics, SmithTi, Torq Pit Bikes, Trump Plumbing and Heating, Waggoner Construction, and York Excavating Company.
Submitted By: Emily Winslow