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.

“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 Randy (Schlenker) would best be the guy to conduct the program. He knows the track, he knows the drivers and he and his family have 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.

In the mid-1990s, Randy 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 captured 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 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 as 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.